The Exploration Age has a number of different Leader and Civilization combinations for players to choose from, but not all are created equally. Here are out top 5 suggestions for strong synergies in this Age, covering a range of playstyles and win conditions.
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The Top 5 Exploration Age Leader & Civilization Combinations in Civ 7 | Best mid-game builds
If you are looking for an established Civilization and Leader combination in the Exploration Age that is focused a bit less on Settlements and keeps a strong footing in Science, then Confucius and the Ming Civ are a great choice. We recommended Confucius and the Han Civ in the Antiquity Age and think it scales perfectly into Exploration. Grow your few cities, play a tall playstyle (very few settlements), and watch as others spread their resources too thin.
Ashoka the World Renouncer is another one that already has great growth potential, which is made even better with the Shawnee Civilization. The only caveat to this one is the requirement that you are already on Navigable Rivers, so make sure you are planning for this in Antiquity. Look to get as many Mawaskawe Stores up as possible and watch your empire flourish and thrive.
Pachacuti is another leader who prefers to stick around a specific type of terrain, making him perfect for the Incan Civilization and its mountain synergy. This is made even better by your ability to get Machu Picchu early in the Age, which can generate incredible resource yields, as Connor has shown in his Harriet Tubman Incan Let’s Play on CivHaus. Set this up with the Mayan Civ in Antiquity and you should scale nicely through this age, allowing you to play either wide or tall.
Read More: Top 5 Tips to Dominate the Exploration Age in Civ 7
If you are looking for a purely militaristic approach to Exploration, Charlemagne and Mongolia are an incredible combination synergizing around Calvary units. The Mongols have a unique Commander that further buffs your Calvary units, which already get +5 to Combat Strenght in Celebrations. This playstyle has very little focus on leaving your primary continent, so keep that in mind as you are planning.
We highlighted this combination in our Antiquity Leader and Civilization combinations video, but it’s worth talking about more here. We think Xerxes the Achaemenid and Songhai are dominant in the Exploration Age thanks to incredible Gold scaling, pillaging Trade Routes, and making even more gold from trades of your own. All in all, this plays incredibly well for an Economic win condition but can fit around almost any playstyle if done correctly.
All in all, we think there are lots of great combinations to consider here, but inevitably encourage you to try out your own ideas as well. We hope you enjoyed this content, and hope you’ll stick around for more!
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