The latest instalment of the Civilization franchise has introduced players to a whole host of new content, while continuing to improve upon its existing mechanics. Going into Civilization 7, trading remains a significant part of your playthrough. Setting up trade routes is something you’ll have to do in every Age to provide your empire with some important resource boosts and maintain its growth.
Back in the days of Civilization 6, you would produce or purchase traders in your Cities and send them trekking across the map to trade for yields such as Gold, Science, Culture, Food, and Production. In Civilization 7, trading is done through Merchants and this time, you trade for resources. If you want a particular resource, you can either settle near it, or send a Merchant to establish a trade route to another empire that possesses it.
More Civilization 7 guides
Civilization 7: Papyrus Problems Narrative Event Answer | Civilization 7: Best Leaders for Beginners | Civilization 7: Biggest Changes From Civilization 6 | Civilization 7: All Difficulty Levels Explained | Civilization 7: What is Influence and How to Use it | Civilization 7: Best Religious Pantheons | Civilization 7: All Natural Wonders and Bonuses |
How to trade in Civilization 7
In Civilization 7, you set up trade routes using a Merchant which is a type of unit that unlocks after you research the appropriate Civic or Technology. Merchants have to be unlocked three times, once in every Age.
Here is how to unlock Merchants in each Age:
- Antiquity Age: Research the Code of Laws Civic.
- Exploration Age: Research the Economics Civic.
- Modern Age: Research the Steam Engine Technology.
When a Merchant unit spawns, you can select it to see its potential trade routes. It’s worth noting that you can’t trade with other leaders that you have a negative relationship with. When you first meet another Civ, it’s always beneficial to be friendly towards them, giving you more options for trade relations.
Also, it’s wise to produce merchants in your Settlements that are close to other empires. Not only does this reduce travel time, but you can only trade with other towns and cities within range. It’s possible to trade with Independent Powers, but this option only unlocks when you become Suzerain of the Independent Power that you want to trade with.
Once you’ve analyzed all your trade options, send the Merchant to your chosen Settlement. Once the Merchant has reached its destination, you will be given the option to confirm the trade route.
Resources that you gain from trade routes will have to be manually distributed across your empire. Open your Resource Allocation menu and slot the resources on the left side of the menu into your Settlements. If you wish, you can hover over each resource to see which empire it came from. Keep in mind that once you assign a resource, it isn’t permanent. In fact, you can freely move your resources around to maximize the growth of your Settlements.
