Best Leader Mementos In Civilization 7

In Civilization 7, players earn Mementos as they progress through the game, leveling up their leaders and making strides down their Foundation Path. You’ll gain both your slots quite early: at Level 3 and Level 5. From there, every time you start a new game, it’ll be time to determine which of your earned Mementos to slot into your chosen leader.

Since there’s a pretty big difference in experience with the game between just starting out – with limited access to the system – and playing enough with every leader to earn them all, we’ll offer our suggestions regarding each leader’s early and late Memento choices.

This guide’s a work-in-progress as we continue to explore every leader in full. Sorry about that – the rest is coming!

Amina

Economic Militaristic

Amina means business – and warfare. She’s perfectly posed to destroy rival civs and make solid profits simultaneously, with a +5 combat strength in Plains and Desert tiles across the board for every military unit in the game.

Meanwhile, every city gets +1 Resource Capacity, which is frankly pretty great given that throughout much of the game, getting Resource Capacity slots isn’t an easy job. The +1 gold per age for every Resource Capacity slot is a nice perk.

So, where does that leave Amina for Mementos? It depends on which of her strengths you intend to pursue more vigorously, as will be the case with several of the leaders we’ll be mulling over. Broadly speaking, however, you can’t go wrong with the following.

Early On

• Scythian Battle-Axe: +1 gold per age for every Commander XP earned. Seeing as you’re likely to be engaging in ample bloodshed, you ought to consider funding that economic edge while you’re at it. Level 2 with Xerxes, King of Kings.
• Takoba: +1 Combat Strength on Plains and Desert tiles. If this sounds awfully familiar, well, it is; you’ll obtain this by reaching Level 2 with Amina herself. Make that +5 a +6.
• Royal Mace: +1 Gold per age on all Imported Resources. You’ll have more of those with Amina. Level 2 with Hatshepsut.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty Of Mementos

• Rawani: +3 Combat Strength to a unit’s next attack whenever they defeat an enemy unit. Excellent for helping to clear out large gatherings of enemy troops, so long as you’re playing smart enough with your unit placement to be regularly wiping them out. At this point, you likely will be. You’ll need Level 9 with Amina herself.
• Pochteka Backpack: +5 Range for all Trade Routes. You’re not going to benefit nearly as much from those added Resource Slots, especially in the early stages of the game, without ways in which to maximize that range. There’ll simply be too much range between settlements for quite some time. Level 19 with Foundation Path.
• Colada & Tizona: +2 Combat Strength for every unit adjacent to two or more units. In other words, you can make that +6 into a +7, should you opt to use Colada & Tizona in conjunction with Takoba. Not a bad idea. Level 24 on Foundation Path.
• Golden Sceptre: +3 gold per age for every settlement you have conquered. As with many Mementos, this is strongest in the Ancient Age; however, it’s a serious boon at that stage, when gold isn’t going to come as quickly to you. Level 9 with Xerxes, King of Kings.
• Del’Arte della Guerra: +5 gold for every sanction you have active per age. Feed your costly ambitions for spending most of your Influence ticking off other civs, which will make warring with them easier. Level 5 with Machiavelli.
• Sidearm: +3 Combat Strength for any unit below 50 percent of their HP. Ordinarily, you’d want to avoid this ever happening, but if you use Sidearm with Colada & Tizona,
• Lion Capital: Commanders receive +50 percent experience during Celebrations. If you’ve got a ton of Resources slotted, you’re likely to do very well with Happiness. Take advantage of that to further strengthen your army when the fighting kicks off. Level 9 with Ashoka, World Conqueror.

Ashoka, World Conqueror

Diplomatic Militaristic

Ashoka, World Conqueror pulls off the impressive feat of triggering heaps of Happiness during wars. His Happiness boosts are also superb for your overall Production. He gains +1 Production for every five excess Happiness in a city.

Ashoka also earns +10 Production for all cities not founded by you, AKA the ones you conquered. Declaring a Formal War grants a Celebration, and all military units gain +10 Combat Strength against districts during Celebrations.

Making sure you’re declaring Formal Wars means aiming to make a civilization Hostile toward you before you tell them the gauntlet’s been thrown, so some of Ashoka’s best Mementos build toward that end.

Early On

• Bifocals: Gain 50 Influence after researching a Tech or Mastery. You’re going to be researching Techs as a rule in Civilization 7, and there are plenty of reasons to take the time to master them. Use the excess Influence to denounce other leaders in all manner of ways. Level 2 with Benjamin Franklin.
• Forget-me-not: Gain 10 Happiness per age when completing a Narrative Event. Level 2 with Jose Rizal.
• Chanda-mahasena: +2 Combat Strength against Fortified Districts during a Celebration. Level 2 with Ashoka, World Conqueror himself. Arguably a must-slot; it works flawlessly for him.
• Portrait of Josephine: +2 Gold per age for every leader you are Unfriendly or Hostile with. While Ashoka, World Conqueror is hardly an economic mastermind, this is going to happen often enough that the rewards are well worth it. Level 2 with Napoleon, Emperor.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty Of Mementos

