Unit (Civ7)

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A Unit is an agent of a civilization, City-State, or Independent Power in Civilization VII and its expansions that can move around the map and be given commands.

Mechanics[]

Units represent the active agents of your civilization — carrying out exploration, Combat, economic development, and strategic expansion. Every Unit on the map has a distinct role with a unique set of abilities and actions they can perform, whether it be founding new Settlements, defending borders, conducting Warfare, or facilitating diplomacy and infrastructure.

Because of this, Units are a key project to invest in from your Settlements — alongside Buildings and other development options. However, unlike structures which offer predictable and passive benefits, the value of Units is contextual. Their impact depends entirely on how, when, and where they're used. A powerful army left idle, or a fleet of Merchants with no viable Trade Routes, offers little return on investment.

This makes Unit management a strategic balancing act. Training too few can leave you vulnerable or stagnant; overproducing can drain resources, slow infrastructure development, and lead to economic strain. Mastery lies in knowing when to mobilize, when to hold back, and how to position your forces to make the most of their potential.

Managing your Units effectively is key to survival, expansion, and dominance. Whether you seek conquest, culture, or peace, Units are the hands and feet of your civilization's ambitions — and using them well can determine the fate of your empire.

Unit attributes[]

Units possess a wide range of properties — such as stats, actions, and abilities — that define their role and distinguish them from others. Understanding the purpose of each attribute is crucial for evaluating which Units to invest in at different stages of the game.

Stats[]

All Units share the same foundational stats that define their movement and visibility:

Movement – Determines how many tiles a Unit can traverse per turn.
Sight – Dictates how many tiles the Unit can reveal around itself.
HP – Represents the Unit's Hit Points, with a maximum of 100 HP. A Unit is eliminated when its health drops to 0 HP.

In addition to base stats, many Units possess specialized combat related attributes depending on their class and role:

Combat Strength – Used for direct (melee) combat between adjacent Units or indicating resilience.
Range – Indicates how far a Unit can attack from a distance.
Ranged Strength – Determines the power of standard ranged attacks.
Bombard Strength – Used primarily for attacking Fortified Districts and Ships.
Defense Strength – Reflects how well a Unit can resist attacks.

Actions[]

Units can perform a wide variety of actions depending on their type, role, and current situation. Basic actions available to all Units include:

Move: Moves the Unit toward the selected destination until it is reached or the destination becomes unreachable.
Skip Turn: Cycles to the next Unit, regardless if they have Movement points remaining.
Sleep: Puts the Unit on standby, preventing it from being cycled through each turn until manually awakened.
Wake: Cancels the Units current action or stance.
Heal: Puts the Unit to sleep and gradually restores its HP, automatically awakening it once fully healed.
Delete: Removes the Unit from the game.
Alert: Puts the Unit to Sleep but automatically awakens them if enemy Units enter their vicinity (military only).

These basic actions do not deplete Movement points and can be performed freely. In contrast, most Units also possess specialized actions that allow them to engage enemies, interact with terrain, or execute tactical maneuvers. This system encourages players to maintain a diverse and flexible military force capable of operating across various terrain types and fulfilling different objectives.

Because of these added layers, each action plays a vital role in Unit management and can significantly influence both the outcome of battles and broader strategic planning.

Unlike basic actions, specialized actions usually consume all Movement and require the Unit to have at least 1 Movement point available. This demands careful Movement planning to ensure actions can still be used effectively and to avoid prematurely ending a Unit's turn.

List of actions[]

Main article: List of unit actions in Civ7

Abilities[]

Finally, each Unit possesses at least one passive trait that enhances its role. Most of these are straightforward, such as "can exert zone of control" or simply "can be attacked". However, rarer and more impactful traits are referred to as abilities. Units with abilities excel further in their roles and significantly increase their overall strategic value.

Below is a list of special abilities Units can possess:

Amphibious: Allows Land Units to attack from embarked positions without suffering Combat Strength penalties, and removes the Movement cost for embarking or disembarking. However, they remain weakened while idle in water, making them vulnerable to ranged and Naval attacks.
Commando: Grants the ability to attack through cliffs and doubles any Combat Strength bonuses received from favorable terrain.
Determined: Provides +2 Combat Strength.
Enter Foreign Lands: TBA
Embed: TBA
Fear: TBA
First Strike: Provides +5 Combat Strength when the Unit is at full HP.
Poison: Provides +3 Combat Strength when fighting against Units that are not full HP.
Search: TBA
Siege: Enables attacks on Fortified Districts to also damage the defending Unit inside, rather than only the Fortification.
Skirmish: Increases Combat Strength bonuses from flanking by +50%.
Splash: Causes ranged attacks to deal 25% of the inflicted damage to all enemy Units adjacent to the target.
Stealth: Makes the Unit invisible to enemies except when detected or attacking. Detection occurs by adjacent enemy Units or through Aerial Reconnaissance.
Swift: Allows the Unit to ignore enemy Zones of Control when moving.

