Avoid These Mistakes In Civilization 7

Summary

• Strategic settlement placement is key to Civilization 7, and there are easy mistakes you can avoid when it comes to expansion.
• Try to focus on one Victory Condition or Legacy path to start, rather than spreading yourself too thin.
• Ignoring meta-progression elements like mementos can prove costly later on, especially at higher difficulty levels.

Make no mistake, Civilization 7 is a complicated game. Any game in the Civ franchise is far and away more complicated than most analog board games. And, even for longtime fans of turn-based strategy games, Civ can prove more challenging to understand than most.

But that doesn’t mean it’s hopeless! If you’re diving into Civilization 7 for the first time, there are some key mistakes that you can avoid early on in your campaign that’ll set you up for success. Even if you’re not new to the franchise but just new to this installment, avoid these common mistakes to win your first campaign in Civ 7.

10

Don’t Spread Out Too Quickly

It’s Easy To Overdo It

While you definitely want to make sure you’re planning ahead and placing settlements strategically to claim the most land possible, you also don’t want to overextend yourself too quickly. There are a couple of reasons why this is a bad idea, particularly in the Antiquity Age.

One, this might make your borders less secure. As your settlements expand, they may eventually connect, but in the meantime, enemies can sneak into your backline and wage war against you. Additionally, if settlements are within five tiles of each other, a road is automatically constructed between them, which is helpful for unit mobility.

9

Focus On One Legacy Path To Start

Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None

In Civilization 7, there are four Legacy Paths for you to follow that are essential for claiming victory by the time you reach the Modern Age. You can choose to follow the Economic, Military, Cultural, or Scientific Legacy Path to earn bonuses in subsequent ages. You can also try to play all four of these paths, but this isn’t recommended.

It’s pretty much impossible to complete all four Legacy Paths in each Age, so you’ll want to focus on just one to start, especially if this is your first campaign in Civ 7. At the most, focus on two that are well-tailored to your leader’s attributes.

8

Don’t Ignore Leader Agendas

Know Your Enemy

Every leader in Civ 7 has an agenda that influences their playstyle and informs their decisions. If you want to improve your relationships with your neighbors, you’ll want to take note of their leader agenda by clicking on their leader portrait in the top right-hand corner of your screen.

By understanding their agenda, you can understand their playstyle and how you might get them to like you. Additionally, if you fear you’re about to go to war with this civilization, understanding their agenda might give you the upper hand in combat.

7

Playing Against Type

Don’t Go Against The Grain

Depending on your leader and civilization choice, you might want to consider going for a certain Victory Condition or Legacy Path. While this may shift slightly depending on which Exploration or Modern Age civ you select, ultimately, you’re going to want to avoid playing against type.

This means, if the leader and civ you’re playing as lend themselves well to a Cultural Victory, don’t try to force a Military Victory instead. Especially at higher difficulty levels, you’re going to need every advantage you can get, so don’t squander the ones you have.

6

Converting Towns To Cities Too Fast

Embrace The Quiet Country Life

In Civilization 7, settlements fall into two categories: towns and cities. Your capital begins as a city by default, but every other settlement starts as a town, with the option to convert the settlement into a city later on for a certain amount of gold.

While it may seem tempting to convert all of your towns to cities to earn extra production queues, it’s not always worth it. You’ll want a healthy mix of towns and cities in your empire, as towns convert their production into gold, which is useful for fast-tracking units in other settlements, and can also be used to construct buildings in towns anyway.

5

Don’t Ignore Overbuilding

So What If It’s A Little Crowded?

Overbuilding is a new mechanic singular to Civ 7, in which players can build two structures on top of each other on the same urban tile. While it may seem tempting to continue to build unique improvements on unpopulated tiles, thus expanding your borders, you shouldn’t overlook overbuilding.

Overbuilding can unlock certain yield bonuses when used to construct Unique Quarters, which are singular to each Civilization. Plus, overbuilding can save open tiles for Wonders or other unique structures that require their own tile.

4

Ignoring Mementos

Bolster Yourself

Mementos are a new system to Civilization 7 that requires players to invest in their own meta-progression via the Foundation Path and Leader Legend Paths. As you unlock mementos, you can slot them into your leader profile at the start of a campaign to give yourself some extra buffs.

While these aren’t strictly necessary for gameplay, as you progress through higher and higher difficulty levels, you may need them. Plus, there’s no harm in giving yourself a small, early advantage.

3

Hoarding Influence

You Can’t Take It With You

Influence is a currency in Civ 7 that you can use to engage in Diplomacy and Espionage with other leaders and civs. You earn Influence on every turn just as you do science, culture, and other yields. Influence is best spent often, rather than hoarded, as it does nothing for you to have more of it lying around.

Before you move on from each turn, take a second to check your Influence points and see if there are any actions you can take to give yourself an advantage. Influence can help you with everything from refilling your treasury to turning the tides of battle in war.

2

Building Past Settlement Cap

Live Within Your Means

This mistake is for longtime fans of the series in particular. Because more settlements usually means more production, veteran players tend to want to build as many settlements as they can right off the bat.

While having a lot of settlements is great, Civilization 7 now features a settlement cap, meaning you’ll incur a penalty if you overextend yourself. Typically, this penalty comes in the form of lowered happiness. Though this might not seem like a big deal, if you end up in a long war or incur other penalties to happiness, you’ll find that most of your settlements won’t be as productive.

1

Wasting Army Commanders

Sir, Yes Sir!

Army Commanders are another new system introduced in Civilization 7. These unique units gain experience when combat units in the regiment attack or take damage during battles. Individual units don’t gain experience anymore, so you’ll want to prioritize producing Army Commanders.

Ignoring this system means you’ll be missing out on tons of combat buffs and skill trees that can really turn the tide of battle in your favor. Plus, these units can also help manage large armies as units can stack onto the Commander and move as one.