Like its predecessors, Civilization VII features numerous win conditions ranging from a cultural victory to a military victory. You could play nice with the other leaders, build alliances, share technology, and aim for the stars, as it were. Or, you could annihilate your neighbors with tanks, missiles, and bomber squadrons. The latter might be preferable for most, but it requires strategic planning and skill. Thankfully, after losing countless games against players far better than us, we have many lessons to share. We know firsthand the militaristic strategies at play. Here’s how to improve at ground combat in Civilization VII!
Preparing for a Military Victory
Repetitive practice is key to improving at Civilization VII, especially when it comes to taking on more intimidating challenges.Thrust yourself into multiplayer matches with high-level players who push you to improve and over time you’ll start seeing results. When you’re up against the wall, your brain tends to reach and craft abstract strategies that often prove helpful. For now, let’s focus on upping your military game.
Choosing a militaristic leader
How well you perform on the combat front depends on a few aspects, such as your familiarity with units and basic tactics. But more importantly, it’s also about which leader you select when setting up the game. If you want to finish with a Military Victory, opt for a warrior-like leader, such as Charlemagne, Lafayette, or Xerxes, King of Kings.
Each leader offers various bonuses to their units, including additional Combat Strength, which improves how well their units tackle enemy opposition.
Prioritizing the right units
In the beginning, most civilizations wind up on equal footing—militarily. You’ll have access to your basic Warriors, a tier-one infantry unit in the Antiquity Age that’s cheap to produce and maintain, with low movement and moderate strength. Consider these early-game units your raiding force, as they’ll harass the enemy while you tech up.
Once you start moving through the ages, advancing your technology tree and investing in your military with large sums of gold, then you can upgrade from Warriors to Spearmen, Spearman to a Phalanx, and ultimately, you’ll deploy Field Cannons, Tanks, and Rifle Infantry wielding Thompson submachine guns from World War II.
Some civilizations and leaders have unique units available to them as well, like Rome’s Legion—a powerful military unit with additional Combat Strength depending on how many Roman Traditions you select in your Government. Use these faction-specific units whenever possible, as they often spawn with boons that turn the tide of battle.
Helpful combat tips and tricks
- When your opponent fields a Commander, prioritize eliminating the high-ranking foe immediately. In doing so, you’ll weaken the entire army and make defeat the only possible outcome for your foe.
- Don’t ignore the overwhelming power of siege engines when taking control of a neighboring city; they specialize in removing obstacles. But if the town is along a river, send your naval force to bombard and capture them.
- Build an alliance with a neighboring empire to ensure you always have backup in a fight, but don’t get too close, as you may need to invade before long.
- When building a Wonder, focus on military-specific structures, like the Terracotta Army or Gate of All Nations.
You can play Civilization VII on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Switch, and Windows PCs.
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