Civilization 7: Exploration Civilizations Tier List

The Exploration Age in Civilization 7 is all about expanding your reach across the map while contending with rivals and allies at home and abroad. Building on the foundation you laid in the Antiquity age, this is your chance to get ahead and start looking at opportunities to set yourself up for eventual victory in the Modern age.

Of course, your choice of Exploration age civ is going to be extremely impactful. There are eleven Exploration age civs in the game, all with different traits and strengths. You may not have access to all of them every game, as they each have specific unlock requirements, but no matter how many options you’re dealing with, our Civ 7 Exploration civs tier list can help you make that crucial decision.

Civ 7 Exploration Civs Tier List

S-tier – Mongolia, Shawnee, Norman

A-tier – Chola, Ming

B-tier – Abbassid, Hawai’i, Inca, Songhai

C-tier – Majapahit, Spain

S-Tier Exploration Civs

These are the best of the best Civilization 7 has to offer. Whether it’s their particularly strong military units, or their very powerful resource access, you can largely dominate maps with these choices.

S-Tier: Mongolia

• Bokh – When you capture an opposing Settlement gain the strongest Cavalry Unit you can train, but -50% Production towards training Settlers. Gain 1 Point towards training Settlers. Gain 1 Point towards the Non Sufficit Orbis Legacy Path for controlled. Settlements in the Distant Lands and conquered Settlements in the Homelands. +30% Production towards constructing Erdene Zuu.
• Keshig – Mongolian Unique Ranged Unit. Has +1 Movement and heals 15 HP after defeating an enemy Unit. Counts as a Cavalry Unit and ignores Zone of Control.
• Noyan – Mongolian Unique Army Commander. +50% Flanking to Cavalry Units in the Command Radius.
• Örtöö– +5 Gold. Restores movement to any Mongol Unit at its location. Mongolian Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse Bonuses on a tile. Cannot be placed on Rough, River, or a tile with a Feature.

Mongolia is the perfect continuation of the Persia civilization’s ideals from the Antiquity Age – namely, bash your head against other civilizations aggressively to take their land. There’s nothing here that’s flashy, but as a show of brute strength, you will become the bully of a map when taking control of Mongolia.

One interesting thing about Mongolia is that it directly feeds into the Military Legacy Path by providing boosts for the Non Sufficit Orbis path. The more you take as well, the stronger your army grows with Cavalry, so you can snowball maps pretty hard, especially with the Keshig and Noyan adding extra firepower. If you are planning to go for a Military victory, Mongolia is a direct path to get there.

S-Tier: Shawnee

• Nepekifaki – Settlements built adjacent to Navigable Rivers gain +2 Food on River Terrain, but Cities not built adjacent to a Navigable River receive -10% Food. +30% Production towards constructing Serpent Mound.
• Kispoko Nena’to – Shawnee Unique Infantry Unit. +1 Combat Strength for every unique Empire Resource.
• Hoceepkileni – Shawnee Unique Missionary. +1 Movement and Rivers do not end movement.

The Shawnee unique trait of Nepekifaki is easy to keep active, as most Settlements will likely end up being built around rivers. By doing so, you will get a nice boost of Food, helping your population grow, and allowing you to grab even more land. You have to avoid having cities not on Navigable Rivers, but even in cases where you have a Town not on one, you can just leave it as a Town.

Elsewhere, the Kispoko Nena’to could become one of the strongest Infantry in the game under the right circumstances. If you get your hands on multiple Unique Resources, they will become very, very strong. This makes Shawnee a military force to be reckoned with, but also one that will be expanding its borders through population growth too.

S-Tier: Norman

• Normannitas – Land Units receive +1 Movement when Embarked and Land Units adjacent to Coast receive +5 Combat Strength. +30% Production towards constructing the White Tower.
• Chevaler – Norman Unique Cavalry Unit. +3 Combat Strength against slower Units. Ignores Zone of Control
• Sokeman – Norman Unique Settler. Civilian Unit capable of founding new Towns. Receive Medieval Walls in the City Center when a new Town is created.
• Donjon – Norman Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Bailey and Motte in the same District. Receive a free Chevaler Unit when completed.
• Bailey – +4 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Medieval Walls and Wonders. Norman Unique Culture Building and Fortification. Ageless. All Fortified Districts must be conquered to capture a Settlement.
• Motte – +4 Happiness. +4 Happiness if placed on Rough Terrain. Happiness adjacency for Wonders. Norman Unique Happiness Building and Fortification. Ageless. All Fortified Districts must be conquered to capture a Settlement.

