CIVILIZATION VII GAME UPDATES
Read the most up-to-date Game Update notes for Civilization VII, along with an archive of previous updates!
Update 1.5.0 Notes - September 15, 2026
Update 1.5.0 is officially live, bringing a batch of changes to Civilization VII, including the addition of the long-awaited True Start Location Earth map*. What makes this release even sweeter is that it lands right as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Civilization franchise!
A note for Switch/Switch 2 players: This patch will be coming at a later date. Thank you for hanging in with us while we work to get this patch through the additional Nintendo submission requirements. In the meantime, the current console-compatible Switch version remains available with full crossplay support with Steam (instructions on how to access here). Switch to other console cross-play will be unavailable until the update arrives to Switch / Switch 2.
If you caught our developer panel at PAX, you also saw our first big look into Civ VII’s future, including the fourth age in the free Arc of Tomorrow update, and our upcoming expansion, Earthrise. Our team is now going heads-down to bring those massive releases across the finish line. Because of that, our patch cadence will naturally quiet down over the coming months, though we still have one more interim update in the pipeline.
If you want an early look behind the curtain and a chance to help us shape what’s next, come apply to the Firaxis Feature Workshop to provide feedback on early builds with the team! In the meantime, we hope 1.5.0 gives you plenty of reasons to celebrate 35 years of empire-building.
Let’s jump into the notes!
Before You Dive In…
- Update drivers: We recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience.
- Backwards compatibility: While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game.
- Legacy branch: Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch. To join the legacy branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Betas tab. From there, select the “legacy” option.
As a reminder, you can visit our tracker to see known issues. If you’re encountering an issue, you can submit a bug report with the team here.
True Start Location Earth Map
True Start Location Earth* has officially arrived in Civilization VII!
Built exclusively on a Huge scale to maximize playable space, this hand-crafted map emulates the planet Earth as closely as possible, including terrain, river, Resource, and Natural Wonder locations. All campaigns start in Antiquity, with your starting location determined by the historic capital of your chosen civ.
For Civilization VII, we introduced a few twists and updates that we haven’t had in previous Civilization games. Major waterways like the Nile and Amazon now feature Navigable Rivers, and each map will always include seven Natural Wonders, picked from a randomized pool each time. To give starting locations room to breathe, we trimmed away Tundra and empty Ocean tiles, and magnified a few key areas like Europe (to avoid overcrowding), and Hawaii and Japan to ensure island starts aren’t always a challenge run.
With the introduction of handcrafted regional maps, the map selection screen is going to be pretty crowded soon. As we add more maps, expect an update to the map selection screen.
If you want to learn even more about the development of TSL Earth map, take a look at our recent From the Devs article. We can’t wait to see how you reshape world history – happy exploring!
*Earth map is currently available on Steam, Epic, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2. It is not currently available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
Terra Incognita & Shuffle Maps
An example of the new Shuffle map above!
TSL Earth map isn’t the only map update we have in 1.5.0! Terra Incognita and Shuffle maps have been reimagined with Voronoi technology, completing our process of providing updated versions of all base-game maps to players.
The Shuffle map type generates two main areas on the map and divides civs between them like a standard Continents map. However, each area is procedurally generated based on a different base map script. For example, one half of the map might be generated like an Archipelago map, while the other half looks like a Fractal Continents map. The four possible types of map generation are: Continents, Fractal Continents, Archipelago, and Shattered Seas. You can roll the same type of map on both sides, but it’ll be uncommon. Shuffle maps are a great choice for players that like high variance and having to figure out their map each game.
The Terra Incognita map type is a variant of the Shuffle map type that guarantees that one of the two main regions of the map is generated like a Continents map. When possible, human players will start on the Continent side. The other side is randomized, with a significantly reduced chance of being a Continents map again. This map type is great for players that still want some mystery in the Exploration Age but like having a reliable Antiquity Age.
Now that we’ve completed our map generation updates, you may be wondering what’s next for maps in Civ VII. We’re considering new options for map generation like the Sea Level option introduced earlier this year, level-designed regional maps like Earth, and brand-new map types like Shattered Seas. We’d love to hear from you about where you’d like map updates to go next - so let us know on Steam, Discord, or wherever you talk Civ!
Pay Influence to Stay Neutral
Ever been peacefully building your empire when suddenly, an Ally drags you into an unwanted war? With 1.5.0, we’re giving you a new option to stay out of conflict and maintain your Alliance (as long as you have the Influence to spare).
When an Ally enters a war, you’ll now have an additional option to pay Influence and stay out of it. This paid Influence is still going directly to your Ally, so you’ll still be showing support… from your peaceful position on the sidelines, that is. At regular intervals (every 10 turns on Standard speed), you’ll have another opportunity to join the war, or pay Influence again to stay peaceful. The only exception is if two of your Allies go to war with each other, in which case you cannot remain neutral.
Diplomatic gameplay can swing the outcome of a game wildly, especially around war, so we’re making targeted adjustments while we measure the impact on full games. We expect this change to have a strong impact in games with lots of human players, and for players who want more tools to navigate their web of Allies in the late game. We plan to continue to make targeted changes in this area of gameplay, and are looking at either liberation mechanics to return Settlements to their original owners, or a review of Alliance effects to increase their value.
UI Improvements: Radial Ruler, Improved Tooltips, & Syncretism Unlock Info
1.5.0 includes a few notable UI improvements, aimed at giving you more information to inform your empire-building strategies. These improvements include the new Radial Ruler, Improved Plot Tooltips, and Syncretism unlock information when selecting a civ.
Radial Ruler
For multiple mechanics and effects in Civilization VII, counting tiles and measuring tile distance can be necessary for making strategic decisions.
Settlements can generally only claim hexes up to three tiles away from the City Center, the El Escorial Wonder only affects Settlements that are within six tiles of it, and many of the Gauls’ abilities and effects (more info on this new civ below!) are all about how far your own Settlements are from one another, and from those of your foes.
To spare you from counting tiles by hand, we’ve added a new Radial Ruler to help. The Radial Ruler is an overlay that will follow your cursor showing what tiles are within a three-tile radius, and a six-tile radius from the highlighted plot. You can turn it on and off from the Lenses Panel, and you can also easily toggle it while the Settler Lens is active.
Improved Plot Tooltips
Additionally, Plot Tooltips now call out whether a plot is part of an Island to help support the new England civ, and they also display the tile’s Appeal level and value to help out Heian Japan. We’ve also added additional information to Unit Tooltips, so you can more quickly get access to information such as base Combat Strength or Movement speed. You can easily access these tooltips by hovering over a Unit Flag on the map.
Syncretism Unlock Info
Ever find yourself wondering which civs you’re able to syncretize with? Now, this information is available right at your fingertips during game setup! Before you make your first turn, you’ll be able to view not just which civs are unlocked by your chosen leader and civ each Age, but also which civs you can syncretize with outside of your Apex Age.
Hall of History Content Collection
Launching with Update 1.5.0 is the latest Content Collection, Hall of History**. This Collection focuses on classics that longtime Civ fans will recognize from previous entries in the franchise. Unlike previous collections, Hall of History is being released all at once; you’ll receive access to the entire collection immediately upon purchase.
**Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game on release. Terms apply.
Leaders
NEW Leader: Elizabeth I
Queen Elizabeth I, the last of the Tudors, reigned over England for 44 years. Under her rule, England went from a small, insignificant country to a major player on the world stage, decimating Spain's armada and founding early settlements in North America. Her English privateers dominated the seas, her merchants laid the foundation of the East India Company, and her policies created room for Shakespeare and the other great English playwrights. She was a monarch, a queen, a woman who refused to be limited by the expectations of her time.
- Attributes: Cultural, Economic
- Unique Ability - Royal Monopoly: Unlimited Trade Route Range. When you found a Settlement on a different Continent than your Capital, receive a Great Work. Increased Movement to Naval Units, Embarked Settlers, and Embarked Merchants. Merchants and Settlers have reduced training costs. Decreased Combat Strength per Age to Land Combat Units.
- Agenda - Trade Agreement: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have more Trade Routes than you. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that have as many or fewer Trade Routes than you.
Check out the full Game Guide for Elizabeth I here.
NEW Leader: George Washington
The first President of the United States, George Washington did not seek greatness; he was pulled to it. A planter and surveyor from Virginia, Washington gained a reputation for fortitude under fire in the French and Indian War, a reputation that led to his being placed at the head of the Continental Army in the Revolution. Outmanned and outgunned, Washington nevertheless managed to defeat the British and secure the freedom of the United States — but he could not rest. Called upon again to serve as President of the new republic, Washington remained a tireless advocate for unity, for individuals to put their party politics and personal interest aside and work together to make a more dignified, orderly nation.
- Attributes: Diplomatic, Expansionist
- Unique Ability - Constitutional Convention: Gain a Migrant in your Capital when entering a Celebration. Increased Food per Age in Towns and increased Happiness per Age in Cities for each Policy–but not each Tradition–slotted in your Government. Start with a Policy Slot and additional Policies:
- Continental Ambition: Increased Production toward training Settlers.
- Bill of Rights: Increased Culture and Production per Age on the Palace.
- Agenda - Hearts of His Countrymen: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have the most Happy, Joyous, or Ecstatic Towns. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that have the most Unhappy or Angry Towns.
Check out the full Game Guide for George Washington here.
Civilizations
NEW Civilization: Babylon
From the time of Hammurabi to the height of Nebuchadnezzar II, the city of Babylon was the center of Mesopotamian culture. Though Babylonia changed hands several times throughout the period, it eventually overthrew the Assyrian Empire, extending Babylonian reach through the Levant and northern Arabia. The Persians conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, but the city remained a center of economic prosperity and cultural excellence long into the next millennium.
- Apex Age: Antiquity
- Attributes: Cultural, Expansionist
- Unique Ability - City at the Center of the World (Antiquity Age): Every time you build a Food Building, Culture Building, or Wonder in a City, receive an additional Growth Event. Starts with a reduced Settlement Limit.
- Unique Civilian Unit - Tamkāru (Unique Merchant Unit): When you establish a Trade Route from your Capital, receive a set amount of Culture for each tile extending from the Capital (scales based on game speed).