Unit classes[]

All Units fall into specific categories, each with distinct mechanics, purposes, acquisition methods, and unique modifiers or restrictions.

Civilian[]

Civilian Units cannot engage in combat. Instead, they serve economic, diplomatic, or logistical functions that support a civilization. Most Civilian Units can cross borders without requiring open borders agreements, signaling their peaceful nature.

These Units lack Combat Strength, though some Units, like Scouts and Settlers, may still be damaged and are also not allowed to cross rival borders except when agreed upon.

Support[]

Support Units are a subset of Civilian Units that aid in military or expansion operations without directly engaging in combat. Examples include any type of Commander. While they cannot deal damage, they provide critical benefits such as increased Combat Strength and mobilization support. Unlike most civilians, Support Units can be attacked and eliminated. Similar to Military Units, they cannot enter rival borders without permission.

Military[]

Military Units can engage in direct combat and are the most strategically important Units on the map. Enemy Military Units always pose a threat and can reveal a civilization's strategic intentions. All Military Units have at least the Combat Strength stat, which determines how much damage they can deal and withstand. They are restricted from entering enemy territory unless an agreement is in place. Crossing borders without permission or attacking another Unit will immediately trigger War.

Land[]

Main article: Land Unit (Civ7)

Land Units are the most fundamental and commonly constructed Units throughout history. They can only engage in combat on land and must embark when moving across water. However, while embarked, their Combat Strength is greatly reduced, making them extremely vulnerable to ranged or naval attacks. When crossing seas and oceans, Land Units should always be escorted by Naval Units to ensure their safety and prevent enemy forces from easily picking them off.

Land Units are further divided into four classes:

Infantry
Cavalry
Ranged
Siege

Naval[]

Main article: Naval Unit (Civ7)

Naval Units can only traverse water but have higher Movement points than Land Units. They excel in combat, as all Naval Units can perform ranged attacks and possess both a high amount of Ranged Strength and Bombard Strength, making them highly versatile. Many Naval Units also have a secondary classification — either melee, ranged, or siege. If a Naval Unit can damage Fortified Units, it belongs to the siege class. Otherwise, it is classified as a standard Naval Unit.

In the Modern Age, Naval Units are further divided into three classes:

Heavy
Light
Stealth

Air[]

Main article: Air Unit (Civ7)

Air Units become available in the Modern Age. They all perform ranged attacks but differ from traditional Ranged Units due to their exceptional Range, which far exceeds their Sight. Their attacks are never obstructed by terrain, making them highly effective in any environment. However, Air Units have limited mobility — they cannot move freely across the map. Instead, they are deployed from Air Bases, which serve as operational hubs, allowing them to attack or intercept enemy aircraft within a designated Range.

Air Units are further divided into three classes:

Acquiring Units[]

Units can be acquired by spending Production within a City, just like Buildings or other projects. They can also be purchased with Gold at four times their Production cost, allowing any Settlement with an appropriate spawn tile to recruit them. For example, Naval Units require at least one marine or navigable river tile within the Settlement's borders, while Air Unit need an Aerodrome. When acquired, Units spawn on the closest available tile to the City Center, usually within the center itself — unless a specific Building dictates a different spawn location. Only one type of Unit can be acquired per turn in each Settlement.

Units can also be upgraded using the Upgrade Unit action, which requires paying a certain amount of Gold, when stationed in friendly territory or when Commander promotions allow it elsewhere. Unlike previous Civilization games, this upgrade will not change the Unit into a new, stronger Unit of the same class. Instead, the Unit type remains the same, with the upgrade enhancing its stats by advancing it to a higher tier of the same type.

Maintenance[]

Most Military and Support Units also incur a maintenance cost, requiring a certain amount of Gold per turn as upkeep. The more powerful the Unit, the higher its maintenance, starting at 0 or 1 Gold and reaching up to 5 Gold in the later Ages. This system limits how many Units a civilization can support at once, making a strong Gold income essential for players with military ambitions. Without proper economic planning, even the most powerful armies can become unsustainable, forcing civilizations to disband Units or risk financial instability.

List of units[]

Main article: List of units in Civ7