With the wide variety of Leaders on offer in Civilization 7‘s base game and DLC selection, it can be hard to know which character to pick when starting a game for the first time.
Below, we’ve listed every Civ 7 Leader with their traits, unlocks, and play style, along with how to get the various DLC Leaders in the game.
All base game Civilization VII Leader traits
Having DLC in Civ 7 can be a lot of fun, but it’s by no means necessary. There are plenty of base game Leaders to experiment with, each offering their own unique perks.
Amina
Each Civ 7 Leader falls into a dual category that highlights their main playstyle. In the case of Amina, this is Economic Militaristic. The traits that Amina provides are:
- +1 to Resource Capacity for cities
- +1 Gold per Age for each resource assigned to a city
- +5 Combat Strength to every unit on plains or desert tiles
Her Age unlocks include Songhai in the Exploration Age and Buganda in the Modern Age.
Ashoka, World Renouncer
Ashoka has two different personas in Civ 7, and the World Renouncer can be a lot of fun if you enjoy experimenting with the diplomacy feature. The main category here is Diplomatic Expansionist, and the perks on offer are:
- +1 Food in cities for every 5 excess Happiness
- +10 Food in Settlements during a Celebration
- +1 Happiness Adjacency for all buildings during all Improvements
Playing as Ashoka, World Renouncer unlocks Chola in the Exploration Age.
Augustus
This Leader is a Cultural Expansionist and offers the following traits:
- +2 Production in the Capital for every town
- Can purchase Culture buildings in towns
- +50 percent Gold towards building purchases in towns
This Leader’s playstyle revolves around settling new towns quickly and making them a valuable resource hub to work alongside cities.
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin falls into the Diplomatic Scientific dual category and offers:
- +1 Science per Age on Production buildings in cities
- +1 Science per Age from active endeavors that you started or supported, with the ability to have two endeavors of the same type active at any time
- +50 percent Production towards building Production buildings
Playing as Benjamin Franklin unlocks America in the Modern Age.
Catherine the Great
This Leader is part of the Cultural Scientific dual category, offering:
- +2 Culture per Age on displayed Great Works, with buildings that have Great Work slots already getting another slot
- Cities settled in tundra tiles gain Science equal to 25 percent of their Culture per turn
Playing as Catherine the Great unlocks Russia in the Modern Age.
Charlemagne
The Father of Europe is a Militaristic Scientific Leader, offering two distinct paths to victory. The associated traits for Charlemagne are:
- Military and Science buildings get a Happiness Adjacency for Quarters
- Once cavalry units are unlocked, starting a Celebration will give you two cavalry units for free
- +5 Combat Strength for cavalry units during a Celebration
Playing as Charlemagne will unlock Norman in the Exploration Age.
Confucius
Confucius is an Expansionist Scientific Leader, and the traits on offer are:
- 25 percent growth rate for cities
- +2 Science gained from Specialists
Confucius offers two unlocks, letting you play as Ming in the Exploration Age and Qing in the Modern Age.
Friedrich, Oblique
Freiderich has another persona in Civ 7 that can be unlocked by purchasing DLC. This version of Freiderich is powerful enough,h though, falling into the Militaristic Scientific category and providing the following perks:
- Army Commanders get the Merit Commendation immediately, giving +1 to their command radius
- Each time a Science building is constructed, you get an infantry unit
Playing as Friedrich, Oblique unlocks Prussia in the Modern Age.
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman falls into the Diplomatic Militaristic category. She has the following traits:
- +100 Influence towards espionage actions in the diplomacy tab
- +5 War Support on all wars declared against you
- Movement penalties via vegetation tiles are ignored by units
Playing as Harriet Tubman will unlock America in the Modern Age.
Hatshepsut
The God’s Wife of Amun is a Cultural Economic Leader, offering:
- +1 Culture for every imported resource
- +15 percent Production towards buildings and Wonders in cities that are adjacent to navigable rivers
The second trait is somewhat niche but worth chasing, as 15 percent towards Wonder production can make the Culture Legacy Path much easier to finish.
Himiko, Queen of Wa
Himiko has another persona available in Civ 7. The Queen of Wa persona makes her a Diplomatic Scientific Leader, with the following perks:
- Gets an endeavor called Friend of Wei that can be performed in an alliance, giving you and an ally +25 pecent Science
- Can also support endeavors for free
- +4 Science for every other Leader you are friendly or helpful with
Playing as Himiko, Queen of Wa unlocks Meiji Japan in the Modern Age.
Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta is a unique Leader, with the dual typing of Expansionist Wildcard. The traits on offer here are:
- +2 Wildcard attribute points after the first Civic in every Age
- +1 sight for all units
- Gets a unique endeavor called trade maps which allows you to see other Leader’s explored areas over time
Playing as Ibn Battuta will unlock Abbasid in the Exploration Age.
Isabella
Isabella is an Expansionist Economic Leader and offers:
- Provides 300 Gold each time a Natural Wonder is discovered, doubling if it is discovered in Distant Lands
- +100 percent tile yields from Natural Wonders
- +50 percent Gold towards naval units
- -1 Gold maintenance for naval units
Playing as Isabella will unlock Spain in the Exploration Age and Mexico in the Modern Age.
