How Diplomacy works in Civilization 7

Diplomacy in Civilization 7 is a new addition in the seventh mainline installment in Firaxis Games' 4X franchise. While the concept was present in the previous titles, it has been massively overhauled in the latest entry. In fact, fans can create a play style centered around diplomacy, but there are several intricacies that they should be aware of.

This article guides you on the inner workings of Diplomacy in Civilization 7.

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A guide to Diplomacy in Civilization 7

Diplomacy in Civilization 7 is an important aspect of running your empire (Image via 2K)

Diplomacy in Civilization 7 is now centered around a new currency — Influence. Leveraging various actions with other cities is now done through this new resource. For starters, you'll gain 10 Influence per turn if you're on Standard speed.

However, there are other ways in which you can acquire more of this resource. One of them is through Discoveries — if you come across goodie huts while exploring the map with a scout, you'll get some Influence. Additionally, it can be gained through Buildings, Wonders, and Leader abilities.

It can also be gained by actions that create tension. For example, setting your base near another Civ leader's capital will raise stress, but also provide Influence.

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Diplomatic Actions

Decide who becomes your friend and who becomes your ally in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K)

Influence is mainly used for taking diplomatic actions in the game. There are four of these in total:

Endeavors

Endeavors are friendly interactions between two cities that have mutual benefits. You can spend Influence to convince another empire to aid you in a 'Research Collaboration', at the cost of them reaping the benefits as well.

Sanctions

Sanctions on the other hand are penalties targeted at an opponent. Placing one on another civilization will hamper its output but also deteriorate your relationship with them. For example, if you decide to impose sanctions like 'Hamper Military Production', your opponent's militaries will cost 20% more to train but you'll incur a -15 relationship loss with them.

Treaties

Treaties are long-term actions that build your relationship with other civilizations. If you choose to 'Open Borders' or 'Improve Trade Relations,' you will both be able to earn more from each other, as you gain access to additional lands or better businesses.

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Espionage

Espionage is a high-risk high-reward action that sees you carrying out secret operations. They either provide you with a bonus or inflict a debuff on the target. However, these have a chance to be exposed, and if they do, you'll incur a loss of relations with the target empire along with a decrease in how much Influence you earn over time.

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Responses

Enemy nations also have the ability to take diplomatic actions. If they initiate one, you can choose to respond in one of three different ways (players can respond to all actions except the secretive espionage missions):

• Support: Supporting an offer from rivals will cost influence. However, it will also provide you with some kind of benefit, such as additional gold, extra production, etc.
• Accept: Accepting a proposition doesn't cost influence. But the proposer will receive better buffs than you.
• Reject: Rejecting an action costs some Influence. It will block the offer, but the leader that initiated it will retrieve the Influence he spent on it.

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Independent Powers:

Independent regions are a great way to expand your power (Image via 2K)

Another element of Diplomacy in Civilization 7 is the various independent powers found throughout its map. These settlements can be befriended by spending Influence. Once these powers develop into City-States your options for Diplomacy in Civilization 7 increase. You can then:

• Build up their military to apply regional pressure on their neighbors.
• Levy their units, making them yours forever down the line.
• Incite them to raid someone other than yourself.

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Diplomatic Relationships

There are five different levels of Diplomatic Relationships you can forge in the game. These are — Helpful, Friendly, Neutral, Unfriendly, and Hostile. Some actions have a prerequisite of a particular relation level. For example, you cannot create a military alliance with another empire if their relationship with you is below helpful.

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War Support

Befriend your neighbors or conquer them (Image via 2K)

War Support is another new concept that is related to Diplomacy in Civilization 7. Waging wars is also part of running a Civilization in the title. War Support influences the outcome of a war, so you'll require a good amount of it to win one. If you declare a Surprise War on another empire, that is, declaring a battle when the relationship between you two isn't hostile, the opponent will receive a War Support buff. If you have low War Support, you'll ultimately face War Weariness, making it harder to fight effectively.

Thus, if you want to go to war with a civ, make sure your relationship with them is hostile beforehand. This will level the ground for both empires. You can then acquire War Support by expending Influence. This can help you win the bout.

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That is everything you need to know about Diplomacy in Civilization 7

Also check out: Civilization 7 all leaders tier list