- Unique Military Unit - Qašti (Unique Ranged Unit): Increased Production towards the Qašti if a Settlement has an Altar and increased Combat Strength for Districts or Wonders within one tile.
- Unique Improvement - Kirimāḫu: Increased Food. Additional increased Food for each adjacent District. Limit to one per Settlement, must be placed adjacent to a River.
- Associated Wonder - Hanging Gardens: Increased Food on Farms in this Settlement. Increased Growth Rate in all Cities. Gain Expansionist Attribute Point. Must be placed adjacent to a River.
Check out the full Game Guide for Babylon here.
NEW Civilization: Gauls
Throughout the Iron Age, much of western Europe was settled by the Gauls, a group of Celtic tribes known for their brilliant metalsmiths and fearless warriors. As their population grew, the Gauls began seeking new resources and fresh land - but so did their neighbors, most famously, the Romans. In 390 BCE, the Gauls sacked Rome, becoming the most feared of Rome's enemies for centuries. Eventually united under their chieftain Vercingetorix, the Gauls offered fierce resistance to Rome's imperial ambitions, forever leaving their mark on history.
- Apex Age: Antiquity
- Attributes: Economic, Expansionist
- Unique Ability - Favor of Cernunnos (Antiquity Age): Increased Production in Settlements if there is not another Gaul-founded Settlement’s City Center within a set number of tiles. Increased Gold if your Settlement’s City Center is within a set number of tiles from another civilization’s border. Towns can purchase Fortification Buildings regardless of Town Focus.
- Unique Civilian Unit - Druid (Unique Settler Unit): Increased Movement. If you found a Settlement on a Breathtaking Appeal tile, receive a free Nemeton Unique Building; can be used in any Settlement that can construct a Nemeton.
- Unique Military Unit - Gaisatai (Unique Infantry Unit): Increased Combat Strength for adjacent Military Units.
- Unique Quarter - Dūnon: Increased HP to Fortifications in this Settlement.
- Unique Building - Nemeton: Increased Happiness. Culture Adjacency with Breathtaking Appeal tiles. Counts as Fortification.
- Unique Building - Goben: Increased Culture. Increased Gold and increased Production toward Military Units if placed on Rough Terrain. Increased Production Adjacency with tiles of other civilizations. Counts as Fortification.
- Associated Wonder - Vix: Gain Great Work slots. Increased Culture and increased Gold to Ageless Buildings in this Settlement. Cannot be placed adjacent to a District.
Check out the full Game Guide for the Gauls here.
NEW Civilization: England
Forged in battle, refined at the altar, England dominated medieval Europe. Under the Plantagenets, the crown contended with the church, the aristocracy, and restive neighbors to shore up a kingdom of strength and beauty, of longbows and Gothic cathedrals. Transformed by plague and the Hundred Years’ War, England emerged into the Tudor era rich in arts and economy, primed for reformation and colonial expansion – growth that laid the foundations for the British Empire.
- Apex Age: Exploration
- Attributes: Economic, Cultural
- Unique Ability - Magna Carta (Exploration Age): Increased Culture on Gold Buildings and increased Gold on Culture Buildings; this is doubled for Island and Distant Lands Settlements.
- Unique Civilian Unit - Merchant Adventurer (Unique Merchant Unit): Increased Influence when establishing a Trade Route with Homeland civs. Increased Gold when establishing a Trade Route in Distant Lands for each Resource in that Settlement.
- Unique Military Unit - Longbow (Unique Ranged Unit): Unique Ranged Unit. Increased Attack Range. Costs more to train or purchase.
- Unique Quarter - Abbey: Increased Culture in this Settlement for each of your Towns following your Religion.
- Unique Building - Chapter House: Increased Culture. Increased Culture Adjacency with Happiness Buildings.
- Unique Building - Chapel: Increased Gold. Increased Happiness Adjacency with Culture Buildings. Has a set number of Great Work slots.
- Associated Wonder - Globe Theatre: Increased Culture and increased GDP per turn for each Great Work displayed, across your empire. Has a set number of Great Work slots. Must be placed adjacent to a River.
Check out the full Game Guide for England here.
(★ = Community Influenced Item)
Gameplay
Maps & Map Generation
- Added True Start Location Earth map.
- Some specific notes regarding TSL Earth:
- TSL Earth is only available at Huge Size, on PC, Mac, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.
- All TSL Earth games must start in the Antiquity Age. Advanced Starts are not currently supported on this map type.
- The Grand Canyon Natural Wonder does not spawn on TSL Earth.
- Dev Note: Independent Powers do not currently map to their TSL spots on the map. We considered this, but too many leaders and civs require a density of IPs on the map to work well, and we opted for better gameplay. We are looking at the work it would take to add a TSL option for IPs but no timeline yet.
- Some specific notes regarding TSL Earth:
- Added Shuffle (Voronoi) map.
- Added Terra Incognita (Voronoi) map.
- Improved Resource Placement across all map types for faster loading speeds and new map generation functionality.
- Dev Note: Similar to how our Voronoi generation changed how we generate maps, we also have a new approach to Resource placement that gives us new tools and different outputs. We’ll be taking your feedback into consideration as we tweak Resource placement in future patches.