José Rizal
This Leader falls into the Cultural Diplomatic dual category and offers:
- +50 percent Celebration duration
- +50 percent Happiness towards Celebrations
- When rewards are received via narrative events, get an extra 20 Culture and Gold per Age
- Has additional narrative events
Playing as this Leader unlocks Hawai’i in the Exploration Age.
Lafayette
The Hero of the Two Worlds is a Cultural Diplomatic Leader and offers:
- Gets a unique endeavor called Reform, granting an extra Social Policy slot. Supporting it also gives the other Leader an additional slot
- +1 combat strength for every Tradition, not Policy, slotted into government
- +2 Culture and Happiness per Age in Settlements, doubled in Distant Lands
Playing as Lafayette unlocks the French Empire in the Modern Age.
Machiavelli
Machiavelli is a Diplomatic Economic Leader. The traits he offers are:
- +3 Influence per Age
- 50 Gold per Age when diplomatic actions are accepted, but 100 Gold when they are rejected
- Bypasses relationship requirements for formal wars
- Can levy troops from City-States without being suzerain
Making good use of the diplomacy function is crucial with this Leader.
Pachacuti
Pachacuti is an Economic Expansionist Leader. The traits on offer here are:
- All buildings get +1 Food Adjacency for mountains
- Specialists adjacent to mountains have no Happiness maintenance
Playing as Pachacuti unlocks Inca in the Exploration Age.
Trung Trac
Trung Trac is a Militaristic Scientific Leader. Her traits are:
- Get 3 free levels on your first Army Commander
- +20 percent Commander experience
- +10 percent Science in tropical cities, doubled while in a formal war
Playing as Trung Trac unlocks Majapahit in the Exploration Age.
Xerxes, King of Kings
Xerxes has two personas in Civ 7, with the King of Kings persona being Economic Militaristic. The traits available here are:
- +2 combat strength for units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory
- Get 100 Culture and Gold per Age for capturing a Settlement for the first time
- +10 percent Gold in all Settlements, doubled in ones that you didn’t found
- +1 Settlement limit per age
If you like playing with the Military Legacy Path in mind, this is one of the best Leaders to look at.
All DLC Civilization VII Leader traits
While most of the Leaders in this section do come from paid DLC packs, there are a couple that can be picked up for free by completing a simple account linking task.
Ashoka, World Conqueror
Ashoka, World Conqueror can be obtained via the Founder’s Content Pack DLC. He’s a Diplomatic Militaristic Leader, offering these traits:
- +1 Production for every 5 excess Happiness in cities
- +10 Production in Settlements not founded by you
- +10 combat strength against districts for all units during a Celebration
- Declaring formal war grants a Celebration
Just like his other persona, this Leader unlocks Chola in the Exploration Age.
Friedrich, Baroque
The Baroque persona for Friedrich is a Militaristic Cultural Leader and he can be unlocked via the Deluxe Content Pack DLC. The perks here are:
- Get a Great Work when a Settlement is captured for the first time
- Get an infantry unit when a Culture building is built
Playing as Friedrich, Baroque unlocks Prussia in the Modern Age.
Himiko, High Shaman
The High Shaman persona for Himiko can be unlocked via the Founder’s Content Pack DLC. This Cultural Diplomatic Leader’s traits are:
- +2 Happiness per Age on Happiness buildings
- +50 percent Production towards Happiness buildings
- +20 percent Culture but -10 percent Science, doubled in Celebration
Himiko, High Shaman unlocks Meiji Japan in the Modern Age.
Napoleon, Emperor
The Emperor persona for Napoleon is unlocked by linking a 2K account to your platform account—for example, your Steam account. The traits you can access via this Economic Diplomatic Leader are:
- A unique Sanction called a Continental System that reduces the trade route limit of the targeted Leader to all other Leaders by 1
- +8 Gold per Age for every Leader you are unfriendly or hostile with
- Can reject endeavors for free
Playing as Napoleon, Emperor unlocks the French Empire in the Modern Age.
Napoleon, Revolutionary
The Napoleon, Revolutionary persona is unlocked by linking a 2K account to your platform account that has also been used to play Civ 6. The traits for this Militaristic Cultural Leader are:
- +1 movement for all land units
- Defeating an enemy unit provides Culture equal to 50 percent of its combat strength
Napoleon, Revolutionary unlocks the French Empire in the Modern Age.
Tecumseh
Tecumseh is available via the Tecumseh and Shawnee Pack DLC. The traits available for this Militaristic Diplomatic Leader are:
- +1 Food and Production per Age in Settlements for every City-State you are suzerain of
- +1 combat strength for all units for every City-State you are suzerain of
Playing as Tecumseh unlocks Shawnee in the Exploration Age along with America and Mexico in the Modern Age.
Xerxes, the Achaemenid
The Xerxes, the Archamenid persona, is a Cultural Economic Leader, and he can be unlocked via the Deluxe Content Pack DLC. His traits are:
- +1 trade route limit with all other Leaders
- Get 50 Culture and 100 Gold per Age when a trade route or road is created
- +1 Culture and Gold per Age on Unique Buildings and improvements
The wide variety of Leader and Civ combinations on offer means there’s plenty of replay value with Civ 7. Make sure to keep track of the Leader and Foundation challenges as you play through the characters on offer, as there are plenty of rewards to pick up.
Published: Feb 8, 2025 10:29 am