Happiness in Civilization 7 is one of the most important things that you have to learn to control from the beginning. Without good knowledge of happiness and how it increases, you will most likely slow down your gameplay or even destroy your game. There is positive and negative happiness, but the problem starts when you end up in negative happiness.
If you get to negative happiness, riots will start, your buildings will get damaged, and you can end up losing a city. Also, your gold, food, and production will go down, making your progression even slower. So, you have to be careful.
There are two types of happiness: local and global. Local happiness is generated in each city, where part goes to city upkeep while the rest contributes to global happiness. Global happiness is your overall happiness across your civilization, which will give you celebrations, new social policies, etc. Just make sure that your happiness does not turn into unhappiness because it will cause you many unwanted problems.
How to increase Happiness in Civilization 7
Fresh Water: When you are building a settlement, you have to place it near fresh water. That will automatically give you more happiness.
Natural Wonders: A lot of natural wonders and tiles near them will give you additional happiness. So, scout the map and try to place your city near them.
Happiness Buildings: There are buildings that will increase your happiness. When you are building happiness, always keep in mind adjacency bonuses that can provide additional benefits. If you need a quick fix, you can always buy a building if you have extra gold.
Wonders: If you manage to build Wonders that give happiness, you are golden. They will help you throughout the whole game. The problem is when you’re playing against AI—they auto-build them, so try to be as fast as possible because only one player can build each type.
Work Tiles with Happiness: There are tiles that will give you happiness, so make sure that your city is near them.
Happiness Penalties: Specialists in your city consume happiness each turn. That is why it is important to have enough spare happiness for Specialists. If you do not, then do not put them in your city. War is another factor that will reduce happiness. Sometimes, it is hard to control because the enemy will declare war, and you will lose a lot of happiness. If you are struggling with happiness at that moment, then try to make peace as soon as possible. If you do not build a city near fresh water, you will suffer penalties, and you will also face penalties if you exceed the city limit.
Civics: A lot of people miss this, but Civics are extremely important because they can contain buildings that increase happiness. So, check what Civics will give you before you choose.
Army Commanders: Try to get at least one Army Commander as soon as possible. The reason is that they will reduce unhappiness by a lot. For example, if you have 10 cities with positive happiness and one with negative, simply place an Army Commander inside until you fix the unhappiness.
General Tips
Here are some general tips that you should follow to keep your civilization happy or to find a quick fix if you end up in a bad situation:
- Always build near fresh water.
- Always have extra gold to purchase buildings that increase happiness, like arenas, altars, temples, etc.
- Try to avoid wars until you have stable happiness.
- If you are in a war with negative happiness, try to make peace as soon as possible.
- Do not build too many settlements, especially do not go over the limit.
- Always keep an eye on your happiness so you can plan ahead for Civics, wars, buildings, etc.