Civ 7 Update Introduces Huge Maps, new Town Specializations, Steam Workshop Support, and More Gwendoline Christie

Firaxis and 2K are committed to reversing the fortunes of Civilization 7 with an all-new update, overmuch of which has been "influenced by the community."

This month's "hefty" Update 1.2.2 brings a raft of long-awaited features similar Large and Huge Maps, expanded Advanced Game Options, and a assemblage favorite: Steam Workshop support. There's besides caller Town Specializations, City-State Bonuses, Beliefs, equilibrium changes, UI improvements, and — champion of all, of people — "a precise pettable Scout dog."

Players tin besides decorativeness their existent prevention nether a erstwhile mentation by utilizing the bequest Steam beta branch. Backwards compatibility for existing saves is besides available, though you should enactment that "some caller abilities oregon effects whitethorn not look until you commencement a caller crippled oregon beforehand to the adjacent Age successful your existent campaign."

"For the champion experience, we urge starting a caller game, oregon continuing your existent crippled into the adjacent Age," Firaxis said.

Large and Huge representation sizes — which I'm acrophobic aren't disposable connected Switch, on with Standard — default to 10 players, but multiplayer campaigns max retired astatine 8 people, inclusive of AI companions. The squad hopes to grow Huge to accommodate 12 players eventually, but close present it "needs a spot much clip to marque definite accrued subordinate counts won't compromise crippled stableness oregon performance." That said, due to the fact that of the size, these maps person been spruced up with Pantheons (and 2 caller ones person been added to Antiquity), Religious Beliefs, Discoveries, and City-State bonuses to "ensure there’s capable contented for each the players successful a game."

"One of the champion things astir Civilization is however galore ways determination are to play," the update added. "Some players are blessed to peacefully physique the biggest, champion Cities portion others privation to disregard each that and spell conquer the satellite ('Yes, your astonishing City does look large successful my empire'). With 1.2.2, we’ve added respective caller precocious crippled setup options to springiness you adjacent much power implicit however you play."

This means you tin present determine whether to enable, disable (or crook disconnected entirely) Legacy Paths per Page, circumstantial Crises, arsenic good arsenic disable Score Victory. AI trouble tin beryllium amended, too, and you tin bypass Civ Unlocks On Age Transitions now.

"We’ve had a batch of amusive playing with antithetic Legacy Paths connected oregon disconnected successful each Age. While Legacy Paths that don’t pb to a Victory are ever optional, sometimes it’s bully to conscionable tune them retired wholly and absorption connected playing into the unsocial strengths of your person and civ," Firaxis added. "For a amusive sandbox crippled we’ve been playing successful the office, effort turning disconnected Legacy Paths for Antiquity and Exploration, and mounting the crippled to Abbreviated Ages. If you privation to thin into the sandbox consciousness adjacent more, effort turning disconnected Legacy Paths successful Modern and the Score Victory, too."

Feedback from fans astir Religion has necessitated changes, too, with the squad present adding caller Beliefs and updating existing ones to springiness bonus incentives for converting your ain Settlements. There are "bigger and bolder changes" besides connected the skyline for Religion, but we'll find retired much astir those astatine a aboriginal date. You tin besides expect Town absorption bonuses to assistance them consciousness much "impactful."

"Urban Centers successful peculiar person received a glow-up, and present summation entree to galore of the Buildings that were different lone disposable successful Cities (like Libraries and Monuments successful Antiquity)," the update explained. "Fort Towns summation the quality to acquisition aggregate walls truthful they tin truly fastener down strategical chokepoints. We besides introduced a caller benignant of Town Focus: the Resort Town. These relaxing scenic retreats summation other Gold and Happiness connected Rural tiles with Happiness and accrued Yields connected Natural Wonders.

"Lastly, we felt massed Hub Towns were overshadowing immoderate of the different options and gave them a flimsy nerf from +2 Influence per connected Settlement to +1 Influence. We’re going to support our oculus connected them to spot however they comparison against the different recently buffed Towns."

Players volition besides present beryllium capable to find and instal mods from Steam Workshop. Oh, and there's adjacent a caller loading screen, with rewritten and re-recorded narration from Gwendoline Christie.

There's besides an implicit smorgasbord of tweaks and fixes, but if I wrote each those retired here, we'd beryllium present until Christmas. You tin caput connected implicit to the authoritative website to spot it.

Civilization 7 has had a unsmooth motorboat connected Steam — that overmuch is clear. The strategy sequel has struggled for players connected Valve’s level ever since its motorboat successful February. Despite a fig of patches issued by developer Firaxis to reverse things, Civilization 7 finds itself successful the unenviable concern of having less players connected Steam than Civilization 6 and adjacent the 15-year-old Civilization 5. According to Steam idiosyncratic reviews the crippled is 'mixed,' though the past 1,500 oregon truthful reviews has it falling to a 'mostly negative' rating.

Update 1.2.2 is retired now, though Switch and Nintendo Switch 2 players volition person to hold a small longer arsenic the squad works "diligently to get these updates done the further Switch submission requirements." Players inactive experiencing issues oregon bugs are encouraged to disable mods and marque the squad aware.

We thought Civilization 7 was 'good,' awarding it a fitting 7/10, writing: "Civilization 7's improved warfare and added bits of communicative flair springiness maine reasons to support clicking 1 much crook precocious into the night, but the tendency to streamline and simplify this legendary 4X bid feels similar it has besides gone a spot excessively far, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to the interface."

Vikki Blake is simply a newsman for IGN, arsenic good arsenic a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years acquisition moving with immoderate of the world's biggest gaming sites and publications. She's besides a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her astatine BlueSky.