The Normans are a great option for almost anyone in the Exploration Age as they provide buffs that feed into most of the age’s Legacy objectives. Land Units receiving +1 movement when embarked is going to be super useful when trying to get a foothold in Distant Lands. Not only will you be able to get Settlers over faster, but you can move your Military Units quicker so you won’t be defenseless after you arrive. This makes them very nimble during this Age, which is surprisingly valuable.

They are also supported by a very good Cavalry Unit in the Chevaler, which will be strong against armies that rely heavily on Infantry units. By just creating the Unique District, the Donjon, you’ll get free one of those units, making the Normans a military force to be feared. On top of this, the Sokeman Army Commander gives new Towns automatic City walls, which feed into both the power of the Bailey and Motte.

A-Tier Exploration Civs

A-Tier: Chola

• Samayam – +1 Trade Route from the Improve Trade Relations Action. +30 % Production towards constructing the Brihadeeswarar Temple.
• Kalam – Chola Unique Naval Unit. +1 additional attack per turn if movement allows.
• Ottru – Chola Unique Naval Commander. Has +1 Movement and greater sight. Opposing Military Units in the Command Radius receive -3 Combat Strength.
• Five Hundred Lords – Chola Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Anjuvannam and Manigramam in the same District. +5 Land Trade Route range and +15 Naval Trade Route range.
• Manigramam – +4 Happiness. +1 Gold Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. +50% Production towards Naval Units. Chola Unique Gold and Military Building. Ageless. Must be placed adjacent to Coast.
• Anjuvannam – +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. +50% Production towards Naval Units. Chola Unique Gold and Military Building. Ageless. Must be placed adjacent to Coast.

The Exploration Age is where a strong Navy can dominate, and the Chola have access to some serious firepower in this regard. Kalam can attack twice in many instances, while the Ottru debuffs enemy units too. When used in tandem, there’s not many who will be able to withstand a sea-based assault like this.

The Chola also get access to a lot of Trade buffs, increasing the number of Trade Routes they can establish, and also their radius. You should be able to build quite a treasury and maintain decent relations with other civilizations with this. That said, the Chola will struggle to keep up with Science, so pacts will be important to stay relevant. On top of that, they are also not a civilization to pick if you ended up building a very landlocked empire in the Antiquity Age, as access to coasts is fairly essential.

A-Tier: Ming

• Great Canon of Yongle – +50% Science in the Capital. -15 Science per turn for each Social Policy, but not Tradition, slotted. +30% Production towards constructing the Forbidden City.
• Xunleich – Ming Unique Infantry Unit. +4 Combat Strength in Featureless tiles. Has a Ranged attack.
• Mandarin – Ming Unique Merchant. Civilian who can establish a Trade Route to import Resources from a foreign Settlement. +100 Gold when using the Create a Road Action.
• Ming Great Wall – +5 Culture. +1 Gold Adjacency for Fortification Buildings and Improvements. Ming Unique Improvement. Ageless. Counts as Fortification, +6 Combat Strength when defending. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Can only be built in a line. Cannot branch or fork.

The Ming civilization has enormous upsides. With some careful management, they can absolutely run away with technological advances in the Exploration Era, as they get a straight 50% buff to all Science in your Capital. However, you can end up hurting yourself. You get -15 Science for every Social Policy, so you will want to lean on Tradition wherever possible. If you manage this, though, the benefits are enormous.

The Ming Great Wall is a versatile building offering great fortification defense, as well as Culture and Gold. The Mandarin is also a great unit for a quick burst of Gold when building Roads, and while not the strongest military unit in the Age, the Xunleichong is a good option if you can station them on featureless terrain.

B-Tier Exploration Civs

In this tier, you’ll find good civilizations with a decent amount of benefits. They’re generally strong, and may be situationally extremely powerful, but tend to be more specialized.

B-Tier: Abbassid

• Madina – Receive 30 Gold for each Rural Population of the City when you create a Specialist. (Scales by Game Speed).+30% Production towards constructing the House of Wisdom.
• Mamluk – Abbasid Unique Cavalry Unit. When stationed in your territory, receive +1 Combat Strength for each Urban Population in that Settlement. Ignores Zone of Control. Has lower combat strength than other Cavalry units.
• ‘Alim – A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with an Ulema, and the specific ‘Alim receives is random. Each ‘Alim can only be received once. Cost increases per ‘Alim trained.
• Ulema – Abbasid Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Madrasa and Mosque in the same District. +1 Science to all Specialists in this City.
• Madrasa – +5 Science. +1 Science Adjacency for Quarters, Science Buildings, and Wonders. Abbasid Unique Science Building. Ageless.
• Mosque – +4 Happiness. +1 Culture Adjacency for Happiness Adjacency for Cultural Buildings and Wonders. Unlocks the ability to found a Religion. Abbasid Unique Happiness Buiding. Ageless.

