There are more than two dozen leaders in Civilization 7, and not all of them are created equally. Ergo, a Civilization 7 leaders tier list is all but essential for parsing the differences.Every leader is viable, sure. However, some have more to offer than others and open new opportunities for strategizing as a result. Getting more money and culture from trade routes gives you much more freedom to plan your empire compared to just getting some extra combat strength for befriending an independent power.Below, weve compiled a tier list ranking all leaders available in Civilization 7 at launch, including Napoleons two versions that you can obtain for free by linking your 2K account to your platform account.Civilization 7 leader tier listOur Civilization 7 tier list considers not just what benefits are offered by a leaders skills, but how flexible and widely applicable they are. For example, Amina gives your military units a combat buff when they fight on certain tiles. Thats handy if you want to wage war in very specific circumstances. If youre playing on a map with few qualifying tiles, though, then her skill does you little good.Where applicable, weve also noted when a leaders first memento makes them easier to recommend. Leaders unlock these at level two, so while you wont get the benefits immediately, theyre often worth aiming for.Without further ado, heres the Civilization 7 tier list.S-tier leaders in Civilization 7The S-tier leaders in Civilization 7 have the best bonuses and offer more flexibility to let you play how you want, with fewer or no caveats compared to other leaders.Augustus Cultural Expansionist+2 Production in the capital for every townCan purchase Culture buildings+50 percent Gold toward purchasing buildings in townsPurchasing culture buildings frees your Production queues for other projects without suffering from penalties in civics research, and Augustus Production boost has multiple uses. Extra Production in the capital lets you turn your primary city into a hub of Culture, Science, Military output whatever you need, without having to rely as heavily on tile improvements. Settling or conquering additional towns to increase that boost has the convenient add-on effect of increasing your gold reserves as well, since the default town specialization converts production to gold. Those towns will develop more quickly as well, thanks to the reduced cost of buying buildings there.Ibn Battuta Expansionist WildcardGains two wildcard attributes after the first civic in every age+1 sight for all unitsHas the unique endeavor Trade Maps that lets you see other leaders explored regionsIbn Battutas skills are simple. He gets wildcard points and can see further. Thats it, but thats also all it needs to be. Having additional attribute points to spend as you see fit gives you an early start in whichever victory area you prefer. Attribute points normally accrue as you progress down a Legacy Path which takes a while and theyre tied to those specific paths. With wildcard points, youre free to invest extra in the attribute type you want to focus on or use them to cover weak areas, and thats quite the advantage to have. Knowing where other civilizations are and what theyve already uncovered also makes planning your expansion during the age of exploration easier.Ahsoka, World Renouncer Diplomatic Expansionist+1 Food in cities for every five excess Happiness+10 Food in all settlements during a celebrationAll buildings gain +1 happiness adjacency bonus for all improvementsThis version of Ahsoka is more flexible than his militaristic counterpart. More Food leads to more opportunities to improve your tiles, which stacks Happiness adjacency bonuses and makes it so celebrations occur more frequently. What you do with that growth is up to you. Youre free to prioritize improvements, expand urban districts with more specialists, or even just use that bonus Happiness to offset war weariness when you wage unjust conflicts.Harriet Tubman Diplomatic Militaristic+100 percent Influence toward initiating espionage actionsGain five war support on all wars declared against youUnits ignore movement penalties from vegetationHarriet Tubman lets you play as a pest and then suffer no penalties when someone decides theyve had enough. Espionage actions give you free Tech or Civics and worsen relationships with other leaders, as does settling near them, influencing city-states theyre interested in, and basically anything else that gives you an advantage over them. Civilization 7 classifies wars as just or unjust depending on your relationship with the other country. If theyre hostile or unfriendly and declare war, they suffer no war weariness and, as a result, no Happiness penalty in their cities. Not so with Tubman. Any war declared against her automatically starts with sizable support in her favor. Shes low-key one of the games best leaders for a Military Victory.Xerxes, King of Kings Economic Militaristic+3 combat strength for units that are attacking in neutral or enemy territoryGain 100 Culture and Gold per age when you capture a settlement for the first time+10 percent gold in all settlements, which doubles in settlements you didnt found yourself+1 settlement limit per ageXerxes, King of Kings is only slightly more complicated than his Achaemenid version in the sense that you have to wage war and claim cities through settlements or conquest to make the most