Civ 7 Devs Recommend Tutorial for First Playthrough

The developer of Civilization 7 has emphasized why even series veterans should complete the tutorial during their first full campaign.

In a Steam post, Firaxis Games' creative director Ed Beach shared strategic advice for newcomers to Civilization 7. "This installment introduces numerous new systems that differ significantly from previous entries," he explained. "Given the complexity, we want to ensure all players have a rewarding initial experience."

This guidance primarily relates to Civilization 7's revolutionary Ages system. A complete campaign spans three distinct historical periods: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. At each Age transition, players simultaneously: select a new civilization representing their evolving empire, choose which Legacies to carry forward, and witness the game world transform - mechanics unprecedented in the franchise.

What is your favorite Sid Meier's Civilization game? ----------------------------------------------------

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Beach elaborated on the rationale behind Small being the default map size: "While veterans often prefer expansive maps with numerous civilizations, we've deliberately chosen Small maps for accessibility. Having three rival empires on your starting continent, plus others to encounter later, creates an optimal learning environment."

He specifically recommended this setting for mastering the new Diplomacy mechanics: "Managing relationships and Diplomatic Influence becomes more intuitive when dealing with fewer opponents. We also suggest the Continents Plus map type - its offshore islands provide gentle introduction to naval exploration, crucial for the Exploration Age."

The tutorial automatically activates for first-time players, and Beach strongly advocates keeping it enabled for initial playthroughs. "The guidance appears precisely when encountering new mechanics," he noted. "Even experienced players will benefit, given our extensive system redesigns. You can customize which of our four Advisors provide instruction if the information becomes overwhelming."

Once comfortable with core mechanics, Beach recommends switching to "Only Warnings" mode. "This maintains critical alerts about potential empire setbacks. Our own development team plays with these notifications active."

Firaxis recently revealed Civilization 7's post-launch roadmap during a special livestream (notably confirming Great Britain will appear as DLC). The game launches February 11th across PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4/5 and Xbox consoles, with Deluxe Edition owners gaining early access starting February 6th.