Firaxis released the 1.2.2 update for Civilization VII, introducing more granular difficulty options and official mod support to appeal to traditional players.
Players can now customize difficulty levels for different game aspects, such as setting AI combat strength separately from happiness rules. This feature is available under a new “custom” difficulty setting in the advanced setup menu. Although initially hard to locate, this detailed difficulty tuning follows a growing trend in modern games.
The update also adds the ability to adjust the friendliness of independent powers, catering to players who prefer diplomacy and development over combat, particularly during the Antiquity Age.
Modding is now officially supported with integration through Steam Workshop. Firaxis provides documentation and example mods to assist creators, moving away from the previous manual file edits.
A redesigned loading screen includes more interactive elements and detailed information, signaling upcoming UI improvements. However, some players have criticized the new screen for fuzzy and poorly scaled 2D leader images.
Gameplay changes focus on balance and strategy:
- Trade convoys can travel over land, preventing treasure ships from becoming stuck in lakes.
- Expanded economic strategies are available in the Exploration Age.
- Town focuses received an overhaul, adding new options and nerfing the Hub Town focus, which now grants +1 influence per connected town instead of +2, though opinions differ on whether this sufficiently balances it.