As time marches on, a culture (and a game) must grow and adapt to keep up with progress. From Civilization VI to VII, many changes are sweeping the world, and we are excited to share some of them with you here.
In Civilization VII, you will choose your Leader and your civilization independently of each other. Leaders, the historical figure you choose when you set out to play, remains the same - but your civs represent your empire as it exists in each Age.
What's this about Ages? In Civilization VI you were familiar with Eras, and now these have evolved dramatically into the new system of Ages. An Age divides the timeline of history into distinct playable chapters - The Antiquity Age, The Exploration Age, and The Modern Age. While in the past your empire was a single civilization across all Eras, now your empire chooses an Age-exclusive civilization each time. Some gameplay elements are exclusive to a particular Age, and some will carry over based on your previous civilization and successes. Each player will be in the same Age at the same time, and undergo the transition between Ages together.
Totally new to Civilization VII is Progression and Mementos. The new progression system, measuring your progress beyond an individual campaign, has two types with separate level tracking:
- Foundation: This is your overall level within the game
- Leader: Your level with a specific leader
Playing the game and completing objectives will contribute to your foundation level, and playing as a specific leader contributes to that leader's level. Both of these can provide rewards in the form of customizable badges, banners, titles, borders, colors, and Mementos.
So what are Mementos? Mementos are special bonuses that can be equipped to a leader during game set-up, and these will last the entire game. Every leader can have two Mementos equipped at any time, and all Mementos can be used by all leaders. Of course, in a multiplayer game Mementos can be disabled during set-up, too.