How to Cure the Plague in Civ 7

Civilization 7 randomly chooses a crisis when an Age Transition draws near, and the plague might be your most challenging possibility. With distinct differences between a Plague Crisis in the Antiquity Age and one in the Exploration Age, you’ll want to plan ahead before the spread overwhelms your empire

It is important to be prepared, and that includes learning as much as possible about a crisis before it even begins. This guide breaks down every Crisis Policy, when they become available, and how you can cure the plague in Civ 7.

What Is the Plague in Civilization 7?

Plagues are a type of Crisis in Civilization 7. At the start of an Outbreak, infected Settlements go into Unrest and will usually lose some of their population. Buildings and Improvements on infected tiles are automatically pillaged, but some tiles may gain bonus Science or Culture.

Crises start around 70 percent of Age Progress with new stages for the crisis at 80 percent and 90 percent, but the speed at which that gulf is passed can cause an Age to end before later stages activate.

Units that end their turn on an infected tile will take damage from the plague, so you should always move Units at least a few tiles away from a City Center when a Plague Crisis begins.

Can You Cure the Plague in the Antiquity Age in Civilization 7

Antiquity Age Crisis: A Strange Year

Unfortunately, there is no way to cure a Settlement once it has been infected in the Antiquity Age. This is part of why the Plague Crisis can be one of the most difficult Antiquity Age crises in Civ 7. Depending on where the first Outbreak on a map strikes, it may take a few turns for an Outbreak to hit one of your own Settlements.

Exactly how a Major Outbreak is triggered can be fairly random, but a few general rules do tip the scales in some directions. Major Outbreaks are most likely to occur in Settlements that have a high population, are connected to multiple Trade Routes, or are actively under siege by enemy forces. Major Outbreaks can then spread when new turns begin and cause Minor Outbreaks in connected Settlements.

Settlements immediately go into Unrest when infected, and they will continue to be affected by the plague for 6 turns. After those 6 turns have passed, you’ll be able to repair damaged Buildings and Improvements. While you can’t mitigate the duration or spread, using Crisis Policies can help contain the damage in the Antiquity Age.

You can’t make any purchases or change a Town Focus when a Settlement is in Unrest, but Cities do still have access to their usual Production queue. You still can’t repair Buildings, repair Improvements, or start constructing new Buildings on infected tiles until the plague has ended in that Settlement.

Antiquity Age Plague Crisis Policies

When the Plague Crisis begins during the Antiquity Age, you’ll have to slot one of these Crisis Policies:

• Healing Cults: +5 Happiness on Altars in infected Settlements but -10 Gold on Altars
• Prognosis: +2 Science on Science Buildings in infected Settlements but -4 Gold on Science Buildings

The best pick among these first two will depend on the type of strategy you’re using, but generally Prognosis is best when working on the Scientific Legacy Path. If you’re struggling with Happiness for any reason, especially if you’re bumping up against the Settlement Limit during a military-focused game, Healing Cults may be a better call.

When your Age Progress is around the 80 percent mark, a second Crisis Policy slot has to be filled. You’ll get three new Crisis Policies to choose from:

• Miasma: Gain 1 Migrant when a City is Infected but -25% Growth in Cities
• Recruitment Shortfalls: +2 Food in Towns but -15 Healing on all Units
• Prosecute Apostates: +5 Happiness in infected Settlements with a Commander Stationed but -5 Happiness in Settlements with no Altar

The final stage of this crisis in the Antiquity Age will land around the 90 percent mark for Age Progress, and you’ll have to fill a third Crisis Policy slot with one of the previously unlocked options. Recruitment Shortfalls is a good fallback if you’re not at war and don’t expect another Leader to declare war. Prosecute Apostates can be the most beneficial depending on how many Commanders you have, but it’s risky if several of your Settlements don’t already have an Altar.

You need to move a Commander onto an Urban District without walls for it to be Stationed in that Settlement, but they’ll still take damage and can die if that tile is infected.

How to Cure the Plague in the Exploration Age in Civilization 7

Exploration Age Crisis: The Death Ship

In Civ 7, you can fight back and cure the plague with a Physician during the Exploration Age. The Physician is a unique Civilian Unit with a one-time Treat the Sick action that will cure an infected Settlement, and they are only available during an Exploration Age Plague Crisis.

Physicians are spawned with Gold or Production just like any other Unit, but the cost for each subsequent Physician will increase.

Outbreaks follow the same patterns in the Exploration Age as they do in the Antiquity Age, but they tend to spread much faster and across larger distances. When a Physician is moved onto an infected Urban District, using Treat the Sick will cure that Settlement and automatically remove Unrest. This allows you to make purchases or change a Town Focus, but infected tiles will continue to be impacted by the plague until 6 turns after that Outbreak began.

Should You Choose Divine Punishment or Divine Mercy in Civ 7?

When a Plague Crisis triggers in the Exploration Age, you’ll immediately be forced to decide if this is a Divine Punishment or Divine Mercy. The option you choose will unlock one of the following two Crisis Policies:

• Divine Punishment: +5 Happiness in infected Settlements that follow your religion, and these Settlements gain a Migrant when infected.
• Divine Mercy: Districts, Buildings, and Improvements in Settlements that follow your religion are not damaged by Minor Outbreaks.

Divine Punishment will help you offset the population lost when Outbreaks begin, but Divine Mercy can keep some Settlements more productive and lower the repair costs when an Outbreak ends. Divine Mercy is usually the better pick unless you want to strategically use Migrants to expand Settlements onto additional Resources.

When a Plague Crisis begins, start using Missionaries on any Settlements that aren’t converted to your religion to maximize the benefits of Divine Mercy or Divine Punishment. You can also plan ahead with new Temples, Hospitals, Dungeons, and Commanders to boost the Crisis Policies outlined below.

Exploration Age Plague Crisis Policies

When your Age Progress is over 80 percent, a second Crisis Policy slot has to be filled. In addition to Divine Punishment or Divine Mercy, these two Crisis Policies will become available:

• Plague Cults: Gain Culture when Physicians Treat the Sick on a tile with a Temple.
• Humoralism: Gain Science when Physicians Treat the Sick on a tile with a Hospital.

After the Age Progress passes 90 percent, a third Crisis Policy slot has to be filled. You’ll also gain access to two more Crisis Policies:

• Lazarettos: Buildings, Improvements, and Districts in Coastal Settlements with a Dungeon are not damaged by Major Outbreaks.
• Cordon Sanitaire: Buildings, Improvements, and Districts in Settlements with a Commander Stationed are not damaged by Major Outbreaks.

The best Crisis Policies to deal with the plague will depend entirely on how you’ve built your empire. Plague Cults is usually a valuable option since Temples can also be built in Towns, and Cordon Sanitaire is helpful if you already have several Commanders. Every campaign is different, but these tips should help you plan ahead and decide what to do next when a Plague Crisis strikes in Civilization 7.