The Domination victory in Civilization always makes me feel a bit guilty. I could be cultured, technological, or more peaceful and theocratic, but there’s something irresistible about crushing all your enemies under the bootheels of your mighty army. Civ 7 changes the strategy game formula by adding new, organic eras, but you can bet that trebuchets, artillery units, and stealth bombers will still play a big part in your plans. The new Civilization 7 leader Trung Trac, however, who’s just been detailed by Firaxis, might make winning by force a lot tougher.
The Civilization 7 release date is getting ever nearer, and while Manor Lords, Cities Skylines 2, Stellaris, and dozens of others have kept the strategy game genre alive this year, it will be great to see the return of Firaxis’ monolithic trendsetter. Compared to previous Civ games, in Civilization 7, your empire will adapt and transform over time, graduating from early cultures like the Romans and Egyptians into more modern and contemporary global powers. It’s a bold reinvention, and we’ve already had details on some of the earliest Civ 7 civilizations. If you come up against Trung Trac during the beginning stages of the game, however, building sheer military might might not be the most auspicious tactic.
Historically, Trung Trac and her sister Trưng Nhi led a multi-ethnic coalition that resisted the assimilation of what is now Vietnam, during the first century. Fittingly, in Civilization 7, Trung Trac takes exception to any leaders who quickly amass large armies and assign lots of commander units. If she’s on the map when you begin your game, and your approach is to militarize, and militarize quickly, Trung Trac will almost certainly declare a vendetta against you and become an early adversary.
In these beginning stages of Civilization, it often pays to keep your head down and carefully build the foundations for your eventual full-game strategy. The fact Trung Trac will confront you if you quickly assemble an army makes this a lot more difficult – when you have a small number of settlements, any one of them being attacked or besieged can severely impact your production.
This problem is compounded by the fact that Trung Trac gets extra growth on building her own commanders. Her first commander unit gets three free promotions and a 20-point experience bonus, meaning she will likely have a powerful army before any other leader on the map. She’s also going to be keen to start a fight, since Trung Trac earns plus ten in science production on tropical tiles whenever her civilization is in a state of war.
But of course, if you choose to play Trung Trac yourself, all of these advantages are turned in your favor, so she might be the best pick if Domination is your play style.
Check out the full Civilization 7 system requirements so you’re ready to run Firaxis’ latest when it arrives. Until then, the best 4X games on PC will certainly make the wait for Civ 7 go faster.
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