Civilization 7 leader tier list: Every leader and Unique Ability ranked

Civilization VII is finally right around the corner and it promises to bring a whole host of changes that even experienced players will have to reckon with. A big part of that is a roster of new and returning leaders, each with unique abilities to take into a game.

Leaders have been a huge part of the Civilization series since its earliest days, with their importance growing as it progressed. With the arrival of the seventh game, they’re once again set to take center stage, with more effects on gameplay than ever.

This edition follows a new system where civilizations change as they progress through the ages, with the outcome dependent on the approach you take. Despite that, your choice of Leader will stick with you throughout, so it’s a decision you’ll need to get right.

With all of that in mind, here’s everything you need to know about which Leaders are the most effective in Civilization VII.

Civilization 7 leader tier list

TIER	LEADER
S	Ashoka (World Conqueror), Augustus, Confucius, Machiavelli, Xerxes (King of Kings),
A	Benjamin Franklin, Catherine the Great, Charlamagne, Harriet Tubman, Hatshepsut, Himiko (High Shaman), Ibn Battuta, Isabella, Jose Rizal
B	Amina, Ashoka (World Renouncer), Friedrich (Oblique), Himiko (Queen of Wa), Lafayette, Napoleon (Emperor), Pachacuti, Trung Trac, Xerxes (Achaemenid)
C	Friedrich (Baroque), Napoleon (Revolutionary), Tecumseh

Our tiers explained

• S: The best leaders in Civilization 7
• A: Excellent choices with strong abilities
• B: More niche and situational choices with weaker abilities
• C: Best to avoid in the current version of the game

A lot of what makes a leader strong or weak is dependent on how you want to play a particular game of Civilization. Some are far more suited to cultural pursuits, while others are military stalwarts that allow you to dominate your enemies on the battlefield.

That said, there are some who you should find useful in most scenarios, and the S-Tier is dominated by characters who have broad-ranging and highly potent effects on gameplay. If you’re new to the game, these are also the most forgiving choices, and they should get your next campaign started on the right footing.

The final thing to note is that some leaders in Civilization 7 come with more than one persona. This changes their overall traits and approach, so we have included each version in this tier list as well, so you have a complete idea of what’s on offer.

N.B. This tier list also includes leaders who are only available as part of the Deluxe and Founders Editions of the game, as well as Napoleon (who can be acquired by linking your 2K account to Steam).

S-Tier (item) in (game/show/series)

Ashoka (World Conqueror)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Ability: 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 to Combat Strength against Fortified Districts for all Units during a Celebration.
• Attributes: Militaristic & Diplomatic
• Agendas: Without Regret – Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with the Leader whose lands cover the most tiles and Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the one with the least.
• Starting Biases: N/A

If you’re looking to take to the battlefield and dominate your enemies quickly, Ashoka’s World Conqueror persona is second to none. Though arguably not as flexible as World Renouncer, the Devaraja unique ability is a huge tactical advantage.

It grants a Celebration when you declare war, strengthening your troops for the upcoming fight. This snowballs once you start to take over enemy settlements, with increased production if you didn’t serve as the city’s founder.

Augustus

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: Imperium Maius – Adds Production in the Capital for every Town. Increased Gold towards purchasing Buildings in Towns. Can purchase Culture Buildings in Towns.
• Attributes: Cultural & Expansionist
• Agendas: Restitutor Orbis – Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for each Town in other players’ empires. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for each City (excluding Capital) in other players’ empires.
• Starting biases: N/A

If you’re just starting in Civilization and not sure where to begin, Augustus is the most well-rounded and forgiving leader in the game. His unique ability allows you to cover all bases, adding bonuses to Gold generation, Production, and Culture buildings.

His Expansionist attribute allows you to widen your empire relatively easily and without too much fear of reprisal on a rapid expansion civ. His Agenda also allows the player greater control over their relationships with other leaders, so you should be able to maintain the upper hand for the most part.

Confucius

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: Keju – Increased Growth Rate in Cities. Increased Science from Specialists.
• Attributes: Expansionist & Scientific
• Agendas: Guanxi – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for having the most Specialists in an empire. Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount for the leader with the least amount of Specialists in an empire. Only triggers if Confucius has at least one Specialist.
• Starting biases: Grassland

Known in history for his immense Wisdom, Confucius is a great choice for those looking to lean towards Scientific pursuits. His bonus to city Growth Rate is particularly useful in the early portions of the game, allowing you to get a headstart over your rivals.

