Much like with every Civilization game before it, the player’s main competition in Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 is the other civs vying for victory. They must utilize all the resources at their disposal to befriend or fight them, compete for resources, and hopefully beat them in one of the many victories. However, they are not the only force in the world, as city-states have also made a comeback in Sid Meier’s Civilization 7. But this time around, those independent nations work a bit differently.
City-states have been a feature of Civilization for a while now and often serve as nice additional allies in the player’s conquest of the world. Much like most of the game’s systems, Firaxis has chosen to rework them with each entry. And with Civilization 7, the city-states may be in their best state yet. Not only are they still valuable allies, but the way to go about recruiting them has been vastly improved, and each age shakes them up even further.
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One Civilization 7 Feature is a Far Cry From What Came Before
While Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 may feature some fantastic changes, there is one feature that was sadly stripped back in this adventure.
Civilization 7 Has Changed City-States For the Better
City-States in the Past Have Been Rather Cumbersome
City-states were first introduced back in Civilization 5 and were themed after real-world small nations that never really tried to compete for world domination. These single-city nations would randomly spawn throughout the game world, and it was up to the player to decide how to deal with them. They could conquer them, disperse them, or ally with them by increasing the influence they had over them. When allied, they would provide various bonuses depending upon what type of city-state they were. And those alliances proved vital to the Diplomacy victory, as they would reward players with more UN votes.
With Civilization 6, Firaxis overhauled the way that city-states worked. They still provide bonuses and more delegates, but interacting with them has been changed. To ally with them, they needed to plunge Envoys into them. The civilization with the highest Envoy count became their Suzerain, but if players were not careful, that could change at a moment’s notice. This gave them an ally in war and let them levy their units whenever they needed. Outside of that, there was not much more that could be done with them.
Civilization 7’s Iteration Feels Like a Breath of Fresh Air
City-states once again make their appearance in Civilization 7, but they were given far more things to do this time around. With each age, there are independent powers that spawn randomly around the map waiting to ally themselves with a civilization. Some of them may be hostile at first, while others are simply going about their day. Players must spend influence to recruit them to their side, with it taking multiple turns to sway them. Once swayed, they are able to select a special upgrade and the independent power becomes a fully-fledged city-state.
These upgrades can range from free technology to unique buildings, and as players recruit more, they gain even more powers. Additionally, players are able to do far more with them once they become city-states. Not only can they still levy their units, but they can also bolster their army, promote their growth, and even add them to their civilization permanently. This gives them far more functionality, and with DLC or post-launch updates, that will likely grow as it did in past games.
This version of city-states may be Civilization‘s best iteration yet. They are far more than simply single-city nations, as they can actually provide players with so much more. On top of that, they no longer have to constantly ensure their influence or envoys are greater than another, as an allied city-state will never leave their side. So, they can focus on far more important things, like conquering the world. And with enough city-state bonuses, they may be unstoppable.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025