Civ 7 Leaders Tier List

The right leader can make the difference between a thriving empire in Civilization 7 or barely being able to hold your own with rival leaders. Each leader has unique bonuses and playstyles that bring victory to each player in whichever conditions they desire – military conquest, cultural dominance, scientific advancement, or even economic expansion. This tier list ranks all available leaders based on their overall strength, versatility, and impact throughout the game. From the all-powerful S-tier leaders who offer unmatched advantages to the more situational C-tier picks, this guide will help you determine which leaders best suit your strategy.

All Leader Tier List

S – Tier

The S-tier leaders are the strongest with the greatest bonus as well as the flexibility. Unlike most of the leaders, they have little to nothing for drawbacks. You’re basically given a lot of room when it comes to playstyle, and you won’t find yourself locked in by serious restrictions. Military domination, cultural expansion, and technologically advanced status deliver these benefits really strongly across any type of play style.

Ashoka (World Conqueror)

Ashoka is a production powerhouse especially when it comes to war: +1 production per five excess happiness in cities and an extra 10% production in settlements he did not find. The cities also celebrate any time he declares war, granting him enormous boosts to production, science, culture, or gold, depending on the government, making him one of the strongest civilizations for aggressive play. 

Augustus

Augustus is a highly versatile leader, excelling in expansion and economic growth. He provides +2 production in the capital for every town constructed and grants a +50% gold bonus toward purchasing buildings in towns. His strength lies in rapid territorial expansion, covering the map with towns that funnel production back to the capital. This allows him to quickly build military units, wonders, or other crucial infrastructure. His adaptability makes him one of the best leaders, as he can pursue multiple victory conditions with ease.

Xerxes (King of Kings)

Xerxes, King of Kings, is a militaristic power. He excels in battle superiority and expansion through war. He gives an extra +3 combat strength to any unit advancing on neutral or enemy ground, thus making his forces very potent in invasion campaigns. In addition, he gives a bonus of 100 culture and gold when capturing a settlement for the first time and increases gold generation by 10% across all settlements. He keeps an extra settlement per age, which guarantees continuous expansion; therefore, he is a powerful leader for aggressive players.

Hatshepsut

Hatshepsut is a top-tier choice for players aiming for a cultural victory. She generates +1 culture for every imported resource and significantly boosts city development with a 15% production increase for buildings and wonders located along navigable rivers. These river tiles already offer great base benefits like gold, food, and production, making her bonuses even more valuable. However, her effectiveness is heavily dependent on geography – without a navigable river in the capital, her early-game potential is severely limited.

Confucius

Confucius is arguably one of the strongest leaders in Civilization 7. He gives unmatched growth and scientific improvements. These benefits include, among other things, a 25% boost to the city growth rate and +2 science from specialists. He is a research powerhouse who relies on developing cities the size of microscopic giants to drive scientific progress. His playstyle gives room for flexibility when choosing the civilization. With such a strong economic and technological foundation, Confucius allows for multiple paths to victory, particularly through science.

Ibn Battuta

Ibn Battuta is one of those leaders who excels in the opening part of the game and who does the exploration with some really cool early discoveries. Scouts will gain +1 extra movement, and therefore, he can rapidly explore the map and discover many more tribal villages and goodie huts, although his bonuses for long-term games are relatively less significant. However, his special ability, Trade Maps, gradually uncovers another player’s territory, though it has little practical value compared to traditional scouting. He also gets two free wildcard attribute points at the start of each age, which can lead to unique advantages depending on the situation.

A – Tier

A-tier leaders also possess fantastic benefits and create unique and rewarding strategies. However, their usage often comes with some restrictions, like a dependency on specific geographical conditions or being advisable for a particular style of play. Though they are not as universally powerful as S-tier leaders, they may turn out to be so effective when used strategically.

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin is an excellent leader for players who want to achieve a perfect blend of science and production. He has bonuses of +1 science on production buildings and a significant 50% production boost towards constructing them. In addition, he generates +1 science per age from active endeavors and can have two of the same endeavors active at a time. His flexibility enables one to concentrate more on building infrastructure for industrial rather than falling out of the lead in scientific improvements, hence his rounded and effective choice.

Catherine The Great

Catherine the Great is unique in terms of playability. She will definitely be able to compete strongly in science and culture victories despite being lower-ranked at the beginning. When her tundra-based advantages begin to snowball, her full potential is apparent. She gains +2 culture per age on displayed great works and an extra great work slot for any building that has one. 

Her strongest capability grants cities that are doing tundra science equal to 25% of their culture per turn. These effects combined make her extremely powerful in the late game for a cultural victory, though she does heavily depend on getting a tundra start, which narrows her range and effectiveness in some games.

