Civilization VII (aka Civ 7) will yet again feature a cast of world leaders for players to take control of and square off against, each coming with their own unique abilities, attributes, and agendas.
Civ 7 is the latest simulation project from Firaxis Games (who The Direct spoke to in 2023 about its last title Marvel's Midnight Suns) marking a return for the studio to the nearly 35-year-old video game franchise.
The title is just one of many big-name video games coming in 2025 and is finally set to debut on Tuesday, February 11.
Breaking Down Every Civ 7 Leader
Amina
- Attributes: Economic, Militaristic
Joining the Civ 7 cast of leaders is the venerable warrior queen Amina. Hailing from the deserts of what is now Nigeria, Amina (aka Aminatu) ruled over the kingdom of Zazzau expanding its territory and establishing vital trade routes across the Sahara desert.
In-game, Amina employs her unique "Warrior-Queen of Zazzau" ability in which she has increased resource capacity in cities, increased Gold per Age for resources assigned to a City, and increased Combat Strength for units placed on Desert and Plains tiles.
She comes with the "Desert of the Warrior Queen" Agenda, which decreases the player's Relationship with Amina if they have more settlements on Desert or Plains tiles than the Warrior Queen and raises it if the player has no settlements on Desert or Plains tiles.
Ashoka, World Renouncer
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Expansionist
Ahsoka is one of a few Civ 7 leaders to have two different personas in the game. The World Renouncer persona is based on the real-world Maurya emperor as he renounced violence and embraced a life of Buddhism after conquering much of ancient Southeast Asia.
Ahsoka, World Renouncer comes with a "Dhammaraja" unique ability, which adds Food in Cities with an excess of happiness, increases Food production during Celebrations, and adds a Happiness adjacency for all Building improvements.
His "Witness Sorrow" Agenda increases Relationship with the Player with the highest Happiness and decreases Relationship with the player with the lowest Happiness.
Ashoka, World Conqueror
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic
Ahsoka's World Conqueror persona asks the question, what if the renowned emperor never found the virtue of pacifism and kept on his ruthless, bloodthirsty ways?
His unique ability differs from his violence-fearing alter-ego. The Devaraja ability increases Production in Cities above a certain Happiness yield as well as in settlements not founded by the player and starts a Celebration every time a Formal War is declared.
His Agenda is known as "Without Regret," decreasing Relationship with the player with the most tiles occupied while increasing Relationship with the player occupying the least.
Augustus
- Attributes: Cultural, Expansionist
Agustus is known for having tied the Roman Empire together, being the first Roman Emperor following the Roman Civil Wars. He ruled from 27 BCE to his death molding the empire to his vision with a reformed military, the Roman tax system, and ever-growing borders.
His "Imperium Maius" Unique Ability adds Production to the Capital in every Town, increases Gold for the purchasing of Buildings in Towns, and allows for Culture Buildings to be built in Towns.
As for Augustus' Agenda, his is called "Restitutor Orbis," which decreases Relationship for each Town in a player's Empire and increases Relationship for every City in a player's Empire.
Benjamin Franklin
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Scientific
While Civ 7 has a particular focus on great military minds from throughout history, Benjamin Franklin falls into the game's more diplomatic leaders. The Founding Father is best known for participating in the writing of the Declaration of Independence as well as his well-documented study of the sciences.
His Civ 7 Unique Ability "The First American" raises Science per Age on Production Buildings in Cities, makes Production toward constructing Production Buildings easier, and increases Science per Age from active Endeavors.
The "Civic Virtue" Agenda players will have to watch out for when playing as or against Benjamin Franklin makes it so Relationship increases with players who share Government with him and decreases it for those who do not.
Catherine the Great
- Attributes: Cultural, Scientific
Catherine the Great comes to life in Civilization VII allowing players to take control of the the German Princess who helped push Russia into the Modern Age. Notably, Catherine overthrew her Russian Emperor husband, becoming the Empress herself and fueling an intellectual and artistic renaissance amongst her people.
"Star of the North" is her Unique Ability, and it increases Culture per Age depending on displayed Great Works. It also adds an additional Great Works slot on buildings with Great Works and adds Science to cities settled on Tundra tiles equal to a percentage of their Culture each turn.
Catherine the Great carries the "Dusha" Agenda, decreasing Relationship for the player with the most Great Works and increasing it with the player with the least.
Charlemagne
- Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific
Known for ushering in the Carolingian Renaissance, Charlemagne has earned a reputation as one of the greatest diplomatic minds in all of history. Taking the throne as King of the Franks in 768 CE, Charlemagne welcomed an age of change, turning his kingdom into an intellectual and diplomatic hub in medieval Europe.
His Civ 7 Unique Ability, called "Father of Europe," earns players extra Happiness for Military and Science Buildings with an Adjacency to Quarters. It also offers extra Cavalry Units at the start of every Celebration and raises Combat Strength for Calvary Units during a Celebration as well.
Charlemagne's Agenda, "The Golden Shepherd," increases Relationship with the player who has had the most Celebrations, and decreases Relationship with those who have had the fewest.
Confucius
- Attributes: Expansionist, Scientific
Another great thinker joining the Civ 7 roster is the ever-harmonious Confucius. Living during the Zhou Dynasty turned his back on the warring, bloodthirsty ways of the government of the time, writing significant works about a system of governance that focused on the power of the collective and living in harmony.
Confucius' "Keju" Unique Ability is similarly passive increasing Growth Rate in Cities and Science from Specialists.
His Agenda is known as "Guanxi." It increases Relationship with players with the most Specialists in an empire but does the opposite for the player with the fewest.
Harriet Tubman
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic
Known by some as the primary architect of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman made a name for herself after escaping slavery in the United States and helping hundreds of other slaves do the same after her.
She joins the roster of Civ 7 Leaders coming with the "Combahee Raid" Unique Ability, which plays on her spirit of rebellion and challenging the system. It increases Influence when initiating Espionage Acts, gains War Support in all Wars enacted against the player, and negates Movement penalties that come as a result of Vegetated tiles.
Her Agenda is known as Veracity, and it increases Relationship for each formal war declared by a particular Player while decreasing it for each surprise war declared.
Hatshepsut
- Attributes: Cultural, Economic
Egyptian queen Hatshepsut is ready for battle in Civ 7, coming in as a cultural and economic powerhouse not to be trifled with. She ruled over the Egyptian empire during the 14th century expanding Egypt to becoming a trading power unlike anything seen before it.
Her "God's Wife of Amun" Unique Ability puts this trading prowess on full display, increasing Culture for every imported Resource in a player's empire while adding Production towards the construction of Buildings and Wonders in Towns and Cities adjacent to River tiles.
Meanwhile, when squaring off against Hatshepsut, players need to look out for her "Wonders of Iteru" Agenda that boosts Relationship for players with fewer Wonders than her and lowers it for players with more.
Ibn Battuta
- Attributes: Wildcard
Master traveler Ibn Battuta is ready for fans to capitalize on his penchant for chasing the horizon in Civ 7. The Moroccan traveled much of the known Dar al-Islam (aka the known Islam world), becoming something of a traveling philosopher in the process.
Ibn Battuta's "The Marvels of Traveling" Unique Ability allows the player access to an Endeavor known as Travel Maps offering them a glimpse at other players' explored territory. It also adds multiple Attribute points for the first Civic of each Age and increases Sight for all Units.
As for his Agenda, it is called "Far and Wide" and increases Relationship with the player who has uncovered the most Fog of War tiles and decreases it with the player who has the fewest.
Isabella
- Attributes: Economic, Expansionist
With Queen Isabella it was all about expanding her borders no matter what it took. The renowned leader ruled over Spain starting in 1474, establishing her domain as a bastion of Catholicism by starting what would become known as the Crusades and Spanish Inquisition.
Isabella's Unique Ability is called "Seven Cities of Gold." It offers players more Gold for each uncovered Natural Wonder, reduced cost of Naval Units, and additional tile yields from Natural Wonders.
Her Agenda ("Wonderlust") decreases Relationship with players for every Natural Wonder within their borders and increases it if no Natural Wonders are possessed.
Lafayette
- Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic
A man who made his mark on two different continents, Lafayette not only led troops in the American Revolution but also served as a helpful diplomat in his native land of France during one of the most tumultuous times in its history.
