Civilization 7: How To Get More Settlements

Civilization 7 starts you off with one lowly settlement in the Antiquity Age, but as you progress, you can amass an entire empire's worth of towns and cities. Your cities are the powerhouses of the empire, producing massive structures, while the towns can specialize in one type of production to aid the capital of your civilization.

However, to get to the point of ruling over dozens of settlements, you need to first learn how to acquire them. There are roughly four main methods to get more settlements in Civilization VII, and you can see what they are in the guide below.

How to get more settlements in Civilization 7

All settlements, except for your capital, will usually start as a town. Then, as your empire grows, you can convert the towns into cities, which comes with various pros and cons. Civilization VII doesn't just hand you towns and cities on a silver platter, though. You have to work for them and put in plenty of time, effort, and resources into acquiring settlements one by one.

Below, we'll show all the methods to get settlements in Civilization VII:

Use a Settler or special Commander

The most common way you'll establish settlements is by using a unit called the "Settler." This type of unit can be produced at your capital from the very start of the game along with the "Scout." However, the Settler is much different from the Scout, as you don't directly control the Settler.

Instead, when the Settler is produced, you can choose a spot on the map you've explored to establish a settlement there. The Settler can only go as far as you've explored, so you can't send it to a blacked-out tile. You also need to be picky about the spot you select, as the map will indicate where recommended settlement spots are. Generally, you're looking for the two towers icon, which is where the game suggests you build a settlement. You can pick any spot you want, though.

Settlers can take damage if you make them travel a great distance, especially over water. It's also important to remember that as you advance in ages, the game suggests you establish settlements on a different continent or hemisphere. This increases the time to find the settlement and the death potential of your Settler.

In addition to the Settler, certain Commanders, such as Roma's Legatus, also have the ability to establish settlements. Legatus specifically can find a settlement every three levels and on any spot you've explored.

When choosing a spot for a settlement, you want to keep a few things in mind. One, it's ideal for it to be near fresh water and resources, on flat terrain, and not too close to another leader's settlement. Leaders don't like when you encroach on their territory and doing so will result in a hit to your relationship status with them.

Become a Suzerain of an Independent

The second method of establishing a settlement is by becoming a Suzerain of an Independent Village. Independent Villages are located all across the map in Civilization VII and can either be friendly, neutral, or hostile towards you. If you click on the Independent's main tile, you can see the "Projects" tab. Here, you're able to either befriend the Independent or incite a raid with them.

You can also disperse the Independent, dissolving its existence, by defeating its capital and standing on top of it. Once you're standing on the capital, click on your unit and you'll see an icon with a dot and four arrows. Click that to disperse the Independent. Be warned, though, as Independents can reappear after a few turns once they're dispersed and they'll always be hostile to you when they come back.

To become the Suzerain of an Independent, you need to spend 170 Influence and wait dozens of turns for it to become a City-State. During that time, you can spend more Influence to speed up the process. However, other leaders can do the same to undercut you so they can become Suzerain.

At the end of the Suzerain process, you'll be given a gift and the choice to perform various actions. One of those actions is incorporating the City-State, which absorbs it into your empire and becomes one of your settlements. This process takes several more turns, but after it's complete, the settlement is yours and added to your empire's total. Before the incorporation process is complete, you might want to use the option to take some of the City-State's military units. After the City-State is incorporated, you lose access to all of its military forces, including soldiers, commanders, and ships.

Capture other Leader's Districts in war

Regardless of whether you start a war or are embroiled in an ally's war, you can take an enemy leader's town or city for yourself if you capture it. During a war, you can enter the other leader's borders and attack one of their capitals. You'll likely meet quite a bit of resistance from enemy forces along the way, but your main goal is to attack the capital tile.

When you damage it enough, a message will appear on the screen that says "District Defenses Gone." After the message appears, you can take any of your military units and stand on the capital's tile. When this happens, the capital will turn to your colors and be added to your settlement total.

Once a settlement is captured, you have the choice to keep it or raze it. Keeping the settlement means it stays in your total and becomes a part of your empire. Razing it keeps it a part of your empire temporarily for 10 turns. After 10 turns, if no other leader captures it, the settlement is destroyed.

If you decide to keep a settlement, it will be in a state of unrest for a few turns. This is due to the attack it just suffered, which lowers the settlement's happiness levels. If you decide to raze the settlement but leave it unguarded, another leader's forces could go onto the capital tile and claim it for themselves before the razing occurs.

Propose peace and negotiate for settlements

The final way you'll acquire settlements is similar to capturing them during wartime. However, in this case, another leader gives you ownership of them when you're negotiating for peace during a war.

If you go to a leader's portrait who you're warring with, you'll see the option to "Propose Peace." This can only be done several turns after the war has begun. On the peace screen, you can choose to give up some of your settlements and take some of the leader's settlements. If you're winning the war, a leader will often hand you one or two settlements without you having to give up anything in return.

The best strategy to use here is to wait until you've dominated a war for long enough, propose peace, and then take the leader's best settlements for your empire. For example, a leader could have a settlement directly between two of yours or in an enviable location on the water. If you can avoid it, you generally don't want to give up any of your settlements unless you're losing the war or you're over your settlement limit.

As you progress in Civilization VII, your settlement limit will continually increase. However, if you exceed the limit, your current settlements will lose happiness until the limit is met. You can increase your settlement limit by researching new technology and civics and moving to a new act in Civilization VII.