Mario Bautista
Whether you’re replaying the very original or still trying to get every victory type on Deity in Civ 6, there is nothing – nothing – more important than choosing the right starting civilization. A Domination victory demands territory, city conquests, and military might during the early game, so you might go for the Romans. To secure a Cultural victory, you need a hub of arts and expression, making France, and Paris, the natural picks. With Civ 7 finally on the way, and the mightiest strategy game series in history set to make its return, Firaxis has just confirmed the very first batch of Civ 7 civs which you’ll use during the initial Antiquity Age.
The Civilization 7 release date is fast approaching, and while Frostpunk 2, Crusader Kings, Manor Lords, and Stellaris have served us extremely well this year, we’re certainly eager for the return of the most classic of classic strategy games. Civilization 7 puts a twist on the formula whereby every game is divided into three ages, and with each age, your chosen civ will evolve into one that’s completely new. Let’s say you begin with the Egyptian empire during the Antiquity Age. When you reach the middle Exploration Age, this will evolve into a totally different civilization complete with its own abilities, units, perks, and so on. Likewise, when you hit the final Modern Age, your society will be transformed once again.
Every age in Civilization 7 also comes with its own mechanics, systems, and on-map resources. The topography will be transformed, and you’ll unlock buildings and technologies every time you hit the next age milestone. It’s as if you’re playing three grand strategy games in one. Now, Firaxis confirms the very first Civilization 7 civilizations that will be available during Antiquity. You can see the full list below.
Civilization 7 civilizations in the Antiquity Age:
- Aksum
- Egypt
- Maya
- Maurya
- Rome
The Aksum civilization has the ‘Kingdom of Natural Wealth’ ability that allows it to produce more gold from natural resources. It’s strong culturally and economically, and has a unique trade ship, unique vessel for naval warfare, and the ability to build the Hawilt, which increases the culture output of any adjacent wonder. The Aksum can also create the Great Stele wonder, which increases gold output per Age.
Next up, Egypt has the Gifts of Osiris ability, which greatly improves the rate of population increase on tiles adjacent to rivers. Like the Aksum, the Egyptian civilization is also strong culturally and economically, and can construct unique buildings that boost gold production. Naturally, the Egyptian empire can build the Pyramid wonder, which also ups gold output, but Egypt’s biggest strength is its unique civilian unit, the Tjaty, which can grant one-time boosts and buffs to other building projects – you can, for example, use a Tjaty to significantly cut the production time on creating a wonder.
The Maya’s unique ability, Skies of Itzamna, is a little more intricate – for every adjacent vegetated tile, your palace produces a greater science output. Technology and science are the main strengths of the Mayan civilization, but it also has the Jaguar Slayer, a unique soldier unit that can lay traps within vegetated tiles that inflict a huge amount of damage on any enemies that attempt to cross them. In short, you want to try and start near a jungle or a tropical tile – Mundo Perdido, the Mayan’s wonder, increases happiness and science if it’s built in a tropical area.
The Maurya are the first outright militaristic civilization and, as such, a lot of their civic trees boost the strength of your army. The Purabhettarah is a supremely powerful early-game cavalry unit – combined with the Vyuham civic tree, it’s the perfect tool to make some preliminary captures, and the first steps towards a domination victory. On the contrary, Sanchi Stupa, the Maurya’s wonder, adds happiness to all your citizens, and converts excess happiness into cultural output.
Finally, mighty Rome. It’s all about the mix of culture and military might here, so you get the Legatus, a unique commander that can create new settlements after a certain number of promotions, and the Legion, which grows stronger with every Roman tradition that you have within your government. The Colosseum adds culture, and you can build the forum and the basilica to boost gold output. All told, Rome seems like a nicely balanced civilization for the Antiquity Age, and maybe the best choice if you’re still learning Civ 7’s finer points.
There’s lot we’re hoping to see in Firaxis’ next strategy masterpiece, so much, in fact, we’ve created our own Civilization 7 wishlist. While we wait for launch day, you should also check out the other best 4X games on PC.
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