Lafayette's "Hero of Two Worlds" Unique Ability gives players a Unique Endeavor that grants an additional Society Policy slot, boots Combat Strength of all Traditions slotted in the Government, and increases Culture and Happiness per Age in Settlements.
His Agenda is called "French Quarters" and it finds the player with the most Urban Districts with all Building slots filled, boosting Relationship with said player.
Machiavelli
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Economic
Players looking to backstab and commit high treachery across Civ 7's battlefield should look no further than Machiavelli. The Italian writer and diplomat gained notoriety for his teachings that those in charge should do whatever they can to grab hold of and maintain power.
His Unique Ability "Il Principe" plays on this perfectly, allowing the player to ignore Relationship requirements when declaring a formal war as well as giving additional Gold for every Diplomatic Action proposal that is accepted in any given Age.
Machiavelli's "The Spider" keeps his friends close, increasing Relationship with players who are not at war with him but are at war with other leaders on the board.
Pachacuti
- Attributes: Economic, Expansionist
Known as one of the first emperors of the Incans, Pachacuti expanded the Incan Empire conquering nearby lands and growing his people's influence over much of South and Central America.
In-game, Pachacuti's Unique Ability goes by "Earth Shaker," offering bonus Food for Buildings with a Mountain adjacency while also forgoing the Happiness maintenance cost for Specialists adjacent to Mountains.
Like his Ability, Pachacuti Agenda ("Mountain King") is Mountain-based, boosting his Relationship with players with the least amount of Mountain tiles in their territory, while decreasing it for those with the most.
Tecumseh
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Militaristic
When settlers attempted to expand America westward, it was Tecumseh who stood in their path. The feared Swansee general took on early Europeans touching down on American soil as they attempted to swallow up more and more land east of the 13 colonies.
His Unique Ability is called "Nicaakiyakoolaakwe." It increases Combat Strength for all Units and Food and Production per Age in Settlements for every City-State the player is Suzerain of.
Tecumseh's Agenda, "Suzerain of the World" increases Relationship with players who do not have any active "Befriend Independent" projects and decreases it when a player disperses an Independent.
Trung Trac
- Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific
One of the few to attempt to stand up against the great Han Dynasty in what is now Vietnam is the rebellious Trung Trac. Trung Trac led local forces to overcome the Han armies, earning independence for three whole years and becoming the first female monarch of Vietnam.
Trung Trac can allow players a free promotion of their first Commander, offers extra experience to all Commanders, and increases Science in Cities on Tropical tiles, all thanks to her "Hai Bà Trưng" Unique Ability.
Her Agenda is known as "Van Minh", and it decreases Relationship with the player who has the most promotions across all Commanders and decreases Relationship with the player with the least amount of promotions.
Xerxes, Kings of Kings
- Attributes: Economic, Militaristic
Another character with two different personas in Civ 7 is the Achaemenid emperor Xerxes. His King of Kings persona focuses more on the part of his personality that saw him exploring perfecting the combat arts and conquering foreign lands rather than things like art and culture.
His "Crusher of Rebellions" Unique Ability is used so that players can rule with an iron fist, increasing Combat Strength to all Units fighting in enemy territory and offering Culture and Gold per Age for each Settlement captured for the first time.
As for his Agenda, it is called "Lord of Fire," and it is wholly focused on war, raising Relationship if a player is at war and decreasing it if they are not.
Xerxes, the Achaemenid
- Attributes: Cultural, Economic
Xerces' Achaemenid persona is a little different, opting to focus on the intellectual pursuits of his people rather than growing his empire as large as possible. Because Xerxes tackled both military might as well as the arts, this essentially sees his two halves split into two different Civ 7 Leaders.
Xerces' Achaemenid Unique Ability is called "Silk Road." It increases Trade Route limits with all other Leaders and provides Culture when a Trade Route or Road with a Merchant is built.
His "Lord of Coin" Agenda though can hurt or help fellow players, increasing Relationship with players who have fewer Trade Routes than him, while decreasing it for those who have more Trade Routes.
Civilization VII comes to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Mac on Tuesday, February 11. It is also rumored for a release on the Nintendo Switch 2, but has not been confirmed as a part of the incoming console's launch lineup.