- Niter Resources no longer incorrectly spawn in the player’s Homelands during the Antiquity Age.
- Rubber now regularly spawns in the Modern Age.
Diplomacy
- (★) You can now pay Influence to an Ally to avoid joining their war while still maintaining your relationship.
- WMD strikes can no longer be launched without starting a war.
Military
- [Tides of Power DLC] The Janissary Ottoman Unique Unit no longer incorrectly applies a Happiness penalty on Rural tiles.
- Mikasa (Meiji Japan) and [Crossroads of the World DLC] Modern Unique Heavy Naval units Revenge (Great Britain) now correctly receive a +1 Range increase upon reaching Tier 3
Miscellaneous
- Independent Powers no longer spawn within player Settlement borders.
- The Hoo-Do Wonder no longer fails to provide +1 Appeal to adjacent tiles.
- The Relationship Panel now correctly displays which leader settled too close to an opposing Capital.
- Addressed an issue where the Happiness Needed value in the Governments window displays as “0/0” during a Celebration.
Leaders & Civs
Leaders
- [Hall of History DLC] Added new leader Elizabeth I.
- [Hall of History DLC] Added new leader George Washington.
- Friedrich, Oblique and Gilgamesh leader Challenges now correctly grant completion credit.
- Pachacuti’s Mountain Food adjacency bonus no longer persists on buildings in a captured Settlement.
- Added a “Win in the Modern Age” platform achievement for the following DLC leaders on Steam, Epic, PlayStation, and Xbox:
- Ada Lovelace
- Simón Bolívar
- Genghis Khan
- Lakshmibai
- Edward Teach
- Sayyida al Hurra
- Toyotomi Hideyoshi
- Yi Sun-sin
- George Washington
- Elizabeth I
Civs
- [Hall of History DLC] Added new civ Gauls (Apex in Antiquity Age).
- [Hall of History DLC] Added new civ Babylon (Apex in Antiquity Age).
- [Hall of History DLC ] Added new civ England (Apex in Exploration Age).
- [Brush & Blade DLC] Sengoku Japan’s 4 Major Triumphs challenge can now be completed as expected.
- When playing as the Normans, the Bayeux Tapestry Tradition now correctly grants +4 Culture to captured Settlements.
- When playing as Russia, the Obshchina no longer incorrectly gains extra yields when placed on a Tundra.
- [Right to Rule DLC] Qajar now correctly unlocks for the Modern Age after playing as Achaemenid Persia in the Exploration Age with Advanced Start.
UI
General
- (★) Added a Radial Ruler into the Lens panel that allows players to measure tile distance from the cursor more effectively.
- (★) [PC-Only] Added an option to turn off specular reflection highlights on Deep Ocean tiles.
- Dev Note: This change should be especially helpful for content creators trying to limit video bitrate!
- (★) Added Syncretism unlock information to various screens during game setup.
- Added a new toggle to the Appeal Lens that shows the specific Appeal value of a plot.
- Unavailable civilizations now correctly appear grayed out during the Exploration Age Transition.
- Loading screens no longer have an unnecessary scroll bar.
- The reset button in the options menu now correctly reverts changes made to font scale.
- The button prompts shown in the tutorial now correctly match modified user keybinds.
- The minimap camera map zoom now correctly functions when using the Scroll Wheel on the minimap.
- Addressed an issue preventing the Lens panel from opening correctly after a Civic or Tech unlock notification.
- The “Resource Replacement Failed” pop-up now correctly displays when attempting to replace Camels while unable to do so.
- In-game layout decoration and Lens systems no longer automatically change when establishing a Capital City.
- The player now correctly appears among the listed leaders in the defeat summary screen after Retiring.
- The “Collapse All” button in the City Details view now works as expected after cycling through multiple Cities.
Alignment & Spacing
- When viewing the Diplomacy menu with insufficient Influence, longer Independent Power names no longer overlap with the font icon.
- Naval Units’ flag icons no longer overlap each other when Units occupy the same tile.
- The Map Type menu no longer overlaps with tooltip UI in the Game Setup menu.
Controller-Specific
- The Government Overview panel now scrolls down fully when playing as the French Empire.
- Addressed several issues where the controller could lose functionality when closing or dismissing certain UI elements.
- Addressed several controller cursor focus issues across the Religion, Diplomacy, Commerce, and Pause menus.
- Navigation no longer becomes unresponsive after hiding the nested tutorial tooltips in the Diplomacy Screen and taking a Diplomatic Action.
- If the ‘Add AI Player” option is unavailable in the Advanced Options menu, the cursor no longer disappears when moving over this option.
- The 'Change Policies' button now successfully opens the Government screen when pressed on the Civic unlock pop-up during simultaneous Tech and Civic unlocks.
- Interacting with tutorial pop-ups in city menus no longer inadvertently triggers the "Edit Name" function.
- Independent Power screen button prompts now correctly appear when accessed from the Diplomacy Actions screen.
Text Changes
- Various text fixes and improvements across the game.
- Removed instances of placeholder text in Hotseat multiplayer.
Tooltips
- You can now see the Appeal and Appeal value of a tile via the Plot Tooltip.
