Civilization 7 introduces a significant new feature with the Ages mechanic, allowing players to transition their civilization through different historical periods: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern Ages. While civilizations change as the game progresses, the chosen leader remains constant throughout, bringing their unique abilities to bear across all eras.
Leaders in Civilization 7 may not offer as many traits and units as civilizations, but their powerful abilities can lead to potent synergies when paired correctly. To assist you in selecting the right leader for your empire, we've compiled a comprehensive tier list, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses. This guide focuses on a standard, single-player game of Civilization 7 and does not account for multiplayer scenarios or DLC leaders such as Ada Lovelace and Simón Bolívar.
Civilization 7 Leader Tier List
S-Tier - Confucius, Xerxes King of Kings, Ashoka World Conquerer, Augustus
A-Tier - Ashoka World Renouncer, Benjamin Franklin, Charlemagne, Harriet Tubman, Hatshepsut, Himiko High Shaman, Isabella, Jose Rizal, Machiavelli, Trung Trac, Xerxes The Achaemenid
B-Tier - Amina, Catherine The Great, Friedrich Oblique, Ibn Battuta, Lafayette, Napoleon Emperor, Napoleon Revolution, Tecumseh, Himiko Queen of Wa
C-Tier - Friedrich Baroque, Pachacuti
S-Tier Leaders
### S-Tier: Ashoka, World Conquerer
Ashoka, World Conquerer excels in maintaining high happiness levels while dominating other civilizations. With +1 Production for every 5 excess Happiness in cities and +10% Production in settlements not founded by you, Ashoka can rapidly produce units and sustain a strong economy. Declaring formal war grants a Celebration, boosting all units with +5 Combat Strength against districts. This makes Ashoka exceptionally effective at launching aggressive campaigns and managing conquered settlements despite potential unrest.
S-Tier: Augustus
Augustus thrives by expanding widely with settlements, whether by founding or conquest. His ability to gain +2 Production in the capital for every town and purchase Culture Buildings in towns is a game-changer. Additionally, Augustus enjoys a 50% Gold discount on purchasing buildings in towns, allowing him to bolster his production and culture efficiently while maintaining a cost-effective empire.
S-Tier: Confucius
Confucius is a master of urban expansion, benefiting from a +25% Growth Rate in cities and +2 Science from Specialists. This combination enables rapid territorial expansion and positions him as a top contender in scientific advancements. Though defense may require strategic alliances or strong civilization pairings, Confucius's ability to swiftly develop technologically advanced cities is unparalleled.
S-Tier: Xerxes, King of Kings
Xerxes, King of Kings is designed for aggressive expansion, gaining +3 Combat Strength for units attacking in neutral or enemy territory. Capturing a settlement for the first time grants 100 Culture and Gold per age, with a +10% Gold boost in all settlements, further increased in those not founded by you. Additionally, Xerxes benefits from a +1 Settlement limit per age, making him ideal for those pursuing a military victory.
A-Tier Leaders
### A-Tier: Ashoka, World Renouncer
Ashoka, World Renouncer focuses on population growth by converting excess happiness into food production. With +1 Food in cities for every 5 excess Happiness and +10% Food in all settlements during celebrations, this version of Ashoka is geared towards peaceful expansion and managing large populations. Buildings gain +1 Happiness from adjacent improvements, making Ashoka a formidable leader in urban development.
A-Tier: Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin is a versatile leader focused on science and production. He gains +1 Science per age from production buildings, enjoys a 50% production boost towards constructing them, and benefits from +1 Science per age for active endeavors. Franklin can maintain two endeavors of the same type simultaneously, creating a powerful feedback loop for technological advancement.
A-Tier: Charlemagne
Charlemagne combines military prowess with scientific advancement, gaining happiness adjacency bonuses from military and science buildings. Upon entering a celebration, he receives two free Cavalry Units and a +5 Combat Strength boost for cavalry during celebrations. This strategy is particularly effective in the early and mid-game, leveraging cavalry to establish a strong empire.
A-Tier: Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman excels in espionage, with a 100% boost to Influence towards initiating espionage actions. She gains 5 War Support when wars are declared against her, and her units ignore movement penalties from vegetation. Tubman's ability to disrupt opponents while maintaining agility makes her a stealthy and challenging leader to contend with.
A-Tier: Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut benefits from strong cultural gains, earning +1 Culture for every imported resource and a 15% production boost towards constructing buildings and wonders near navigable rivers. Her focus on trade routes and river-adjacent development makes her a strong contender in the cultural legacy path.
A-Tier: Himiko, High Shaman
Himiko, High Shaman is a cultural powerhouse, gaining +2 Happiness per age from happiness buildings and a 50% production boost towards constructing them. She enjoys a 20% Culture boost, doubled during celebrations, though at the cost of -10% Science, also doubled during celebrations. This trade-off requires careful management but offers significant cultural gains.
