New Leader 1 Guide

Ages System: Civilization VII features three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each age has unique tech and civic trees. Civilizations are bound to one age and can transform into new ones during Age transitions, dictated by the leader, previous civilization, and gameplay elements (e.g., owning 3 Horse resources may grant access to Mongolia in the Exploration Age). Players face a temporary 'Crisis' during each Age shift, requiring negative policies to balance the game and prevent snowballing.

Influence Yield: A new yield type, Influence, is introduced and used for diplomacy with other civilizations.

Rivers: Rivers are now divided into small and navigable categories. Both types run through tiles rather than along edges. Navigable rivers allow naval units and embarked units to travel through them.

Settlements: Settlements are now divided into Cities and Towns, both categorized under Settlements. All settlements, except the Capital, start as Towns, which cannot produce anything independently.