Civ 7 Leader Reveal Adds Cultural and Scientific Powerhouse

With Civilization 7 now just a few short weeks away from launch, the final leaders and civs are rounding out and already strong roster for the first new installment this franchise has seen in nearly a decade. Despite being absent from Civ 6, the latest leader revealed has an extensive history in htis series. Thanks to the significant mechanic changes coming in Civ 7, this mainstay looks primed to be an early versatile favorite among players.

Catherine joins Civ 7 with Science & Culture Combo

Civilization 7 is due to have more than 20 different leaders to choose from at launch with additional options surely due to arrive down the line in DLC, and the latest addition is already drawing excitement. Catherine the Great, an iconic empress of Russia for over three decades, is set to make her fifth mainline Civ appearance and ninth overall if a few spinoffs are included.

The only mainline installments missing Catherine the Great were the original Civilization and Civilization 6, but she was also included in both Call to Power and both Civilization Revolution games. While she's had both scientific and cultural boosts in the past, Civ 7 may be due to deliver her most versatile and powerful version yet.

Catherine the Great will have the unique ability "Star of the North" in Civilization 7. This provides three major benefits, starting with increased culture per age for Great Works and a bonus slot for buildings that come with Great Work slots. However, it's her third boost that may become most important. All cities settled in tundra will gain 25% of their culture per turn yield as a science per turn. Fortunately, Catherine also retains the tundra starting bias that Russia saw in both Civ 5 and Civ 6.

For players targeting a cultural victory, this will allow faster scientific progression without having to shift as much of your overall focus away from culture. It also provides an intriguing path to a scientific victory, as players could use the combination to stack their science gains higher than normally attainable. Only time will tell how this all feels in a larger game, but Catherine is sure to be a favorite once players are able to dive in to Civilization 7.