- The 'Occupied' tooltip now properly displays on hostile Units in neutral or enemy-owned territory.
- Narrative Event reward text is now present in the options box independent of whether tooltips are hidden.
Narrative
- Fixed various storylets that would not appropriately trigger or appear.
Audio
- Nuclear detonation SFX/VFX now correctly plays when launched from a Squadron Commander.
- Addressed multiple music-loading issues in Hotseat mode.
- Improvements to multiple audio cues and SFX across various menus.
Platform-Specific
Switch/Switch 2
- Purchased DLC content can now be properly accessed while offline.
Update 1.4.2 Hotfix - Aug 13, 2026
We're rolling out a hotfix to address a handful of community-reported issues. Thanks for your ongoing feedback, Civ players.
An update for Switch players: This patch is now live on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. Thank you for your patience!
- Addressed a multiplayer issue where one player unreadying their turn would automatically unready all other players.
- Selecting Dai Viet during an Age Transition no longer incorrectly changes your civilization to your leader's Historical Apex civ.
- Silla's Sangdaedeung Unique Merchant Unit no longer grants excessive Gold when used after loading a save.
If you’re still running into issues after this patch, please let us know through our support portal.
Update 1.4.2 Notes - July 28
Update 1.4.2 is rolling out to all platforms today!
With Test of Time in the rearview mirror, we’ve continued to be hard at work revisiting some of Civ’s preexisting systems to help give them greater depth. To that end, this update brings a handful of features and improvements we’re excited to share with you.
We’ve heard players asking for more options in Peace Deals, and with 1.4.2, we’re happy to add new ways to negotiate. You'll now have an expanded toolkit of items to exchange to bring a war to a close, along with an upgraded, cleaner UI. In a similar vein, we’re also making improvements to Leader Relationships that give you more control and clarity over your diplomatic strategy.
With Victories getting an overhaul in Test of Time, we had to do some tinkering to get individual Victory settings back up and running. Now, with 1.4.2, you can once again disable or enable specific Victory types, crafting a path to greatness that’s all your own!
Lastly, we’re launching the second part of the paid Brush and Blade Collection.* We introduced Toyotomi Hideyoshi, Heian Japan, and Sengoku Japan last month, and now, players can delve into Korean history with the addition of Yi Sun-sin, Goryeo, and Joseon. For more details on their Unique Abilities, Units, and gameplay styles, read more below!
We’re grateful for your continued support and the many turns taken! To hang out and keep the conversation going, join our growing empire over on the Official Civ Discord. You can share your latest game stories, leave feedback on Update 1.4.2 (and other areas of Civilization VII), and join in on fun community events with fellow Civ fans. As always, read on for the details, start your next empire, and stay civilized!
*Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game when they are available. Terms apply.
Before You Dive In…
Active Mods Will Be Disabled
An important note for PC players regarding mods: Like our previous update, this update will do a reset to disable all active mods. We highly recommend giving our amazing modding community a little time to update their work before toggling things back on manually.
Using a mod that has been updated and is stable? You can simply re-enable these mods by navigating to "Add-ons" in the Main Menu. Browse your list of installed mods and toggle on the ones you want to play with.
Some Additional Reminders
- Update drivers: We recommend ensuring your graphics drivers are up-to-date and to double check our Minimum System Requirements for the best experience.
- Backwards compatibility: While we aim to maintain backwards compatibility for existing saves as much as possible, some new abilities or effects may not appear until you start a new game. For the best experience, we recommend starting a new game.
- Legacy branch: Are you playing on Steam and want to finish your current save under a previous version? You can do so using our legacy Steam beta branch. To join the legacy branch, right-click Sid Meier's Civilization VII in your Steam library, select Properties, then click over to the Betas tab. From there, select the “legacy” option.
As a reminder, you can visit our tracker to see known issues. If you’re encountering an issue, you can submit a bug report with the team here.
Improved Peace Deals
We’ve given Peace Deals some more options so you can settle your disputes like a true statesman (or a highly pragmatic conqueror).
Peace deals are no longer strictly a property market! Where previously you could trade Settlements, you can now throw Gold and Influence onto the table to resolve your conflicts. Notably, the amount of Gold and Influence that can be traded is determined by Age; we chose to focus on meaningful lump sums to help better manage the economy of war and, importantly, set up the AI to better negotiate.
As with most of our changes, we’re rounding it out with some new UI to improve the overall experience. The Peace Deal screen will feel more colorful and compact, and yes(!) - you can now dismiss a Peace Deal temporarily to survey the map and make a truly informed decision when it comes to Settlement swaps.
We still have more in store for deepening Diplomacy and War, including new ways to maintain your alliances without joining allies’ wars, among other new features. Stay tuned!
Improved Leader Relationships
No empire is complete without some clever diplomacy, and with this update, we’re making it easier to keep track of how you’re faring with other Leaders. For starters, the Leader Relationship panel now displays which Leader initiated an event that changed your relationship (for example, which of the two started an Endeavor).
We’re also adding more information to the Leader Agenda notifications, as well as new, unique messages from Leaders when their Agenda significantly changes your relationship.