The Abbassid civilization can be excellent, and when used correctly, it offers a variety of benefits. But to get these benefits, you’re going to need to manage your Settlements and properly set them up. You get 30 Gold for each Rural Population of a city whenever you create a specialist. You can also boost Science quite a lot by completing the Ulema District, providing +1 Science for all Specialists in the city. The Mamluk are also decent and can become quite powerful defensively. The Cavalry gains +1 Combat Strength for every Urban population in a Settlement while stationed there.

This civilization is an excellent option if you’re confident in producing and placing Specialists while managing districts. However, if you’re less confident in how these mechanics work, many other, plug-in-and-play civilizations require less finessing.

B-Tier: Hawai’i

• Moananuiakea – Gain 25 Culture each time a Settlement expands to Marine Terrain.+1 Happiness on Fishing Boats. +30% Production towards constructing Hale o Keawe.
• Leiomano – Hawaiian Unique Infantry Unit. +3 Combat Strength against Infantry and Cavalry Units. Receives Culture from defeating enemy Units.
• Kahuna – Hawaiian Unique Missionary. Has an action to heal adjacent Units. Receive 25 Gold when you convert a Settlement.
• Lo’i Kalo – +3 Food and +2 Production. Adjacent Farms receive +1 Culture. Hawaiian Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Grassland or Tropical.

The Hawai’i civilization is a great choice for those who find themselves by the ocean. Considering the Exploration Age is all about getting in your boats and finding Distant Lands, this can synergise nicely. The Moananuiakea trait means you gain 25 Culture each time a Settlement expands in Marine Terrain. You’ll also get +1 Happiness on Fishing Boats. Neither is an enormous buff, but if you can incorporate a lot of sea into your borders, this will undoubtedly add up.

Elsewhere, the Leiomano is a very solid Infantry unit, getting a +3 combat buff against Infantry and Cavalry Units. Considering that’s the majority of land units they will be going up against, it’s just a nice edge that doesn’t require a complex initiation. The Lo’i Kalo is also just a solid producer of Food, Production, and Culture in most cases, making it a versatile building. There’s nothing particularly flashy or hard to use about Hawai’i past just being on a coast, but the civilization has a nice slew of solid benefits that are easy to get consistent value out of.

B-Tier: Inca

• Apus – Can work Mountain Terrain. +2 Food and +1 Production on Mountain Terrain. +30% Production towards constructing Machu Pikchu.
• Warak’q – Incan Unique Ranged Unit . Has +1 Movement and ignores movement penalties from Rough Terrain. +5 Combat Strength when attacking from Rough Terrain.
• Chasqui – Incan Unique Scout with +1 Movement. Has increased sight that ignores Mountains and Rough Terrain.
• Terrace Farm – +6 Food. Incan Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be placed on Rough Terrain adjacent to a Mountain.

The Inca civilization is best utilized with a bit of forethought, but if you build correctly, you can do a lot of really good things with them. Choosing this civilization is best if you’ve built your borders with them in mind in the Antiquity Age. This is because their power comes from utilizing mountain tiles. If you built your cities around big ranges though, you will get a lot from the Incas.

This civilization lets you work Mountain terrain, and get extra food and production when doing so. On top of that, the Terrace Farm improvement is just a significant +6 to Food, meaning you will be able to expand your borders even faster. The Chasqui scout is also great for exploring Distant Lands, getting extra movement, and ignoring mountains and rough terrain, allowing you to chart new continents really fast. That all said, if you don’t have a lot of mountains within your lands, you’re going to be missing out on a lot of value, making them quite situational.

B-Tier: Songhai

• Tarikh al-Sudan – +2 Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers and your Trade Ships cannot be Plundered on Navigable Rivers. +30% Production towards constructing the Tomb of Askia.
• Gold Bangles Infantry – Songhai Unique Infantry Unit. +5 Combat Strength on Resource tiles. +100% Gold from pillaging Trade Routes.
• Tajio – Songhai Unique Merchant. Civilian who can establish a Trade Route to import Resources from a foreign Settlement. When you create a Trade Route receive 100 Gold if this is a Trade Route with at least 1 Navigable River.
• Caravanserai – +5 Gold. +1 Resource Adjacency for Navigable Rivers and Resources. Songhai Unique Improvement. Ageless. Does not remove Warehouse bonuses on a tile. Must be built on Desert or Plains.

