Which level of difficulty:

A guide to Sid Meier's Civilization VII difficulty levels: Chieftain, Warlord, Prince, King, and Emperor. Learn the pros and cons of each setting.

This guide breaks down the different difficulty levels in Sid Meier's Civilization VII, helping you choose the best starting point for your game.

Chieftain

The easiest level. You start with 300 gold, often two advances and two settlers. Barbarians are weakened to 20% strength. Free advice is always available. It's ideal for learning new advances and keeping cities happy. Government changes are almost immediate. Barracks have lower costs, and famine has less impact on cities.

Warlord

Still easy. You don't start with gold but get one advance and often two settlers. Barbarians are weakened to 40% strength and will usually lose to a phalanx. Maintaining happiness and learning advances is still manageable, but cities may riot at level 7. Government changes take around 2 turns.

Prince

Medium difficulty. You start with 0 gold, one advance, and sometimes two settlers. Barbarians have 60% strength, which can challenge phalanxes over time. Learning advances takes longer, and maintaining happiness becomes more difficult, with the first riots typically occurring at city level 6. Government changes take about 3 turns, and enemies rarely get random wonders.

King

This level is challenging. You start with no gold, one advance, and more often only one settler. Barbarians have 80% strength, requiring defensive adjustments with new advances, which come slowly. Riots may occur at city level 5. Government changes usually take 4 turns, and it's common for enemy civilizations to acquire wonders before you.

Emperor

Very hard. You start with 0 gold, one settler, and 0 or 1 advance, leading to a slow research curve. Enemies seem to play on Chieftain difficulty, often putting you behind in science. You must defend against full-strength barbarians. Government changes take 5 turns. Cities riot at level 4. Building wonders is difficult as enemies acquire them quickly and randomly. Barracks cost $4 in maintenance, and famine reduces cities by about 30%. Winning at this level allows you to mark it as a personal achievement.