Civilization 7 Urges All to Use Campaign Tutorial

The developer of Civilization 7 has detailed why it recommends all players, including veterans of the series, complete the tutorial during their first full campaign.

In a Steam community post, Firaxis Games Creative Director Ed Beach shared his essential tips for your initial playthrough of Civilization 7.

"Civilization 7 is a substantial release, featuring numerous new systems and mechanics that set it apart from previous entries," he stated. "With so much to learn, we considered it vital to provide guidance to ensure everyone has a positive and successful first experience."

This advice primarily relates to Civilization 7's innovative Ages system, a significant evolution for the storied strategy franchise. A complete campaign progresses through three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Upon completing an Age, all players and AI civilizations simultaneously undergo an Age Transition. This pivotal moment involves three key actions: selecting a new civilization from the upcoming Age to lead your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and witnessing the game world transform. Such a dynamic system is entirely new to the Civilization series.

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Beach went on to explain the reasoning behind setting the default map size to 'Small' in Civilization 7.

"We understand many seasoned players prefer the largest maps with the maximum number of competing empires," he noted. "However, we deliberately selected 'Small' as the default for a specific reason. With three other empires on your starting continent and a few more to encounter later, a Small Map creates a more manageable environment while you're learning the intricacies of Civ 7.

"We particularly advise this map size as you familiarize yourself with the new Diplomacy system. Managing relationships and diplomatic affairs with a smaller number of opponents makes it far easier to grasp how to effectively spend and manage your Diplomatic Influence.

"We also recommend choosing the 'Continents Plus' Map Type. The additional offshore islands gently introduce ocean exploration—a crucial component of the Exploration Age, which is the game's second major chapter."

Regarding the Tutorial and Advisors, Beach confirmed that your first game automatically enables the Tutorial. He strongly encouraged even expert players to keep it active for at least their initial complete campaign.

"The Tutorial is engineered to deliver tips and explanations precisely when you first encounter a new feature," Beach elaborated.

"Veterans of earlier Civ titles might dismiss playing with the Tutorial, but given the extensive upgrades and revisions to our game systems, we genuinely recommend using it for your first full three-Age campaign.

"Remember, the game features four distinct Advisors, and you can control which ones actively guide you through quests designed to teach their specific portion of the game. If it feels overwhelming, we suggest following just one Advisor at a time."

Beach also recommended that once you've mastered the core systems and turn off the full tutorial, you should switch the setting to 'Only Warnings.'

"This setting allows the same Advisors to intervene and alert you if your empire is heading toward a major setback," he said. "Even our internal development team at Firaxis, who know the game intimately, plays with these warnings enabled!"

Recently, Firaxis revealed the post-launch roadmap for Civilization 7 during a special livestream event (noting that Great Britain will be released as DLC). Civilization 7 launches on February 11 for PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with the more expensive Deluxe Edition offering access starting February 6.