Civilization 7 Devs Advise Starting with Tutorial

The developer of Civilization 7 explains why even experienced players should complete the tutorial during their first full campaign.

In a Steam post, Firaxis Games' creative director Ed Beach shared his suggestions for your initial playthrough of Civilization 7.

"Civilization 7 is an expansive game featuring numerous new systems and mechanics that set it apart from previous entries in the series," he stated. "With so much to discover, we believed it was crucial to offer guidance to ensure every player has a rewarding first experience."

This refers to Civilization 7's revolutionary Ages system, a significant evolution for the long-standing strategy franchise. A complete campaign spans three distinct eras: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. When an Age concludes, all players and AI opponents simultaneously enter an Age Transition. This transition involves three key steps: selecting a new civilization from the upcoming Age to lead your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and watching the game world transform. This structural approach is entirely new to the Civilization series.

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Beach also clarified the reasoning behind selecting Small as the default map size in Civilization 7.

"We understand that many veteran players prefer the largest maps with the maximum number of competing empires," he noted. "However, we deliberately chose a Small map as the default. Having three other empires on your home continent, plus a few more to encounter later, creates a more manageable learning environment while you're mastering Civilization 7's mechanics.

"This map size is particularly helpful when you're first exploring our new Diplomacy system. Managing relationships and diplomatic activities with a smaller number of opponents makes it much easier to understand how to effectively use and manage your Diplomatic Influence.

"We also recommend using the Continents Plus map type for your initial games. The additional offshore islands provide a gentle introduction to naval exploration, which becomes crucial during the game's second chapter, the Exploration Age."

Regarding the Tutorial and Advisors, Beach confirmed that Civilization 7 automatically enables the tutorial for your first game. He strongly advised that even experienced players keep it active during their first complete campaign.

"The tutorial delivers tips and explanations precisely when you encounter new features for the first time," Beach elaborated.

"While veterans of earlier Civilization games might initially dismiss playing with the tutorial, given the substantial upgrades and revisions to many game systems, we genuinely recommend completing it throughout your first three-Age campaign.

"Remember that the game features four distinct Advisors, and you can choose which ones actively guide you through quests that teach their specific gameplay areas. If it feels overwhelming, we suggest focusing on just one Advisor at a time."

Beach recommended that even after you've mastered enough mechanics to disable the full tutorial, you should switch to the 'Only Warnings' setting.

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

Recently, Firaxis revealed Civilization 7's post-launch content roadmap during a special livestream event (notably, Great Britain will be available 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, though the pricier Deluxe Edition provides access starting February 6.