New Civilization 7 leader looks set to turn everyone against each other

Niccolo Machiavelli is the next leader coming to Civilization 7, and he’s got a bunch of abilities that’ll add a healthy dose of distrust.

One thing it’s always important to remember in any Civilization game is to never trust anyone. You have to keep in mind that everyone you meet, from peace loving pals to warmongers, is only ever truly out for themselves. In Civilization 7 one new leader looks like that’ll be made much more obvious, as Niccolo Machiavelli is joining the fray and he looks set to do whatever it takes to come out on top.

As remembered through his book, The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli was an author, philosopher, and diplomat from the 15th century who made quite a few enemies thanks to his writings. He espoused a philosophy that dealt with rulers keeping, using, and maintaining power, with many thoughts that still prove controversial to this day. In Civilization 7, he’s joining the 4X game as a leader, and he’ll be bringing that philosophy with him.

His unique ability is named after his book, and it’s got a lot going on. Il Principe allows your civilization to gain extra influence per age, ignore relationship requirements for declaring war, and lets you martial units from city-states you that you aren’t the Suzerain of. It also grants gold when your diplomatic proposals and, uniquely, grants even more when they’re denied.

All of that makes him a slipper customer to pin down as he’ll gain bonuses no matter what you do, pull troops from places you don’t expect, and even start wars in unexpected ways. He looks to be a real wild card, able to gain the best out of any situation while leaving other civilizations confused and off-kilter.

Machiavelli’s agenda is called The Spider, and looks to add an incentive to anyone choosing to leave his civilization alone while fomenting discord. When not at war with Machiavelli, you’ll gain extra relationship for every war you have with other civilizations. This means if you want to quickly get him on side, you’ll have to be rambunctious with everyone else. If he gets his way, his civilization will sit back and watch you all fight it out – leaving Machiavelli as the last person standing.

Civilization 7 will launch on Tuesday February 11, 2025. You can head over to Steam to add it to your wishlist and make sure you’re ready for the next chapter of 4X action.

Meanwhile, why not make sure you’re up to date with everything you need to know about the Civilization 7 release date, as well as our guide to all the best strategy games you can play on PC.

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