Ever since its inception, the Sid Meier’s Civilization franchise has attempted to emulate the real world. Not only has it taken real-world leaders and civilizations, but its gameplay loop has been built around actual history. With Civ 6, Firaxis chose to take it even further by also delivering a more realistic world with the inclusion of natural disasters and Climate Change. While Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 may not include Climate Change just yet, it has taken those disasters to the next level.
Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 has taken Civ 6’s disasters feature and fleshed them out to deliver something that feels far more lifelike. No longer are they only spurred on by a multi-tiered climate system, and instead, players must be prepared for the unpredictability of nature. If that was not enough, they have also become far more intimidating looking while also being easier to manage in the long run. And with updates, the feature will likely only grow.
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Civilization 7 Has Reworked Storms for the Better
Civ 6 Introduced the Concept of Natural Disasters
Sid Meier’s Civilization may have dabbled with weather in past games through random events, but Civ 6 was the first game to introduce natural disasters as its own separate entity. Through the game’s Gathering Storm DLC, Firaxis added a whole host of disasters for players to deal with. Floods could take out entire tiles, droughts and forest fires could devastate surrounding areas, and storms such as tornadoes or blizzards could impact players immensely. On top of that, they also had to constantly look out for volcanic eruptions and meteor showers.
All of these disasters helped add to the realism of Civ 6‘s world while also giving players an extra challenge to deal with. As Climate Change got worse, these disasters would also get worse. Their range would increase, the damage they caused would worsen, and everything about these storms would become even more terrifying. Players would have to do everything they could to prevent this, or risk losing to nature itself. While that made for an interesting gameplay addition, some also felt like it was a bit too much. So, Civ 7 has changed things a bit.
Civ 7 Has Taken the Concept to the Next Level
One of the biggest changes that Civ 7 has introduced to storms is that they are no longer tied to a Climate Change mechanic. It remains to be seen if that feature comes back at some point in the future, but as of now, storms are their own separate thing. Because of this, they feel far more random and sporadic as there is no Climate Change bar telling players what to expect. They can swoop in at a moment’s notice, devastate some tiles, and disappear. Luckily, it seems like the frequency has been toned down from Civ 6, making them far easier to manage.
It is not entirely clear just how often or when these disasters will occur, which makes them a bit more interesting. On top of that, the new designs Firaxis came up with for Civ 7 really make them look and feel far more intimidating. There’s just something spine-tingling about watching a hurricane slowly roll in or a tornado ripping up tiles near a city, which is really helped by the more realistic art style the studio has chosen.
While some players may miss the Climate Change mechanic, this iteration of storms feels like a nice progression from what has come before. They are less frequent, more random, and they look terrifying. With post-launch updates and DLC for Civilization 7, there’s a chance that the studio adds even more into the mix. But for now, players will just have to keep a watchful eye on the weather as they attempt to conquer the world.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025