Here are beginner tips and tricks to guide you through the early game in Sid Meier's Civilization VII (Civ 7). Check out this beginner's guide to discover the best starting Civ and leader, plus essential tips on starting out, military, diplomacy, and empire-building!

Best Beginner Civ

Rome

Rome is the ultimate beginner-friendly powerhouse, blending Culture, expansion, and military might with ease. Thanks to Twelve Tables, your Capital and Towns crank out extra Culture, keeping your Civics progress ahead of the pack.

But Rome doesn’t stop there - its Unique Civics make sure you’re always on top, whether it’s unlocking grand buildings like the Basilica, getting free Infantry Units in new Settlements, or expanding your empire faster than your rivals can blink. If you want a flexible, unstoppable Civ that excels in both Culture and conquest, Rome is your golden ticket!

Rome Civilization Guide

Best Beginner Leader

Augustus

Augustus makes Rome one of the best beginner-friendly Civs thanks to his straightforward and powerful bonuses. His Imperium Maius ability boosts Production in the Capital for every Town, meaning Rome gets stronger simply by expanding - no complicated mechanics required. Plus, he makes Culture Buildings purchasable in Towns, so even while growing, you won’t fall behind culturally.

On top of that, his discounted Building purchases in Towns help new players quickly develop their cities without waiting on slow production. If you’re just starting out and want a strong, easy-to-manage empire that thrives on expansion, Augustus is the perfect leader to guide you to victory.

Augustus Leader Guide

Beginner Tips and Tricks

Starting Tips and Tricks
1. Stick With Governor Difficulty 2. Tweak Your Settings Before Diving In 3. Keep the Tutorials Turned On 4. Choose a Leader That Fits Your Strategy 5. Choose the Civ For You 6. Settle Next to Water 7. Tick All Three Decorations Under the Lens Icon 8. Get a Scout Early 9. Choose Your Path to Victory: Science, Military, Cultural, or Economic 10. Focus on Food When in Doubt

Note: We’re still exploring the game and will continue to update this list as we uncover new strategies and insights!

Stick With Governor Difficulty

If you're new to the game or looking to refine your strategy, start with Governor Difficulty. It offers a balanced challenge without overwhelming you, allowing you to experiment with mechanics and learn from your decisions. Once comfortable, you can progress to higher difficulty levels for a tougher experience.

Difficulty Levels

Tweak Your Settings Before Diving In

Don’t rush straight into the game—take a moment to adjust the settings! Tweaking things like difficulty, game speed, map type, and map size can make a big difference in your experience. Tailor the game to your preferred pace and challenge level for a smoother, more enjoyable gameplay session!

Keep the Tutorials Turned On

If you’re new to Civilization 7, keeping the tutorials turned on can be incredibly helpful. These tutorials provide step-by-step guidance for key game mechanics, ensuring you start strong and avoid common pitfalls.

Choose a Leader That Fits Your Strategy

In Civilization 7, leaders are no longer bound to specific civilizations, offering unparalleled flexibility in creating unique combinations. This flexibility allows for countless combinations, as any leader can lead any civ. Pairing a strong leader with your chosen civilization creates powerful synergies and opens up new strategic possibilities. Leaders, like civilizations, have unique starting biases, attributes, abilities, and agendas.

When selecting a leader, consider their traits carefully and how they align with your desired victory type and synergy with your chosen civ.

List of All Leaders

Choose the Civ For You

Each civilization in Civilization 7 has unique attributes, starting biases, and abilities that cater to specific playstyles. Some excel in military domination, while others focus on science, culture, or economics.

Civilizations also have starting biases, favoring specific terrains like mountains, deserts, plains, or coasts, which can influence their early-game strategy and resource availability. Choose wisely to align with your preferred approach to victory.

Additionally, it's recommended to start with a civilization in the Antiquity Age, as it provides a gentler introduction to the game's systems while giving you room to grow and adapt

List of All Civs (Civilizations)

Settle Next to Water

Water is a critical resource in Civilization 7, providing numerous benefits to your cities. Settling near rivers, lakes, or other freshwater tiles ensures your civilization thrives.