The Songhai are all about making money. If you’re looking to make Gold, this Civilization will do it for you – that said, it’s relatively one-dimensional. The Tarikh al-Sudan trait that gives them +2 Resource Capacity in Cities on Navigable Rivers is nice as those slots do come at a premium. Also, the Caravanserai improvement as well as the Tajiro merchant are very good Gold generators.

That being said, there is no real variety here. Other yields like Influence, Happiness, Culture, and Science might struggle. Of course, you can buy these buildings in towns with all your Gold, but expect some difficulty keeping up with everyone else. Also, the Gold Bangles Infantry, which gets +5 combat on Resource tiles, is a decent defensive option if you set up like that specifically, but considering you’re at the whims of the map, and not your Settlement placement, it can be a little awkward to utilise fully.

C-Tier Exploration Civs

While not bad civilizations, these are often more situational civilizations or civilizations that require a unique playstyle that might be best for more experienced players.

C-Tier: Majapahit

• Negara – All Cities except the Capital receive +1 Specialist Limit. After the Exploration Age the Specialists become inactive until you increase the Limit. +30% Production towards constructing Borobudur.
• Cetbang – Majapahit Unique Naval Unit. +5 Combat Strength against Naval Units. Can pillage within 2 tiles for 1 Movement.
• Pedana – Mahapahit Unique Scout with +1 Movement. Has increased sight that ignores Mountains and Rough Terrain.
• Pura – Majapahit Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Candi Bentar and Meru in the same District. Receive 1 Relic when completed.
• Meru – +5 Happiness. +1 Happiness Adjecency for Mountains and Wonders. +2 Happiness on Natural Wonders. Majapahit Unique Happiness Building. Ageless.
• Candi Bentar – +5 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Coastal Terrain, Navigable Rivers, and Wonders. Majapahit Unique Culture Building. Ageless.

The Majapahit are a decent choice if you live in a relatively varied landscape. The Meru provides Happiness on Mountains, Wonders, and even more on Natural Wonders. The Candi Bentar is a great producer of Culture on Coasts, Rivers and Wonders. That said, it can be hard to really incorporate all of that, and even if you build the Pura district by combining both, receiving 1 relic isn’t often going to tip the scales for you. On top of that, the Negara does let you have an extra Specialist, but again, this likely isn’t going to be a massive deciding factor for you.

The Majapahit is not without merit. Altogether, it can be a decent producer of Culture if the circumstances are right, and if you get more Puras it can be a decent source of Relics. The Cetband Navel unit is excellent too, getting +5 combat strength against enemy Naval Units is strong in an Age when a lot of sailing is happening. That said, the Majaphat lack a little cohesiveness, and can be a touch situational, making it tougher to get full value out of them at all times.

C-Tier: Spain

• Siglo de Oro – +15% Gold towards converting a Town to a City, or +30% in Distant Lands. +30% Production towards constructing El Escorial.
• Tercio – Spanish Unique Infantry Unit. Has a higher Combat Strength. Adjacent Units receive +3 Combat Strength against Cavalry Units (bonus is only applied once.)
• Conquistador – A Great Person with one charge. Can only be trained in Cities with a Wharf, and the specific Conquistador received is random. Each Conquistador can only be received once and can only be activated in Distant Lands. Cost increases per Conquistador trained. Can always Embark in Ocean.
• Plaza – Spanish Unique Quarter. Created by constructing the Casa Consistorial and Casa de Contratacion in the same District. +2 Gold in this Settlement for every Settlement in Distant Lands.
• Casa Consistorial – +5 Culture. +1 Culture Adjacency for Quarters and Wonders. Spanish Unique Culture Building. Ageless. Must be built in the Homelands adjacent to the Coast.
• Casa de Contatacion – +5 Gold. +1 Gold Adjacency for Navigable Rivers, Resources, and Wonders. Spanish Unique Gold Building. Ageless. Must be built in the Homelands.

Spain is not a bad civilization by any means. They provide a lot of avenues for Gold, with the Plaza Quarters being a big source of it if you make a lot of Settlements in Distant Lands. However, outside of that, and considering a couple of other Civilizations have access to powerful Gold-generating facets, there’s not much that really sets Spain apart.

The cost reduction on turning Towns into Cities from the Siglo de Oro is nice to have but probably isn’t going to have a massive impact on how your Age goes. The Tercio is also a good unit against militaries that have gone a little too hard on Cavalry but are outpaced by many other strong military units of other civilizations in this Age.

Patrick is a freelance journalist with over 13 years of experience who loves going deep on games and getting into their systems. His four-figure hours into both Overwatch 2 and Destiny 2 are a testament to that.