of him. His combat strength bonuses make that task easier, though, and having a higher settlement cap means youre less likely to suffer Happiness penalties by acquiring too many settlements.Xerxes, The Achaemenid Cultural Economic+1 trade route limit with all other leadersGain 50 culture and 100 gold per age when you create a trade route or road+1 culture and gold per age on unique buildings and improvementsXerxes, The Achaemenid makes it incredibly easy to stack Gold and Culture buffs just by establishing trade routes. All you need to do is keep up with spending influence to increase trade route limits, but seeing as most leaders except the ones that really hate you rarely reject this endeavor, its a straightforward task. Hes one of the easiest leaders to learn the game with, and the extra Gold gives you the flexibility to prioritize whatever you want, whether its military spending or quick construction.A-tier leaders in Civilization 7The A-tier leaders in Civilization 7 also have exceptional perks that make unique strategies possible, though they come with some restrictions, such as being limited by geography or pushing you toward playing in just one or two ways.Benjamin Franklin Diplomatic Scientific+1 Science per age on Production buildings in cities+50 percent Production toward constructing Production buildings+1 Science per age from active endeavors you start or support. Franklin can also have two endeavors of the same type active at once with different leadersMost major cities need several Production buildings, and having extra Science on each, combined with faster construction times for Production buildings, is a free and easy way to boost your research capabilities. Unlocking new technologies is as helpful for Science Victories as it is for Military Victories, so playing Franklin doesnt leave you stuck with one playstyle. The diplomacy part of his designation only shows up with his first memento, unlocked at level two, which gives you 50 Influence for researching masteries in the Tech and Civic tree. Just bear in mind that you wont benefit much from his endeavors perk until then.Hatshepsut Cultural Economic+1 Culture for every imported resource+15 percent Production toward constructing buildings and wonders in cities adjacent to navigable riversIt might take half an age to get Hatshepsut set up, but once youve established trade routes and a good construction network, shes well-positioned for a cultural sweep. Imported resources give your cities bonuses anyway, and having +1 Culture for each is good incentive to keep establishing trade routes and stacking more bonuses quickly. Hatshepsuts first memento adds +1 Gold for imported resources as well and helps make trade less expensive. Her second perk relies on specific geography, but Civilization 7 tends to start leaders with these geographic requirements in zones that favor them.Isabella Expansionist EconomicGains 300 Gold every time you discover a natural wonder, and 600 gold if the wonder is in distant lands+100 percent tile yields from natural wonders+50 percent Gold toward purchasing naval units-1 Gold maintenance cost for naval unitsPlaying as Isabella means exploring as much of the map as you can, as fast as you can to claim space around natural wonders. Its a matter of luck in most cases, depending on where the map spawns them, so having much of her kit center on finding them is a bit odd. The yields on natural wonders are exceptionally high already, though, and Isabella doubles them. Any city you build there will turn into a hub of whatever yield the wonder offers science, culture, happiness, sometimes a combination of the three. Building naval units is essential in the age of exploration, and Isabellas other two perks make it likely youll reach the Distant Lands before anyone else.Machiavelli Diplomatic Economic+3 Influence per ageGains 50 Gold per age when diplomatic action proposals are accepted or 100 Gold when theyre rejectedIgnores relationship requirements for declaring formal warsCan levy troops from city-states even when you arent their suzerainMachiavelli has a lot going for him, but comes with one serious drawback: All his perks center on using Influence, and he has no special way to generate additional influence. Playing him effectively requires careful resource management, but once you strike a balance between using and hoarding influence, you can end up with remarkable advantages independent of production and trade routes. Just make sure you dont disperse independent powers, since youll need them for any wars you end up in.Pachacuti Economic ExpansionistAll buildings receive a +1 Food adjacency for mountain tilesSpecialists adjacent to mountains pay no happiness maintenancePachacuti is an interesting case. His advantages seem modest at first, but since he, like other leaders with special geographic requirements, starts in a mountainous area, your first string of towns and cities are guaranteed to have high growth rates thanks to the extra food. Prioritizing these for growth and specialists in urban districts means you end up with high science and culture yields early, without suffering any happiness penalties for it. It does require some creative expansion so these districts are near mountain tiles, though.Lafayette Cultural DiplomaticGains the Reform endeavor, which adds an extra social policy slot, and supporting the endeavor grants the other leader an