Where to Settle

Get a Scout Early

Scouts and their Search and Lookout abilities are crucial for gaining map vision early on. While Warriors might seem like a tempting first pick, Scouts are the unsung heroes when it comes to uncovering terrain, locating valuable resources, and discovering tribal villages.

Early exploration unlocks key advantages for expansion and helps with long-term strategy, so make Scouts a priority right out of the gate.

Tick All Three Decorations Under the Lens Icon

Make sure to tick all three decorations under the Lens Icon: Hex Grid, Resources, and Yields. These will give you a clearer view of your map, highlighting important details like terrain features, available resources, and the yield of tiles. This added visibility helps you make more informed decisions for your empire’s growth and strategy.

Choose Your Path to Victory: Science, Military, Cultural, or Economic

Selecting your path to victory is key to shaping your strategy. Whether you aim for a Scientific breakthrough, Military domination, Cultural influence, or Economic prosperity, each path offers unique benefits and challenges. Plan ahead, focus on the right techs, and align your civilization's strengths with your chosen victory condition to lead your empire to success.

Victory Conditions and Types

Focus on Food When in Doubt

Food is the cornerstone of a thriving civilization in Civilization 7. A strong food supply ensures your cities grow quickly and unlocking higher population levels. A growing population provides the foundation for production, science, and culture, giving you the flexibility to adapt your strategy as needed.

Military and Diplomacy Tips and Tricks

Military and Diplomacy Tips and Tricks
1. Always Keep a Standing Army 2. Befriend or Defeat Independent Powers or Villages 3. Keep Commanders with Your Units 4. Denounce Before You Go to War 5. Be Friendly Early with Other Civilizations 6. Use the Reinforce Button 7. Buy Troops in Towns When Necessary

Note: We’re still exploring the game and will continue to update this list as we uncover new strategies and insights!

Always Keep a Standing Army

In Civilization 7, a standing army is a must! Hostile villages and other aggressive powers can strike at any moment, and they’re more dangerous than ever. Positioning units strategically around your territory not only prevents surprise raids but also protects your vital infrastructure, keeping your civilization safe and secure.

Befriend or Defeat Independent Powers or Villages

You have the option to either befriend Independent Powers or Villages, evolving into City-States, or defeat them for an immediate resource boost. Both paths offer strategic advantages — alliances with City-States can provide long-term benefits, while conquering them gives you a quick infusion of resources. Choose wisely based on your immediate and long-term goals!

Hostile villages are the new threat in Civilization 7, taking the place of Barbarians from earlier games. These villages will attack your civilization if you're not careful.

Keep Commanders with Your Units

Commanders are vital for your army's success. They gain experience and can earn promotions that unlock powerful buffs for your units, like improved mobility and combat effectiveness. Always keep them stacked with your units to keep them safe and maximize their potential!

Denounce Before You Go to War

If you’re planning to go to war, make sure to denounce the nation first. This simple step can save you from a lot of grief later, as it helps reduce the penalties and negative diplomatic consequences once the fighting starts!

Be Friendly Early with Other Civilizations

When you encounter other nations in Civilization 7, it's smart to be friendly right from the start. Using the Friendly Greeting when you first meet new civilizations can build positive relationships, which may lead to alliances, trade deals, and support later on. A little diplomacy early can go a long way in securing your empire's future!

Use the Reinforce Button

Take advantage of the Reinforce button to keep your generals’ armies fully stocked with troops. Instead of manually walking reinforcements across the map, this feature instantly teleports fresh units directly to your general, saving valuable time and effort. It’s especially useful in prolonged battles or when defending distant frontlines, ensuring your armies stay combat-ready without the logistical hassle.

Buy Troops in Towns When Necessary

You can purchase troops with gold from towns when you're in a pinch. This is an excellent way to quickly bolster your military during emergencies, such as surprise attacks or unexpected threats. Use this feature strategically to maintain your defenses or tip the scales in critical battles.

Where to Spend Gold

Empire-Building Tips and Tricks

Empire-Building Tips and Tricks
1. Focus on Key Early Technologies for Quick Progression 2. Build Your Civilization's Favored Wonder 3. Max Out Your Civics Before Advancing Ages 4. Make Sure All Your Settlements Are Connected by Roads 5. Max Out Your Settlement Limit, But Don’t Go Over 6. Get Key Civics: Mysticism and Discipline

Note: We’re still exploring the game and will continue to update this list as we uncover new strategies and insights!

