One interesting and useful part of the new Diplomacy and Influence system inSid Meier’sCivilization 7is the Espionage mechanic. Diplomacy inCiv 7functions on Influence, a new key resource acquired fromcertain building types, leader or civilization abilities, adjacencies, Wonders, etc. Unlike previousCivilizationgames, there are no longer Spy units that receive upgrades or complete missions; therefore, there are no upgrades or promotions available for spies. InCiv 7,a limited number of Espionage actions can be chosen, and each one needs to be unlocked via Civics or Techs in each Age.
New Espionage actions are unlocked in every Age and become more useful as a campaign progresses. Certainleaders inCiv 7have an affinity for Espionage, such as Harriet Tubman and Machiavelli, while any leader or Civ with a Diplomatic Attribute will be more likely to generate Influence and thereby complete Espionage more effectively.In the Modern Age, Espionage is extremely useful, allowing players to slow other leaders' progress toward certain victory projects. However, the system has some very particular rules, and understanding the ins and outs of Espionage inCivilization 7is no simple task.
How Civ 7’s Espionage System Works
Top Secret Missions & Tracking Influence
Espionage Actions are unlocked via Civics and Techs in each Age and are found on the Diplomacy page when viewing a leader. They are carried out covertly compared to Endeavors or Sanctions, so the target leader is not notified. Espionage costs are Influenced based on gameplay and settings, and a random number of turns are taken to complete, with a time range provided in the action description.These actions cost Influence per turnand grant rewards from two levels: secret and top secret. Secret Missions reward the base description (e.g., Civic or Tech), while Top Secret Missions reward that plus an additional bonus, typically aMigrant unit in your capital.
Certain aspects of secret vs. top secret mission rewards are not entirely clear as of this writing, as the specific details are not clearly laid out in Espionage Reports.
Espionage also has a chance to be revealed, which carries a negative relationship penalty with the target leaderand a per-turn loss of Influence. If players don’t have any Influence at the start of a turn, all Espionage actions are canceled. As with all Diplomatic actions, only one instance of most Espionage actions can be active at a time. Once Counterspy has been unlocked in the Exploration Age, it allows players or other leaders to reduce the efficacy of Espionage actions, making them easier to reveal and top-secret missions less likely to be completed.
Espionage In Civ 7’s Antiquity Age
Stealing Research & Infiltrating Militaries
InCiv 7’s Antiquity Age, there are three major Espionage Actions that, once unlocked, are available throughout the Ages: Steal Government Secrets, Steal Technological Research, and Infiltrate Military. Steal Government Secrets is unlocked with Code of Laws Mastery, and itsteals a Civic from the target leaderthat you have not yet studied, or alternatively, a Culture bonus. Similarly, the Steal Technological Advancement, unlocked with the Writing Mastery, awards a Tech you have not researched or a Science bonus. One top-secret reward for these will spawn a free Migrant in the capital (though the game doesn’t effectively explain this).
The Sabotage Military Espionage Action can be unlocked through the Diplomatic Attribute Tree and weakens opponents' Military Production over a set number of turns.
Military Infiltration can be unlocked by researching The Wheel Tech, which gives players a vision of all the target leader’s Army Commanders on the map for five turns. This is especially useful for planning out positioning for a possible war confrontation or to see what your neighbors are up to and plan accordingly. Once unlocked, all three of theAntiquity Age Espionage Actions are available for the remainder of the game,with more Age-specific actions available in the coming Ages. There is a penalty if any of these actions are revealed, but players can still successfully complete the action and earn the reward.
Espionage In Civ 7’s Exploration Age
Counterspy, Sabotage Specialist Morale, Reformation & Open The Gates
Once players enterCiv 7’s Exploration Age, new Espionage Actions become available, the biggest one being Counterspy. This will be the main method for countering Espionage Actions against your empire, but will also be available to other Civs to mitigate players' spying efforts.Counterspy is unlocked with the Authority Civic,and it triples the time it would take to complete an Espionage Action while also increasing the chance that they are unveiled. If engaging in Espionage, players can tell if someone is counter-spying on them if their Influence suddenly drops in a given turn. This is because the Counterspy action increases the per-turn Influence cost as well.
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Open the Gates is another Espionage Action available in the Exploration Age that is unlocked with the Castles Tech Mastery. This actiondestroys the defenses of one District in a target Settlement,possibly aiding in conquering a given opponent’s territory. The final Exploration Age Espionage Action is Sabotage Specialist Morale, which Disables all Specialists in a target Settlement and should be used to slow your opponents' progress along the Enlightenment Legacy Path. The final Exploration Espionage Action is Reformation, which will convert a target Settlement to your Religion (not available in the Modern Age).
Espionage In Civ 7’s Modern Age
Once players enterCiv 7’s Modern Age, Espionage becomes a bit more important and can be used to negate their opponents' progress toward victory. There is one Espionage Action affecting each Legacy Path: Infiltrate Enemy Positions (Militaristic), Spread Rumors of Fake Artifacts (Cultural), Sabotage Shipping (Economic), and Sabotage Space Program (Scientific). Infiltrate Enemy Positions is unlocked with the Nationalism Mastery Civic and allows your units to use their Bombard Combat Strength against all of the target’s units. Spread Fake Rumors is unlocked with the Globalism Mastery Civic andremoves all yields from Artifactsin the targeted civilization.
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Sabotage Shipping is unlocked with the Mass Production Tech Mastery and allows players to destroy all Ports and Rail Stations in a targeted city, essentially removing them from their civilization’s Factory Resources and slowing progress toward Railroad Tycoon substantially. Finally, the Sabotage Space Program action is unlocked with the Rocketry Tech andincreases the construction time for Launch Padsas well as the completion time for the Launch Satellite Project in the target city. The Modern Age presents more impactful options for Espionage than the previous Ages, and can help achieve aCivilization 7victory if used strategically.
