Win a Science Victory in Civ 7 with These Ben Franklin Strategies

In the game Civilization 7, there are several characters who didn’t serve as heads of state or hold top executive positions in their respective countries, such as Benjamin Franklin. This historical figure, known for his contributions as an inventor and Founding Father, is reimagined in Civ 7 with a set of beneficial abilities that enhance Science and Production.

In the game of Civ 7, the most effective way for Benjamin Franklin to secure victory is through the Scientific Victory Path, and his exceptional leader abilities greatly facilitate this. To emerge victorious as Benjamin Franklin, players should refer to this guide which outlines not only the optimal strategies for him but also provides a detailed, age-by-age plan on what aspects to prioritize for a successful Science Victory.

Benjamin Franklin Leader Overview

In Civilization VII, the Leadership ability of Benjamin Franklin is titled “The First American,” offering a range of benefits.

Benjamin Franklin can start multiple Endeavors of the same type with different leaders – two Research Agreements, two Cultural Exchanges, etc.
Ben Franklin gets +1 Science from Production Buildings in Cities, and +1 Science from every current active Endeavor, per Age.
Franklin also gets a 50% bonus Production towards Production Buildings.

Playing as Ben Franklin is strategically advantageous due to his diplomatic prowess with other players and the benefits he gains from Production Buildings, which in turn increase Science output. This character’s playstyle leans more towards defense, focusing on maintaining good relations with neighbors through numerous Endeavors, and accumulating Science and Production buildings for increased efficiency.

Natural Civ Unlocks	Description
American	Historical Choice (Modern Age) Automatically unlocked by playing as Benjamin Franklin

How To Win With Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin Leader Strategy & Walkthrough

Best Benjamin Franklin Victory Path: Science

Antiquity: Great Libraries
Exploration: Enlightenment
Modern: Space Race Projects

Due to his exceptional leadership skills and innate ability to unlock civics for America during the modern era, Benjamin Franklin tends to opt for the Scientific Victory legacy route.

In a simplified manner: Production and Science tactics mesh effectively in Civ 7 when it comes to Benjamin Franklin, making him swift through the Technology Tree and dominating the Science Legacy Path, provided you keep friendly ties with other Leaders and make strategic alliances with compatible Civilizations.

As a devoted admirer playing Ben Franklin in Civilization VII, the game suggests that I consider either the Greek or Roman civilizations during the Antiquity Era as strategic options. However, when it comes to the Scientific Legacy Path, neither of these civilizations excel as much as the Han civilization does.

Begin with Han, transition into the Exploration Era of the Ming Dynasty, and subsequently shift towards the Modern Age under America to maximize its Production advantages for Space Race City Projects. If played skillfully, Benjamin Franklin can secure a Science Victory before the Modern Age has barely reached one-third of its span, but be aware that it’s not an easy feat.

Benjamin Franklin Antiquity Age Strategy

Antiquity Scientific Legacy Path Victory: Display 10 Codices

In ancient times, the aim was to swiftly advance through the Technology Tree to quickly construct the Library (for Writing) and Academy (for Education), as they are essential for unlocking the Scientific Legacy Path Victory. This is because to achieve this victory, you need to exhibit 10 Codices, which can only be displayed in these buildings and your Palace.

In the game, selecting the Han Civilization during the Antiquity period grants you immediate access to the Ming Civilization in the Exploration phase. This Ming Civilization is particularly suggested for Benjamin Franklin as his ideal civilization for exploration.

In the spirit of Ben Franklin, we should strive to derive benefits from every endeavor, which implies fostering connections with those who may initially be our adversaries. Send out two scouts to explore and make contact – you’ll likely have sufficient influence each turn at the beginning to opt for a friendly greeting with everyone within your territories. Aim to utilize your influence primarily for relationship-building and initiating collaborative projects.

To gain an early advantage in Science, construct the Saw Mill and other Everlasting Production Buildings before focusing on the Granary. Additionally, purchasing Production Buildings for towns enhances Science production even further. Strive to maximize your Settlement Cap to accelerate the acquisition of Writing and Education.

When you’ve freed them up, position your Library and Academy structures together on a single tile that is next to at least two or more Resource areas, or a Wonder. These buildings offer Codex slots, provide solid foundational Science, and increase their Science output if they are near Resources or Wonders.

All three of the Han Civ’s unique Traditions are useful for Ben Franklin.