extra policy slot+1 combat strength for every tradition, but not policy, slotted in government+2 culture and happiness per age in settlements, and +4 in distant landsLafayette is an unusual case who defies the labels Firaxis gave him. Hes a bit of everything, with bonuses to military strength; incentives to expand rapidly, especially in the Exploration Age; and an opportunity to stack more policy bonuses than any other leader, albeit at the expense of giving rivals an advantage as well. His first memento also increases happiness by two for each social policy. Hes well-rounded, even if he doesnt necessarily excel at any particular thing.B-tier leaders in Civilization 7The B-tier leaders in Civilization 7 excel in one area, but not much else. Theyre still perfectly playable and likely to win, though the bonuses they offer are, generally, less impressive.Amina Economic Militaristic+1 resource capacity in cities+1 Gold per age for each resource assigned to cities+5 combat strength on all units in plains and desertsAmina works more effectively as an economic leader than a military one. Cities that arent your capital have limited resource capacity, especially right after they grow from a town into a city, and having that extra slot makes dealing with shortfalls in production or happiness much easier.Youre not necessarily making more money with her second perk, though. Each trade route you establish sends money to another civs leader, so having extra Gold for each resource assigned to cities just balances that outflow. Yes, +5 combat is a fantastic perk if youre lucky enough to have enemy civilizations positioned on plain and desert tiles. If not, youre a bit out of luck.Ahsoka, World Conqueror Diplomatic Militaristic+1 Production for every five excess Happiness in cities+10 percent Production in settlements not founded by youDeclaring a formal war automatically starts a celebration and grants +10 combat strength for all units while the celebration lastsThis version of Ahsoka lives up to his name, though perhaps not to his diplomatic tag. Playing as the world conqueror means either building quickly toward a society that supports regular military output or planning ahead to the Modern Age and waging war then. Ahsoka can get his production boost by taking settlements from opponents, of course, but the easier way is to make treaties with independent powers during antiquity and exploration, so you avoid happiness penalties. By the time the Modern Age dawns, you should have an economy and production output capable of creating enough military units to sustain Ahsokas formal wars. Hes a fun leader to play as, but perhaps more restrictive than most.Catherine the Great Cultural Scientific+2 Culture per age on displayed Great WorksBuildings with Great Work slots gain an additional slotCities settled in tundra tiles gain science equal to 25 percent of their culture per turnCatherines perks are highly specialized, so taking advantage of them limits how you can play. Youll need to prioritize production as Catherine, so you can hopefully build more wonders faster during the Antiquity Age, and then choose religion augmentations that provide extra culture during the Exploration Age. That lets you research new civics and their masteries faster, which is one of the main ways you get relics during that age. Her tundra bonus is less restrictive than it sounds, though. The game tends to always start Catherine on tundra tiles, so that Science bonus will apply to your first few cities at the very least.Confucius Expansionist Scientific+25 percent growth rate in cities+2 Science from specialistsConfucius skills appear straightforward and even a bit limited at a glance, but focusing so heavily on city growth and specialists creates an unusual set of challenges that makes a match more interesting. Specialists cost Happiness, and choosing a specialist instead of growth outside urban quarters means youre giving up food or possibly production bonuses in favor of science and a bit of extra culture. Balancing city growth, deciding which towns to develop, and carefully choosing policies that offset specialist costs are much more important in this style of play. Its not necessarily better than playing as another leader, but its unique.Himiko, High Shaman Cultural Diplomatic+2 Happiness per age on Happiness buildings+50 percent Production toward constructing Happiness buildings+20 percent Culture but -10 percent Science; both effects double during celebrationsThis iteration of Himiko has little to offer outside of making celebrations happen more frequently. The goal is to make the most of your celebrations to boost Culture or whatever else you might need, such as Gold but you have to play cautiously or get lucky with espionage. The Science penalty means most other civilizations will likely have more advanced military tech than you.Charlemagne Militaristic ScientificMilitary and Science buildings receive a happiness adjacency bonus for quarters (urban tiles with two buildings)During a celebration, gains two free cavalry units, if cavalry units are unlocked+5 combat strength for cavalry units during a celebrationCharlemagne is an excellent choice if you want to wage war, since few units outrank cavalry in Civilization 7 aside from advanced ranged units. His first perk comes with the unspoken imperative of prioritizing food resources in cities, so you can expand them and