Additionally, we’ve updated the Reconciliation Diplomatic Action. Previously, you were only able to initiate Reconciliation with a Hostile opponent. Now, you can extend an olive branch even earlier and initiate Reconciliation with an Unfriendly leader, too.
Content Collection: Brush and Blade Part 2
Launching alongside Update 1.4.2 is the second part of our latest paid content collection: Brush and Blade.* This collection journeys deep into East Asian history, exploring the balance between art and conflict, ambition and fortitude. Part Two Includes:
- New Leader: Yi Sun-sin
- New Civilizations: Goryeo and Joseon
- More Customization: a new border for your player profile
How it works:
If you purchased the Brush and Blade Collection when it launched alongside Update 1.4.1 last month, you’ll receive access to this Part 2 content right as Update 1.4.2 releases. Otherwise, you can purchase the collection any time to receive Part 1 and Part 2 content together!
*Base game required. Each DLC will be delivered automatically in-game when they are available. Terms apply.
Leaders
NEW Leader: Yi Sun-sin
The famed admiral, Yi Sun-sin, was a man of duty and resolve. Through a volatile career plagued by betrayal, Admiral Yi never strayed from his duty, answering the call of his king even from the depths of prison. From the splintered remains of the Korean navy, he forged a fleet of strength and led his men to victory against the overwhelming odds of the enemy, cementing his legacy as a hero to his men and to his people.
- Attributes: Militaristic, Scientific
- Unique Ability - Samdo Sugun Tongjesa: Can train Fleet Commanders after studying the Discipline Civic during the Antiquity Age. Receive a free Fleet Commander once you have both a Harbor and Discipline in Antiquity. Defeating an enemy with a Naval Unit provides Science equal to a percentage of its Combat Strength. All Fleet Commanders receive XP upon construction of Science Buildings. Gain a set amount Gold per Age per point of Fleet Commander XP earned in Combat.
- Agenda - 13 Ships: Increase Relationship with civilizations that have a minimum amount of Naval Units and Fortification Buildings. Decrease Relationship with civilizations that don't meet these minimums.
Check out the full Game Guide for Yi Sun-Sin here.
Civilizations
NEW Civilization: Goryeo
Out of the fragmentation of Korea’s Three Kingdoms period came Goryeo, a center for scholarship and art, and a formidable force in East Asia. Established in 918 CE, Goryeo became a bastion of Buddhist scholarship, and was an early innovator in moveable type – in other words, the printing press. Additionally, Goryeo celadon pottery is famous for its sophistication and artistry. Goryeo faced challenges, though, keeping peace on the peninsula at first through strength, and then through strategic positioning as a vassal of the Yuan Dynasty of China. Yet in that empire’s fall, a new order arose – Joseon.
- Apex Age: Exploration
- Attributes: Cultural, Diplomatic
- Unique Ability - Byeongjo:
- Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns and increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities.
- Tier 2, Exploration Age (Apex): Further increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns and increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities.
- Tier 3, Modern Age: Even further increased Culture from active Endeavors you started or supported. Increased Culture on Unique Improvements in Towns, increased Influence on Unique Improvements in Cities, and increased Tourism from all Unique Improvements.
- Unique Military Unit - Hwacha (Unique Siege Unit): Deals Splash damage equal to a percentage of the total damage done to the target.
- Unique Military Unit - Tobang (Unique Cavalry Unit): Increased Combat Strength when Stationed or Occupying a District. Increased Influence for each City Center with a Stationed Tobang.
- Associated Wonder - Buseoksa: Increased Happiness. Joyous Settlements within a set number of tiles from this Wonder receive increased Influence on Unique Improvements. Ecstatic Settlements within a set number of tiles from this Wonder receive increased Influence and Gold on Unique Improvements. Must be placed on Tropical or Grassland Terrain adjacent to at least one Mountain tile. Goryeo receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.
Check out the full Game Guide for Goryeo here.
NEW Civilization: Joseon
As stable as it was isolated, the Joseon Dynasty was a five-centuries-long period of peace in Korea, marked by the elaboration of Confucianism, a strong defense, and a carefully balanced political system. Founded in 1392, the kingdom lasted until just before the dawn of the 20th century, repelling invasion after invasion from its neighbors. It was a highly structured society, with a rich scholarly tradition that carefully monitored outside influences, selecting only that which would make Joseon prosper. It would fall in 1897, after pressure from the ascendant Meiji Empire and the United States became overwhelming.
- Apex Age: Modern
- Attributes: Cultural, Expansionist
- Unique Ability - Munchi:
- Tier 1, Antiquity Age: Increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Decreased Specialist Limit in all Cities other than the Capital. Joseon begins the Age with a set City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
- Tier 2, Exploration Age: Increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Decreased Specialist Limit in all Cities other than the Capital. Joseon begins the Age with a set, increased City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
- Tier 3, Modern Age (Apex): Further increased Specialist Limit in the Capital. Increased Specialist Limit all Cities other than the Capital with a Seowon Unique Quarter; decreased Specialist Limit in non-Capital Cities without a Seowon Unique Quarter. Joseon begins the Age with a set, increased City Limit. Can purchase Tier 1 Science and Culture Buildings in Towns.
