Civilization 7's Latest Update Brings A Sweeping Balance Pass And A...

Firaxis' attempt to right the ailing vessel that is Civilization VII continues, with its latest update bringing a major balance pass for all civs, plus a bunch of new systems designed to enhance oceanic play. And if you've already picked up Firaxis' latest and most divisive entry in the series, you have the opportunity to pick up history's most notorious pirate entirely for free.

Creative director Ed Beach provided an overview of update 1.3.0 in a developer video, starting with that civ-focussed balance pass. Exactly one dozen civilizations are getting a rework, namely Aksum, Chola, Egypt, Great Britain, Hawaii, Maya, Mississippian, Prussia, Qing, Songhai, Spain, and finally, Persia, which has been renamed slightly to differentiate it from a new DLC Civ.

While the changes vary slightly between civs, the general thrust is the same. "The majority of these adjustments are significant buffs aimed at strengthening these fan-favourite Civs," Beach explains. "We're also introducing more specific bonuses to help each Civ lean into a unique playstyle." One example is that Egypt now receives "tailored" bonuses for building settlements and districts alongside river tiles. In other words, Civ 7 is officially less in de-Nile about Egyptian history.

As for those naval improvements, update 1.3.0 introduces a new building called the harbour, which according to Beach has "a base production yield and gives additional production on fishing boats" alongside forming the new spawn point for all naval units. Meanwhile, players who reach the exploration age can recruit a new seaborne unit—the Privateer. Described as the "ultimate naval raider" by Beach, Privateers aren't bound by the conventional rules of diplomacy, able to freely cross borders, pillage trade routes and attack rival military units regardless of your current affiliation.

More broadly, naval combat has been overhauled. Where sea-battles were exclusively melee affairs before, with ships essentially jostling each other like wooden sumo wrestlers, the update splits naval units into melee and ranged types to make combat more strategically interesting. The oceans have also been made livelier too, scattered with shallow atolls that will bring any ship passing through them to a grinding halt, and populated with crabs and turtles that you can harvest.

All these nautical changes coincide neatly with the release of Civ 7's latest civilization collection, Tides of Power. The first part of this releases today and adds two

Source: PC Gamer