Civilization 7 players begin expanding their empire with Settlers so they can acquire a lot of settlements, but becoming Suzerain of a City-State offers another avenue altogether. With enough Influence, Civ 7 players don't need to pump out as many Settler Units, as they can actually incorporate a City-State as their own settlement.
Civilization 7: When Should You Build Settlers and Expand?
Expanding your civilization is a key part of Civ 7, but how soon is it too soon to expand?
While it may seem like an easy way to gain a settlement, there are several factors for players to consider before making that decision. This guide will explain the benefits of choosing to incorporate a City-State and when Civ 7 players would be better off staying as Suzerain.
How to Incorporate City-States in Civilization 7
The first step towards even having the option to incorporate a City-State in Civilization 7 will be finding an Independent Power and spending Influence to start the Befriend Independent Project. It takes 30 turns on Standard speed to finish that Project and become Suzerain of a newly converted City-State, but players can spend additional Influence to quicken this process.
The base Influence costs to Befriend Independent Powers in a Standard speed game are:
- Antiquity Age: 170 Influence to begin, 100 Influence to Add Support with each additional Support action costing 10 Influence more than the previous did
- Exploration Age: 340 Influence to begin, 200 Influence to Add Support with each additional Support action costing 20 Influence more than the previous did
- Modern Age: 510 Influence to begin, 300 Influence to Add Support with each additional Support action costing 30 Influence more than the previous did
Once players have become Suzerain, it will take 10 turns in a Standard speed game to Incorporate a City-State for these base Influence costs:
- Antiquity Age: 240 Influence
- Exploration Age: 480 Influence
- Modern Age: 720 Influence
If players choose to remain Suzerain, they can also spend Influence on the following Projects:
- Promote Growth: 30 Influence per Age to generate Food for the City-State
- Bolster Military: 60 Influence per Age to create a Military Unit for the City-State
- Levy Unit: Permanently take control of a Military Unit from the City-State, Influence cost varies based on the exact Military Unit
Promote Growth is always worthwhile if players have the Influence for it, but Projects for Military Units will depend on the situation. Once a City-State is Incorporated, their active Military Units will disband and be lost. If players plan to Incorporate a City-State, they may want to Levy any remaining Military Units before that happens.
Should You Incorporate City-States in Civilization 7?
After the Befriend Independent Project finishes, players will immediately have to choose a Suzerain bonus. These unique rewards are based on the type of City-State that has been created, such as Economic or Scientific, and many of them include advantages directly tied to how many City-States a Leader is actively Suzerain of.
Independent Powers reset after each Age Transition, and players building up bonuses linked to being Suzerain of multiple City-States will effectively have to restart that process from scratch when a new Age begins.
While choosing to incorporate a City-State does have a high Influence cost, it may be lower than the amount that would be used to repeatedly befriend Independent Powers. Players that intend to become Suzerain of many City-States will need to keep in mind how much Influence that takes as a full Civ 7 campaign rolls on.
There are many ways for players to get more Influence per turn, but Independent Powers are not the only place where Influence will be needed. Civs and Leaders tailored towards Diplomatic Endeavors or Espionage will need their Influence for these actions, but a few come with abilities that benefit from being Suzerain of many City-States.
Some City-States aren't near enough quality Resources to be considered valuable settlements, and incorporating a City-State close to the borders of another Leader is likely to damage that relationship at some point.
Incorporating a City-State in the Homelands usually won't be worthwhile during the Exploration Age, but a coastal City-State in Distant Lands with access to Treasure Fleet Resources could be very beneficial.
Ultimately, every single campaign is going to be different, but these tips should help Civ 7 players know when incorporating a City-State is the right decision. To decide whether a City-State is worth incorporating into a Leader's empire, gamers will want to analyze the various factors mentioned above:
- Settlement location
- Nearby opponents
- Nearby resources
- Available Influence
- Activated suzerainty bonuses
Sid Meier's Civilization VII
- Released
- February 11, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Firaxis Games
- Publisher(s)
- 2K
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
- Yes - all platforms, restrictions apply
- Cross Save
- Yes, via 2K account
- Franchise
- Sid Meier's Civilization
- Number of Players
- 1-8 players
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- PC Release Date
- February 11, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 11, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 11, 2025
- Nintendo Switch Release Date
- February 11, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, PC
- Genre(s)
- Grand Strategy, Turn-Based Strategy, 4X
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- Local Co-Op Support
- No
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
