Top 10 Strategies and Tips for Mastering the Exploration Age in Civilization 7

Entering the Exploration Age in Civilization 7 is an exciting venture, whether it’s your first or your hundredth. Each journey presents distinctive opportunities and challenges as you delve into the Distant Lands or expand your empire on your native continent. Key elements of this age include the introduction of Religions and their corresponding units, the often treacherous Distant Lands laden with Treasure Fleets, and a complete overhaul of military units and Independent Powers.

To successfully navigate the intricacies of the Exploration Age, it’s crucial to understand what lies ahead and to formulate effective strategies that leverage its unique features. Depending on your chosen civilization or leader—such as Mongolia—it might not always be wise to venture into the Distant Lands. This period can also serve as an unexpected opportunity to rethink strategies that may have faltered during the Antiquity Age, potentially paving the way for a comeback if you find yourself trailing behind.

10 Get Your Bearings After The Age Transition

Wars End & Combat Units Reset In The Exploration Age

At the onset of the Exploration Age, your first task should be to assess the shifts in your empire. All military units will be sent back to cities, while Commanders retain their Promotions. However, the quantity and types of units will reset.It’s important to note that any wars active at the close of the Antiquity Age will not carry over into the Exploration Age, and relationships with other civilizations will be slightly adjusted towards neutrality.

Additionally, all cities will revert to towns, with the exception of the Capital—unless a Silk Roads Golden Age is underway. This transitional phase can be quite bewildering, particularly for newcomers, so before making any significant strategic decisions, take some time to understand the layout of your empire and reorganize effectively for the Exploration Age.

9 Choose The Right Religion

Beliefs Are First Come, First Served

If you plan to pursue the Cultural Legacy Path in the Exploration Age (notably through the Toshakhana), establishing a religion early on is crucial. Your choice of Reliquary Beliefs will significantly shape your ongoing strategy, so it’s wise to consider the implications of each option. For instance, the Apostolism belief necessitates targeting Settlements with Wonders from other civilizations, which can be advantageous or limiting based on your specific circumstances.

Establishing a Religion and deploying Missionaries swiftly is particularly vital if Toshakhana forms the foundation of your approach. Religion does more than facilitate Relic acquisition; Founder and Enhancer Beliefs can provide invaluable yield bonuses. Be decisive about the role of Religion in your Exploration Age strategy, as the best Belief options may be claimed quickly—only one player can select each belief at a time.

8 Settle On The Coast

Treasure Fleets Not Too Far From The Homeland Are Best

When aiming for success with the Treasure Fleets Legacy Path, it’s essential to establish Settlements that are conveniently located near coastal areas that can produce fleets. The journey to set up a new Settlement in the Distant Lands is time-consuming, particularly if it’s situated far from your homeland. Thus, position your Settlements on nearby coasts with ample Treasure Resources to optimize your efficiency.

Since Treasure Fleets can transport resources based on the Settlement’s treasure capacity, a strategically placed coastal Settlement within a couple of turns can potentially fulfill the requirement of accumulating 30 Treasure Fleet points with just one Settlement. Even if treasure resources are sparse, coastal placements remain advantageous.

7 Mind The Independent Powers

New Independent Powers Spawn At The Start Of The Exploration Age

Your previous relationships with Independent Powers and City-States may have been strong in the Antiquity Age; however, if you haven’t integrated them into your empire, they have been replaced with new entities, some of which may be hostile. It’s essential to keep an eye on where these Independent Powers spawn and any nearby hostile factions that may require influence to become friendly.

Establishing Suzerain status over City-States and creating fresh trade routes is necessary to navigate this new landscape. Remember, the initial leader to befriend an Independent Power will gain Suzerain status for 40 turns, and this can significantly impact your strategy throughout the Exploration Age—leveraging City-State bonuses and positioning is key.

6 Start Overbuilding To Increase Yields

Yields, Adjacencies, & Effects Reset In The Exploration Age

Overbuilding becomes a pivotal mechanic as you transition into the Exploration Age, impacting city development strategies. At this stage, yields from Age-specific buildings are diminished, with Antiquity Age buildings losing their bonuses and becoming eligible for overbuilding. This process enables you to place Exploration Age buildings above outdated structures, restoring adjacency bonuses and enhancing the overall effectiveness of specific tiles.

If you’ve noticed a drop in your Settlement outputs since moving into the Exploration Age, overbuilding is the solution. Prioritize upgrading these key tiles to maintain strong yields and explore unique bonuses associated with overbuilding.

5 Conquering With Religion

Earn Extra Not Enough World Points With Religion

The Non Sufficit Orbis Military Legacy Path aims to accumulate points through conquering Distant Land Settlements. Securing a regular Settlement earns you two points, whereas conquering those that adhere to your Religion grants you four points. Thus, Religion plays a pivotal role in the Military path, similar to its significance in Cultural strategies.

Ideally, if you can spread your Religion while simultaneously assembling an army to venture into the Distant Lands, prioritize it for scoring Non Sufficit Orbis points. Be cautious, as other civilizations can readily convert Settlements to their Religion, so timing is critical; don’t assume that your influence will remain until your forces arrive.

4 Avoid The Distant Lands With Mongolian Hordes

Mongolia Doesn’t Earn Enough World Points On The Homeland

Mongolia offers a unique aspect within the Exploration Age through its Non Sufficit Orbis ability, allowing it to gain points from Settlements on the homeland. Unlike other civilizations, Mongolia does not receive benefits for Religious conversions but instead operates under its distinct Non Sufficit Orbis guidelines, which incentivize expansive Cavalry campaigns across the homeland.

While venturing to the Distant Lands is possible, remember that the points earned per conquered Settlement there are not as lucrative. Hence, it’s often wiser to focus on home continent targets. Considering this, leading Mongolia may also open up new strategic opportunities based on the density of Settlements available in your area.

3 Specialists Are The Key To Enlightenment

Beware Of Specialist Sabotage Actions

Civ 7 Confucius Scientific Victory Cover Image — Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Specialists gain substantial importance when engaging with the Enlightenment Scientific Legacy Path, which aims to cultivate high-yield urban tiles. To attain the required yield of 40 on a single tile, ensure you are advancing in Education and Urban Planning Technologies for maximum Specialist limits, alongside any relevant Unique Civic Trees.

Place Specialists on tiles that have undergone overbuilding and possess optimal adjacency bonuses to maximize output. Vigilance is essential regarding the Sabotage Specialist Morale Espionage action, which can significantly disrupt your Specialists within a target Settlement.

2 Prioritize Research Into Cartography & Shipbuilding

Deep Ocean Terrain Inflicts Damage Each Turn

Crossing the challenging terrain of the Deep Ocean is often a key strategy in the Exploration Age, making it vital to prioritize the appropriate Technology research. Commencing with Cartography will enable Civilian and Support units to traverse Deep Ocean tiles, opening the pathway to the Distant Lands. Be aware, however, that units will incur damage and navigate Deep Ocean sluggishly until Shipbuilding is researched.

The Distant Lands serve as a crucial focal point for many Legacy Paths during this age, emphasizing the need to invest in Cartography and Shipbuilding for success. Delaying research into these technologies will considerably hinder your progress in advancing Treasure Fleets, Non Sufficit Orbis, and/or Toshakhana-related objectives.

1 Take Advantage Of Unique Exploration Age Leaders & Civs

Lafayette & Isabella Feature Unique Exploration-Specific Abilities

Several civilizations and leaders possess unique attributes or buffs that are highly beneficial during the Exploration Age. For example, Isabella’s Seven Cities of Gold ability doubles the gold earned from Natural Wonders found in the Distant Lands, while Lafayette enjoys increased yield bonuses for Settlements located in these regions. As new leaders are introduced in subsequent content updates, additional Exploration Age-specific abilities are likely to emerge.

Each civilization in the Exploration Age has distinctive interactions with its mechanics, as exemplified by Mongolia’s unique dynamics, along with Majapahit’s capacity to further raise Specialist limits in cities—ideal for those targeting Scientific ambitions. Spain, additionally, is able to convert towns to cities at reduced costs within the Distant Lands. Strategically capitalizing on these distinct features will enhance your chances to thrive in Civilization 7’s Exploration Age.

Source & Images