Firaxis’ game has been out for a year now, and it’s not an exaggeration to say players expected more and better. The studio is marking the anniversary by outlining a sweeping update plan built around long-requested gameplay changes.
A full year has passed since Sid Meier’s Civilization VII (Civ 7) launched. While the reception could have been warmer, Firaxis is celebrating the milestone by detailing an extensive update that aims to deliver gameplay tweaks the community has been asking for for a long time. According to Firaxis, three major feature changes are slated for a massive Test of Time update, tentatively planned for spring. Together, these overhauls will rework victory conditions, replace the old paths with a new Triumphs system, and let players stick with a single civilization for an entire playthrough.
Firaxis has also acknowledged that Civ 7’s era-based civilization switching is still a sticking point for many players. After this year’s big overhaul, players will be able to choose to remain one civilization from start to finish. When an era transition arrives, they can either swap to a new civilization or continue on with the one they already have. Firaxis says it’s introducing several new concepts to make any civilization playable in any era. One of the key ideas is the apex era, the historically fitting period when a given civilization was at its height. During a civilization’s apex era, Civilization VII will let you access the full lineup of that civilization’s unique bonuses, buildings, and units.
If you play a civilization outside its peak, you’ll have fewer flashy toys to lean on, but Firaxis says each civilization will still retain the defining core of its kit. On top of that, new era-appropriate civilization trees are being added. A new syncretism mechanic will also allow you, once per era, to adopt unique units or infrastructure from another civilization that is currently in its apex. In Firaxis’ example, during the exploration era, Rome could pick up the Normans’ Motte and Bailey, turning its fortifications into a source of extra culture points.
Victories are being thoroughly reshaped as well: the traditional victory paths are going away, and the freer-form win conditions associated with earlier Civilization games are coming back. Cultural victories will revolve around a contest between building wonders and producing great works; economic victories will be judged through resource stockpiles and gold output; military victories will center on a race of conquests; and scientific victories will, in classic fashion, be decided by the space race.
Firaxis felt the old paths were too rigid, so they’re being removed outright. In their place is a new Triumphs system, which attaches a set of optional challenges to each civilization trait. Completing these challenges grants immediate bonuses or advantages that you can redeem at the start of the next era. Firaxis is aiming for spring, but notes the exact timing, along with the scope and behavior of the features, may still change as community feedback continues to come in and get processed.
