Taking over enemy empires and establishing relationships with them is the whole concept of the Civilization series but Civilization 7 adds an interesting twist to this with the introduction of Independent Powers. These Powers work differently from any other settlement in the game and bring a lot of new elements with them.
This article will tell you all about the Independent Powers in Civilization 7, including how you can interact with them and take control of them.
What Are Independent Powers In Civilization VII?
Independent Powers are settlements without a leader that can be randomly found across the map in Civilization 7. These Powers don’t take up too much space on the map. They can either naturally be peaceful, neutral, or hostile towards the player, which the color of their border can determine.
Although they usually aren’t too tough, they can pose a real challenge on higher difficulties, especially when you are busy dealing with other larger empires. Befriending these Independent Powers will convert them into City-States and you will become their Suzerain.
Encampments
Encampments are Independent Powers that are always hostile towards you. The only way to end their hostility is to disperse them completely. They cannot be suzerained at all and their stance won’t change throughout the game.
These sorts of Independent Powers are more commonly found in higher difficulty levels and once you have made some progress in the game.
Interacting With Independent Powers
There are a few ways you can interact with the Independent Powers in the game. These include the following options:
1. Befriending The Independent Powers
Befriending the Independent Powers takes up a lot of Influence and turns them into a City-State with you as the Suzerain. It is recommended to befriend these Independent Powers as soon as you come across them, as other leaders can beat you to it if they get there first.
The befriending process can also be sped up by spending an extra amount of Influence. Note that you can only befriend Neutral or Friendly Powers. Although you will need a lot of Influence, and this process can take up almost 10 turns, it is worth it due to the amount of bonuses and rewards you can receive as the Suzerain of the State.
These City-States provide bonuses on the basis of their types and can help you progress towards some of the Legacy Path victories in the game. You can also perform certain actions such as bolstering the military units of the City-State and promoting their growth. These actions will help your settlements as you can use the resources and Units of the City-State to your own advantage.
If you want, you can also Incorporate these City-States into your own Empire once you’ve become their Suzerain. This can be a useful option if you believe these States have a good tactical location on the map or if they have plentiful resources.
Befriending an Independent Power is usually the best option in the game even if you don’t choose to incorporate them into your Empire. The passive resources these Powers can provide is of great help. They also provide good outposts in certain areas of the map and getting to certain strategic Independent Powers and befriending them before your enemies can, is a critical part of the game.
2. Inciting A Raid
This option is usually the least commonly used among Civilization 7 players but it can still be of some use. Clicking on an Independent Power will give you the option of Inciting a Raid on another Civilization. This action will take up 30 Influence and will provoke this Independent Power to go and attack an enemy Civilization.
Although this can be a good option if you’re looking to pester your enemies and keep them busy, it only lasts for one turn and these raids aren’t usually enough to cause major damage.
3. Dispersing The Independent Powers
The last option to deal with Hostile Independent Powers in the game is to attack their bases and completely disperse them. This won’t usually be easy as these Powers can also bolster strong Military strength in higher difficulties but it will be much easier than attacking another Civilization. You should ideally use this approach if you’re being pestered by attacks by a hostile Independent Power.
Remember that this option won’t show up if you’re looking at the actions you can perform on an Independent Power, and you will have to direct your Military Units to do so. If you manage to attack an Independent Power successfully, you will completely disperse them and they will disappear from the face of the map.
