The Civilization series has been around for a long time. The original launched back in 1991 and there have been a total of 14 entries in the series which include mainline games, spin-offs, and expansions. The Civ series as even gone to space in Civilization: Beyond Earth. However, the latest entry, Civilization VII takes things back to its roots.
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Civilization VII is essentially a board game-like experience played out as an RTS. These games are described as 4X titles and you’ll have to slowly grow an empire from virtually nothing, into a flourishing kingdom. Of course, as the series focuses around humanity, it also means you can expect all the horrible things humans come with, including greed and all the things they will do to get what they want. Basically, war and death.
I know the Civilization series can seem intimidating but it is actually more approachable in the latest entry than ever before. But if you’re a little skeptical about the whole ordeal, I have put together five essential tips to starting your career in Civilization VII.
Civilization VII is now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Nintendo Switch. The game is R100 cheaper locally if you purchase the disc version at R1,099. Grab it here.
The Scout Approach
If you want to get the upper hand against your opponent, take as much advantage of the first ten turns in your Civilization VII match as possible. I always go for the Scout approach. This means producing at least two scouts in your city as quickly as you can.
This is best done by using a production tile to reduce the number of turns it takes to spawn a scout. Once you have them at your disposal, abuse the Search mechanic they come with to scan a large area of the map.
As a result, you’ll be able to spot any Discoveries around you that you can quickly run to. If you’re really quick, you’ll be able to locate Independent Powers and other civilisations nearby too. This will be the best possible way to set up your match with a better understanding on what’s nearby to take advantage of.
Make Peace Whenever Possible
In Civilization VII, you’ll encounter a number of opponents in each map in the form of Independent Powers and civilisations. Not all of these are hungry for war while others, might want to obliterate your city in an instant. Be sure you know how to handle each you encounter.
Taking a Diplomatic approach is often the best route. This is done by racking up the Influence you earn each round in order to start diplomatic endeavors and sanctions with these Independent Powers and civilisations.
Don’t accept every endeavor that gets thrown your way from every neighbour. Be sure to focus on the important ones. For example, the ability to speed up researching always helps boost the game’s strongest mechanic, science growth.
You can essentially win a game of Civ 7 by using diplomacy Something that was incredibly difficult in previous entries. By racking up enough Influence, you can counter a violent enemy by rejecting their war-based sanction. But if things do go south, you can always be prepared for war.
Abuse Your Commanders
Civilization VII’s new Commander feature is something you’ll really want to take advantage of. Not only do they provide some unique play styles to the game but they also help micromanage all the tedious tasks that you would usually have to handle yourself like moving units round.
Commanders also reap all the rewards from experience and promotions instead of the units. So you’ll need them and know how to handle them to come out on top.
You can either focus on an assault path when levelling them up to grant buffs like faster move cooldowns or the defence path which buff general fortifications. This defence path is great if you aren’t focusing on war because these perks grant bonuses to your city instead of your units.
Commanders come in all sorts of forms as you progress through the ages in Civilization VII. Be sure to focus the perks into the path you’re building on so you don’t end up spread too thin across too many.
The Civilization Changes Are Important
The best part about Civilisation VII is working through the game’s current age and moving to another civilisation when the next age arrives. It provides an exciting new path to go down and a cool new group of people to grow into.
But the most important thing to remember here is to pick a new civilisation that fits into your current play style. So you’ll want to stick to warfare if you have spent the past age building a strong army. You’ll want to lean into science if you have focused on research and science development in the past.
Essentially, there is no such thing as the best civilisation in Civilization VII. Instead, it is about your current victory condition and what the next age will offer you that compliments it.
Start The Longest, Easiest Game at First
The most important tip I can offer to new Civilization VII players is to start your custom campaign, make it as long as possible and as easy possible. Sure, this will see you play that match across a few days or weeks, but the slow progression means you can really learn all the mechanics and intricate details of the game at your own pace.
You know what they say, Rome wasn’t conquered in a day and the same can be said for Civilization VII. The game might seem intimidating at first, but going in slowly and taking your time with the experience is the best way to master it.
You can also mess around in multiplayer matches with friends. These play out like some good old board game nights and without the serious competitive nature of random online multiplayer, you’ll get a good understanding of how the human aspect of Civilizations VII works instead of focusing on the AI all the time.
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