Combat System#

Combat Basics#

Civilization 7’s combat keeps the core hex-and-turn battles while introducing two brand-new mechanics — the Commander system and War Support — making combat more about the strategic layer than simply stacking units.

Core Mechanics#

Mechanic	Notes
Unit classes	Melee / Ranged / Cavalry / Siege / Recon / Air — 6 unit classes
Commander	A levelable general — provides aura bonuses and tactical abilities
War Support	Decides the global combat modifier during a war — affected by diplomacy and Ages
Flanking bonus	Attacking from multiple directions grants combat bonuses
Terrain bonus	Woods / hills / rivers provide different defensive bonuses
Experience system	Units earn experience from combat — they can be promoted / upgraded

Unit Classes#

Melee Units#

Unit	Age	Strength	Traits	Best use
Warrior	Antiquity	15	Basic unit	Early exploration + light combat
Swordsman	Classical	25	+5 vs Ranged	Mainline melee — pairs with siege
Knight	Exploration	40	High mobility	Quickly breaking defensive lines

Melee tips:

Melee units are the core of siege warfare — without melee you cannot capture cities
A Swordsman + support-unit combo counters cavalry effectively
Do not overbuild Warriors in the Ancient era — they become obsolete fast

Ranged Units#

Unit	Age	Ranged Strength	Range	Traits
Archer	Antiquity	15	1	Basic ranged
Crossbowman	Medieval	30	1	High damage — +10 vs melee
Musketman	Exploration	40	1	Highest ranged strength among land units

Ranged tips:

Never stand in the front row — once melee closes in, a ranged unit’s combat power is halved
Use terrain — the defense bonus of woods / hills makes ranged units much harder to kill
2 ranged + 1 melee is the standard combat group

Cavalry Units#

Unit	Age	Strength	Mobility	Traits
Horseman	Classical	25	3	Can withdraw after attacking — strike and pull back
Mounted Archer	Classical	20 ranged	4	Kiting tactics
Tank	Modern	65	3	Runs over infantry

Cavalry tips:

Cavalry’s withdrawal attack is its biggest advantage — hit once, then retreat to a safe position
Best for ambushing the enemy’s ranged units and siege weapons
Never charge garrisoned units head-on with cavalry — the losses are severe

Siege Units#

Unit	Age	Siege Strength	Range	Traits
Catapult	Classical	20	2	+10 vs city walls
Trebuchet	Medieval	35	2	+15 vs city walls
Cannon	Exploration	45	2	The siege mainstay
Artillery	Modern	60	3	Long-range suppression

Siege tips:

Siege units must set up (costs 1 movement) before attacking — deploy in advance
Protect your siege units — they are extremely fragile in melee
Use the Commander aura to raise your siege units’ attack power

Recon Units#

Unit	Age	Sight	Traits
Scout	Antiquity	3	Ignores terrain movement costs
Pathfinder	Classical	3	Larger sight range

Recon tips:

First thing at the opening: build a Scout to explore — find city-states and natural wonders
Promoted Scouts gain hidden vision — they can see stealth units
Later they can be upgraded into a Drone — but do not keep a Scout alive into the Modern Age just for that

Commander System#

Commander Basics#

Attribute	Notes
Aura range	Adjacent tiles — covers friendly units
Aura bonus	+3~+8 combat strength and movement
Command skills	Unlocked with experience — such as Fortify, healing, Forced March
Revival mechanic	A defeated Commander can be revived in the capital — but it costs gold
Earning experience	The Commander gains experience when nearby units fight

Commander Skill Tree#

Skill	Level required	Effect
Fortify I	1	Units in the aura gain +3 defense
Forced March	2	Units in the aura gain +1 movement
Fire Support	3	Ranged units in the aura gain +5 ranged strength
Siege Master	4	Siege units in the aura gain +10 siege strength
Fortify II	5	Units in the aura gain +6 defense (stacks)
Double Attack	6	Melee units in the aura can attack twice
Total War	7	All units in the aura gain +10 combat strength

Commander upgrade strategy:

First Commander: Fortify I > Forced March > Fire Support
Second Commander: Siege Master > Double Attack > Total War

War Support#

War Support is a new system in Civilization 7 — it shapes the global combat modifier you get during a war

Factors That Affect War Support#

Factor	Effect
Casus belli	A justified reason gives +2~+4
War duration	-1 per 10 turns
Cities captured	-2 per city lost
Allies joining the war	+1 per ally
Age / policy effects	Certain policies and Age traits modify it

Strategies for Keeping War Support High#

Never fight a war without a reason — always find a justification
Fight fast and decisive — support collapses the longer a war drags on
Do not let your cities get captured — this hurts more than losing armies
Pull allies into the war — even if they never fight, the per-ally bonus still counts

Siege Warfare#

Siege Preparation#

Surround the city: use 3-4 units to seal every exit — cut off its supply
Deploy siege weapons: set up 2 tiles outside the city — do not step into range
Chip the walls with ranged units: Archers / Crossbowmen weaken the city defense first
Commander aura: make sure the siege units stay inside the Commander’s range

Siege Phases#

Phase	Action	Goal
Phase one	Troops surround the city — ranged chip away	Drop the city defense below 50%
Phase two	Siege weapons break the walls	Breach walls (0% hp)
Phase three	Melee units capture the city	Storm the city — wipe out the garrison

Defensive Siege Strategy#

Units garrisoned inside a city gain a defense bonus
Garrison ranged attacks deal double damage
A city without walls is very vulnerable — prioritize building walls in the Ancient era
Use the city’s own attacks to grind down the besieging units’ health

Tactical Advice#

Combat Strategy by Age#

Ancient era:

The main combat goals are clearing barbarian camps and conquering city-states
2-3 Warriors + 1 Archer is enough to handle early threats
Do not fight full wars — your economy and military cannot support it

Classical-Medieval era:

This is the key expansion window — build 3-5 Swordsmen + Crossbowmen + Catapults
Assemble your first army with a Commander
Pick your war reasons — attack civilizations developing slower than you

Exploration era:

Navies start to matter — control the seas to protect colonization
The Musketman + Cannon combo is the standard land-war setup
By now you should have 2-3 senior Commanders

Modern-Future era:

Air power changes the rules — air superiority is critical
Tank + mechanized infantry blitzes are extremely deadly
Nuclear weapons are the ultimate weapon — but using them brings heavy diplomatic penalties

Using Terrain#

Terrain	Defense bonus	Movement cost	Advice
Plains	0	1	No bonus — pass through quickly
Woods	+3	2	Defensive advantage — hide ranged units in woods
Hills	+3	2	The best position for ranged units — high ground + defense
River	+5 (vs attacker crossing)	+1 (crossing)	Defend behind rivers — never attack across one
Mountains	Impassable	-	A natural barrier — use mountains to protect your borders

Unit Preservation / Upgrade Strategy#

Never disband veteran units — upgrading is cheaper than retraining
Unit levels persist: a promoted unit keeps all its upgrades and skills
Upgrade costs rise with the Age — so try to keep your ancient-era units alive into the late game
Commanders keep all their experience — even if your army gets wiped out