Top Leader Keepsakes in Civilization 7

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In Civilization 7, players collect Mementos as they advance through the game, enhancing their leaders and progressing along their Foundation Path. You’ll unlock your slots quite early, specifically at Levels 3 and 5. After that, each time you begin a new game, you’ll need to decide which of your acquired Mementos to assign to your chosen leader.

Since there’s a considerable gap in player experience between starting the game—with limited access to the system—and playing enough with each leader to gather all their Mementos, we’ll provide our recommendations on both early and late Memento selections for various leaders.

This guide continues to evolve as we delve deeper into each leader. Thanks for your patience; more information will be added soon!

Amina

Amina is a force to be reckoned with in both business and warfare. She is uniquely positioned to conquer rival civilizations while generating solid profits, offering a +5 combat strength on Plains and Desert tiles for all military units. Additionally, each city benefits from +1 Resource Capacity, which is quite valuable since acquiring Resource Capacity slots can be challenging throughout most of the game. Furthermore, there’s a nice bonus of +1 gold per age for every Resource Capacity slot available.

So, how should you approach Memento selection with Amina? It ultimately depends on the strengths you wish to emphasize, similar to the choices available for other leaders. Generally, you can’t go wrong with these suggestions.

Early On

Scythian Battle-Axe: Grants +1 gold per age for each Commander XP gained. Given that you’ll likely engage in plenty of battles, this is a practical option to support your economic goals. Available at Level 2 with Xerxes, King of Kings.
Takoba: Provides +1 Combat Strength on Plains and Desert tiles. This is in line with Amina’s bonuses, increasing that combat strength from +5 to +6. Unlocked at Level 2 with Amina herself.
Royal Mace: Delivers +1 Gold per age on all Imported Resources. Amina will have ample resources to take advantage of this. Available at Level 2 with Hatshepsut.

Once You’ve Gathered Ample Mementos

Rawani: Adds +3 Combat Strength to a unit’s next attack after defeating an enemy unit. This is excellent for clearing out enemy forces, provided you manage your units effectively. This Memento is available at Level 9 with Amina.
Pochteka Backpack: Offers +5 Range for all Trade Routes. To maximize the Resource Slots you’re accumulating, you’ll need this expansion in range, particularly in the early game when distances between settlements can be significant. Unlocks at Level 19 with the Foundation Path.
Colada & Tizona: Provides +2 Combat Strength for each unit adjacent to two or more allied units, which can effectively increase your strength from +6 to +7 when combined with Takoba. This option becomes available at Level 24 on the Foundation Path.
Golden Sceptre: Grants +3 gold per age for every conquered settlement, ideal for maintaining your early-game economy when gold can be scarce. Acquired at Level 9 with Xerxes, King of Kings.
Del’Arte della Guerra: Offers +5 gold for every active sanction per age. This Memento supports aggressive strategies that will help you manage Influence while warring with other civilizations. Available at Level 5 with Machiavelli.
Sidearm: Increases +3 Combat Strength for any unit below 50% HP. While you’d typically want to avoid this situation, it can be useful in combination with Colada & Tizona.
Lion Capital: Commanders gain +50% experience during Celebrations. If you’ve managed to slot in a lot of Resources, you can likely maintain Happiness, making this a great opportunity to strengthen your army ahead of battles. Available at Level 9 with Ashoka, World Conqueror.

Ashoka, World Conqueror

Ashoka, World Conqueror has a remarkable knack for boosting Happiness during wartime. His ability to increase Happiness is also highly beneficial to production across your empire. He gains +1 Production for every five points of excess Happiness in any city. Additionally, he receives +10 Production for all cities not founded by you, particularly those you have conquered. Declaring a Formal War leads to a Celebration, providing all military units with +10 Combat Strength against districts during these Celebrations.

To best leverage Ashoka’s strengths, it’s crucial to ensure you declare “Formal Wars” and aim to make an opposing civilization Hostile before launching your attacks, which shapes the selection of Mementos for this leader.

