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Every leader inCivilization 7can be played intoone of the game’s four Victory Paths, but some Leader Abilities are more suited to some Victory Conditions than others. When it comes to the best Science leaders,Civ 7has quite a few strong options – but naturally, some are more suited to meet the Science Victory conditions than others.
This list of the fivebest leaders in Civ 7for a Science Victory is based on how well each Leader can achieve these Legacy Path Victory conditions associated with each Age. Some, like Benjamin Franklin, are incredibly strong for a specific Age, while others, like Confucius, offer abilities that make them the best Science leaders throughout all Ages.
Star of the North
+2 Culture per Age on displayed Great Works.
Buildings with Great Work slots gain an additional slot.
Cities settled in Tundra gain Science equal to 25% of their Culture per turn.
Catherine the Great is undisputedly the best Culture Leader inCiv 7, but thanks to her Tundra Science bonus, she’s capable of being a Science powerhouse, too. Codexes in the Antiquity Age count as Great Works, which synergistically increase both your Culture and Science and progress the Science Legacy Path.
Catherine the Great’s Tundra start biasensures that your founding City, and nearby settlements you convert to Cities, will get additional Science bonuses from Culture. To take full advantage of this synergy, make sure the tile you settle new Towns on is a Tundra tile, and try to convert them as soon as possible into Cities. If you can get lots of Great Works throughout the ages, your Cities will pump out nearly as much Science as Culture and grant a huge advantage on the Science Victory path.
+50% Gold towards purchasing Buildings in Towns.
Can purchase Culture Buildings in Towns.
Like Catherine, most players think of Augustus as a Culture Leader with a bit of a Military and Expansionist twist. However, the Production bonus to the Capital from every Town makes them very well suited to achieve Scientific dominance, too. Though Augustus doesn’t get an inherent bonus to Science, the ability to make Science buildings faster than anyone else – and spend less Gold to purchase them outright – puts himahead of otherCiv 7Leaders.
If you are playing as Augustus in the Modern Age, and have enough Towns to meet (or exceed) your Settlement limit, your Capital will be able to produce the necessary Science Victory Projects extremely fast. In the Modern Age, production is really all you need to achieve a Science Victory quickly, which is something Augustus excels at.
+1 Science per Age on Production Buildings in Cities.
+50% Production towards constructing Production Buildings.
+1 Science per Age from active Endeavors you started or supported.
Can have two Endeavors of the same type active at a time.
Benjamin Franklin is one of the bestScience and Diplomatic Leaders inCiv 7thanks to Leader Abilities that are well-suited for the Science Victory requirements of each Age. He gains Science on Production Buildings, and extra Production towards making those buildings, which puts him far ahead of most Leaders when it comes to developing Urban Districts and Science output. In the Modern Age, he can make the Rail Station, Factory, Aerodrome, Launch Pad, and other buildings required for several Victory Paths extremely fast.
Benjamin Franklin’s other abilities grant him Science in each Age from every active Endeavor, and lets him establish two of the same Endeavors with multiple Leaders. If you max out Endeavors, your Science output will increase drastically – especially if you pursue Research Agreements with other opponents.
Himiko, Queen of Wa Leader Ability
Friend of Wei
Gain “Friend of Wei” endeavor that can be performed in an Alliance to grant you and your ally 25% increased Science.
Can support Endeavors for free.
+4 Science per Age for every leader you’re Friendly or Helpful with.
Himiko, Queen of Wa is like Benjamin Franklin in that she has powerful Leader Abilities that are suited for Diplomacy and Scientific Victory paths. Her Friend of Wei endeavor is the single largest boost to Science you can get in the mid to late game, and her ability to Support incoming endeavors increases your Yields significantly across all Ages.
Because you will be starting Endeavors with other players as often as possible, your relationships will usually increase to Helpful or Friendly with little effort. This benefits Himiko because shegains +4 Science from each relationshipat the Helpful or Friendly level.
If you play with a lot of opponents, this bonus will stack even further – establish good relationships with opponents and have an Alliance to use the Friend of Wei endeavor, and you’ll soar through the Tech tree.
25% Increased Growth Rate in Cities.
+2 Science from Specialists.
Confucius is the best Science Leader inCiv 7because his Cities grow faster than any other Leader’s, and the extra Science you get from Specialists adds up enormously in the mid to late game when it matters most. With a higher Growth Rate, you’ll be able to work more tiles and place more Specialists, which will add a default 4 Science to the Urban District you slot them in.
This ability makes Confucius race through the Tech tree if he can place Specialists quickly, which tends to happen because of the increased Growth Rate of Cities. You need Specialists to win the Exploration Age Science Victory path, and in the Modern Age, a true Science Victory is made easier with rapid Tech research and plenty of space to make Aerodrome and Launch Pad Districts.
Just be sure to slot Production bonus Social Policies, like Fascism which adds Production on Specialists, tofinish Space Race Projects faster. Fascism reduces Food in Towns, but this is offset by the Growth Rate bonus of this leader.
