One of the more important steps to growing your empire inSid Meier’s Civilization 7is starting a trade route between your nation and others. Trade routes allow you to export and import different resources across borders, giving you the materials you need to pursue various victory paths. You’ll need to invest in specific units to establish trade, so be prepared to unlock what you need early.
There arethree different Ages where you can create trade routesduring a game. You have to unlock the same units to initiate trade in each Age, making them complicated to recruit depending on what time period your empire is in.Unique units inCiv 7throughout each Age are still worth having, so I’ve always found it pays to know ahead of time how to unlock each kind.
How To Get Merchants
Research The Right Tree To Unlock This Unit
Merchants are the units who can start trade routesinCiv 7, but you have to unlock them three times over the course of a game. During each Age, Merchants have different unlock requirements, with all prerequisites tied to conducting research on Technology or Civics tree. The exact node you have to research to get Merchants shifts each time, so here are the ones you must look into to get these units:
The Antiquity Age is perhaps the hardest time to get Merchants, as you have to research other nodes first before you’re able to get them.In the Antiquity Age, you have to research Discipline and Mysticism nodes before you can get Code of Lawsand the Merchant units that come with it. Going into theExploration Age inCiv 7makes getting Merchants a little easier, similarly to the Modern Age.
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Merchants also need to be trained in your settlements before they can go out and establish trade routes.Roads are created through trade routes traveled by Merchants, allowing you to connect to other settlements on your world map. However, some areas are already together through the natural environment, so attempt to train Merchants away from areas you can trade with without a route.
How To Start A Trade Route
Find The Right Path With Friendly Neighbors
Youcan only start a trade route with a nation that has a relationship of Unfriendly or higherwith your empire. City-states won’t trade with you at all until they are your allies, narrowing down exactly who is willing to give and receive goods. As long as you aren’t fighting someone, the chances are high that they will trade.
Once you get a fully trained Merchant, you’ll be informed which nations are available to trade with, as well as what resources they may have that you don’t. Depending on themap type inCiv 7you’re playing on,some nations will be easier to create a route towardthan others.
Merchants cost 40 Production to train to a point where they can start creating trade routes. This is a significant investment, so don’t send merchants to unknown locations where they could be killed as you search for places to establish roads.
Trade routes function a little differently than they have in pastCivtitles. When you want to start making a trade route, you have to follow these steps to ensure that the road for your Merchant is generated:
On your next turn, you’ll be able to trade resources between your settlements and the ones owned by whichever nation you made the trade route with.Trade Routes sometimes cannot be made because the path to another settlement is too longor restricted by the environment. If you don’t have sea travel, for example, your Merchants will not be able to reach a nation across the ocean.
Civ 7: How To Take Advantage Of Dark Ages
Civilization 7 players can take advantage of a unique and interesting Dark Ages bonus in each Legacy Path, but they come at a cost.
Only certain resources can be traded across routes, so certain rival settlements may simply not have anything to give you. This would also prevent a trade route from being created, but you can always use theImprove Trade Relations Diplomatic Abilityto establish one automatically if none can be formed yet.
In my experience, trade routes are a great way to improve your Production by trading with other nations, especially ones that are not as aggressive. Some leaders and civs that you pick may have an easier time getting Merchants and starting trade routes inSid Meier’s Civilization 7, but every faction has ways of exchanging resources.
