The developers of Civilization 7 have clarified why they strongly advise even seasoned players to complete the tutorial during their first full campaign.
In a Steam post, Firaxis Games' Creative Director Ed Beach shared his recommendations for your initial playthrough of Civilization 7.
“Civilization 7 is a vast game, featuring numerous new systems and mechanics that set it apart from previous entries in the series,” he stated. “With so much to learn, we believed it was essential to offer guidance to ensure a rewarding first experience for all players.”
This refers to Civilization 7's new Ages system, a significant departure for the long-running strategy franchise. A complete campaign spans three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Upon completing an Age, all players and AI opponents simultaneously enter an Age Transition. This transition involves three key steps: selecting a new civilization from the upcoming Age to lead your empire, choosing which Legacies to carry forward, and witnessing the evolution of the game world. Such a system is unprecedented in the Civilization series.
Beach went on to explain the decision to set the default map size to Small in Civilization 7.
“We understand many veteran players enjoy the largest maps and seeing the maximum number of empires compete,” he noted. “However, we deliberately chose Small as the default. With three other empires on your starting continent and a few more to encounter later, Small Maps provide a comfortable environment for learning the nuances of Civ 7.
“We particularly recommend this size as you familiarize yourself with the new Diplomacy system. Managing your relationships and diplomatic dealings with a smaller number of opponents makes it much easier to understand how to spend and manage your Diplomatic Influence effectively.
“We also suggest choosing the 'Continents Plus' Map Type. The additional offshore islands help smoothly introduce ocean exploration, a key component of the game's second chapter, the Exploration Age.”
Regarding the Tutorial and Advisors, Beach confirmed it is automatically enabled for your first game. He strongly advised even experienced players to keep it on for their initial full campaign.
“The Tutorial is crafted to deliver tips and explanations precisely when you first encounter new mechanics,” Beach elaborated.
“Veterans of earlier Civ games might hesitate to use the Tutorial, but given the extensive upgrades and revisions to our systems, we genuinely recommend completing it during your first three-Age campaign.
“Remember, the game features four distinct Advisors. You can control which ones actively guide you through quests that teach their specific area of the game. If it feels overwhelming, we suggest focusing on just one Advisor at a time.”
Beach also recommended that once you're comfortable enough to disable the full tutorial, you should switch to the 'Only Warnings' setting.
“This setting allows the same Advisors to intervene and alert you if your empire is heading toward a significant setback,” he explained. “Even our internal development team at Firaxis, who know the game intimately, plays with these warnings enabled!”
Recently, Firaxis revealed the post-launch roadmap for Civilization 7 during a special livestream event (noting that Great Britain will be released as DLC). Civilization 7 launches on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 11, with the more expensive Deluxe Edition providing access starting February 6.