A-Tier: Isabella
Isabella can gain a significant early advantage by discovering natural wonders, earning 300 Gold per discovery, doubled if the wonder is in distant lands. She also gains 100% additional tile yields from natural wonders and benefits from a 50% Gold discount on purchasing naval units, with reduced maintenance costs. Isabella's strategy hinges on securing these wonders for a strong economic and naval advantage.
A-Tier: Jose Rizal
Jose Rizal excels in prolonging and benefiting from celebrations, with a 50% increase in celebration duration and happiness towards celebrations. He gains additional culture and gold from narrative events, which occur more frequently for him. Rizal's focus on leveraging celebrations makes him a strong cultural leader.
A-Tier: Machiavelli
Machiavelli is adept at diplomatic manipulation, gaining +3 Influence per age and 50 Gold per age for accepted diplomatic actions or 100 Gold for rejected ones. He can declare formal wars without relationship requirements and levy military units from non-suzerain city-states. Machiavelli's ability to swiftly turn diplomatic situations to his advantage makes him a formidable leader.
A-Tier: Trung Trac
Trung Trac is designed to maximize the power of Army Commanders, starting with 3 free levels and a 20% Commander experience boost. She gains +10% Science in tropical cities, doubled during wars she declares. Trung Trac's focus on commanding powerful military units makes her a strong contender in warfare, particularly in tropical environments.
A-Tier: Xerxes, The Achaemenid
Xerxes, The Achaemenid gains economic and cultural benefits from trade routes and roads, earning 50 Culture and 100 Gold per age for each. He also gains +1 Culture and Gold per age from unique buildings and improvements. Xerxes's focus on trade and unique structures makes him a versatile leader for economic and cultural victories.
B-Tier Leaders
### B-Tier: Amina
Amina benefits from increased resource capacity and gold generation, gaining +1 Resource Capacity in cities and +1 Gold per age for each resource assigned to cities. Her units gain +5 Combat Strength in plains or desert, making her a solid choice for resource-focused strategies with situational military advantages.
B-Tier: Catherine the Great
Catherine the Great focuses on cultural output, gaining +2 Culture per age from displayed Great Works and an additional slot for Great Works. Cities settled in tundra gain science based on their culture output. Her strategy relies on effectively utilizing Great Works and settling in tundra for a science boost.
B-Tier: Friedrich, Oblique
Friedrich, Oblique's army commanders start with the Merit Commendation, increasing their command radius. He gains an infantry unit when constructing a science building. While Friedrich's military bonuses are strong, his lack of direct yield boosts limits his overall effectiveness.
B-Tier: Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta offers flexibility with 2 Wildcard Attribute Points after the first civic in every age and +1 Sight for all units. He gains a unique endeavor called Trade Maps, allowing gradual visibility of other leaders' explored areas. Ibn Battuta's versatility requires strategic planning to maximize his potential.
B-Tier: Lafayette
Lafayette gains a unique endeavor called Reform, granting an additional Social Policy slot. He earns +1 Combat Strength for every Tradition and +1 Culture and Happiness per age in settlements, doubled in distant lands. While Lafayette's traits are solid, they may not be compelling enough to compete with more specialized leaders.
B-Tier: Napoleon, Emperor
Napoleon, Emperor gains benefits from being unfriendly or hostile, earning +8 Gold per age for each such leader. He can impose the Continental System sanction, reducing trade route limits for targeted leaders. Napoleon's strategy of antagonizing others comes with risks, requiring a strong military to back up his provocations.
B-Tier: Napoleon, Revolutionary
Napoleon, Revolutionary's land units gain +1 Movement, and defending against enemy units provides culture equal to 50% of their combat strength. This unique playstyle requires frequent defensive engagements to maximize cultural gains, making it challenging but potentially rewarding.
B-Tier: Tecumseh
Tecumseh gains +1 Food and Production per age in settlements for each city-state he is Suzerain of, and +1 Combat Strength for all units for each Suzerain. While his potential is high, becoming a Suzerain requires significant influence and time, making Tecumseh a slow-burn leader.
B-Tier: Himiko, Queen of Wa
Himiko, Queen of Wa thrives on alliances, gaining +4 Science per age for every friendly or helpful leader. She can perform the Friend of Wei endeavor, granting a 25% Science boost to herself and her ally. While her strategy requires maintaining good relations, it offers substantial scientific benefits.
C-Tier Leaders
### C-Tier: Friedrich, Baroque
Friedrich, Baroque gains a Great Work upon capturing a settlement for the first time and an infantry unit when constructing a culture building. While these traits are useful, they lack the strength and distinctiveness needed to compete with higher-tier leaders.
C-Tier: Pachacuti
Pachacuti's effectiveness hinges on settling near mountains, gaining +1 Food adjacency bonuses for buildings and no happiness maintenance cost for specialists adjacent to mountains. While potentially strong in favorable map conditions, Pachacuti's reliance on specific terrain limits his overall utility.
