In Civilization 7, players begin their journey by exploring land territories, but as civilization progresses, the need for sea voyages becomes inevitable. This allows you to discover new territories, including islands hidden in the distance of water expanses. To do this, you need to send your units into the open seas and oceans. How to do this will be explained in this guide.

How land units take to the water in Civilization 7

In Civilization 7, moving land units to water has become much more intuitive compared to previous installments of the series. Once players research the Sailing technology, their land units can move along coastal waters (light blue sea tiles).

Unlike previous games where embarking required additional actions, in Civilization 7, this technology automatically provides the ability to move units from the shore to water tiles without any extra steps.

It is particularly noteworthy that Navigable River tiles do not require any technological research. Land units can cross rivers without hindrance from the very start of the game. This greatly facilitates movement and opens up new tactical opportunities, especially during battles in inland waters.

How to cross the open ocean in Civilization 7

Moving along the coast is quite straightforward, but traveling across the deep ocean requires additional research and preparation. Players must reach the Exploration Age before their naval units can leave coastal waters and venture into the open ocean. For land units, even greater technological achievements are needed.

To safely travel the open ocean, players must research the Cartography technology. It allows all land units to embark on deep-water tiles (dark blue ocean tiles), opening the way to new continents and unknown lands.

However, simply having the ability to embark into the open ocean is not enough. Without the appropriate shipbuilding technologies, naval and embarked land units will take damage every time they end a turn in open waters. This is where further research becomes necessary.

Important technologies for safe seafaring

To fully master the sea and avoid risks, players must research the following technologies:

• Sailing – allows land units to embark on coastal water tiles.
• Cartography – opens the possibility of crossing deep ocean waters for all land units.
• Shipbuilding – removes movement penalties and prevents naval units from taking damage when ending a turn in the open ocean.
• Shipbuilding II – extends protection to all land units, allowing them to travel the ocean without harm.

Without shipbuilding, naval units ending their turn on deep-water tiles will take damage, complicating long journeys. Researching Shipbuilding II is critically important for the safe transport of settlers and other valuable units across the ocean.

Strategic aspects of sea voyages

While the right technologies make sea voyages possible, strategic planning is necessary for their effectiveness. Players looking to expand their holdings in distant regions should consider the following approaches: