InCivilization 7,choosing a leader is the most tremendous decision you’ll ever make. The civs themselves will transform with the dawn of each age, giving you a total of three by the time you’ve finished the game, but your leader is eternal; they will endure the passing millennia.
What this means in practice is that your leader’s unique abilities must be weighed against the fabric of time. Ideally, they’ll complement every civ you choose. Regardless, they’ll inform the broad-ranging decisions you’ll make, the approaches you’ll take… you get the idea. Machiavelli has a nicely unique spin on it all, and we’re covering it right here.
Overview
It’ll help if we set the stage onwhat to expect from Machiavellithroughout your playthrough. In this segment, we’ll talk basics, from what his strengths are to what those strengths likely ought to mean for you, the player.
Advantages
So, Machiavelli has enough going on that, in truth,he hasthreetraits: Diplomatic, Economic, and Militaristic. There’s a remarkable cadence behind all of this, which we’ll be covering in greater detail.
Diplomatic, Economic… Militaristic
Generally speaking, the easiest way to uncover each Civilization 7 leader’s bestvictory pathsis to take acursory look at their trait pairing. But as we mentioned above,Machiavelli semi-secretly has a third.
There is an exceptional degree of synergy with Machiavelli,the likes of which arearguably incomparable with other leaders. And that’s not to say they aren’t all designed with a degree of synergy in mind; they absolutely are.
Thanks to the50 Gold(scaled per speed, we believe)gained from every Diplomatic Endeavor accepted by other civs,you’re incentivized toalways be the one proposing Diplomatic Endeavors. You’re gaining cash when people are your friends.
Conversely, you gain100 Gold(again, scaled)for every proposed Diplomatic Endeavor that isrejected.It pays, then, to be sworn enemies. After all,leaders are virtually never inclined to agree to your proposals when they dislike you.
Thus, you cankeep cashing in regardless of their opinions, but you’re always going to be better off when you’re detested. Better still, it’s not like the leaders are going to preempt you in asking for Diplomatic Endeavors when they can’t stand your presence.
All those deteriorating relationships may soon lead to wars. But you don’t have to wait until things have reached theHostile relationship status. Instead, you candeclare a Formal War at any time without suffering immediate penalities to Happiness.
You’ll need a steady helping ofInfluencein order to make any of this work, andMachiavelli gains +3 per Age. And, once the war horns are blaring, you canLevy units from city-states that aren’t yours. That’s less time spent producing Military Units heading into the conflict.
The Antiquity Age
You can play Civilization 7 without focusing onLegacy Pathsper Age, or - as they’re aptly called in the Modern Age -Victory Paths. The game even goes out of its way to reassure you on that front. Butit’s usually better to adhere to these Legacy Pathsto some degree, so we’re penning all of this under the pretense that you want Machiavelli to shine accordingly.
If you’re new to Civ 7, you may be asking why that’s the case. Themore you accomplishwithin the parameters of the Antiquity and Exploration Ages' Legacy Paths,the more points you’ll have for each categoryto boost your might heading into subsequent Ages. Furthermore,completing a Legacy Path awards you with its “Golden Age” versionas an option during Age Transition, and those arealwaysgreat.
The Best Antiquity Civilizations For Machiavelli
Our favoriteAntiquity Age civ for MachiavelliisGreece. That sweet, sweet+3 Influence per turn on the Palaceequips you with an immediate edge at the negotiating table over all your neighbors, enabling you tobegin taking advantage of them for monetary gain right near the start of the Antiquity Age.
You’re also looking at+2 Influencefrom the GreekParthenonbuilding, so long as it’s placed onRough Terrain.
And, while Culture isn’t necessarily Machiavelli’s strong suit, you’re still going to want toblitz through the Civic Tree, and the Parthenon - as well as the other unique building, theOdeon, both gain substantialCulturefrom proximity toWonders.
Wonders, which you may more easily devote the significant production time necessary for building when you haveso much Gold to spend on more “staple” developments, like the military you’ll want for wars.
That said,Rome is another strong choice. Rome’s unique benefit fromstopping most of your Towns from becoming Citiesis going to help with yourincome, which syncs well with Machiavelli’s natural ease therein.
You will still want a few Cities, however - more than you’d likely seek out if you played as Rome’s own native son, Augustus Caesar. One of Rome’sUnique Buildings, theBasilica,adds+4 Goldas well as+1 Influence for every adjacency to Cultural Buildings and Wonders.
Rome’sLegatusUnique Commander andLegionUnique Infantry are great for your Antiquity warmongering ways. Its otherUnique Building, Temple of Jupiter, helps withHappiness and Culture, while itsUnique Quarter, the Forum, adds+1 Gold(and+1 Culture) for everyTradition.
First Befriend
Unless your map generates some fairly odd parameters,you’re likely to meet between half and two-thirds of the rival civs within the Antiquity Age. As soon as you do,spend that Influence like there’s no tomorrow.
Once your Greek or Roman benefits are online in conjunction with Machiavelli’s own, you’ll haveexcess Influencein spades, sodon’t hesitate to befriend a city-state or two. Just remember:you’ll be able to Levy other city-states' units, regardless.
We’ll be starting things off smoothly with our neighbors.Propose Diplomatic Proposalsas quickly as possible.Never wait for leaders to be the ones to initiate them, because you’ll be missing out on Machiavelli’s Gold accumulation whenever they do.
Timing this may seem tricky, but you’ll get into the swing of things. Justkeep tabs on how many turns are left for each Diplomatic Agreementby periodically checking the other leaders' Diplomacy screens.
You’ll be raking in the cash in no time.Start by spending it on units,including Military and Civilians. Train aSettlerwhilepaying for Infantry Units, either Hoplites with Greece or Legions with Rome once you have them. Or, you know, whatever works, if you selected a different civ.
Once you have a nice army up and running, work onCommander Promotionsby clearing outhostile Independent Powers. At this point,pay for Merchantsonce they’re unlocked to help with theGold(and the flat-out Resource benefits). By now, there’s no reason not topurchase Buildingsalongside the traditional construction method, and you’ll wanta few Wonders, too.
Then Befoul
You’ve made lovely arrangements with those who occupy the realms all around you. Maybe a militaristic leader didn’t especially care, and they already hate you.Go ahead and let at least one of the other civs hate you, too,so that you can startmaking twice as much money perrejectedDiplomatic Endeavor proposal.
As you have the army to back up your antics,declare a Formal War on one of themto get the jump. Or,if there’s an especially weak civ with whom you’re on friendly terms,declare a Formal War against them instead,because again, you won’t be suffering a penalty.
Ransack your target. Most of your peers won’t be happy about it, so verify you havedefensive fortifications in place, thenReconcileto smooth things over with anyone who isn’t out for blood already.
More To Come
Look for guides for Machiavelli’sExploration Age and Modern Agestrategy over the next couple of days!
