This Civilization VII (Civ 7) guide will teach you the best strategies to secure a Military Victory across different Ages. Learn how to win the Military Legacy Paths in the Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern Ages, and see the best leader and civ combinations to achieve Military Victory!

Civ 7 Military Guides
Military Victory Guide	Best Military Mementos
Best Military Leaders	Best Military Civs

Antiquity Age Military Goals

Legacy Path Goal
Have 12 Towns or Cities in your empire. Conquered Settlements count as 2.
Tips for the Military Legacy Path
・Focus on Conquering Instead of Settling ・Train Your Commanders for Future Ages ・Have at Least One Ally Near You ・Unlock Techs that Improve Your Unique Unit ・Prioritize Combat and Unique Civics ・Always Pick Despotism as Your Government

Focus on Conquering Instead of Settling

To complete the Military Legacy Path in the Antiquity Age, you will want to conquer rival Civilization's Settlements since they count as 2 points towards completing the 12-point goal.

Your initial city already counts as 1 point, meaning that you'll want to settle at least one more town before going off to conquer 5 Settlements to reach the threshold needed.

How to Defend and Conquer Cities

Train Your Commanders for Future Ages

The most important military unit for you to focus on at the beginning of the game are your Commanders. This is because they will stay with you until the Modern Age, and they're the only units that get to keep their upgrades.

Because of this, you'll want to make sure that you build enough Commanders to support your army and train them up so that they can support your military forces in the coming Ages.

Commanders Explained

Have at Least One Ally Near You

Since everyone is on neutral standing at the beginning, you'll want to become allies with at least one other Leader and not anger everyone. This way, you always have someone to Trade and share Endeavors with, especially Military Aid since it gives bonus Combat Strength.

Another great thing about having an alliance is that you have extra backup during wars. Just make sure that they don't steal cities from you during a siege since you still need those for the Military Legacy Path.

Should You Accept Alliance?

Unlock Techs that Improve Your Unique Unit

When you're building an army, you'll generally want to play around your Civilization's Unique Unit. Because of this, you'll want to prioritize unlocking Technologies that unlock upgrades for them. You can tell which ones you need because the unit's icon will be displayed on the Technology.

Just remember that while you want to prioritize upgrading your units, you still need to research other Techs to unlock buildings that will improve your empire's infrastructure.

Technologies and Tech Tree

Prioritize Combat and Unique Civics

Civics are generally more important for non-military strategies, but there are still some important ones that you'll want to get. Aside from the always useful Mysticism, you'll want to follow the bottom path so you can get all the military Policies, as well as unlock the military-based Wonders.

Also, make sure you dip into your Civilization's Civics because the Traditions and bonuses there support the Civ's strategy and playstyle.

List of Civics

Always Pick Despotism as Your Government

When you're given the choice to select your Government, you'll always want to pick Despotism for the Science and Infantry Production boosts. The best Military Civilizations will always make use of one of the Celebration boosts, making Despotism the best option by default.

For example, Rome prefers Culture over Science, but it still wants the Infantry Production boost. On the other hand, Maurya utilizes Cavalry instead of Infantry, but they still greatly benefit from the Science boost.

List of All Governments

Exploration Age Military Goals

Legacy Path Goal
Gain 12 Points from Settlements in the Distant Lands. 1 Point for each Settlement (doubled if it is a conquered Settlement or follows your religion - quadrupled if both apply).
Tips for the Military Legacy Path
・Select a Civ That Uses the Same Unit Types ・Have a Forward Base of Operations ・Convert Settlements After Conquering ・Dominate Homeland if You're Mongolia ・Focus on Techs that Upgrade Your Units ・Get a Religion and Unlock Unique Civics ・Pick a Government that Fits Your Strategy

Select a Civ That Uses the Same Unit Types

When selecting your Civilization for the Exploration Age, choose one whose strategy utilizes units that you used in the Antiquity Age. This way, you don't need to pivot your strategy, and your Commanders will still synergize with the new units that you'll get.

For example, if you were playing Persia or Rome, you'll want to use a Civilization that uses Infantry Units so that you can still make use of the Infantry-based Traditions that they get.

Civ 7 Units

Have a Forward Base of Operations

Since you need to capture Settlements in Distant Lands, you'll want to have a city that you can use as a base of operations over on that side of the world. Ideally though, you would want to create a strong Navy and sail across the seas to take a city and use that as your base instead of settling a new town.