Aim to unlock the “Li” Han Civic first, to get the Guanxi Tradition and more Influence on your Palace.
Then, research the “Zhi“, which allows you to make the Great Wall improvement and gain some Culture and Science bonuses.
Finally, research “Junzi“, which grants the Tianxia Tradition to grant Specialists more Science. This is invaluable in the Exploration Age.

To acquire more Codexes and complete the Antiquity Age sooner, you have several strategies available. One way is by participating in Narrative Events, which frequently provide a Codex as a reward – this includes both Leader Narrative Events and Discovery Events. Another option is to research Technologies and their Masteries, as they can yield extra Codexes. For instance, the Mathematics technology grants double the number of Codexes, while the Writing Mastery awards one Codex.

Keep on collaborating with adversaries, constructing Buildings for Production and Science, and accumulating Codices until you unlock the Scientific Legacy Path to Victory and reach the culmination of the Antiquity Era.

Benjamin Franklin Exploration Age Strategy

Exploration Scientific Legacy Path Victory: Have 5 tiles with at least 40 Yield in your empire, not counting settlement center tiles

During the Era of Discovery, make sure to select the attribute from the Golden Age Academy. Afterward, opt for the Ming Dynasty civilization. While there are several beneficial options for Benjamin Franklin’s civilization choice during the Exploration Age, the Ming offer some unique strategies to increase Science production and enhance the Science and Gold earnings from tiles. This directly supports the Exploration Scientific Legacy Path.

In ancient times, choosing to play as the Han civilization grants you an automatic access to the Ming during the Exploration phase. If instead, you opt for another starting civilization, you can unlock the Ming in one of two ways: either build a settlement and fill it with 8 resource slots at once, or enhance 3 Silk Resources within that same settlement.

In the process of exploration, we focus on expanding our town’s population using growth strategies and distributing specialists to areas outside of the city center as much as possible, following the approach similar to Benjamin Franklin. To emerge victorious in the Scientific Legacy path, it is necessary to have a minimum of five tiles with a combined yield exceeding 40 units.

Due to this prerequisite, there’s no need to hastily advance Science during the Exploration Age. Your Golden Age Academies will significantly increase your Science for this age, allowing you to prioritize instead on expanding your territories with additional Food and fostering a robust Economy. An increased food supply equates to more Specialists, while extra Gold enables you to construct Districts and Quarters immediately.

In my role as esteemed Ben Franklin, I strive to cultivate amicable ties with those who oppose me, for it is essential in this era of discovery and innovation to collaborate and learn from one another. As we delve deeper into the Exploration Age, I reap the benefits of a +2 bonus to my Science Leader abilities for each active Endeavor, further fueling my pursuit of knowledge and progress.

Unlock the distinct civic features of the Ming Dynasty, including Nine Garrisons, Lijia, and Da Ming Lu, for additional methods to acquire Science passively.

The “Grand Secretariat” Tradition is especially powerful as it boosts Gold and Science Buildings’ yields, directly boosting your progress towards tiles with 40 Total Yield
The “Baojia“ Tradition boosts global Science for every Resource in Cities
The “Divine Engine” Tradition boosts Science in Cities with a Garrisoned Unit

Through further exploration of Technology and Civilization, you’ll gain access to automatic passive benefits on specific Rural areas and structures, signified by a ‘+’ sign. Hurry to develop Food-producing Technologies and Civilizations to acquire specialists quicker, then thoughtfully identify tiles within your cities that have the potential to surpass a Total Yield of 40.

As a dedicated enthusiast, I always manage to yield +2 Science and +2 Culture on each quarter I occupy, with a 0.5 boost to all surrounding territories. Additionally, my presence significantly enhances the yields of the tile itself. When I survey potential quarters, a comprehensive breakdown of all bonuses I stand to gain, including those that extend to other tiles, conveniently appears above the prospective location when hovered over.

As a passionate player, I’d recommend strategically positioning your Specialists on your most productive Quarters, such as one featuring an Observatory and School, though they don’t necessarily need to be Science-oriented buildings. You can also place Specialists on a tile with a high-yield Inn and Dungeon Quarter to boost Food production and meet the 40 Yield Tile requirement more easily, or a Quarter with a Lighthouse and a Wharf for some additional Gold yields.

As a game enthusiast, I’ve noticed that certain tech advancements can bump up the maximum number of specialists allowed in cities. To surpass the 40 limit, you usually need at least three or four specialists on a single tile, especially on high-yield ones.

