Civilization 7 Teaches Even Experts Importance of Tutorials

Firaxis Games' creative director, Ed Beach, urges even veteran Civilization players to utilize the tutorial for their initial Civilization 7 campaign. His Steam post highlights the game's significant departures from previous iterations, emphasizing the importance of a smooth learning curve.

Civilization 7 introduces a novel Ages system, drastically altering gameplay. A full campaign spans Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern Ages, with simultaneous Age Transitions for all players. These transitions involve selecting a new civilization, retaining Legacies, and witnessing world evolution—a unique feature in the series.

Beach explains the rationale behind the default "Small" map size. While veteran players often prefer larger maps, the smaller size with a manageable number of opponents (three on the home continent, plus others discovered later) facilitates learning the game's intricacies, particularly the new Diplomacy system. He recommends "Continents Plus" map type for easier ocean exploration, a key aspect of the Exploration Age.

The tutorial is automatically enabled for first-time players and strongly recommended for experienced players as well, at least for the initial full campaign. It offers timely tips and explanations for new mechanics. The game features four Advisors, each guiding players through specific game aspects; Beach suggests focusing on one Advisor at a time initially.

Even after mastering the core systems, Beach suggests switching to the "Only Warnings" setting. This allows Advisors to alert players to potential setbacks, a practice even the Firaxis development team utilizes.

Firaxis also revealed Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap during a livestream event (note: Great Britain is DLC). Civilization 7 launches on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on February 11th; the Deluxe Edition provides early access from February 6th.