Some Civilization 7 leaders will feature alternative personas with different traits

It’s not all cosmetics

Firaxis / 2K Games / Take-Two Interactive

Firaxis has revealed additional details on Civilization 7 and how leaders will work in the game. A new nugget of information is that some – not all – leaders will be available in multiple forms that exhibit different key traits. In essence, this means that Civilization 6’s persona mechanic makes its return in the successor, though with a different focus, since it’s no longer going to be used to explain why a leader can be used with two different civilizations. The first example they’ve given for Civ 7 is Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon will be available as Napoleon (Emperor) and Napoleon (Revolutionary), depicting him at two very different stages of his life. The Frenchman won’t be included in the base game, but can be claimed for free by anyone owning Civilization 7. His Emperor persona will be available for everyone making a 2K account connected to Civ 7, while the Revolutionary persona will be unlocked by connecting a 2K account to both Civ 7 and Civ 6.

“Many historical leaders and civilizations had complex, multifaceted histories,” the developers wrote. “We introduced Personas in Civilization 6 as a way to acknowledge historical figures who have ties to different civilizations, or those who excelled in two unique and important areas of statecraft. Personas return in Civilization 7 with a stronger focus on the latter, as the ability to mix and match leaders and civs inherently covers the former.”

Hatshepsut and Augustus seemingly won't feature any alternative personas, though there would certainly be room for one with the Roman. / Firaxis

Every persona in Civ 7 will come with their own Unique Ability and Agenda – plus, their own drip and fancy diplomacy background.

Although not confirmed, Ashoka may be another leader with two personas, given that he’s been called “Ashoka, World Renouncer” in all the footage we’ve seen, whereas all other leaders have simply been shown using their name without any such addendum.

Another addition to Civ 7 will be the Attribute system for leaders, allowing you to specialize them over the course of a single playthrough and across Ages. Obtaining Attribute Points – which is done through events, milestones, researching civics, building wonders, and so on – in the Cultural, Diplomatic, Economic, Expansionist, Militaristic, and Scientific categories grants you lasting bonuses for a match.

Find all known Civilization 7 leaders and civs in our updated overview.