- Unique Civilian Unit - Jangyongyoung (Unique Commander Unit): Land Units in a Capital receive increased Combat Strength within the Command Radius.
- Unique Military Unit - Turtle Ship (Unique Heavy Naval Unit): Decreased Ranged and Bombard Strength compared to other Heavy Naval Units. Has increased Bombard Strength and increased Ranged Strength when on Coast Terrain.
- Associated Wonder - Hwaseong: Increased Culture, Tradition Slots, and Social Policy Slots. Acts as a Fortified District that must be conquered. Must be placed on a Flat tile adjacent to at least one Rough tile. Joseon receives increased Production toward constructing this Wonder.
Check out the full Game Guide for Joseon here.
(★ = Community Influenced Item)
Gameplay
AI
- Addressed a reported issue where AI Gilgamesh would continue making new alliances after finding his best friend, not taking advantage of his War Support Bonus.
- Addressed an issue where the AI fails to use the Disperse Shinobi Clan action when the player moves a Shinobi near the AI Leader's Military Unit.
Diplomacy & Peace Deals
- (★) In addition to Settlements, Gold and Influence can now be traded during Peace Deal negotiations.
- Dev Note: The amount of Gold and Influence you can trade is set by Age. Instead of continuously tweaking a deal to squeeze a couple extra Gold, we chose to focus on meaningful lump sums. Trading Yields in predetermined amounts helps us better manage the economy of war and set up the AI to negotiate better.
- (★) The Peace Deal screen has been updated with a more compact design, and can be temporarily closed during negotiations so players can survey the map.
- The Reconciliation Endeavor can now be used with leaders that are Hostile OR Unfriendly, instead of just Hostile.
- The Leader Relationship screen now displays which leader initiated an event that changed the relationship (i.e. who started an Endeavor or declared war).
- Added new unique messages when an Agenda significantly changes your relationship with another Leader.
Independent Powers
- Independent Powers will no longer spam-build fortifications at the beginning of each turn.
Miscellaneous
- You can now enable or disable any of the individual Victory conditions (including scores for that particular Victory). Newly compatible with the reworked Victories from Test of Time!
- Addressed an issue where Machu Pikchu could become an uncapturable District when surrounded by walls.
- Updated in-game descriptions of Toyotomi Hideyoshi's Agenda to be more consistent across sources.
- Addressed an issue where the Despotism Celebration was able to stack multiple times.
- Addressed an issue where Mexico’s Revolución Government passive ability affects all players in games with Mexico.
- Made several changes to resolve crashes and improve overall stability.
Military
- Addressed a reported issue where AI could stack multiple Combat Units in a City Center. (Sorry, AI, no more death stacks!)
- Addressed an issue preventing purchased Units from spawning when Quarters were occupied.
Triumphs & Dedications
- Triumph-based Leader Challenges now consistently grant completion credit.
- Dev note: We've tracked down the root cause of this issue, and we’re sorry to everyone who missed out on Leader XP as a result. This issue is resolved going forward as of Update 1.4.2. While we don't currently have the ability to restore previously missed XP, we're actively exploring improvements to our backend tools that would allow us to do so in the future. If you ran into this bug and would like to be kept informed, please hit Follow on our Known Issues page and you'll receive an email when updates become available. Thanks for your patience!
- Addressed an issue where some Dedications would fail to appear at the start of the next Age.
- Addressed an issue where Tonga's Ngatu I Tradition incorrectly applies +1 Culture to Warehouse Buildings.
- Addressed an issue where a Settler would fail to spawn when players completed the “From Nagu to Nagu” Triumph while a Commander occupied the Capital.
Leaders & Civs
Leaders
- Added new DLC leader Yi Sun-Sin.
- Ashoka, World Renouncer:
- Ashoka was nerfed due to surrounding balance changes in Test of Time, and now, we get to bring him back up to fighting weight as he makes use of our new Happiness mechanics.
- New Abilities:
- +1 Food in Cities for every 5 excess Happiness (unchanged)
- +10% Food in all Happy Settlements during a Celebration, or +15% in Joyous Settlements, or +20% in Ecstatic Settlements. (Previously: +10% Food in all Settlements during a Celebration)
- Happiness, Food, and Unique Buildings gain a +1 Happiness adjacency for all Improvements. (Previously: only Unique Buildings)
- Dev Note: This stacks, so a Food/Happiness Building or a Unique Happiness Building gets double!
Civs
- Added new DLC civ Goryeo (Apex in Exploration Age).
- Added new DLC civ Joseon (Apex in Modern Age).
UI/UX
Alignment & Spacing
- Improved slot alignment on the Choose Dedications screen on lower resolutions.
- Improved icon and element alignment in the Civilization Details screens.
Controller-Specific
- The player is no longer blocked by unbuildable items when viewing the “Hidden list” of the Production menu.
- Civilization and Leader selection menus retain scroll functionality after navigating away and returning within the Multiplayer Lobby.
- Controller functionality now remains stable when the player disconnects from the network.
- The Legacies icon now properly appears in the radial menu during the tutorial.
- Improved cursor functionality while navigating various screens and menus.
- The Radial Menu and Unit Panel can no longer be opened at the same time.
