How Civ 7's Legacy Paths Work and Why They'll Totally Change Gameplay

Civilization 7 features a new age system as well as a new gameplay feature called Legacy Paths, which are essential to achieving a victory and completing a Civilization 7 campaign. Four Legacy Paths traverse all three Ages in distinct categories that Civilization players will be very familiar with: Military, Culture, Economy and Science. Each of these Legacy Paths contains objectives that are tracked through milestones, which give players increasingly better rewards as they complete designated tasks. The introduction of Legacy Paths in Civilization 7 is a complete game changer that takes familiar aspects from the previous ones Civilization games and reorganizes them into a sleek new system.

When players complete a Legacy Path in its entirety within a given Age, they will unlock a Golden Age, or conversely, if they fail to complete any objective within a given Legacy Path, they will be penalized with a Dark Age. The new Legacy Path system will force players to think about their long-term strategies planning around your Civ's strength within a given Legacy category and thinking about how Legacy-exclusive bonuses could be an advantage later on. Here's a look at how the Legacy Path system works in Civilization 7 and why it will completely change the game strategy and civilization planning.

All legacy path categories in Civilization 7

Civ 7's legacy path falls into familiar yet established categories

Legacy paths in Civilization 7 fall into four familiar categories: Culture, Science, Economy, and Military. Each of these paths will include different milestones in Antiquity, Exploration, and the Modern Age, all with specific objectives focused on historically appropriate tasks. For example, in Civilization 7of Antiquity, the Path of the Legacy of Culture is "Wonders of the Ancient World" which requires players to complete seven wonders of the worldwith smaller prizes for building two and four Wonders of the World. Not only would players receive a Golden Age for completing the seven Wonders, but they would also receive several Legacy points to spend on bonuses at the start of the Age of Exploration.

These Legacy Points are a revolutionary way to build the Victory conditions for each Legacy Path in the Modern Era, as the bonuses from each of them can potentially turn the tide in any player's favor. For example, the bonus for completing four Wonders on the mentioned path unlocks the "Wonderful Inheritance" Cultural legacy that gives players +1 Culture and Happiness for each Wonder built. Multiple milestones and full Legacy Paths can be completed in each of the four categories, awarding Legacy Points and unlocking associated bonuses to choose from at the start of the next Era.

How Civ 7's legacy paths work over time

Legacy paths built towards victory in the modern era of Civ 7

Legacy Paths are essential to the campaign's progress through the ages. Each milestone the player passes advances their Age by a set number of points and will affect the overall pace of the match. These Legacy Paths are designed around historically relevant themes and ideas from each Era, such as the Silk Road's Economic Legacy Path in the Ancient Era. Each encourages and encourages a specific focus and it will be easier to achieve for certain civilizations or leaders than others, although it seems that all paths will be viable for every leader with the right strategy.

At the start of Exploration and the Modern Era, players will select from Legacies that they have acquired enough Legacy Points to unlock. These bonus rewards for that specific Era give players an incentive to continue following that specific Legacy Path. For example, achieving a military victory in Civilization 7 It's no longer simply a scorched-earth approach that forces players to conquer every capital city. Now requires strategic conquest and formation of an ideologyeventually working towards Operation Ivy's Victory Condition. Conquering settlements with opposing ideologies will allow players to unlock the Victory Condition faster.

How Legacy Paths Will Affect Civ 7 Gameplay

Each legacy path in Civ 7 requires careful strategy

More than any other new Civilization 7 resources, players will have to manage their choices around Legacy Paths and the accumulation of Legacy Points to fully maximize bonuses for future Ages. Due to the Dark Ages penalty, it will not be possible to completely ignore any of the Legacy Paths, on the other hand, acquiring a Golden Age can put players ahead of the curve. Legacy Points are also the default Victory Condition and are Civilization 7is the version of a score win if no one completes one of the four main categories above.

The Legacy Path system will allow players to focus on specific milestones in pursuit of an ultimate victory and will add a degree of balanced pacing throughout each Era as they progress. Each civilization contributes to age progression by completing legacy objectives. Strategies will be based on the specific Victory Conditions players want to pursue at the end of each Legacy Path, and will have to balance each path to avoid penalties and earn bonuses for the next Age. Players will have to wait and see for themselves if Legacy Paths will change the gameplay in Civilization 7 fully.

Sources: Civ 7 Dev Diary #1civil flows (1, 2, 3)