Civilization 7 features Catherine the Great, an iconic leader of Russia captivated by the pursuit of cultural and scientific advancement. Similar to how she was in real life, the Civ 7 version of her captures this same intellectual curiosity and complements her overall playstyle. But, if you’re diving into Civ 7 for the first time, you might be wondering the best way to play her.
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Look no further than this guide. For this guide, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about how to play Catherine the Great, from her attributes to the best strategies to achieve victory.
Catherine The Great Leader Overview
As mentioned, Catherine the Great was fascinated by the study of cultural and scientific improvement, which led Russia into a golden age of intellectualism.
As such, her abilities are tailored to a cultural and scientific playstyle.
|
Leader Attribute |
Details |
|---|---|
|
Great Works And Culture |
+2 Culture per Age on displayed Great Works. Buildings with Great Work slots gain 1 additional slot. |
|
Cold Equations |
Cities settled in Tundra gain Science equal to 25% of their Culture per turn. |
How Do Catherine The Great’s Attributes Work?
As you can see, improving both Catherine the Great’s culture and scientific output synergizes well with one another. You’ll want to settle near Tundra tiles as much as physically possible, though this can be difficult depending on your starting location.
Overall, considering her scientific and cultural attributes, keep the following tips in mind when playing Catherine the Great.
- Prepare For Great Works – Whether you construct Wonders or other buildings like Museums that can host Great Works, make sure you have buildings in your production pipeline available to hold Great Works so you can take advantage of Catherine’s boons.
- Construct Science And Cultural Buildings – In addition to cultural buildings that can house Great Works, make sure you’re constructing scientific buildings as well that increase Catherine’s science output.
- Take Advantage Of Tundra – As mentioned, create settlements on Tundra tiles whenever you can.
What Civilizations Work Best For Catherine The Great?
While Catherine the Great is a fantastic choice for a leader, her attributes are rather specific, and not all civs are going to work well with her.
Your choice is going to be between one of two things. You’ll either choose a civ that builds upon her already existing buffs or choose a civ that rounds out her weak spots.
If you’re starting in the Antiquity Age, consider the following civs to begin with.
|
Civilization |
Key Effect |
Details |
|---|---|---|
|
Greece |
Cultural Buildings |
Greece offers the Odeon and Parthenon buildings, which grant various bonuses to happiness, culture, and influence. These buildings can stack nicely with Catherine’s cultural buffs thanks to the adjacency cultural bonus they get for being placed near Wonders. |
|
Rome |
Cultural Buffs, Rounds Out Military |
While Rome also offers cultural buffs in the form of the Temple of Jupiter construction, the main thing to note here is that Rome rounds out Catherine’s military weakness. Rome comes with two unique units, a Legion and a Legatus that can help shore up Catherine’s military. |
Which Civs Should You Pick For The Exploration And Modern Ages?
Like most other leaders, Catherine the Great can work well with a lot of different Exploration or Modern civs. However, Rome can unlock certain options that may not be available otherwise.
Based on your Antiquity Age choice, look at these options for Exploration and Modern Age civs.
|
Antiquity Age Civ |
Exploration Age Civ |
Modern Age Civ |
|---|---|---|
|
Greece |
Norman or Mongolia |
Russia or Prussia |
|
Rome |
Spain or Chola (Unlockable) |
Russia or France |
Spain, Chola, Mongolia, and Prussia all help round out Catherine’s military weakness.
Meanwhile, the Normans, Russia, and France can all help synergize her cultural output. Though Russia also offers combat benefits.
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What Is The Best Strategy For Playing Catherine The Great?
Unlike a lot of other leaders, who may be more well-rounded, Catherine the Great is tailored for a very specific playstyle. When playing Catherine, you’re going to want to focus on one of two victories.
- Scientific
- Cultural
A points victory is always viable, but given Catherine’s attributes, which will carry over with you through all three ages, you’ll likely have an easier time achieving either a Scientific or Cultural Victory.
How To Get A Scientific Victory
To achieve a Scientific Victory as Catherine the Great, it’s recommended you start with Rome as your Antiquity Age Civ.
You’ll still get cultural building bonuses from the Temple of Jupiter, but you’ll round out your military nicely as well.
Researching tech can help bolster your military, as a lot of tech unlocks certain types of units, so marrying science output with your military is a no-brainer.
From there, focus on the following two things:
- Research, Research, Research – Make sure you’re completing as much of the tech tree as possible, and activating Research Endeavors whenever you can to help speed up the process.
- Settle On Tundras – Increasing your science output by settling on tundras will always help when it comes to playing Catherine.
Every single Scientific Legacy Path requires you to study a certain tech, which you’ll want to do quickly to achieve victory. That means having a high science output is always going to be ideal.
From there, make sure you’re spending time placing Specialists on tiles, as this will be important in the Exploration Age for the Scientific Legacy Path. This means you’ll want to make sure you have a high food output as well so that you can grow your population quickly.
Finally, by the time you reach the Modern Age, you should have a high science output and a lot of Specialists.
Make sure you’re placing Specialists on tiles that either boost your science output or your food output!
This will synergize nicely with your tech tree and allow you to research the last handful of technologies you need to secure victory.
For the Exploration Age and Modern Age, consider using Mongolia and Russia, respectively.
How To Get A Cultural Victory
To achieve a Cultural Victory as Catherine the Great, it’s recommended you start with Greece as your Antiquity Age Civ. This will set you up nicely to have a high cultural output.
From there, focus on the following two things:
- Constructing Odeons and Parthenons – Construct these two buildings wherever possible to increase your cultural output.
- Try to Construct the Oracle – Greece has a bonus toward constructing the Oracle Wonder in the Antiquity Age. This will help progress the Cultural Legacy Path quickly.
Just be sure to also found a Pantheon as quickly as you can, so you can found a religion quickly in the Exploration Age. Keep your cultural output high, and you’ll be all set for this age.
Catherine’s bonuses won’t do a whole lot in the Modern Age to help you complete the Modern Cultural Legacy Path, but if you’ve been busy constructing cultural output buildings, you’ll be well-established to claim victory in this age.
For the Exploration and the Modern Age, consider choosing the Normans and France, respectively.
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