- The scrollbar for the Legacy menu can now be more easily moved downwards.
- The "Inspect" button remains functional on the Victories Menu while progressing to the next turn.
- Resource icons tooltips no longer shake when highlighted in the Commerce Screen.
- Tile tooltips are now hidden while the Great Works menu is open.
General
- Newly founded Settlements will no longer have the same name as your Capital.
- The Specialist Slots UI now correctly appears inactive when viewing Damaged/Pillaged/Radioactive Fallout tiles with the Growth Lens.
- The Heian Defeat screen now correctly plays when retiring during the Antiquity Age.
- The “Choose your Advisor” pop-up no longer appears twice when passing a turn where a Unit was auto-moving.
- Hovering over Treasure Resources text in the Treasure tab of the Commerce menu now plays the correct audio when using Narrate on Hover.
- The turn axis of the Economic Victory graph now properly syncs with the current turn.
- Leader portraits no longer disappear when opening the Economic Victory tab while progressing to the next turn.
- Selecting “Itsaraprahab” while closing the Diplomacy menu of an Independent Power no longer causes a game crash.
- Oshikochi No Mitsune's Activate Great Person button should now work properly when standing on a tile with one completed Culture Building and one Culture Building being constructed.
- The Government Selection screen now shows which Civics are required to unlock a Tradition.
- The Befriend Independent Power UI in the Diplomacy Menu now correctly displays the top two Leaders competing to befriend an Independent Power.
- The Fleet Commander Focus Fire ability now is able to target Fortified Districts with garrisoned Units.
- The progress timer now properly appears when hovering over keywords of a tooltip with Tooltip Autolock enabled.
- The Unit movement highlight now correctly excludes invalid tiles and tiles for units that have consumed all movement.
- Addressed an issue where players could not select Units after triggering the Exploration tutorial in the Antiquity Age.
- The Just One More Turn button is no longer present when the player selects No More Turns after losing to an AI opponent.
- The Leader XP bar no longer fails to appear when viewing the progress menu.
- [MP] The Friends tab no longer replaces the Lobby tab when opening the social menu in the Internet Lobby.
- The promo image now correctly changes when swapping tabs with pips in the Carousel menu.
- [Steam, Windows only] If an outdated driver causes a crash, a window communicating this will be displayed.
Hotseat
- The player swap screen now correctly appears when the turn timer reaches 0 with the Diplomacy menu opened.
- The Advisor Council menu is no longer empty when loading the save created by the client in Hotseat mode.
- The 'Close Peace Deal Proposal?' pop-up now correctly appears when selecting the 'Close' button in the Peace Deal Menu as the receiving player.
- Choose Dedications menu selection slots now correctly register for the non-host player when a turn timer is active.
- Players are no longer able to observe other players’ unit move track when viewing the fog of war.
- The Turn Timer will now have Extended Turn time on the first turn of Antiquity.
- “First to” Triumphs are now correctly locked for other players and cleared from their journals once completed by a player.
- Hovering over the text on the Hotseat Player Curtain now correctly narrates the Leader name when using Narrate on Hover.
- The Defeat screen now correctly appears when the current player is defeated in a two-player game.
Text Changes
- Diplomacy Menus now feature iconography to help identify actions more easily.
- Leader attribute descriptions no longer disappear when switching tabs in the Leader Attributes menu.
- City Caps have been renamed to City Limits to keep terminology consistent throughout the game.
Tooltips
- (★) The City Details Panel now has a tooltip you can look at to see a breakdown of the "base" Improvements in the Settlement, accessible via a small icon next to the Improvements header.
- E.G., if a Settlement has one tile with a Farm, and one tile that was a Farm but now has a Unique Improvement on it, this tooltip communicates that the Settlement has 2 Farms.
- New tooltips for Population and Production have been added, accessible by hovering the mouse cursor over City Banners.
- You can now hold inspect on a tooltip to permanently hide it and hold inspect to have it pop up again.
- Addressed several instances of tooltips not properly closing.
- The game no longer crashes when opening many nested tooltips.
Modding
- Note for modders using utility-serialize.js: The utility provides a "catalog" to Store and retrieve arbitrary key/values for the world or per-player, and has been significantly updated since the last patch. Any mods currently using this file may run into issues where values read immediately after writing to a "catalog" may receive incorrect values: those mods should be updated to await an event confirming the write operation has completed before reading values. Currently catalogs are cleared out each Age by default. An upcoming release will have catalogs persist across Ages. Please refer to the corresponding utility-serialize.ts in the SDK for more notes on usage.
Audio
- Added new Test of Time ambient war track during the Antiquity Age.
- Addressed instances of incorrect or overlapping SFX playing.
- Addressed a reported issue where loading screen VO continued to play after entering a multiplayer game.
- Civilization themes will now properly update when switching players during Hotseat multiplayer.
Platform-Specific
Switch
- Addressed an issue where AI failed to declare war despite having Hostile relations (this fix was previously addressed for other platforms in Update 1.4.1 Hotfix 2).
- [Switch 2] Made several stability improvements and reduced crashing.
PlayStation
- [PS4] The Leader and Diplomacy Screen no longer shifts downward and cuts off buttons when accessed via the radial menu.