Jose Rizal

Jose Rizal excels at maximizing celebrations, one of the strongest mechanics in Civilization 7. He generates +20 culture and gold per narrative event and receives an additional roster of these events. On top of that, he boosts celebration duration by 50% and increases happiness by 50% during celebrations. Since celebrations provide powerful bonuses, such as a 20% boost to culture or science, Rizal offers incredible versatility in victory conditions. His strength lies in consistently triggering and extending celebrations, allowing players to maintain powerful civilization-wide benefits.

Himiko (High Shaman)

Himiko is the High Shaman. Like any other, she is a powerhouse for winning cultural wins but has a slight flaw in science. At 10% on her science output, she offsets this with spectacular culture-related benefits. She yields +2 happiness per age in happiness buildings and has a 50% push toward their completion.

More importantly, she gives an additional 20% culture boost, which doubles upon celebration, thus making her one of the best leaders in the game for culture stacking. Golden ages are celebration periods in Civilization 7; therefore, any leader that helps improve them is automatically a first pick, and Himiko makes no exception.

Charlemagne

Charlemagne is a nightmare to face but an absolute joy to play. His defining ability grants him two free cavalry units every time a celebration begins. This pairs exceptionally well with his additional happiness adjacency bonuses for science and military quarters, creating a powerful synergy. Since cavalry units are already among the strongest in the game across all ages – whether Knights, Keshigs, or modern tanks – Charlemagne’s army quickly becomes overwhelming. To make matters worse for opponents, his cavalry gains an extra +5 combat strength during celebrations, making his military dominance almost unstoppable.

Isabella

Isabella thrives on the natural wonders of the world, and under the proper circumstances, this makes her the type of leader that can be game-breaking. Starting near a natural wonder, she gets a massive +100% yield boost from it, thus accelerating her civilization’s growth to an amazing extent. The bonus of 300 gold upon new discovery also readily gives her room for rapid early expansion. Although she is entirely map-dependent, if she gets off to a good start, she can be almost unbeatable. If she grabs a natural wonder early, then the game is hers to win.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman introduces a unique espionage-based playstyle centered around disrupting enemy civilizations. She doubles her Influence gains for espionage actions, making her exceptionally effective at stealing technology, sabotaging enemy cities, and reducing opponent food supplies. Additionally, she receives +5 War Support when wars are declared against her, making her a strong defensive leader. Her strategy revolves around forward-settling opponents, turtling up, and slowly weakening their civilizations from within. However, espionage can be tricky to master, requiring patience and careful planning to execute effectively.

Machiavelli

Machiavelli is a diplomatic powerhouse, and his Influence is the main tool he uses in the game. He gains +3 Influence per age, hence earning him a higher edge over the other in diplomatic relations. Besides, the gold generated from the diplomatic action is very lucrative: 50 gold when the offer is accepted and 100 gold if the offer is declined. Since gold was the neediest resource throughout, and especially early on in the Antiquity Age, Machiavelli stands to have chances of being a high choice for gamers who prefer negotiations to direct winning.

B – Tier

B-tier leaders are typically good at one thing but do not bring much else to the table. Although their bonuses may still win games, they are not as game-changing as higher-tier leaders. That being said, they are still good options and can be very successful if their strengths play to your preferred playstyle.

Napoleon (Revolutionary)

Napoleon (Revolutionary) is a military leader with a surprising cultural edge. His land units gain +1 movement, which is a huge advantage considering how slow movement can be in Civilization 7. Additionally, he earns 50% of the cultural cost of defeated units, making him a great choice for a war-heavy playstyle that still fuels cultural development. This allows him to push for a domination victory while passively gaining cultural benefits along the way.

Friedrich (Oblique)

Friedrich (Oblique) offers a mix of military and scientific advantages, though his impact is somewhat underwhelming. Any commander he produces receives the Merit Commendation for free, expanding their command radius by one tile. He also gets a free infantry unit when constructing a science building. While free units and enhanced commanders are always helpful, these bonuses don’t compare to more impactful leaders like Augustus. Friedrich’s benefits feel small in the grand scheme of things, making him a situational choice rather than a top-tier leader.

Pachacuti 

Pachacuti is one of the most map-dependent leaders in the game, and if you don’t start near mountains, he’s nearly useless. His only bonuses revolve around mountain adjacency—providing +1 food for each mountain tile and removing the happiness cost for specialists adjacent to mountains. If you’re lucky enough to start with a mountain-heavy capital or first settlement, you can make great use of his abilities. Otherwise, you’re left with a civilization that struggles to compete.