However, you can always settle a new town yourself, especially if there's a nice spot with good Resources or Natural Wonders available.

Convert Settlements After Conquering

The goal for this Age is to conquer Settlements in Distant Lands, and you'll get extra points if you convert it to your Religion. Because of this, you'll need to capture at least 3 Settlements and convert them to reach the 12 point threshold.

Unfortunately, you can't convert Holy Cities to your Relgion, so make sure you careful choose which Settlements you'll want to attack.

Select the Millenarianism Enhancer Belief

Alternatively, you could unlock Theology first and choose Millenarianism as your Enhancer Belief. This will automatically convert any conquered Settlements to your religion, letting you save time and Missionaries in the long run.

Dominate Homeland if You're Mongolia

If you're playing Mongolia, you can forego expanding to Distant Lands and choose to capture Settlements in your Homeland instead. You'll no longer need to create a navy and move units across seas, and can instead focus on the forces that you already have.

The only reason this is possible is because of their Unique Ability, meaning only the Mongols can do this and every other Civ will need to conquer Settlements in the new world if they want to do the Military Legacy Path.

Mongolia Civilization Guide

Focus on Techs that Upgrade Your Units

Much like the previous Age, you'll want to prioritize researching Technologies that upgrade your military forces. If you're playing Mongolia, for example, then you want to rush Castles and upgrade your Keshigs before your opponents can improve their military forces.

Again, remember not to ignore the other Techs since you still need to unlock buildings and upgrade your infrastructure to support your empire.

Technologies and Tech Tree

Get a Religion and Unlock Unique Civics

As for the Civics tree, there aren't any necessary ones to get besides Piety and Theology for your Religion, as well as Sovereignty's Mastery for extra Combat Strength. Instead, you'll want to prioritize your Civ's Civics after getting a Religion so you can get Traditions that synergize with your strategy.

Do note, however, that the Policies from Social Class, Sovereignty, and Imperialism's Mastery are very useful, so just select which ones you need depending on the military forces you're focused on.

List of Civics

Pick a Government that Fits Your Strategy

Unlike in the Antiquity Age, the Government you want to choose here is a lot more flexible. Feudal Monarchy is generally the best choice because Food is always useful, and you get a useful Production boost towards Cavalry and Naval Units.

However, there are some Civilizations that may prefer to use a different Government type. As an example, if you're playing as Songhai, then you may prefer Plutocracy since they prefer to play around Infantry instead and the Gold boost can be more useful than Food.

List of All Governments

Modern Age Military Goals

Legacy Path Goal
Gain 20 Ideology Points from conquering Settlements for the first time. Gain 1 Point before you have an Ideology, 2 Points with an Ideology, or 3 Points against an opponent with a different Ideology.
Tips for the Military Legacy Path
・Build Up a Powerful Military Force ・Wait for Opponent's to Pick Ideologies ・Counteract any Unhappiness Drops ・Follow the Bottom of the Tech Tree ・Prioritize Unlocking Political Theory ・Pick Authoritarianism and Fascism

Build Up a Powerful Military Force

In this Age, you will need to capture a lot of Settlements to complete the Military Victory Path and unlock both the Manhattan Project and Operation Ivy. Because of this, you'll want to spend time building up a strong military core capable of capturing multiple Settlements.

Again, just remember that you should balance this with improving your empire so you don't fall behind in other aspects besides Military.

Wait for Opponents to Pick Ideologies

Since you get 3 points whenever you conquer a Settlement from a Civilization with a different Ideology from you, you'll want to wait for your opponents to pick theirs before seeing who you should go to war with.

The difference between taking Settlements from opponents with and without Ideologies is 7 and 10 cities respectively. If you start capturing cities too soon, then you could be wasting time conquering up to 3 Settlements you don't need.

Counteract any Unhappiness Drops

Due to the number of Settlements you'll need to have and the amount of wars you'll get into, you can rack up a ton of Unhappiness quickly. Make sure that your Settlements have enough Happiness before you start going off capturing enemy cities.

The best ways to counteract Unhappiness are through buildings and Policies, so make sure that you unlock the respective Techs and Civics you need beforehand.

