Civilization 7- Best Leaders

The best leaders in Civilization 7 and what makes them the strongest in the game.

There are many historic leaders you can play as in Civilization 7. However, while all leaders are viable and great in their own way, not all leaders are created equal.

As such, some leaders set themselves apart from others, allowing for more strategic options. Moreover, some leaders are just flat-out better at a particular playstyle than others.

For example, Xerses excels at rapid expansion and conquest, Harriet Tubman excels at defensive wars and espionage, while Ashoka maximizes Happiness yields.

Choosing a leader to play one is one of the most important decisions you can make in Civ 7, as it influences your strategy and playstyle moving forward.

In this article, we’ve listed the best Leaders you can play as. We’ve made sure to add at least one Leader for completing each Legacy Path (Cultural, Economic, Military, and Science).

Read more: Civilization 7 – Best Civilizations

Hatshepsut

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Cultural Economic	God’s Wife of Amun: Adds Culture for every imported Resource. Increased Production towards the construction of Buildings and Wonders in Cities adjacent to Navigable Rivers.	Navigable Rivers Desert

• Strengths:
  • Beginner Friendly thanks to her straightforward mechanics.
  • Built for Cultural Victories, gaining +1 Culture Bonus for every imported resource.
  • +15% Production toward buildings and wonders in cities adjacent to navigable rivers.
  • Requires some time to fully set up gains significant momentum Cultural and Economic Momentum once trade routes are established.

Augustus

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Cultural Expansionist	Imperium Maius: Adds Production in the Capital for every Town. Increased Gold towards purchasing Buildings in Towns. Can purchase Culture Buildings in Towns.	None

• Strengths:
  • Focus on expansion and economic strength makes him easy to play.
  • Can have many settlements without micromanaging each one.
  • +2 Production in the capital for every town, turning it into a powerhouse for Culture, Science, or Military.
  • Towns automatically convert Production into Gold, boosting economy as you expand.
  • 50% Gold reduction for purchasing buildings lets you rapidly expand.

Amina

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Economic Militaristic	Warrior-Queen of Zazzau: Increased Resource Capacity in Cities. Increased Gold per Age for each Resource assigned to Cities. Increased Combat Strength for all Units on Plains and Desert tiles.	Plains Desert

• Strengths:
  • Beginner-Friendly Economy Leader
  • +5 Combat Strength for all units in Plains and Deserts, making her great defensively.
  • +1 Resource Capacity in all cities, allowing for better Production and Happiness yields.
  • Extra resource slots makes getting an Economic Victory in the Modern Age much easier.
  • +1 Gold per age for each resource assigned to cities, ensuring a steady economic boost.
  • Extra Gold offsets trade outflows, making her Trade-driven playstyle sustainable.

Confucius

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Expansionist Scientific	Keju: Increased Growth Rate in Cities. Increased Science from Specialists.	Grassland

• Strengths:
  • Ideal for Science Victory, thanks to high city growth and specialist bonuses.
  • Simple Mechanics, making him great for beginners or for learning Science playstyles.
  • +25 Growth Rate in cities leads to larger populations and increased outputs.
  • Quick development of Quarters and adjacency synergies thanks to fast population growths.
  • Confucius encourages prioritizing science over food or production, creating a unique playstyle.

Xerxes, King of Kings

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Economic Militaristic	Crusher of Rebellions: Increased Combat Strength for Units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territory. Gain Culture and Gold per Age upon capturing a Settlement for the first time. Gain increased Gold in all Settlements, increased even further in Settlements not founded by you. Increased Settlement limit per Age.	Desert

• Strengths:
  • Allows aggressive expansion while maintaining economy.
  • +3 Combat Strength for units attacking in neutral or enemy territory encourages conquest.
  • Get 100 Gold and 100 Culture per age when capturing a settlement for the first time, rewarding conquest.
  • +10% Gold in all settlements, and +20% Gold in settlements that you’ve conquered.
  • +1 Settlement Limit per age, allowing expansion without penalties to Happiness.
  • Straightforward leader ability and bonuses makes him ideal for new players.

Xerxes, The Achaemenid

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Cultural Economic	Silk Road: Increased Trade Route limit with all other leaders. Creating a Trade Route or Road with a Merchant provides Culture and Gold per Age. Increased Culture and Gold per Age on Unique Buildings and Unique Improvements.	Desert

• Strengths:
  • Excels at stacking Gold and Cultures using Trade Routes.
  • +1 Trade Route Limit with all leaders, allowing for economic expansion.
  • +50 Culture and +100 Gold per age when establishing a trade route or road, rewarding trade.
  • Straightforward playstyle focused on creating and expanding trade routes, boosting wealth.
  • Most leaders will accept trade agreements, making it easy to maximize diplomatic benefits.
  • Surplus Gold will accumulate quickly, allowing you to invest in military, infrastructure, and other economic needs.
  • Easy to learn thanks to his straightfoward mechanics.

Ashoka, World Renouncer

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Diplomatic Expansionist	Dhammaraja: Adds Food in Cities for excess Happiness beyond a set amount. Increased Food in all Settlements during a Celebration. All Buildings gain a Happiness adjacency for all Improvements.	None

• Strengths:
  • Focused on maximizing Happiness, excelling in food production and city expansion.
  • +1 Food in every City for every five excess Happiness. encouraging well managed population.
  • +10 Food in all settlements during celebrations, significantly boosting city growth.
  • All buildings gain +1 Happiness adjacency bonus for all improvements, enhancing stability.
  • More happiness results in more celebrations, which further increases food production.
  • Extra Happiness offsets war weariness, making conquest easier.
  • Can change priorities to tile improvements, or expanding urban districts with specialists, making him versatile.
  • Focuses on sustainable growth.

Harriet Tubman

Attributes	Leader Ability	Starting Biases
Diplomatic Militaristic	Combahee Raid: Increased Influence towards initiating Espionage Actions. Gain a set amount of War Support on all wars declared against you. Units ignore Movement penalties from Vegetated tiles.	Vegetated

• Strengths:
  • One of the best Military leaders in the game, excelling in defensive wars.
  • Balances diplomacy and warfare, excelling at both espionage and military engagement.
  • +100% Influence toward initiating espionage actions, makes spying more effective and accessible.
  • Espionage disrupts other leaders, making them more likely to declare war, where Harriet thrives.
  • +5 War Support when war is declared against you, giving you an immediate edge.
  • The automatic War Support bonus gives you more favorable peace deals and settlement negotiations.
  • Units ignore movement penalties from vegetation, improving mobility in forests and jungles.

Read more: Civ 7- List of Town Specializations