Ibn Battuta is a leader that might initially seem rather weak compared to some of the other powerful leader bonuses inCivilization 7. Extra vision for units and some wildcard points for the attribute tree are hardly mesmerizing bonuses - but once you start to get into building out Battuta with the right civilization and smart choices, he becomes incredibly powerful.
This is mostly thanks to his ability to cover the entire map very early on, grabbing plenty of Discoveries and sussing out the best settlement spots, and then getting carried into the game by the extra powerful bonuses on the attribute tree.
Battuta gets:
Wildcard Attribute Points - Where Should You Spend Them?
Wildcard Attribute points can be placed intoanypath on the leader attribute tree, which provides you with somesizable early bonusesthat continue to stack into theExploration and Modern Age.
For example, early on, you could slam two extra attribute points into theculture treeto earn bonus wonder production right at the beginning of the game.Pair this with a Memento that gives you an extra attribute point, and suddenly you can slotthreepoints into any tree.
+1 Sight On Units
This is a pretty basic but still enjoyable bonus, especially if you pair it with Battuta’s unique Memento,Imago Mundi, whichincreases scout sight range by +3 on theirSearch ability. This means you may pretty much scout the entire map early on, and it will give you an advantage when you first head over to the Distant Lands and start hunting for cities.
Trade Maps
The Trade Map Endeavor is not particularly useful, really. We’ve tried different methods of getting the most out of this, but with your own scouting ability, it’s quite rare that the AI has seen any part of the world that you already haven’t. It might be useful indense areaswhere you can’t through borders, but can mostly be ignored.
Ibn Battuta Strategy In Civ 7
This is how much terrain was revealed with one scout activating theirSearchability.
Before we get into the best civilizations, Mementos, and more for Battuta, we’ll cover the very fundamentals of what this leader excels at.
Pick A Victory Condition
While you will get to make decisions as the game progresses into the future Ages, you should pick a victory condition pretty much immediately on Battuta. This is because you’ll want to choosethe right attribute points from your bonus.
Thankfully, the attribute trees are linked to victory conditions. The economic tree fits an economy victory, the culture tree fits the culture victory, and so on.
It’s Time To Scout
Ibn Battuta should always build atleasttwo scouts at the start of the game. We think it’s probably worth it to buildthree or even four scoutsas you can quickly scoop up Discoveries, often from right underneath the borders of your opponents.
Early Discoveries can providemassivebonuses in Civilization 7, including extra culture, food, advanced military units, happiness, celebration bonuses, etc.
Best Mementos For Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta unlocksthreeunique leader Mementos as you level him up.
Quite a fun little Memento when paired with your attribute tree point bonus, and it can be used to get some early Influence or gold,but the bonus is quite small.
This is where Battuta’s scouting starts to get really out of control. Combine theMerchant’s Saddle Mementowith theImago Mundi Mementoand your scouts will have +2 vision overall, with a huge boost to the ScoutsSearch abilitythat reveals nearby Discoveries.
We’ve actually managed to discover civilizations onDistant Land tilesby combining all of Battuta’s vision bonuses. Not only does this mean you can start diplomacy with them before the start of the Exploration Age, it also gives you an advantage when you first send out your fleets and Settlers. You’ll know exactly the shortest distance between the islands and the opposing continent.
Let’s say you have a point ineach attribute tree- this is possible with Battuta’s wildcard points. This earn you a net +5 Culture, Gold, etc in the Antiquity, +10 in the Exploration Age, and +15 in the Modern Age. This is a subtle but stillquite powerful boost, especially when a lot of your yields get reset in-between Ages. This gives you the opportunity to quickly reestablish yourself with tech, civics, and celebrations.
Our Favorite Memento Combination On Battuta
We just love the combination ofImago MundiandThe Travels Of Marco Polo.
Imago Mundi provides that extra sight bonus to the Scout’s search ability, and the Travels of Marco Polo gifts you50 gold per every 100 tiles explored by your scouts. This means you may get some really easy early gold, helping you pump out some settlers quickly.
We’re not saying this is the best Memento combination - and ideally, you’d want to pick Mementos that lean into your desired Legacy Path (victory conditions).
Best Civilizations For Ibn Battuta
Ibn Battuta is very flexible when it comes to civilization choices, which makes him a pretty fun leader to experiment with. His wildcard attribute points allow him to tailor his playstyle to pretty much any of the victory conditions.
There’s a pretty obvious choice when it comes to Antiquity Age civilizations at the moment:the Maya.We think the community has come to a universal agreement that they arecurrently the most brokenin the game, with the best bonuses. We’ll also cover some other fun civilization choices for Battuta, though, because not everyone wants to play as the Maya every game.
Maya
The Maya have some fantastic bonuses for science. Not only do you receivescience for vegetated terrain,you also get bonuses for your unique districts and anadjacency bonusfor Altars via the Maya civic tree.
Ibn Battuta can quickly scout the surrounding areas, pick out the absolute best settling spots with plenty of vegetation, and thenuse the early Discoveries to get a quick boost to the start of the game.
Head down theScientific Attribute Treewith your wildcard points to pick up a bonus 25 percent of sciencetowards researching tech, andyou’re off to a very fast start.
Aksum
The game recommends you pick Aksum because of a geographic link between Battuta and the civilization, and it does make sense for the character to lean intotrade-based gameplay.
Your early scouts will allow you to find nearby AI cities, and you’re able to use theAksum’s unique trading ships, the Dhow and Tankwa,to establish naval routes.
Aksum also provides +2 gold on resources and a bonus to constructing the Greate Stele.
We don’t think Aksum is one of the best early civilizations, but if played correctly,you may at least enter the Exploration Age with an economic golden age.
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