Charlemagne’s Leadership Tips for Civ 7 Success

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Charlemagne stands out as a strong military leader in Civilization 7. He benefits from substantial Happiness bonuses, a steady way to create units without spending production, and impressive combat advantages during his Celebrations. While his gameplay heavily leans towards military conquest, managing his happiness while capturing cities and addressing war fatigue can make him more challenging to play compared to some other leaders in the game.

This guide will explore effective strategies for Charlemagne, including how to maximize his free cavalry units, the best civilizations to pair with him, recommended research paths, and more.

Overview of Charlemagne

Known as the Father of Europe, Charlemagne possesses several beneficial leader bonuses:

Understanding Happiness Adjacency

Charlemagne’s Happiness adjacency bonuses for buildings like Libraries and Barracks help you maintain high happiness levels, provided you plan your districts wisely.

Free Cavalry Units

Whenever Charlemagne enters a Celebration, he gains two free cavalry units. This might take time early in the game since you need to research The Wheel to access cavalry, but by the late game, the benefits can multiply significantly.

You can effectively stack Celebrations by timing them so that a new one starts right after the current one ends. Repeating this strategy can lead to an impressive array of free, powerful units—like tanks in the Modern Age—allowing for overwhelming military force.

To dominate enemy armies, focus on ensuring your combat strength is superior to theirs. While this may sound straightforward, you’ll have to be strategic about where you find these bonuses.

On higher difficulty levels, the AI receives significant bonuses to combat strength. However, Charlemagne’s +5 boost for Cavalry combat strength during Celebrations helps level the playing field, especially since you should be in a state of Celebration frequently during the Modern Age.

Optimal Strategies for the Antiquity Age

Regardless of which civilization you choose—more on that later—Charlemagne excels by generating early Happiness through the Altar. Start by building an early Library to quickly acquire the Bronze Working technology, then use the excess happiness to initiate Celebrations for a steady influx of cavalry units.

Scouting and Early Discoveries

It’s advisable to produce two or three scouts early on. The Discoveries you make in the early game are crucial. Here’s a priority list for what to pursue:

• Gold: Essential for buying settlers and other useful items.
• Science: Quickly increasing your science output is important for reaching Bronze Working fast.
• Culture: The Discipline civic is beneficial for Charlemagne, while Mysticism is ideal for accessing early pantheons.
• Influence: Gaining influence is always valuable early on since you’ll likely engage in conflicts with neighboring civilizations.

Best Government Options

You have two paths: focus on Food and Production, or prioritize Science and Infantry Unit Production. The first option offers a well-rounded advantage, while the second can enhance your military capabilities in the Antiquity Age.

Early Technology and Civics

Aim to acquire Pottery and Writing early to boost your science output. In terms of civics, getting your general upgraded quickly is key, so heading from Discipline into Mysticism for a good pantheon is a solid strategy.

Every game of Civilization 7 offers a unique experience, and your strategies might need to adapt based on the civilization you’ve chosen alongside Charlemagne.

Settling Strategies and Conquest

Depending on your neighbors, you might want to limit your own city settlements. Given Charlemagne’s warmongering nature, it’s perfectly viable to conquer a neighboring capital early on.

Regardless of your civilization, keep an eye out for valuable resources:

• Wine: Provides Happiness in your capital, which aligns perfectly with Charlemagne’s bonuses.
• Gold and Silver: Both are great for purchasing essential buildings and units. Silver can particularly reduce the cost of gold purchases significantly, allowing you to assemble your army much faster.
• Cotton, Sheep, and Hides: These resources offer excellent early-game bonuses for food and production.

Recommended Wonders

Charlemagne gains significant advantages from various military wonders. Here are the top picks to focus on:

• Gate of Nations: Essential for boosting War Support for all future conflicts. If your War Support drops, it can lead to unhappiness, which negatively impacts Charlemagne’s bonuses.
• Sanchi Stupa: Provides a +2 Happiness bonus, along with +1 Culture for each excess Happiness in the city where it’s constructed, complementing Charlemagne’s happiness strategies.
• Terracotta Army: Grants +2 production and a free army commander, boosting all armies with +25% experience. This is particularly useful for moving Charlemagne’s cavalry across the map.

Best Civilizations to Pair with Charlemagne

Several civilizations complement Charlemagne’s strengths in the Antiquity Age, including the Khmer, Maurya, and Maya. While they might not seem like the most obvious combinations, they play well into Charlemagne’s bonuses.

Maurya

The Maurya have a strong cavalry unit, the Purabhettarah, which gets an additional +5 Combat Strength against fortified districts. When combined with Charlemagne’s combat bonuses, this creates a formidable cavalry force. Their unique buildings also boost overall happiness, which fits perfectly into Charlemagne’s gameplay.

Khmer

The Khmer’s Yuthahathi cavalry unit is strong, even if it moves slower. Their unique Baray improvement provides significant food, enhancing growth and production in Charlemagne’s cities.

Maya

The Maya are ideal for leaders focusing on science. Although science isn’t the sole path to victory in this game, it remains beneficial for Charlemagne, allowing quick access to technology like Bronze Working to generate free cavalry units.

By strategically utilizing these civilizations, Charlemagne can create an empire that is not just powerful, but also thriving.

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