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There are more than two dozen Leaders inCivilization 7, but not all Leaders inCiv 7are equally powerful. Some of the bestCiv 7Leaders, like Amina and Confucius,favor a Victory conditionso strongly that it’s hard to lose while playing as them.
But even the worstCiv 7Leaders have some advantages that no other Leader can claim, like Tecumseh’s massive power spike if he becomes a City-State Suzerain multiple times. ThisCiv 7Leader Tier List ranks allCiv 7Leaders based on how easy it is to achievea final Victory Conditionand the general complexity and synergistic strengths of every Leader Ability.
S Tier Civ 7 Leaders
The Most Overpowered Civ 7 Leaders
ThebestCiv 7leadersare those that come with overpowered Leader Abilities for specific Legacy Paths. Amina, Catherine the Great, Confucius, Himiko (Queen of Wa), and Xerxes (King of Kings) all excel at their respective favored Legacy Paths thanks to abilities that directly push them towards each Victory.
Even if you make some mistakes, getting Victories with each of these best leaders inCiv 7is remarkably easy across all three Ages. It’s difficult to say definitively who the best Leader inCiv 7is, as each of these five top-tier Leader choices will all but guarantee you a Victory if you play into their abilities.
Increased Resource Capacity in Cities.
Increased Gold per Age for each Resource assigned to Cities.
Increased Combat Strength for all Units on Plains and Desert tiles.
Star of the North
Increased Culture per Ageon displayed Great Works.
Buildings with Great Work slots gain an additional slot.
Cities settled in Tundra gain Science equal to a percentage of their Culture per turn.
Himiko, Queen of Wa
Friend of Wei
Gain “Friend of Wei” endeavor that can be performed in an Alliance to grant you and your ally increased Science.
Can support Endeavors for free.
Adds Science per Age for every leader you’re Friendly or Helpful with.
Xerxes, King of Kings
Crusher of Rebellions
Increased Combat Strength for Units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory.
Gain Culture and Gold per Age upon capturing a Settlement for the first time.
Gain increased Gold in all Settlements, increased even further in Settlements not founded by you.
A Tier Civ 7 Leaders
The Best Civ 7 Leaders, But Not Quite OP
Some of the most overpowered Leaders inCiv 7are so strong that they outclass every other Leader within their own favored Victory type. But that doesn’t mean that other Leaders inCiv 7aren’t as good – they just aren’t quite as broken as the S-TierCiv 7Leaders.
These nine A-TierCiv 7Leaders all work extremely well for either a single Legacy Path or for multiple at the same time, especially in Antiquity and Exploration. Augustus, for example, can absolutely pump out Culture while working towards Military Domination, Benjamin Franklin can use Diplomacy and Endeavors to boost his progress towards Science, and Machiavelli is able to ignore the effects of declaring a Formal War while he fuels his armies with failed Endeavor Gold.
Pick these bestCiv 7leaders if you want to get some very strong leader bonuses that will propel you towards one, or multiple, Victory conditions in each age. Just don’t expect it to be quite as simple, or easy, as the best Leaders for each Victory type.
Increased Production towards constructing Production Buildings.
Increased Science per Agefrom active Endeavors you started or supported.
Can have multiple Endeavors of the same type active at a time.
Father of Europe
Military and Science Buildings receive a Happiness adjacency for Quarters.
Gain a set number of free Cavalry Units, once unlocked, when entering a Celebration.
God’s Wife of Amun
Adds Culture for every imported Resource.
Increased Production towards Buildings and Wonders in Cities adjacent to Navigable Rivers.
Ibn Battuta
The Marvels of Traveling
Gains two Attribute points after the first Civic in every Age.
+1 Sight for all Units.
Gain a Unique Endeavor called Trade Maps that lets you gradually see other Leaders' explored areas.
Lafayette
Hero of Two Worlds
Gains unique “Reform” Endeavor, which grants an additional Social Policy slot.
Supporting the Reform Endeavor also grants the other Leader an additional Social Policy slot.
Increased Combat Strength for every Tradition, but not Policy, slotted in the Government.
Increased Culture and Happiness per Age in Settlements. These effects are increased further in Distant Lands.
Il Principe
Gain additional Influence per Age.
Gain a set amount of Gold per Age when your Diplomatic Action proposals are accepted, or even more Gold per Age when they are rejected.
Ignore Relationship requirements for declaring Formal Wars. You can Levy Military Units from City-States you are not Suzerain of.
