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Civilization 7featuresCatherine the Great, an iconic leader of Russia captivated by the pursuit of cultural and scientific advancement. Similar to how she was in real life, the Civ 7 version of her captures this same intellectual curiosity and complements her overall playstyle. But, if you’re diving into Civ 7 for the first time, you might be wondering the best way to play her.
Look no further than this guide. For this guide, we’re going to break down everything you need to know about how to play Catherine the Great, from her attributes to the best strategies to achieve victory.
Catherine The Great Leader Overview
As mentioned,Catherine the Great was fascinated by the study of cultural and scientific improvement, which led Russia into a golden age of intellectualism.
As such,her abilities are tailored to a cultural and scientific playstyle.
Details
Great Works And Culture
+2 Culture per Age on displayed Great Works. Buildings with Great Work slots gain 1 additional slot.
Cold Equations
Cities settled in Tundra gain Science equal to 25% of their Culture per turn.
How Do Catherine The Great’s Attributes Work?
As you can see,improving both Catherine the Great’s culture and scientific output synergizes wellwith one another. You’ll want tosettle near Tundra tilesas much as physically possible, though this can be difficult depending on your starting location.
Overall, considering her scientific and cultural attributes,keep the following tips in mind when playing Catherine the Great.
What Civilizations Work Best For Catherine The Great?
While Catherine the Great is a fantastic choice for a leader,her attributes are rather specific, and not all civs are going to work well with her.
Your choice is going to be between one of two things. You’ll eitherchoose a civ that builds upon her already existing buffsor choose a civ that rounds out her weak spots.
If you’re starting in the Antiquity Age,consider the following civs to begin with.
Greece
Cultural Buildings
Greece offers the Odeon and Parthenon buildings, which grant various bonuses to happiness, culture, and influence.
These buildings can stack nicely with Catherine’s cultural buffsthanks to the adjacency cultural bonus they get for being placed near Wonders.
Rome
Cultural Buffs, Rounds Out Military
While Rome also offers cultural buffs in the form of the Temple of Jupiter construction, the main thing to note here is thatRome rounds out Catherine’s military weakness.
Rome comes with two unique units, a Legion and a Legatusthat can help shore up Catherine’s military.
Which Civs Should You Pick For The Exploration And Modern Ages?
Like most other leaders,Catherine the Great can work well with a lot of different Exploration or Modern civs. However,Rome can unlock certain optionsthat may not be available otherwise.
Based on your Antiquity Age choice,look at these options for Exploration and Modern Age civs.
Norman or Mongolia
Russia or Prussia
Spain or Chola (Unlockable)
Russia or France
Spain, Chola, Mongolia, and Prussiaall help round out Catherine’s military weakness.
Meanwhile,the Normans, Russia, and Francecan all help synergize her cultural output. Though Russia also offers combat benefits.
What Is The Best Strategy For Playing Catherine The Great?
Unlike a lot of other leaders, who may be more well-rounded, Catherine the Great is tailored for a very specific playstyle. When playing Catherine, you’re going to want tofocus on one of two victories.
A points victory is always viable, but given Catherine’s attributes, which will carry over with you through all three ages,you’ll likely have an easier time achieving either a Scientific or Cultural Victory.
How To Get A Scientific Victory
To achieve a Scientific Victory as Catherine the Great, it’s recommended youstart with Rome as your Antiquity Age Civ.
You’ll still get cultural building bonuses from the Temple of Jupiter, butyou’ll round out your military nicelyas well.
Researching tech can help bolster your military, as a lot of tech unlocks certain types of units, so marrying science output with your military is a no-brainer.
From there, focus on the following two things:
Every single Scientific Legacy Path requires you to study a certain tech, which you’ll want to do quickly to achieve victory. That meanshaving a high science output is always going to be ideal.
From there,verify you’re spending time placing Specialists on tiles, as this will be important in the Exploration Age for the Scientific Legacy Path. This means you’ll want tomake sure you have a high food output as wellso that you can grow your population quickly.
Finally, by the time you reach the Modern Age,you should have a high science output and a lot of Specialists.
Make sure you’re placing Specialists on tiles that either boost your science output or your food output!
This will synergize nicely with your tech treeand allow you to research the last handful of technologies you need to secure victory.
For the Exploration Age and Modern Age, consider using Mongolia and Russia, respectively.
How To Get A Cultural Victory
To achieve a Cultural Victoryas Catherine the Great, it’s recommended youstart with Greece as your Antiquity Age Civ. This will set you up nicely to have a high cultural output.
From there,focus on the following two things:
Just be sure to alsofound a Pantheon as quickly as you’re able to, so you canfound a religionquickly in the Exploration Age.Keep your cultural output high, and you’ll be all set for this age.
Catherine’s bonuses won’t do a whole lot in the Modern Ageto help you complete the Modern Cultural Legacy Path, but if you’ve been busy constructing cultural output buildings, you’ll be well-established to claim victory in this age.
For the Exploration and the Modern Age, consider choosing the Normans and France, respectively.