Focus on Key Early Technologies for Quick Progression

Under the Tech Tree, prioritizing Sailing, Pottery, Animal Husbandry, Masonry, and Writing is essential. These technologies provide great yield bonuses and help you advance your civilization more efficiently. After unlocking Writing, make sure to research Currency — it unlocks specialists, allowing you to further boost your empire's growth and productivity.

Technologies and Tech Tree

Build Your Civilization's Favored Wonder

Constructing your civilization's favored Wonder is a strategic move you don't want to miss. These Wonders provide powerful bonuses that align with your nation's strengths, offering long-term advantages that can significantly boost your empire’s development. Invest in them when possible — they’re well worth the effort, especially if you're gunning for Cultural Victory.

Max Out Your Civics Before Advancing Ages

Before you leap into the next age, make sure you’ve unlocked all of your civilization’s Civics. Civics offer powerful bonuses and game-changing advantages that will fuel your strategy in the upcoming eras.

Rushing ahead without completing your Civics tree means missing out on critical boosts — so take the time to fully unlock them before progressing!

Make Sure All Your Settlements Are Connected by Roads

Roads are automatically built between your settlements, but if they aren’t connected, a lot of key systems can break down. Ensure your settlements are linked to maintain smooth operations across your empire!

Max Out Your Settlement Limit, But Don’t Go Over

It's important to hit your settlement limit, but don’t exceed it! Going over the limit will cost you -5 happiness for each extra settlement. Use Settlers to expand and create more towns and Founders to build cities. Managing your settlements carefully is key to keeping your happiness and growth in check.

It's recommended to keep your settlements no more than 10 tiles or less away from one another.

Get Key Civics: Mysticism and Discipline

Begin with the Mysticism Civic and Discipline Civic, followed by Code of Laws, as these are essential for early progression. Mysticism is particularly important because it unlocks your Pantheon Choice, allowing you to select early-game benefits tailored to your strategy. To fully utilize your Pantheon, ensure you have an Altar built, which enables you to reap its bonuses.

All Tips and Tricks Guides

All Tips and Tricks

Gameplay Mechanics
Adjacency Bonuses	Army Commanders
Ageless Buildings	Building Roads
Celebrations	Codex (Codices)
Crisis	Dark Age Legacies
Districts	Factory Resources
Healing Units	Independent People
Legacy Paths	Migrants
Overbuilding	Persistent Buildings
Quarters	Repairing Buildings
Rural and Urban Districts	Settlement Cap
Specialists	Towns
Trade Range	Trade Routes and Merchants
Treasure Fleets	Treasure Resources
Upgrading Units	Warehouse Buildings and Bonuses
How to Navigate Rivers	How to Get More Railroad Tycoon Points
Other Tips and Tricks
Where to Settle	Where to Spend Gold
When to Build More Settlements	What to Do Before and After Age Change
Best Settings	Map Types Explained
Best Build Order	Morse Code Event
Should I Accept Alliance?	How to Change City Name
Should You Convert a Town Into a City?	Can You Capture Settlers?
Where to Spend Influence?	When to Incorporate City-States?
Can Scouts Auto Explore?	Best Pantheon
Should You Rush Age Change?	How to Incite Raid
How to Get Relics	How to Get Artifacts
Fresh Water Tiles	Why Can't You Build a Factory?
Distant Lands	Revolutions
How to Get More Resource Slots	Attribute Trees Guide
How to Get Tile Max Yield	How to Found Religion and List of Beliefs
What is X Per Age?	How to Defend and Conquer Cities
What is War Weariness and War Support?	Zone of Control
How to Change the Capital	Resource Map
Should You Melt or Construct Relic?	Game Speed
Floods	Natural Disasters
Best Map Seeds	How to Force End Turn
Papyrus Problems	Best Tech Research Order

Civilization VII (Civ 7) Related Guides

Civilization VII Wiki

Civilization VII Wiki

Civilization VII Guides
News and Game Info	Civilizations
Leaders	Technologies
Victory Types	Units
Buildings	Resources
Tips and Tricks	Wonders
Civics	Great People