As with any victory condition in Civ 7, the cultural path is inundated with trials and tribulations that hold the player back. All roads lead to Rome, but some are certainly more comfortable to travel than others. Matching the civilization during each age to your play style is incredibly important, and getting the right one for the victory condition you’re chasing after can make the difference between a sweeping win and a resounding loss.
While it isn’t necessary to complete the Cultural legacy paths when trying to obtain a cultural victory, it is certainly helpful. The bonuses players gain from golden ages are immense, and the legacy paths act as milestones for the player to measure their current worth and future potential.
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7
Egypt
The Pyramids Weren’t Built in a Day
Since the cultural legacy path in antiquity requires the player to build a total of seven wonders to complete, having a Civ that facilitates that construction is invaluable. Egypt’s unique quarter, Necropolis, acts in a similar fashion to the world wonder, Great Stele. Every time a wonder is completed in a city containing this quarter, the player gets 100 gold.
The additional gold allows them to finance future projects and maintain their empire while focusing their attention on the production of even more wonders. Moreover, the unique civics and traits of the Egyptian empire all help steer the direction of the player’s cities towards higher production. The player also has boosted production when building the Pyramids, which increases the production on minor and navigable river tiles, helping decrease the time it takes to finish new wonders. It’s a great synergy that works well once the ball starts rolling.
6
Greece
There’s Something in That Horse…
The Greek civilization is a decent option in the early game for a culture-oriented player because of its synergy with the culture playstyle. The unique buildings of the Greek have powerful bonuses for culture and influence, and the Oracle World Wonder is quite a powerful resource to have during the first age.
Getting the unique Greek policies will further cement their place as a staple in a culture player’s arsenal, though they don’t perform quite as well as one would hope. They give a more rounded approach to the culture legacy path, with some culture bonuses, a potentially powerful army synergy, and plenty of influence for the player to use as they see fit.
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5
Hawai’i
Religion Is The Balm To Your Wounds
During the second age of Civ 7, the requirements for the culture legacy path change, asking the player to collect a certain amount of relics by spreading their religion throughout the lands. However, investing in missionaries can feel a little wasteful if the player is tied up in other matters. The Hawai’i civilization makes these civilian troops much more useful by giving them the ability to heal adjacent units.
Additionally, their unique infantry unit will give the player culture whenever they defeat enemy units which is much easier with the naturally boosted +3 combat power that this unit has. The civic He’e nalu gives the player two additional relics, and the Hawai’ian world wonder, Hele o Keawa gives the player 3 relic slots to work put these additional relics in.
4
Abbasid
Relics Galore
The Abbasids have a boost when producing the most powerful world wonder for an aspiring cultural hegemon, at least in the exploration age, the House of Wisdom. This world wonder grants the player 3 relics, as well as 3 relic slots. Players also get +2 additional science for each great work they have. This bonus carries to the modern age, making it particularly useful.
The great person that the player can produce, Alim, when they have the associated Uleme quarter can also synergize well with the culture legacy path as they have the ability to produce relics, though their boost differs each time. The civics of the Abbasids give boosts to production in urban cities and extra happiness for settlements with a temple built within them.
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3
Majapahit
The Pura Relic Party
Majapahit isn’t the pick for most people when attempting a hegemonic takeover, but the civ can be surprisingly good in the right hands. The biggest boon for culture players is the fact that the unique quarter of the Majapahit, Pura, gives the player a relic every time it is completed. If the player builds it in every city they own, they can get upwards of six or seven relics from these quarters alone.
The unique policies and civics of the Majapahit are focused on nurturing specialists, with one even giving additional culture for specialists no in the capital. It is a fairly well-balanced civ that can be quite satisfying to play.
2
Russia
Percentage Increase in Productivity
In Civ 7‘s modern age, relics and missionaries are supplanted by artifacts and explorers. The mechanic is a little confusing at first, but the essentials are all the same. Gather as many great works, Artifacts in this case, as possible and display them across your empire. In the modern age, one of the most suitable options for this endeavor is the Russian empire.
The civics of this civ give it +1% culture for every city, and +2% if the city is in Tundra. By the modern age, most cities that the player operates will have quite a respectable output such that a percentage increase in the net output of the city can be very useful. The preferred world wonder for Russia is Hermitage, which gives +10% culture in cities that have a great work on display and gives the player three artifact slots.
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1
Mexico
Viva La Revolucion
Mexico is one of the most interesting civs to play during the modern age because of its unique government system. Instead of choosing between three options, the players can only go with Revolucion, with subsequent unique civics giving the player additional benefits for celebrations. The policies of this civ are focused on traditions, so players should make sure they have a decent amount of traditions before opting for this civ to maximize its efficacy.
The Unique buildings and quarter of Mexico also give culture buffs, and Palacio de Bellas Artes wonder gives the player three artifact slots, +5 culture, and +2 happiness on all great works, among other things. Higher celebrations will synergize with Revolucion, creating a snowball effect that cascades the player to victory.
Grand Strategy
Turn-Based Strategy
4X
- Released
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February 11, 2025