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Civilization 7players begin expanding their empire with Settlers so they can acquire a lot of settlements, but becoming Suzerain of a City-State offers another avenue altogether. With enough Influence,Civ 7players don’t need to pump out as many Settler Units, as they can actually incorporate a City-State as their own settlement.
While it may seem like an easy way to gain a settlement, there are several factors for players to consider before making that decision. This guide will explain the benefits of choosing to incorporate a City-State and whenCiv 7players would be better off staying as Suzerain.
How to Incorporate City-States in Civilization 7
The first step towards even having the option to incorporate a City-State in Civilization 7 will be finding anIndependent Powerand spending Influence to start the Befriend Independent Project. It takes30 turns on Standard speed to finish that Project and become Suzerain of a newly converted City-State, but players can spend additional Influence to quicken this process.
The base Influence costs to Befriend Independent Powers in a Standard speed game are:
Once players have become Suzerain, it will take10 turns in a Standard speed game to Incorporate a City-Statefor these base Influence costs:
If players choose to remain Suzerain, they can also spend Influence on the following Projects:
Promote Growth is always worthwhile if players have the Influence for it, but Projects for Military Units will depend on the situation.Once a City-State is Incorporated, their active Military Units will disband and be lost.If players plan to Incorporate a City-State, they may want to Levy any remaining Military Units before that happens.
Should You Incorporate City-States in Civilization 7?
After the Befriend Independent Project finishes, players will immediately have to choose a Suzerain bonus.These unique rewards are based on the type of City-State that has been created, such as Economic or Scientific, and many of them include advantages directly tied to how many City-States a Leader is actively Suzerain of.
Independent Powers reset after each Age Transition, and players building up bonuses linked to being Suzerain of multiple City-States will effectively have to restart that process from scratch when a new Age begins.
While choosing to incorporate a City-State does have a high Influence cost, it may be lower than the amount that would be used to repeatedly befriend Independent Powers.Players that intend to become Suzerain of many City-States will need to keep in mind how much Influence that takes as a fullCiv 7campaign rolls on.
There are many ways for players toget more Influence per turn, but Independent Powers are not the only place where Influence will be needed.Civs and Leaders tailored towards Diplomatic Endeavors or Espionage will need their Influence for these actions, but a few come with abilities that benefit from being Suzerain of many City-States.
Some City-States aren’t near enough quality Resources to be considered valuable settlements, and incorporating a City-State close to the borders of another Leader is likely to damage that relationship at some point.
Incorporating a City-State in the Homelands usually won’t be worthwhile during the Exploration Age, but a coastal City-State in Distant Lands with access toTreasure Fleet Resourcescould be very beneficial.
Ultimately, every single campaign is going to be different, but these tips should helpCiv 7players know when incorporating a City-State is the right decision. To decide whether a City-State is worth incorporating into a Leader’s empire, gamers will want to analyze the various factors mentioned above:
