Civilization 7 Dev Recommends Even Experts Stick With the Tutorial for Their First Full Campaign — Here’s Why

Firaxis Games' creative director, Ed Beach, urges even seasoned Civilization players to utilize the tutorial for their initial Civilization 7 campaign. His Steam post highlights the game's significant departures from previous iterations, emphasizing the importance of a smooth onboarding experience.

Civilization 7 introduces a novel Ages system (Antiquity, Exploration, Modern), drastically altering gameplay. Each Age transition involves selecting a new civilization, retaining legacies, and witnessing world evolution—a unique feature in the series.

Beach explains the default "Small" map size choice. While veteran players often prefer larger maps, the smaller size with a manageable number of opponents (three on the home continent, plus more to discover) facilitates learning the intricacies of Civ 7, particularly the new Diplomacy system and its influence management. He also recommends the "Continents Plus" map type to ease players into ocean exploration, a crucial aspect of the Exploration Age.

The tutorial is automatically enabled on the first playthrough and is strongly recommended, even for experienced players. It provides timely tips and explanations for new mechanics. The game features four Advisors, each guiding players through specific game systems. Beach suggests focusing on one Advisor at a time to avoid information overload. Even after mastering the core mechanics, he advises switching to the "Only Warnings" setting, which alerts players to potential setbacks—a practice even the Firaxis team employs.

Firaxis also revealed Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap during a livestream event (note: Great Britain is DLC). Civilization 7 launches on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S on February 11th, with Deluxe Edition access beginning February 6th.