Tecumseh

Tecumseh is entirely reliant on controlling city-states, which is a risky strategy. If you manage to become the suzerain of multiple city-states, you’ll enjoy a +1 bonus to food and production for each one. However, the AI in Civilization 7 is aggressive when it comes to claiming city-states and military-focused civilizations will often conquer them outright. This makes Tecumseh a difficult leader to play effectively, as your entire strategy hinges on factors that may be out of your control.

Trung Trac

Trung Trac is a dominant military leader, especially in the early game. Her strongest advantage is that her army commanders start with +3 promotions, making them far more effective right from the start. Since army commanders are the only units that persist across ages, this means Trung Trac can build an incredibly powerful military core that remains strong throughout the game. She’s a fantastic choice for players who enjoy aggressive playstyles and early-game military dominance.

Lafayette

Lafayette is a leader with unique but situational bonuses. He has access to a special endeavor called Reform, which grants an extra social policy slot. If the endeavor is supported, the opponent also receives a slot, which can sometimes backfire. His other main benefit is +1 combat strength for every Tradition in his government, which can lead to powerful military advantages. However, in higher-difficulty settings like Deity, the AI is notoriously aggressive and uncooperative, making it hard to fully capitalize on Lafayette’s abilities.

Amina

Amina is an economic powerhouse, provided she can establish a stable trade network. She gains +1 resource capacity in cities, +1 gold per age for every slotted resource, and +5 combat strength for units in plains and deserts. If she’s surrounded by friendly neighbors and secures solid trade routes, she can dominate economically. However, if diplomacy fails or trade is disrupted, her effectiveness drops significantly. She requires careful planning and a favorable start to reach her full potential.

Himiko (Queen of Wa)

Himiko (Queen of Wa) is a diplomacy-based science leader who thrives when she maintains friendly relationships. Her unique endeavor, Friend of Wei, grants a massive 25% science boost to both her and her ally, and this effect stacks if multiple alliances are formed. Additionally, she gains +4 science per age for every leader she maintains a friendly or helpful status with. While her potential for scientific growth is enormous, her success is entirely dependent on diplomacy, which can be unreliable, especially in games where the AI is aggressive.

Xerxes (Achaemenid)

Xerxes – Achaemenid: Though a weaker soldier, Xerxes is even weaker in-game since trading is the type of play necessary to keep Xerxes content. His extra bonus is 1 extra limit on trade routes per civilization beyond the standard base limit. Seeing as how culture and gold per trade route constructed can be applied through diplomacy it isn’t useful. Every road or trade route constructed also creates 50 of culture and 100 of gold. Unfortunately, trade is not reliable on higher difficulties because the AI tends to be aggressive and often declares war, disrupting trade routes and making his bonuses ineffective.

C – Tier

The C-tier leaders have very significant drawbacks. Their powers only work in exceptional circumstances or perhaps are not much better than alternative options. However, they may still be played and can bring about a win but are mostly “played with,” requiring extra effort from the player and his or her willingness to live up to his or her adaptability to exhaust the weaker bonus

Ashoka (World Renouncer)

Ashoka (World Renouncer) is a leader who thrives on maintaining high Happiness levels within his civilization. His Without Sorrow agenda makes him favor nations with high Happiness while disliking those struggling with it. His unique ability, Dhammaraja, rewards excess Happiness by providing +1 Food for every five surplus Happiness and a 10% Food boost during Celebrations, making it easier to grow cities quickly. 

In addition, all his buildings will receive a +1 Happiness adjacency bonus from improvements. Using Diplomatic Expansionism, Ashoka relied on his happy empire, which would let him trigger numerous Celebrations per turn, feed rapid population growth, and generally strengthen his civilization.

Napoleon (Emperor)

Napoleon (Emperor) is a highly aggressive leader who is constantly at odds with other civilizations, making him a challenging choice in high-difficulty games. His unique sanction, Continental System, allows him to reduce enemy trade routes one at a time, severely disrupting trade-focused civilizations like Amina. 

However, beyond this economic sabotage, his bonuses are limited. He does gain +8 gold per age for every leader he is unfriendly or hostile with and can reject endeavors for free. While this extra gold can be useful for building an army, Napoleon’s aggressive nature ensures that he will be a frequent target of enemy attacks, making his playstyle risky.

Friedrich Baroque

Friedrich (Baroque) is an unusual mix of military and culture, but his cultural advantages are limited. His main ability grants Great Work when he captures a settlement for the first time while also providing a free infantry unit when constructing a culture building. However, for a leader focused on culture, he doesn’t offer many direct cultural benefits. 

His playstyle demands heavy military investment, yet capturing cities is easier with siege and ranged units, meaning the free infantry unit isn’t particularly useful for conquest. His first memento helps slightly by adding +1 culture for every military building, but he struggles to compete with more specialized cultural leaders overall.