Picking the ideal Starting Location is the key to creating a successful Settlement in Civilization 7. You will need to look at the various resources near the city, the environmental factors, the availability of fresh water, and much more before you decide on a starting location to have the best and most productive outcome.
This article will tell you all you need to do before you decide which starter location you should choose in Civilization 7, and give you some tips that will help you out along the way.
Factors To Consider When Choosing Start Locations
There are a lot of factors to consider when choosing your starting location in Civilization 7 and we will give a brief breakdown of all of them down below:
Yields And Resources
The first and probably most important factor to consider is the Yields and Resources near each starting area on the map. You can check this by turning on the lenses above the minimap on the bottom left side of the screen. Turn on the two lenses to get a much better idea of the resources present on each tile.
The Yields tab will show the current amount of Yields being produced by each tile on the map while the Resources tab shows the Resources present across the map. Civilization 7 marks an improvement over the previous Civilization games in terms of this feature as even many different terrains such as Tundras and Deserts have decent Yields and they aren’t just limited to certain basic locations.
Some Resources in the game are going to be less useful than others when you’re starting out, so be sure to find a tile with an increase in Food or Production as these are the most valuable Resources during the beginning. Also, make sure to look at your Leader and their Attributes and Agendas as some of them specialize in certain Resources which can make for easier Legacy Paths.
The Settler Lens
Another Lens that you should activate while picking a location is the Settler Lens, this shows you which locations on the map are inhabitable and which aren’t. It also highlights certain spots that it believes as the ideal locations and also gives a summary of why you should settle there.
While this is a great option for beginners, you would want to perform some of your own research as well when you grow into the game as there is always potential to find better spots than those suggested on the map, purely due to the Fog of War areas not being revealed.
Settle Near Water
Whether it be freshwater or Oceans or Navigable Rivers, settling near a waterbody is the key to keeping your population happy in Civilization 7. It is also crucial for exploration as you will be mostly limited to just land exploration if you don’t have any water bodies near you. It’s not necessary to create your starting city next to a body of water as you can always move later, but it does ease the process.
Most of the maps in Civilization 7 will have some form of water body and you should ideally choose to start off near one. This is even more crucial for those Leaders who have biases in Coastal areas, as they are usually given some bonuses that will help you even more along the way. Remember that freshwater is perfectly suited for growth and navigable rivers and oceans are suited for the Exploration age.
Choose The Best 3 Tile Combo
Once you pick a starting city in Civilization 3, you will be restricted to 3 tiles in either direction in terms of your Resources and Yields until you expand further. This means that it is important to have as many of these resourceful tiles as possible near your first city if you want any chance at growing as quickly as possible.
Only once you start growing by using the resources of these cities will you be able to expand even further and start unlocking the Fog of War areas. Try to maximize your efficiency by picking centers with multiple Resource-heavy tiles near them so you can make use of all of them.
Analyzing The Terrain
The terrain should also play a huge role in analyzing your starting locations in Civilization 7. While these terrains can be plentiful in terms of resources, they are not of much use if your units cannot securely move in them. This is the case for areas such as Rough Deserts and Mountains, where it is difficult for units to move, and where they immediately stop.
This Rough Terrain shouldn’t be that much of a problem later in the game as you will eventually create roads that will help you transpire them, but it can be a hassle to deal with early on, so it is best to avoid them as much as possible.
Environmental Factors
Along with the terrain, certain Environmental Factors can also play a huge role in making your starting location difficult. These factors can be in the form of hurricanes, volcanoes, or many others which certain tiles are more prone to.
You can also use the Settler Lens to check whether the tiles you are establishing your base in are areas prone to such conditions and you should ideally try to avoid them if it is. You can also try to live in these areas if you’re willing to take the risk for the higher yields they produce, but it is best to steer clear of them early on in the game.