As a leader on the Scientific Legacy Path similar to Ben Franklin, the approach is straightforward: Adopt a defensive strategy initially, prioritize expansion for Growth and Resources before focusing on Science. Then, maximize the number of Specialists you can place in your most valuable Tiles. During the early stages of the Age, ensure that all your settlements have Production buildings to maintain a steady Science output without compromise.

Benjamin Franklin Modern Age Strategy

Modern Age Victory: Complete 3 Space Race Projects, then launch the First Staffed Space Flight to win!

In Ancient and Discovery Eras, triumphing in the ‘Science Race’ hinges on skillful resource allocation, systematic expansion, and optimizing your city’s design. On the other hand, in the Modern Era, our primary concerns are Science advancement and Manufacturing output.

To achieve the Science Victory, you need to finish all four Space Race Projects. Each project can be initiated with a specific Technology, which in turn requires a unique Building or Quarter within your city. By the time you reach the Modern Age, focusing on City Growth becomes less crucial compared to boosting Science and Production output to expedite the fulfillment of the Science Victory condition.

With Benjamin Franklin as our guide, we unlock what might be the optimal Science Victory civilization for contemporary times: the United States of America. Although America doesn’t possess any inherent Science advantages, it offers a wealth of additional Production buildings and a unique Production district known as the Industrial Zone, which greatly accelerates the pace at which Benjamin Franklin can expedite Science Victory endeavors.

In the early stages of the Modern Age, prioritize establishing prestigious universities from the Golden Age to instantly amplify scientific progress. Immediately set course for Aviation Technology. Position schools and laboratories on adjacent high-value tiles, foster traditions that enhance specialized science production, and accumulate Leader attributes, particularly through alliances, to further augment your overall Science output.

As Benjamin Franklin, don’t forget to set up projects (and potentially form partnerships with others for additional scientific advancements using specific scientific skill points) to further increase your scientific progress.

As a fellow enthusiast, I strongly recommend you to prioritize unlocking American Civics at your earliest convenience, once you’ve researched the fundamental Food Production and Scientific buildings through other Technologies and Civics. These advancements bring about potent Production structures and a Production Quarter, which directly increase Science output as per Ben Franklin, and expedite your journey towards achieving a Science Victory!

“Yankee Ingenuity” grants the Steel Mill building and the Gold Rush Tradition, which boosts Gold for every assigned Resource
The “Captains of Industry” Civic grants the Railyard (not the Rail Station), and the Robber Baron Tradition, which grants Influence for assigned Resources (which helps with establishing Endeavors.

In certain scenarios, the “Wartime Manufacturing” Civic is not essential but still useful. When you place both a Steel Mill and a Railyard on the same location, it forms an exceptional Industrial Park Quarter, enhancing the Food supply for that City, thus promoting its overall Growth.

By the end of your research on Space Flight, ensure that your primary City benefits from the following three distinctive advancements for optimal productivity. While several cities may be engaged in various Space Race endeavors simultaneously, it is essential to accomplish each stage just once.

Step One: Requires the Flight Tech, which unlocks the Aerodrome district. Build this in your most productive City, then complete the “Trans-Atlantic Flight” City Project.
Step Two: Requires the Aerodynamics Tech, which unlocks the “Break The Sound Barrier” City Proiect. Complete this in your Aerodrome City to progress to the final Legacy Path step.
Step Three: Requires the Rocketry Tech, which unlocks the Launch pad district. Build this in the City you built an Aerodrome in, then complete the “Launch a Satellite” City project.
Final Victory Condition: Complete the “First Staffed Space Flight” project. This automatically unlocks after completing the third step of the Legacy Path in Cities with a Launch Pad.

As a fanatic of strategic gameplay, I’ve found that Benjamin Franklin’s Scientific Victory Path offers an unexpectedly straightforward approach in the world of Science and Production. Compared to the intricate webs of Culture and Economic triumphs, this path seems refreshingly uncomplicated. All you need is a robust science foundation and at least one city boasting exceptional production capabilities. With these elements in place, victory is merely a matter of time, as I’ve experienced in my own games!

Adopting the methods attributed to Benjamin Franklin can help boost scientific productivity, thereby accelerating the path to technology advancements. This speedy progress will enable you to lead the way in space exploration projects during this contemporary era, securing victory ahead of competitors who are yet to embark on their own paths towards success.

2025-02-18 02:42