• Colada & Tizona: Naturally, you’re going to see some repeat mentions in this guide. As we mentioned for Amina, this nets you +2 Combat Strength for every unit adjacent to two or more units. Level 24 on Foundation Path.
• Lion Capital: Commanders receive +50 percent experience during Celebrations. Since Celebrations are so common with Ashoka, and battles so frequent, there’s no reason not to use his own high-tier Memento. Level 9 with Ashoka, World Conqueror.
• Garuda Statue: +1 Population to your smallest settlement each time you enter a Celebration. Make the most of it. Level 39 on Foundation Path.
• Anti-Machiavel: +2 War Support on all wars declared against you. Two things here: sooner or later, even Ashoka’s Happiness may fall behind during lengthy campaigns; your tendency toward declaring wars will inevitably lead to that happening to you in return. Level 9 with Friedrich, Baroque.

Ashoka, World Renouncer

Diplomatic Expansionist

Ashoka, World Renouncer also relies on Happiness to a considerable extent. With +1 Food per every 5 excess Happiness, +10 percent food for all settlements during Celebrations, and +1 Happiness adjacency to all buildings, he is,in fact, far more Happiness-centric than his alter ego.

As you can see, this Ashoka thrives on making his cities as vast as possible, and thus, as capable of great things of all kinds as they can feasibly become. You’ll want to boost Happiness ever further and/or go directly toward more Food in order to play to his strengths.

Early On

• Chakra: +1 Food in the Capital for every 5 excess Happiness. Since this can stack, you might as well give it consider giving it a go. Level 2 with Ashoka, World Renouncer himself.
• Brush & Scroll: +5 percent Growth Rate in cities for every Specialist in that city, up to 25 percent. In practice, that means up to 5 Specialists will contribute to this. That’s still plenty, and you’ll get there soon enough. Level 2 with Confucius.
• Forget-me-not: Gain 10 Happiness per age when completing a Narrative Event. Level 2 with Jose Rizal.
• Letter to Adrienne: +2 Happiness per age for every Social Slot. These do reset in number with each age, so you’ll need time to really reap the rewards in all three eras. Still, it’s a solid boost. Level 2 with Lafayette.
• Topayauri: +1 Food per age for every district adjacent to a mountain. This is highly situational

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty Of Mementos

• Garuda Statue: +1 Population to your smallest settlement each time you enter a Celebration. Make the most of it. Level 39 on Foundation Path.
• Breastplate: +2 Food per age in towns. Since you’ll want some towns specializing in food production to help fuel your cities, this should come in handy at every point in the game. Level 5 with Augustus.
• Sakaki Branch: +25 percent production toward constructing Happiness buildings so that you can begin to get the goods from all that excess Happiness ASAP. Level 5 with Himiko, HIgh Shaman.
• Tricolor Cockade: +2 Happiness and +2 Culture in the capital per age for every Tradition slotted. If you’re pursuing any Culture-related Legacy Paths, this is a good mix. Level 9 with Lafayette.

Augustus

Cultural Expansionist

Augustus occupies one of the more interesting niches in the game. While you’ll always want some towns alongside your cities, it’s imperative that you maintain a decent balance between the two settlement types if you’re playing as Augustus.

For every town in your empire, your capital gains +2 Production. You’ll uniquely be capable of purchasing Culture Buildings in towns, making them slightly more akin to cities. And every building you purchase in towns costs 50 percent less than what other leaders must pay.

Hence, some of what we’re looking for here junctions well with having a higher number of towns. There isn’t much on the menu for that specific scenario, so we’re also looking for broader Cultural gains, since that’s a relatively strong overall path for Augustus.

Early On

• Corona Civica: +1 settlement limit per age, but converting towns to cities will cost you 50 percent more than normal. Level 2 with Augustus himself.
• Flute: +1 Culture per age on Military Buildings. Since Augustus excels in expansionist roles, you may find yourself compelled to get involved in more bids for the land. Besides which, it never hurts to build a few Military Buildings in general. Level 2 with Friedrich, Baroque.
• Yata no Kagami: +20 Culture per age at the start of every Celebration. Celebrations are going to happen – thankfully – one way or another, so long as your empire isn’t brimming with discontent. Level 2 with Himiko, High Shaman.
• Incense Censer: +2 Culture per age for every active Trade Route. Another fairly easy source, since you’ll have plenty of settlements, and a fair few will likely wind up near others’ borders. Level 2 with Xerxes, King of Kings.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty Of Mementos:

• Breastplate: +2 Food per age in all towns. Given his niche, Augustus benefits greatly from all three of his own unlocks. Level 5 with Augustus.
• Clipeus Virtutis: +1 Production in the capital for every town. Level 9 with Augustus.
• Merchant’s Saddle: +1 Movement and Sight for Scouts, Merchants, and Settlers. This should aid you in finding swifter spots for your high number of towns. Level 5 with Ibn Battuta.
• All-T’oqaqu Tunic: +3 Sight for Scouts adjacent to mountains. See above, really. Level 5 with Pachacuti.