Follow the Bottom of the Tech Tree

Most of the important Military Techs are along the bottom path of the Technology tree, so you'll want to make sure you prioritize researching along that line. Also, make sure to research the masteries for the Unit types you use so you can get extra Combat Strength for them.

The only time you really want to focus on the top side of the tree is if you need any of the buildings that get unlocked there, or if your forces are more naval-based and you want to rush the Tier 3 Aquatic Units.

Technologies and Tech Tree

Prioritize Unlocking Political Theory

Before you start any wars and go conquering the world, you'll want to make sure you unlock Political Theory and adopt an Ideology first. This way, you can maximize the amount of points you get towards completing the Military Victory Path.

Once you've got your Ideology, then you can focus on getting whatever Military or Unique Civics that will help with your strategy.

List of Civics

Pick Authoritarianism and Fascism

Unlike the previous Age, you'll always want to pick Authoritarianism and Fascism as your Government and Ideology respectively. Authoritarianism in particular is amazing since anyone aiming for a Domination Victory can make use of either of its Celebration buffs.

As for Fascism, this choice can be debatable since each Ideology grants a different Unit type and they all have ways to counter Unhappiness. However, the Scorched Earth Policy at the end of the Fascism tree is too good to pass up in most situations, making Fascism the default choice in most scenarios.

List of All Governments

Tips When Starting a New Age

Military Victory Tips for Every Age
・There are Many Different Strategies ・Focus on Scouting Hidden Areas ・Become Suzerain of Military City-States ・Look for Resources that Buff Units ・Build Wonders that Help with Wars ・Don't Neglect Science and Culture ・Increase Your Settlement Limit

These are general tips that can help you with a Military Victory, regardless of which Age you're playing in.

There are Many Different Strategies

It should be noted that due to how Civilization VII's mechanics work, there are many viable strategies for approaching a military victory, regardless of Age. There's no clear best way to conquer enemy settlements, and it purely depends on the Leader and Civilization combinations you choose.

As an example, the Normans piloted by Charlemagne could utilize their Cavalry for quick invasions, while Harriet might prefer to play defensive first and strike back once the enemy has been weakened.

Always Play Towards Your Civ's Strengths

If you're not sure what to do, the rule of thumb is to play towards what your Civilization is good at. Generally, look at what type of unit your Unique Military Units are and pick any bonuses that benefit those types of Units.

Focus on Scouting Hidden Areas

Whenever you enter a new Age, you'll want to prioritize exploring any uncharted lands as soon as possible. This way you can find Goody Huts before your opponents, scout for optimal locations for your second Settlement, and find Independent Powers for you to befriend.

It's also important to reveal every inch of the map, even if you know nothing is there. When transitioning between Ages, Independent Powers can spawn anywhere on the map, and you'll want to make sure you can see them straight away to befriend them.

Become Suzerain of Military City-States

You'll want to spend your first Influence Points to become the Suzerain of the first Militaristic City-State you find. This is very important and should be your main priority Influence-wise since you can get a ton of bonuses for every City-State you're a Suzerain of.

As long as you don't need the Influence for Military Aid or extra War Supply, you should always aim to do this since it will be a substantial increase to your military power.

How to Interact With Independent People

Choose the Combat Strength Bonus First

The most important buff that you want from Militaristic City-States is the Combat Strength bonus towards the Unit type your Civilization is focused on. This is why it's important to scout the map to find a Militaristic Independent Power and get the bonus first.

Look for Resources that Buff Units

Whenever you're expanding your empire or creating Trade Routes, you'll want to prioritize getting resources that give a Combat Strength bonus for the Units you're playing around. These change with every Age so make sure to always check which ones you will need.

For example, if you're playing around Infantry Units in the Antiquity Age, then you'll want to have as much Iron as possible. Just note that settling a new town may not offset the benefits of your Units becoming slightly stronger.

List of All Resources

Build Wonders that Help with Wars

Even if Wonders are geared more towards Culture, there are different Wonders that support different victory paths. Keep a lookout for the ones that will help you and the strategy you're using so you can build them before your opponents do.

As an example, if you're in the Antiquity Age, you'll want to try and build the Gate of All Nations, the Mausoleum of Theodoric, and the Terracotta Army if you can.

Civ 7 Wonders

Don't Neglect Science and Culture

If you focus on building a military and fighting wars, you may fall behind on Science and Culture. These are still very important resources since you'll need to unlock Technologies and Civics, so make sure not to ignore them.