A big facet of playing around Confucius’ strengths is the use of Specialists, which can be one of the harder mechanics to pick up for new players, so get some hands-on experience with the game to get the most out of him.

Machiavelli

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: 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.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Economic
• Agendas: The Spider – If not at war with Machiavelli, increase Relationship by Medium Amount for each other war.
• Starting biases: N/A

The greatest political operator in history is also the best at what he does in Civilization VII. Influence is a remarkably powerful mechanic to use in this latest portion of the series, and accumulating it is a surefire way of being able to do exactly what you want.

Machiavelli allows you to generate gold when successfully (or unsuccessfully) engaging in Diplomatic Actions. He also allows you to launch wars basically at will, making for one of the more chaotic and fun approaches to the game.

Xerxes (King of Kings)

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: 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. Increased Settlement limit per Age.
• Attributes: Economic & Militaristic
• Agendas: Lord of Fire – Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount when a player is not at war. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount when a player is at war.
• Starting biases: Desert

The most famous ruler in the history of the Persian Empire has two personas, but it’s the King of Kings version that stands out at this early stage. If you’re looking for a militaristic approach that also allows you to branch out to other areas with passive bonuses, Xerxes is arguably the best around.

The unique ability and Agenda encourages you to play in a highly aggressive way, maintaining a state of war and taking settlements with regularity. The latter triggers an impressive gold bonus to fund further armies and projects, and it’s an oddly easy way to play once you’re up and running.

A-Tier (item) in (game/show/series)

Benjamin Franklin

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: The First American – Increased Science per Age on Production Buildings in Cities. Increased Production towards constructing Production Buildings. Increased Science per Age from active Endeavors you started or supported. Can have multiple Endeavors of the same type active at a time.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Scientific
• Agendas: Civic Virtue – Increase Relationship gains with players that share a Government with him. Decrease Relationship with players that don’t share a Government with him.
• Starting biases: N/A

Where Confucius is highly centered on the use of Specialists, Benjamin Franklin has a broader approach to Science with a slightly lower potential that relegates him to the A-tier. Much more forgiving to new players, the increased Production available makes the early game a lot easier.

The Civic Virtue Agenda can actually be a little annoying, getting relationships started on the wrong foot merely by a coincidence of different governance. That said, if you pick a common system, you should find that the additional common ground can quickly lead to firm allies.

Catherine the Great

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: Star of the North – Increased Culture per Age on 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.
• Attributes: Cultural & Scientific
• Agendas: Dusha – Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with player who has the most Great Works. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player with the least. Catherine the Great must have a Great Work for this to take effect.
• Starting biases: Tundra

An absolute stalwart of the Civilization series, Catherine the Great is a strong choice in Civilization VII. Well suited to Science and Culture players, it quickly becomes quite easy to build a self-fulfilling ecosystem where one resource generates another.

Great Works are a key part of the equation and a major step in getting the most out of Catherine as a leader, so make sure you’re happy to lean into that before picking her.

Charlamagne

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: 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. Increased Combat Strength for Cavalry Units during a Celebration.
• Attributes: MIlitaristic & Scientific
• Agendas: The Golden Shepherd – Increase Relationship by Medium Amount with whichever player has triggered the most Celebrations. If there is a tie, Increase Relationship by Small Amount to tieholders. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with whoever has triggered the fewest Celebrations. If there’s a tie, Decrease Relationship by Small Amount to tieholders.
• Starting biases: Rivers

The grandfather of medieval Europe is one of the easier leaders to pick up and play, with a strong militaristic style that should keep you safe from enemies. Entering Celebrations is the way to great power spikes, and the cavalry units you get for free are inordinately strong if you get them quickly.

Celebrations are proving to be quite a significant mechanic under the right leadership and Charlamagne is second only to Ashoka in terms of efficacy. He’s also a solid pick for players who approach the game from several angles, with decent benefits across the board.

Harriet Tubman

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: Combahee Raid – Increased Influence towards initiating Espionage Actions. Gain a set amount of War Support on all wars declared against you. Units ignore Movement penalties from Vegetated tiles.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Militaristic
• Agendas: Veracity – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount once for each formal war the player declared. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount once for each surprise war the player declared.
• Starting biases: Vegetated

Taking inspiration from Harriet Tubman’s incredible real-world legacy, this leader is impressively multi-faceted with interesting skills that you’ll struggle to find elsewhere. Espionage Actions can be overpowered in any given campaign and the additional influence on offer here is a solid boon.

Additionally, the lack of movement penalties comes in useful much more often than you might expect, and it allows you to pivot more quickly. This is particularly useful on higher difficulties, when the game likes to spring urgent surprises.

