Civilization 7 Leader and Persona Reveal Confirms Return of Civ 6 Hero

As the release of Civilization 7 draws near, the final leaders for the game's unique roster are being revealed. One figure spotted early on in gameplay footage and promotional materials was Himiko, but Firaxis waited for their Modern Age reveals to give her the spotlight. After being featured in just two past installments, Himiko becomes a leader for the first time in Civilization 7 with an extra alternate persona.

Civilization 7 Gives Civ 6 Hero Two Unique Personas

With the separation of leaders and civs being integral to how Civilization 7 will operate, many leaders set to be in the game are relatively new to the franchise. Several have been in past games as Great People or other alternate roles but will make their leader debut in Civ 7. Himiko is among that group, and her first appearance wasn't until late 2015.

When Civilization Revolution 2 Plus hit PlayStation Vita, Himiko was one of three leaders added as a replacement for Tokugawa Ieyasu. She wasn't seen again until the Babylon Pack released for Civ 6 back in November of 2020. That DLC added a new Heroes & Legends game mode that allowed players to recruit legendary figures including Mulan, Hippolyta, Hercules, Himiko, and many others as Hero units.

Each one had their own unique special ability, and Himiko was the only civilian non-combat Hero included in the game. Instead of pure strength, Himiko was able to sway city-states. She could expend a set number of charges to add a free envoy at a city-state or levy troops from any city-state you are Suzerain of at no gold cost. Now, she takes on a full leader role in Civ 7 with some familiar strengths.

Both personas for Himiko have a diplomatic focus, the question becomes whether players want to lean in the direction of science or culture. The base game Queen of Wa persona gains a unique diplomatic endeavor to increase science for your alliances, can support endeavors for free, and gains bonus science based on how many leaders you're friendly or helpful with.

On the other side, players who use the High Shaman persona will instead get increased happiness per age on any happiness buildings, bonus production for happiness buildings, and a tradeoff that players will need to consider carefully. High Shaman Himiko gets increased culture at the cost of slightly reduced science, and the impact of this is increased during a celebration.

Both versions will be usable for a handful of different victory paths, but only players with the Founders Content Pack DLC will have access to the High Shaman persona. Himiko's Queen of Wa persona is available in the base game, but only the Founders Edition comes with that pack. It will also be purchasable as separate DLC until February 28 for those who have the base game or choose to get the Deluxe Edition.