Past Civilizations have featured well over a dozen or more map types by the end of their “lifespans”. At launch, they’ve had fewer by contrast, though inCivilization 7’s case, the starting roster is particularly slim. Unfortunately, at least as of this writing, the game doesn’t really provide any explanation as to what each of these actually do.
Needless to say, we reckon some players are going to be searching online for answers. While “Continents” is pretty clear, the rest aren’tnecessarilywhat you may think they are… and “Terra Incognita” in particular took us some time to figure out. Here’s every map type in Civ 7, explained!
All Maps In Civilization 7, Explained
Continents Plus
The “default” map type option in Civilization 7,Continents Plusincludes a pair oflarge landmassesas well asa few islands near each one.In our experience, this can also includea handful of islands scattered about the central oceanas well.
We recommend getting your start on Civ 7 with Continents Plus, as it’s the type that developer Firaxis opted to present to us when no settings are tweaked. Continents Plus alsoworks better with the Treasure Fleet Legacy Path conditions during the Exploration Age.
Continents
By contrast,Continents contains no islands.This reduces its efficacy for Treasure Fleets, asall ‘Distant Lands’ resources will be situated on the opposite continent from where you started.
Now, thisdoeshappen to some extent even on Continents Plus, but it can be particularly rough with no islands involved. For that purpose, as well as a general blandness to it all,we aren’t big fans of Continents.
Archipelago
If you want your game to involve more naval warfare than land-based,Archipelagois your best choice. It’s alsothe strongest overall map type for more coastal-centric civs.
That said, it might not be what you’re envisioning while reading this guide.You’ll still find two larger landmasses, much like the dual Continents types. The difference here is thata sizable portion of each landmass is fractured into many pieces, producing anexceedingly high number of islands.
If it helps,think of Archipelago as Continents Plus Plus.
Terra Incognita
This one took us ages to figure out, only to later learn that the developers had clarified things a bit during a streaming broadcast.Terra Incognitamixesone large landmasswitha second half of the map that has more variables applied.
If that’s word soup, let’s put it this way instead:you’ll get a continent, and then you’ll get something in-between another continent, an archipelago-esque continent, or even a randomized meshof them both.
Fractal
Fractalis a favorite of ours in Civilizations 5 and 6, and it mightstill be our favorite in Civ 7. In practice, it appears to bethe only map type included at launch that addresses Civilization 7’s odd tendency to spawn bizarrely square landmasses.
Instead, Fractal offersmore realistic landmasses. Whether that was intentional or otherwise, it’sour favorite map typeat the moment for this reason.
In any case,Fractal shares a bit in common with Terra Incognita:you’re likelier to find a wider assortment of islands via Fractal than Continents/Continents Plus, but it’s not so extreme as Archipelago. Meanwhile,the continents in Fractal will often sport snakelike passages and outcroppings through their continents. It is, plainly put, a more believable - if eccentric - view of the world.
Shuffle
As the name (sort of) implies,Shuffle generates one of the above typeswithout telling you ahead of time what it is that you’re getting. We suppose this is perfect ifyou want to be surprised as you explore, though if you’ve experienced the other types, there’s a good chance you’ll see where things are going reasonably early on.