Hatshepsut

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: God’s Wife of Amun – Adds Culture for every imported Resource. Increased Production towards the construction of Buildings and Wonders in Cities adjacent to Navigable Rivers.
• Attributes: Cultural & Economic
• Agendas: Wonders of Iteru – Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount if you have more Wonders than Hatshepsut. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount if you have less Wonders.
• Starting biases: Navigable Rivers & Deserts

Hatshepsut is an excellent choice for those who are looking to stack Wonders for the significant bonuses they provide. The increased production available is a huge advantage in the race to the top, with the only caveat being that you need to be near navigable rivers (which are numerous).

Though she can be a bit lacking in the earlier portions of the game, if you prioritize wonders you can plug any potential weaknesses pretty easily once your settlements are set up correctly.

Himiko (High Shaman)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Ability: Miko of Amaterasu – 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.
• Attributes: Cultural & Diplomatic
• Agendas: Shaman Queen – Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount per Settlement with constructed Science and Gold Buildings. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount per Settlement with Culture and Happiness Buildings.
• Starting Biases: N/A

The first of Himiko’s two Personas to appear on this list, the High Shaman is a very well-rounded pick (outside of a gap in military prowess). One of the earlier lessons you’ll learn playing Civilization is that happy citizens are crucial to you being able to execute your plans successfully.

It is that which Himiko focuses on in this persona, and she’s the closest you’ll get to guaranteeing citizen happiness throughout your playthrough. The penalties to Science are negligible and worth taking for the additional Culture and Production on offer.

Ibn Battuta

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: The Marvels of Traveling – Gains multiple Attribute points after the first Civic in every Age. Increased Sight for all Units. Gain a Unique Endeavor called Trade Maps that lets you gradually see other Leaders’ explored areas.
• Attributes: Wildcard
• Agendas: Far and Wide – Increase Relationship by a Large Amount with the player who has uncovered the most Fog of War tiles. If there is a tie, Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount to tieholders. Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount with the player who has uncovered the fewest Fog of War tiles.
• Starting biases: Flat

Of all the leaders on this list, Ibn Battuta might be the most difficult to use to his fullest potential. If you can get your head around how exactly he works though, there’s more than enough to warrant his inclusion in the A-tier.

The additional attribute points are the open goal, so prioritizing a short-term Civic is a good play at the start of each Age. The Trade Maps Endeavor is a huge bonus, allowing unparalleled map knowledge without the need to do much exploring yourself.

Isabella

Firaxis Games

• Unique Ability: 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.
• Attributes: Economic & Expansionist
• Agendas: Wonderlust – Decrease Relationship by a Large Amount per Natural Wonder in the player’s borders. If no Natural Wonders are possessed by the player, Increase Relationship by a Small Amount.
• Starting biases: Coast & Natural Wonders

If Gold is an overriding concern or you often struggle to generate income in games of Civilization, then Isabella is a pretty spectacular pick. Discovering Natural Wonders is a bit of a luck-based way of making money, but if you prioritize fast exploration units you can stack the deck in your favor.

Much of your success while playing as Isabella is dependent on your ability to secure Natural Wonders though, so if you don’t fancy obsessing over that particular detail then it can become a little tiresome.

Jose Rizal

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Ability: Pambansang Bayani – When gaining rewards from a Narrative Event, gain additional Culture and Gold per Age. Increased Celebration duration and Happiness towards Celebrations. Has additional Narrative Events.
• Attributes: Cultural & Diplomatic
• Agendas: Kapwa – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the most active Endeavors started. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the most active Sanctions started. If there is a tie between the players with the most active Endeavors or Sanctions, then Increase or Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount accordingly.
• Starting Biases: Tropical

Narrative Events are more common than ever in Civilization VII and Jose Rizal’s Unique Ability allows you to maximize the benefits those provide. He also gets more than any other character, so don’t be put off if you don’t see enough of them while using another leader.

Endeavors also play a major role in Rizal’s playstyle, and they are a pretty strong mechanic generally, but even more so here if you prioritize them.

B-Tier (item) in (game/show/series)

Amina

Firaxis Games

• Starting biases: Plains & Desert
• Unique ability: Warrior-Queen of Zazzau – 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.
• Attributes: Economic & Militaristic
• Agendas: Desert of the Warrior Queen – If the player has more Settlements on Plains or Desert tiles than Amina, Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount. If the player has no Settlements on Plains or Desert tiles, Increase Relationship by a Small Amount.

Amina is one of the more specialized leaders and it can be difficult to put her in the right position to maximize her efficacy. If you do manage to take control of swathes of deserts and plains, she quickly becomes very difficult to stop.

The increase to Combat Strength in those biomes is genuinely impactful and you can easily win with a deficit in direct army quality. She feels like more of a choice for those looking for a specific type of playthrough, but the tangible benefits are there.

Ashoka (World Renouncer)

Firaxis Games

• Unique ability: Dhammaraja – Adds Food in Cities for excess Happiness beyond a set amount. Increased Food in all Settlements during a Celebration. All Buildings gain a Happiness adjacency for all Improvements.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Expansionist
• Agendas: Without Sorrow – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player with the highest Happiness yield. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player that has the lowest Happiness yield.
• Starting biases: N/A

In a bit of a contrast to his other Persona, the World Renouncer version of Ashoka just feels less universally applicable and otherwise lacking in major benefits. The excess Food is nice to have, but you won’t find yourself wanting in most games, even without the bonus.

The Happiness adjacency is the big benefit and does more than enough to elevate him above the C-tier. The Relationship bonuses on offer are also nice to have, without being anything too exciting during the average playthrough.

Friedrich (Oblique)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: Berlin Academy: Army Commanders start with the Merit Commendation (increased Command Radius range). Gain an Infantry Unit when you construct a Science Building.
• Attributes: Scientific & Militaristic
• Agendas: To Arms!: Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount with the empire that has the least amount of Military Units on the map. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount with the empire that has the most amount of Military Units on the map.
• Starting Biases: N/A

Friedrich’s Oblique persona is quite one-note in its execution, but it does give players a nice two-pronged way of establishing military dominance. The additional unit provided by the Science Building bonus is a huge time save and prevents having to prioritize an individual area.

The increased Command Radius range is very good to have when you’re waging war from a limited number of positions, and it’s one less consideration during an aggressive, expansionist campaign.

Himiko (Queen of Wa)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: Friend of Wei – Gain a Unique Endeavor called ‘Friend of Wei’ 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.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Scientific
• Agendas: Yamatai – Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount per Settlement with constructed Culture and Happiness Buildings. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount per Settlement with constructed Science and Gold Buildings.
• Starting Biases: N/A

Himiko’s Queen of Wa Persona has a weird amount of potential obscured by its weirdly rigid design ethos. If you’re going for Science, the Friend of Wei Endeavor is undoubtedly impactful and friendly relations further your ability to go down this route.

Unfortunately, the lack of consideration for other areas of the game means that the Queen of Wa ringfences players into one specific style. It also makes it not particularly advantageous to wage war, meaning you’re actively working against yourself if you do initiate combat.

Lafayette

Firaxis Games

• Unique ability: Hero of Two Worlds – Gains a Unique Endeavor called ‘Reform,’ which grants an additional Social Policy slot. Supporting this 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.
• Attributes: Cultural & Diplomatic
• Agendas: French Quarters – Increase Relationship by a Small Amount for the player with the most Urban Districts with all Building slots filled. Decrease Relationship by a Small Amount for the player with the least Urban Districts.
• Starting biases: Coast

The additional Social Policy slot provided by Reform is useful in Lafayette’s case and, depending on what you pick, it can be a major bonus in the early game. In the same way that Isabella is highly geared towards Wonders, you’ll want to take full advantage of the additional Social Policies to get the most out of this leader.

The relationship between Tradition and Combat Strength here is an interesting one and worth pursuing, but you’ll be managing your government far more closely with Lafayette than any other leader.

Napoleon (Emperor)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: Empereur des Français – Gains a Unique Diplomatic Action that reduces the Trade Route capacity for a target civilization and causes massive Grievances. Increased Gold per Age for every leader you’re Unfriendly or Hostile with.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Economic
• Agendas: Napoleonic Code – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount with the player that has the smallest standing army. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player that has the largest standing navy.
• Starting Biases: N/A

Despite his prowess in real life, Napoleon isn’t one of the better performing leaders in Civilization VII. His ability to control and weaken enemy trade routes is huge and it cause major problems for your foes, but it’s a little one-dimensional if you aren’t properly prepared.

Napoleon doesn’t come with a method of generating strong units quickly, so you’ll want to make sure you have a solid standing army before you start harassing people, as they will be rightfully aggrieved by your actions.

Pachacuti

Firaxis Games

• Unique ability: Earth Shaker – All Buildings gain a Food adjacency for Mountains. Specialists adjacent to Mountains do not cost Happiness maintenance.
• Attributes: Economic & Expansionist
• Agendas: Mountain King – Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the least Mountains in their territory. Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the most Mountains in their territory.
• Starting biases: Mountains

Pachacuti is one of those leaders who feels weirdly lacking in design features for the player who chooses him. The Food adjacency for Mountains is fine, and the reduction in Happiness maintenance is nice to have, but it’s difficult to see how he can outperform most leaders with just that going for him.

He’s also so dependent on Mountains for success that you are more beholden to the landscape of the game than feels comfortable.

Trung Trac

Firaxis Games

• Unique ability: Hai Bà Trưng – Gain a set number of 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.
• Attributes: Militaristic & Scientific
• Agendas: Van Minh – Decrease Relationship by Medium Amount with the player who has the greatest amount of Promotions across all Commanders. If tied, Decrease Relationship a Small Amount with tie holders. Increase Relationship by Medium Amount with the player who has the least amount of Promotions across all Commanders. If tied, Increase Relationship a Small Amount with tie holders.
• Starting biases: Vegetated & Tropical

Trung Trac can let you dominate early encounters with foes, with the free Promotions for your first Commander allowing you to easily outperform everyone else in that area. The main issue comes with her inability to carry that through further, and you’ll quickly find yourself falling into a default holding pattern.

If you’re nestled in a Tropical zone then you will find Trung Trac more impressive, but being dependent on that particular biome feels very restricting.

Xerxes (Achaemenid)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: Silk Road – Increased Trade Route limit with all other leaders. Creating a Trade Route or Road with a Merchant provides Culture and Gold per Age. Increased Culture and Gold per Age on Unique Buildings and Unique Improvements.
• Attributes: Cultural & Economic
• Agendas: Lord of Coin – Decrease Relationship by a Medium Amount if player has a greater or equal number of Trade Routes compared to Xerxes. Increase Relationship by a Small Amount if player has fewer Trade Routes than Xerxes.
• Starting Biases: Desert

If you want to play as Xerxes, you’ll generally want to stick with his King of Kings persona, but there are some features of the Achaemenid that appeal. The Trade Route benefits from his Silk Road Unique Ability are very impactful and you’ll be making inordinate amounts of Gold quickly.

The issue that he has is that he is entirely focused on setting up and utilizing trade at all times. This specialization prevents a lot of potential aggressive actions on your part and you may find it annoying to play before long.

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Friedrich (Baroque)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: Hohenfriedberger Marsch – Gain a Great Work upon capturing a Settlement for the first time. Gain an Infantry Unit when you construct a Culture Building.
• Attributes: Cultural & Militaristic
• Agendas: Parisian Sensibilities – Increase Relationship per built Wonder in the Capital by a Medium Amount. Decrease Relationship per Building in the Capital by a Small Amount.
• Starting Biases: N/A

If you decide to go with the Baroque Friedrich Persona then you’ll essentially be doing so purely for the additional Great Works on offer. While these are nice to have, it’s a strangely insular approach to the game and not beneficial enough to warrant his inclusion further up the list.

Napoleon (Revolutionary)

Firaxis Games/Dexerto

• Unique Abilities: La Grande Armée – Increased Movement for all Land Units. Defeating an enemy Unit provides Culture equal to a percentage of its Combat Strength.
• Attributes: Cultural & Militaristic
• Agendas: Culture from Conquest – Decrease Relationship by Small Amount for every Alliance made between other players. Increase Relationship by a Medium Amount for the player with the highest Culture Per Turn score.
• Starting Biases: N/A

The increased movement for Land Units on offer here is excellent, and if you’re planning to unleash a ton of military force, it saves several logistical headaches. The major benefits stop there though and the Culture bonus for Combat Strength feels like a weird shoehorned mechanic that doesn’t make much sense in the wider context of the game.

Tecumseh

Firaxis Games

• Unique ability: Nicaakiyakoolaakwe – Increased Food and Production per Age in Settlements for every City-State you are Suzerain of. Increased Combat Strength for all your Units for every City-State you are Suzerain of.
• Attributes: Diplomatic & Militaristic
• Agendas: Suzerain of the World – Decrease Relationship by a Large Amount when a player disperses an Independent, and Increase Relationship by a Small Amount if player does not have an active “Befriend Independent” Project active.
• Starting biases: Grassland & Plains

The entirety of Tecumseh’s efficacy is dependent on the player being a Suzerain and this feels like too specific of a mechanic to be particularly exciting. It’s highly situationally dependent and you’ll be out of luck if you don’t capture the right settlements early.