As much as possible, try to balance all aspects of your empire equally. If you're struggling, then consider building up your infrastructure first and only start fighting wars once your Units have been sufficiently upgraded.

Use Gold to Buy Units and Buildings

Remember that you don't need to spend turns training units and constructing buildings and you can always purchase them with Gold instead. Make sure to do this so you can save time and quickly improve your empire.

Where to Spend Gold

Increase Your Settlement Limit

One of the main points for a Military Victory is that you need a high Settlement limit to accommodate all the towns that you'll conquer. If you don't have any important Techs or Civics to unlock, then consider beelining for any that increase your Settlement limit.

How to Increase Settlement Cap

Best Leader and Civ Combinations

Best Combinations for a Military Victory
Charlemagne	Lafayette	Trung Trac

Charlemagne

Leader		Civilization/s
Charlemagne		Maurya Mongolia / Norman Prussia
Mementos
Dong Son Drum	Declaring War against another Civilization grants a Celebration
Tencendur	+1 Movement for Cavalry Units

The idea behind this combination is to use powerful Unique Cavalry Units to quickly run over your enemies. Since Charlemagne gets free Cavalry Units whenever there's a Celebration, you'll want the Dong Son Drum so you can get one whenever declaring War.

Also, Tencendur is great for this so that your free Cavalry Units can get to where they need to be quickly. On top of that, Prussia's Hussars gain extra Combat Strength for every unused Movement Point, making it great for both utility and for offence once they're in position.

Do note, however, that Mongolia's Keshig's are Ranged Units and don't benefit from melee-based Comander buffs. If you choose to play as them in the Exploration Age, then keep this in mind as you may need to train new Commanders.

Charlemagne Leader Guide

Lafayette

Leader		Civilizations
Lafayette		Rome Norman Mexico
Mementos
Corpus Juris Civilis	Start with one extra Social Policy Slot
Tricolor Cockade	+2 Culture and Happiness per Age in the Capital for every Tradition, but not Policy, slotted into your Government

While Lafayette is not a Militaristic Leader, he still gives +1 Combat Strength for every Tradition in your Government. Combine this with Civs that grant Combat Strength per Tradition, along with the extra Policy Slots from Corpus Juris Civilis and Lafayette's Unique Endeavor, and your units become very strong.

Besides that, Tricolor Cockade is great utility that supplements this playstyle since Culture allows you to quickly unlock your Traditions, and Happiness can help offset any drops from war weariness or conquered cities.

Just remember that the bonus Combat Strength Mexico gets from their Tradition only works in friendly territory. Because of this, you may want to fight around your empire first before advancing on your enemy's territory.

Lafayette Leader Guide

Trung Trac

Leader		Civilizations
Trung Trac		Persia / Rome Spain Buganda / France
Mementos
The Art of War	+10% Commander Experience, +50% when your Commander is within the Command Radius of a higher level Commander
Great Imperial Crown	Cities gain +5% Science per Great Work on Display (Max 25%)

Trung Trac excels at training Commanders, which are the most important military units in the game since they carry over promotions between ages. Because of this, you'll want to use Civs that rely on grouping around Commanders, along with The Art of War, to quickly train up new Commanders.

Aside from that, she has a generally good bonus to Science, which helps you unlock stronger unit upgrades quickly. To further increase her Science yields, you'll want to use Grand Imperial Crown to stack multipliers and gain even more Science bonuses.

When picking which Civilization to use in the next age, choose one that utilizes units that benefit from your Commander promotions. For example, if your Commanders have Infantry, Land, and Melee promotions. This means you'll want to follow up with Civs whose units can utilize those bonuses as well.

Trung Trac Leader Guide

Is There a Domination Victory?

Domination Victory is in Civilization VII

Although unlisted in the list of Victory-types in the Age Progress screen, the Domination Victory is present in Civ 7.

Unlike the Military Victory path, where you control a certain number conquered Settlements, the Domination Victory path will require you to conquer all Settlements and eliminate every opposing Civilization.

Victory Conditions and Types

Civilization VII (Civ 7) Related Guides

Victory Conditions and Types

All Victory Guides

All Victory Guides
Culture Victory Guide	Military Victory Guide
Science Victory Guide	Economic Victory Guide
Domination Victory Guide	Score Victory Guide