Best Domination Leaders Tier List

In Civilization 7, there are two ways to achieve a Military Victory: by dominating every single other opponent out of existence, or by completing Project Ivy in the Modern Age. Because just about every Military Legacy Path requirement is based on conquering or founding new Settlements, the best Leaders for a Military Victory in Civ 7 are those that can trample through enemy lands and efficiently achieve Military Victory requirements in all three Ages.

This list of the best Leaders in Civ 7 for a Military Victory is based on the strength of each Leader’s unique abilities when it comes to boosting the strength, and conquering power, of their armies. Crush your enemies under an iron fist, bolster your armies beyond what an opponent can defend against, and conquer the Military Victory path with these best Civ 7 Domination Leaders.

5

Ashoka, World Conqueror

Leader Attributes: Diplomatic, Expansionist

Ashoka, World Conqueror is one of two Personas for the Ashoka Leader. While the World Renouncer Persona focuses on growth and Happiness, while the World Conqueror Persona focuses on Production and Celebrations.

When playing as Ashoka, World Conqueror, declaring a Formal War will immediately grant a Celebration, which adds a Social Policy Slot and +10 Combat Strength against Fortified Districts.

Because he gains +10% Production in all Settlements he didn’t found, it’s a good idea to try to conquer your neighbors as soon as possible. Declaring a Formal War will trigger a Celebration, which will trigger extra Combat strength against Fortified Districts (including the City Center).

Blitz your enemy and crush their Fortified Districts quickly with the bonus Combat Strength while the celebration is active. Then, once that settlement is conquered, convert it into a City and use its extra Production bonus to create more Military Units and continue your conquest.

4

Machiavelli

Leader Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic

Machiavelli is a Leader who favors the Military, Economic, and Diplomatic playstyles, and offers abilities that synergize with each of these facets of the game. As Machiavelli, you completely ignore Relationship requirements for declaring Formal Wars, which means you can betray Friends and Allies whenever the moment seems most opportune.

His ability to levy Military Units from City-States, paired with his innate boost to Influence per turn, means you can raise a standing army remarkably fast, especially because you don’t have to be the Suzerain.

When playing as Machiavelli, offer Diplomatic Proposals to generate Gold, then betray the trust of your newfound friends and use your enormous Gold coffers to buy an Army whenever you need. Machiavelli is a complex leader to learn, but because of these bonuses, he works well for the Military Victory path in all Ages.

3

Lafayette

Leader Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic

Lafayette is a Military Leader who benefits hugely from unlocking unique Civ Civics which unlock Traditions. All units under Lafayette’s control gain +1 Combat Strength for each Tradition (unique Civ Social Policy) slotted, and he can start a unique Endeavor that grants him and a target an extra Social Policy Slot.

Lafayette also gains Culture and Happiness in all Settlements, but what makes him one of the best Civ 7 Domination Leaders is this Tradition synergy.

Rush Civ-specific Civics to unlock unique Traditions, which is easy with his innate extra Culture bonus for all Settlements, then slot these Traditions to boost your army strength. Use the Reform Endeavor to give yourself more Social Policy Slots so you can use every available Tradition without sacrificing useful Social Policies, and your armies will be able to march through enemy settlements like they are units from a previous age – especially if you choose Civs with powerful combat Traditions like the Maya.

2

Charlemagne

Leader Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific

Charlemagne is one of the best Leaders in Civ 7 for the Domination Victory because of how strong his Celebration bonuses are. All Military and Science buildings get a Happiness Adjacency if placed next to a Quarter, which significantly boosts your progress to the next Celebration.

When you enter a Celebration, Charlemagne spawns two free Cavalry Units of the current Era. All Cavalry Units gain a huge +5 Combat Strength during a Celebration, too.

As Charlemagne, you will be entering Celebrations incredibly often, gaining Social Policy Slots and free Cavalry Units at the same time. Use this to your advantage – build up Military Units and get an Army Commander, declare War on an opponent right before you enter a Celebration, and send your free Cavalry units to the front line to through your target settlement.

Make sure you place Military and Science buildings next to Quarters to gain extra Happiness and you’ll enter Celebrations more often to get free combat reinforcements more regularly.

1

Xerxes, King of Kings

Leader Attributes: Economic, Militaristic

The best Military Leader in Civ 7 is Xerxes, King of Kings. This Leader is so well-tuned for Domination that you’ll find yourself finishing the Military Legacy Path Victory conditions well before meeting the first condition of any other Legacy Path.

When in enemy or neutral territory, all of Xerxes’ units gain +3 Combat Strength, which your units will constantly take advantage of as they spend most of the game in enemy lands. When you capture a Settlement, Xerxes will get 100 Culture and Gold for each age, allowing you to purchase new Units, repair tiles, and incorporate Settlements faster.

Xerxes gets 20% more Gold in Settlements you conquer, which helps build strong Gold income to fund your armies, and an extra Settlement Limit for each Age (for a total of three extra Settlement Limit in the Modern Age).

Because the Military Victory conditions are almost exclusively based around conquering Settlements throughout each Age, Xerxes is unmatched when it comes to the best Military Victory Leaders. Just keep conquering Settlements and spending Gold to bolster your armies until the only thing left to do is construct the Manhattan Project and Operation Ivy – if you don’t take out every other leader first and achieve a classic Domination Victory, that is.