develop urban quarters more quickly. Hes not a bad leader, per se just a bit plain.Jos Rizal Cultural DiplomaticWhen gaining rewards from a narrative event, gain an additional 20 Culture and 20 Gold per age. Rizal also has additional narrative events compared to most leaders+50 percent celebration duration+50 percent Happiness toward celebrationsRizals usefulness depends entirely on how many narrative events pop up during your game. It helps that he comes with extra events, but the number will fluctuate depending on which civilizations you choose and how you play. If nothing else, the frequency of celebrations means you get regular bursts of extra yields, including culture.Napoleon, Emperor Economic DiplomaticHas the Continental System sanction that reduces trade route limits of the target by one, which causes massive relationship penalties and costs more to reject+8 Hold per age for every leader you are unfriendly or hostile withCan reject endeavors for freeEmperor Napoleon is like a more aggressive version of Harriet Tubman, but with slightly worse benefits. His biggest asset is the sanction that reduces trade routes, which can play havoc with another civilizations economy and their culture output. Making them hate you is good, though, since you get some extra Gold for it and even more once you slot his first memento.Trung Trac Militaristic ScientificGain three free levels on your first army commander+20 percent commander experience+10 percent science in cities on tropical tiles, and the effect doubles when you declare a formal warTrung Trac needs conflict to function effectively, but unlike some leaders, she gets better advantages, especially with her first memento. That item gives her +1 Science for every commander level, which is a handy little boost once you get your first commander and even after, since they level up more quickly. Trung Tracs home cities will produce more science more often as well, though her playstyle limits you to cycles of war and recovery.C-tier leaders in Civilization 7The C-tier leaders in Civilization 7 are much more limited than your other choices, either in the playstyle they lend themselves to or with in how (not so) useful their bonuses are.Friedrich, Baroque Militaristic CulturalGain a Great Work when you capture a settlement for the first timeGain an infantry unit when you construct a culture buildingFor a cultural-focused leader, Friedrichs Baroque edition has few advantages in that specific area. Building culture with him requires sizable investment in military, and even then, youre not getting much in return for all that conflict. Capturing settlements is easier with siege and ranged units, so while the free infantry unit from a culture building is nice, its not helping on the conquest front. His first memento smooths over some of these issues by adding +1 culture for every military building, but hes still one of the weakest choices.Friedrich, Oblique Militaristic ScientificArmy commanders start with the Merit Commendation, which increases their command radius by one tileGain an infantry unit when you construct a science buildingOblique Friedrich is slightly better than his Baroque counterpart thanks to giving army commanders an extra tile of influence. He has nothing to help invest in military production, though, and even his memento only gives you +1 science for military buildings.Himiko, Queen of Wa Diplomatic ScientificHas the unique Friend of Wei endeavor that becomes available when allied with another civilization; Friend of Wei grants Himiko and her ally +25 percent science+4 science per age for every leader you are friendly or helpful withCan support endeavors for freeHimikos Queen of Wa version requires a specific, challenging playstyle that relies heavily on the endeavor system. Before you get any of her perks, you have to improve relations with other civs to the point where theyre at least friendly, though preferably allied as well. Its a unique way to use influence and diplomacy, but things often fall apart in the modern age. You have to pick a side when rival leaders declare war on each other, so regardless of who you choose, youre losing some of those science perks over a scenario thats out of your control.Napoleon, Revolutionary Militaristic Cultural+1 movement for all land unitsDefeating an enemy unit provides culture equal to 50 percent of that units combat strengthRevolutionary Napoleon has less going for him than his imperial version. Hes entirely focused on combat and needs consistent victories to get yield bonuses. Youre left with nothing special if theres no war happening, and if you maintain continuous conflict, you have to plan carefully to avoid war favor turning against you and causing happiness penalties. Revolutionary Napoleon presents unique challenges, but hes just not a very strong choice.Tecumseh Militaristic Diplomatic+1 Food and Production per age in settlements for every city-state you are suzerain of+1 combat strength for all units for every city-state you are suzerain ofTecumseh is only helpful if you prioritize bringing city-states into your diplomatic orbit, and even then, his bonus yields arent that impressive.For more Civilization 7 guides, heres a rundown of all Legacy Paths and victories, including walkthroughs on how to get the Culture Victory, Economic Victory, Military Victory, or Science Victory. We also have a list of the best leaders to start with.