Gain 3x free Promotions on your first Commander.
Your Commanders gain additional experience.
Gain increased Science in Cities on Tropical tiles – this bonus is increased during any Formal War you declare.
B Tier Civ 7 Leaders
Solid Civ 7 Leaders With Some Quirks Or Complexity
If you pick one of the bestCiv 7Leaders in the S or A-Tier categories, you won’t have a hard time reaching each Age’s Legacy Path Victory with a little bit of thought. But these B-Tier Leaders have quirks that make them harder to win with, Abilities that aren’t as powerful as other Leaders', or complex andniche mechanics thatCiv 7players really have to take advantage of to do well.
Friedrich (Baroque) and Friedrich (Oblique) will get one Infantry Unit when you make any Culture or Science building, respectively, but other leaders get more units or easier acquisition of units from their Leader Abilities. Harriet Tubman is a great wartime leader on the defense thanks to her War Weariness perk, but Espionage Actions are more like a catch-up mechanic than a way to win the game.
TheseCiv 7Leaders ranked here mostly for their downsides, comparative lack of power, or complexity. If you choose one of these Leaders, don’t expect their Leader Abilities to be as impactful – but with careful planning and taking full advantage of every bonus possible, Victory will still be relatively easy to achieve.
Friedrich (Baroque)
Hohenfriedberger Marsch
Gain a Great Work upon capturing a Settlement for the first time.
Friedrich (Oblique)
Berlin Academy
Army Commanders start with the Merit Commendation (increased Command Radius range).
Isabella
Seven Cities of Gold
Gain Gold every time you discover a Natural Wonder, increased if the Natural Wonder is in Distant Lands.
Receive additional tile yields from Natural Wonders, additional Gold towards purchasing Naval Units, and reduced Gold maintenance costs for Naval Units.
Jose Rizal
Pambansang Bayani
When gaining rewards from a Narrative Event, gain additional Culture and Gold per Age. Has additional Narrative Events.
Increased Celebration duration and Happiness towards Celebrations.
Napoleon, Emperor
Empereur des Français
Gains a Unique Diplomatic Action thatreduces the Trade Route capacityfor a target civilization and causes massive Grievances.
Increased Gold per Age for every leader you’re Unfriendly or Hostile with.
La Grande Armée
Increased Movement for all Land Units.
Defeating an enemy Unit provides Culture equal to a percentage of its Combat Strength.
Silk Road
Increased Trade Route limit with all other leaders.
Creating a Trade Route or Road witha Merchant provides Goldand Culture per Age.
Increased Culture and Gold per Age on Unique Buildings and Unique Improvements.
C Tier Civ 7 Leaders
You Can Win With These Leaders, But It’s Not As Easy
Some might consider these to be the worstCivilization 7Leaders of the lot, but in truth, you can still play the game extremely effectively as any of these three at the bottom of the pack. The problem with Ashoka, World Conquerer, Himiko, High Shaman, and Tecumseh is that they don’t particularly favor any Victory Condition, nor do they necessarily excel at what their Leader Abilities enable.
For example, Ashoka, World Conquerer has greatbenefits from Celebrations and Happiness, but there are other Military Victory Leaders who can support long-term military campaigns better, rather than seizing the moment during Celebrations. Himiko, High Shaman also favors Happiness and Celebrations, but only slightly favors the Culture Victory with an effect tied to Celebrations.
Tecumseh is an interesting case. He is not a bad leader, but he doesn’tfavor any Victory Conditionin the game at all. In fact, his abilities are all based on whether he is the Suzerain of multiple City-States. Because of how difficult it can be to ensure you get every City-State Suzerainty, this is a tough leader to win with, but it’s not impossible if you build into Influence.
Don’t avoid these Leaders, but don’t expect Victory to be as easy as it might be with other leaders.
Ashoka, World Conqueror
Devaraja
Increased Production in Cities for excess Happiness beyond a set amount.
Increased Production in Settlements not founded by you.
Declaring a Formal War grants a Celebration.
Large increase in Combat Strength against Fortified Districts for all Units during a Celebration.
Increased Happiness per Age on Happiness Buildings.
Increased Production towards constructing Happiness Buildings.
Gain increased Culture but slightly reduced Science, with increased effects during a Celebration.
Tecumseh
Nicaakiyakoolaakwe
Increased Food and Production per Age in Settlements forevery City-State you are Suzerain of.
Increased Combat Strength for all your Units for every City-State you are Suzerain of.
