While Sid Meier's Civilization 7 tends to steer players toward completing milestones along the four Legacy Paths, the classic Domination Victory from previous installments is still an option - with a few caveats. Civilization 7 is a re-imagined version of previous games in the franchise, and with that comes major changes to gameplay mechanics, a restructuring of the game into distinct Ages, and a redesigned map mechanic. Introducing the Distant Lands concept limits the timeframe in which a Domination Victory can be achieved, making it impossible to win by Domination in the Antiquity Age.

There are multiple ways to victory in Civ 7: following one of four Legacy Paths through to its Victory Condition project, the default win via Legacy Point score, and the Domination Victory. In past iterations, a Domination Victory requires players to conquer the original capital of every major civilization in the game. Civ 7 takes the Domination Victory to another level, making players conquer nearly all the game's settlements. Additionally, players will not interact with all major civilizations until the Exploration Age. Here's a look at how the Domination Victory works in Civ 7 and why it can't be won in the Antiquity Age.

How A Domination Victory Works In Civilization 7

Civ 7's Domination Victory Is Different From Past Versions

A Domination Victory is one of the most straightforward and often the most time-consuming victory types in the franchise, and in Civilization 7, the core concept remains the same: win by force. For context, the Domination Victory has changed across past game iterations. For example, in Civ 5 and Civ 6, players have to capture or conquer the original Capital City of every other civilization, while Civ 4's Domination is based on population and land area. In Civ 7, however, players will have to capture every Settlement belonging to the other civilizations in the game, not just the Capitals.

This change will make a Domination Victory in Civ 7 just as time-consuming and likely more challenging than its past forms due to the way city defenses are designed. Walls and fortifications can be constructed per district, and each district's defenses must be fully destroyed before a settlement can be conquered. Further, with the introduction of the three Ages system, the new Distant Lands mechanic limits the number of opponents players meet during the Antiquity Age, except Single Age games set in the Antiquity Age, which do not include Distant Lands.

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Why Domination Isn't Possible During Civ 7's Antiquity Age

Players Won't Meet All Civs Until The Exploration Age

The Distant Lands are a new feature of Civ 7's standard game mode during the Exploration Age. The Distant Lands are inaccessible during the Antiquity Age, typically because Deep Ocean tiles between them require Exploration Age technologies, such as Cartography and Shipbuilding. These areas of the map are blacked out and will remain completely hidden until the Exploration Age begins and players sail to the Distant Lands and discover their many secrets, including all remaining unmet civilizations. For this reason, players will only be able to dominate their home continent during the Antiquity Age.

A Domination Victory in Civ 7 does not require players to conquer Settlements owned by Independent Powers or City-States.

Aside from Single Age Antiquity games, a Domination Victory will not be possible in the Antiquity Age, and by the time players reach the Distant Lands and meet their foreign adversaries, their Settlements will likely be well-fortified and numerous. Because of that, a Domination Victory in Civ 7 will likely be more challenging than any of the Legacy Victory options available and will require a strong understanding of the new combat mechanics and siege warfare. Overall, a Domination Victory in Civ 7 is still an extremely viable and challenging option, even if it can't be achieved during Civilization 7's Antiquity Age.