Early On

Bifocals: Earns 50 Influence after completing a Tech or Mastery. Given that researching technologies is a core component of Civilization 7, this Memento allows you to use extra Influence to undermine other leaders. Available at Level 2 with Benjamin Franklin.
Forget-me-not: Grants 10 Happiness per age for completing a Narrative Event. Unlockable at Level 2 with Jose Rizal.
Chanda-mahasena: Provides +2 Combat Strength against fortified districts during Celebrations. This option is a strong fit for Ashoka and is obtainable at Level 2 with himself.
Portrait of Josephine: Generates +2 Gold per age for every leader with whom you are Unfriendly or Hostile. This income is likely to materialize regularly given Ashoka’s playing style. Available at Level 2 with Napoleon, Emperor.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty of Mementos

Colada & Tizona: A repeat mention; it adds +2 Combat Strength for every adjacent unit. Available at Level 24 on Foundation Path.
Lion Capital: Provides +50% experience for commanders during Celebrations—perfect for Ashoka, as Celebrations are common in his gameplay. Unlocked at Level 9 with himself.
Garuda Statue: Grants +1 Population to the smallest settlement each time you enter a Celebration. Available at Level 39 with Foundation Path.
Anti-Machiavel: Offers +2 War Support for any wars declared against you. Eventually, your Happiness levels may decline, so this will help safeguard against potential backlash. Available at Level 9 with Friedrich, Baroque.

Ashoka, World Renouncer

Ashoka, World Renouncer also heavily depends on Happiness, but takes it a step further. He receives +1 Food for every 5 excess Happiness and a 10% food bonus for all settlements during Celebrations, along with +1 Happiness adjacency to all buildings. This version of Ashoka thrives on creating expansive cities to unlock their full potential. Thus, building additional Happiness and pursuing greater food production are central to maximizing his capabilities.

Early On

Chakra: Delivers +1 Food in the Capital for every 5 excess Happiness, which can stack well. Available at Level 2 with Ashoka, World Renouncer.
Brush & Scroll: Offers +5% Growth Rate in cities for every Specialist in that city, reaching a maximum of 25%. Unlockable at Level 2 with Confucius.
Forget-me-not: Again, provides 10 Happiness per age for completing Narrative Events. Available at Level 2 with Jose Rizal.
Letter to Adrienne: Generates +2 Happiness per age for every Social Slot. These slots reset for each age, so time is needed to maximize this benefit. Available at Level 2 with Lafayette.
Topayauri: Grants +1 Food per age for every district adjacent to a mountain—this bonus is situational but can be valuable.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty of Mementos

Garuda Statue: Increases +1 Population to the smallest settlement each time you enter a Celebration. Available at Level 39 on Foundation Path.
Breastplate: Provides +2 Food per age in towns, ensuring your towns contribute to your cities’ needs. Available at Level 5 with Augustus.
Sakaki Branch: Boosts production of Happiness buildings by 25% so you can harness excess Happiness faster. Available at Level 5 with Himiko, High Shaman.
Tricolor Cockade: Grants +2 Happiness and +2 Culture in the capital per age for every Tradition slotted—useful for Culture-centric Legacy Paths. Unlockable at Level 9 with Lafayette.

Augustus

Augustus occupies a unique spot within the game. While maintaining a balance between towns and cities is essential, towns will become quite important as each town raises your capital’s production by +2. Augustus can purchase Culture buildings in towns, which operate slightly more like cities, and it costs him 50% less than it does for other leaders.

Thus, our focus will be on strategies that involve having a higher number of towns as well as overall Cultural gains.

Early On

Corona Civica: Increases settlement limit by one per age but at the cost of 50% more when converting towns to cities. Available at Level 2 with Augustus.
Flute: Offers +1 Culture per age for Military Buildings, encouraging expansionist strategies while still building necessary structures. Available at Level 2 with Friedrich, Baroque.
Yata no Kagami: Grants +20 Culture per age at each Celebration’s beginning, leveraging the inevitability of Celebrations in your strategy. Unlocks at Level 2 with Himiko, High Shaman.
Incense Censer: Delivers +2 Culture per age for every active Trade Route, a straightforward way to boost Culture through settlements. Available at Level 2 with Xerxes, King of Kings.

Once You’ve Accumulated Plenty of Mementos

Breastplate: Bestows +2 Food per age in all towns, supporting Augustus’ focus on town utilization. Unlocks at Level 5 with himself.
Clipeus Virtutis: Increases Production in the capital for every town. Available at Level 9 with Augustus.
Merchant’s Saddle: Provides +1 Movement and Sight for Scouts, Merchants, and Settlers, helping to identify promising locations for expanding towns. Unlocked at Level 5 with Ibn Battuta.
All-T’oqaqu Tunic: Offers +3 Sight for Scouts near mountains, enhancing exploration capabilities. Available at Level 5 with Pachacuti.

This guide provides a foundational framework for effectively using Mementos across different leaders in Civilization 7, allowing you to maximize your strategic advantages as you build your empire.