I finally won in the highest difficulty level today! I spent 407.7 hours since I bought it this year, and I finally reached deity status.
In the God mode, your rivals are consistently producing more Science. Whatever I did, I could not beat them, but this did not prevent me from winning in the Science track. So don’t worry if you are behind in terms of science points.
I won the game without fighting! This is new. In previous versions, few civilizations let you win without fighting. (Canada and India were exceptions.) However, you need to build good defenses. Until the middle of the game, mid-Exploration age, I built lots of defensive items. Then I did not need to do anymore and focused on creating powerful, productive cities. I first concentrated on productivity buildings, then science buildings, and then gold-producing buildings. This combination helped me to win. I also spied constantly- this looks essential, too- and stole as much science as possible from the rivals, to compensate for the lesser science production points.
In terms of leader and civilization choice, I won with Friedrich, Oblique. I preferred civilizations that emphasized expansion, science, and military power. (You need to choose three times during the game while the leader remains the same.) As in CIV 6, I won the deity level with Japanese militaristic and scientific focus (!) However, expansionism in the beginning is essential as you need to build powerful cities that will produce more towards the end.
In the last update, nuclear fission is back. Still, it is too late in the game for us to bomb around to win. You mostly do not need it. But I will use it from now on- Catharsis effect!
The last updates made the game playing easier. The army commanders were mostly useless and their role has decreased.
Climate had a more effective role in Civ 6; here, less so, I suppose, with Hailing Trump.
Some older notes, in the first hours of playing.
Civilization VII gets good reviews, mostly
You need to conquer a few cities to go ahead; otherwise, even your Science production level remains behind the rivals.
However, even conquering a few times is not enough; you should fight again in the future to keep up with the rival’s science level. In the old days, once you had conquered a few times in the beginning, it would be enough.
Ashoka, a new leader, excels in science production. I would not want it as a rival (!), but not too powerful militarily.
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What the Reviews Say About Civilization VII
After reaching Deity victory myself, I looked into how others have experienced Civilization VII—and found my journey aligns with much of the critical consensus! Here’s what reviews and the broader Civ community are saying about the game:
Increased Challenge & Diverse Strategies: At higher levels (especially Deity), reviewers widely note that AI opponents have significant science advantages, echoing my own battle to keep up in research. Yet, as PC Gamer points out, creative approaches—like heavy espionage or optimized city specialization—make victory possible without always topping the science leaderboard.
Viable Peaceful Paths: A major evolution, as highlighted on Polygon, is that pacifist or minimally aggressive wins are genuinely viable—a refreshing change from earlier games that often forced combat for progress. Still, both reviews and players (like me) suggest early city expansion and strong defenses matter, even in peaceful runs.
Leaders, Abilities, and Min-maxing: Community guides (see the CivFanatics forum) confirm the popularity of leaders with strong science and expansion perks. Ashoka, one of the new leaders, is renowned for science but considered weak militarily—a sentiment mirrored in multiple review threads.
Updated Features & Balance: Post-release updates have brought back mechanics like nuclear fission (as covered in Rock Paper Shotgun’s update review), although its late-game arrival makes it more of a novelty unless you’re after “endgame catharsis.” Reviewers agree the climate system is toned down compared to Civ VI, and military commander roles are less central, prompting both praise and critique.
Overall Verdict: Most reviews—like Boing Boing’s—find Civ VII an engaging evolution: it offers more strategic flexibility, rewards a greater range of playstyles, and retains classic “one more turn” appeal. There’s still debate about AI “cheating” and some balance tweaks, but the consensus is positive, especially for fans who want more than just constant warfare.
If you want to go deeper into review breakdowns or strategies, check out Civilization Subreddit discussions and the always-active CivFanatics boards.
Thanks, Perplexity, for the review summary.
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