After seven years of waiting, Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is finally on the way. Firaxis is promising to take its strategy series to new heights with this entry, and the community cannot wait to see what it delivers. The studio tries to innovate every single time, and Civilization 7 is its chance to finally get some things right. Specifically, it is time for Firaxis to take a hard look at the barbarian mechanic.
Barbarians have been a major part of Civilization for a while, but they have always felt underdeveloped. They could be a major force to be reckoned with on the world stage, but they are often just an annoyance. They don't have a personality, and there are really no deep mechanics to interact with, but Civilization 7 could make them something more.
Civilization's Barbarians Need to Feel Lifelike
Barbarians are a constant thorn in the player's side throughout Sid Meier's Civilization 6. From the minute a game starts, the Civ barbarians begin to pester the player. Barbarian encampments will spawn scouts, those scouts will track down cities and report back their camp, and then the camp will begin churning out hostile units. If the player does not act fast enough, the barbarians can quickly overwhelm them. This back-and-forth continues for the entire game without any significant changes, and eventually they are just forgotten about.
Sid Meier's Civilization 6's New Frontier Pass introduced a new Civ game mode called Barbarian Clans. This mode gives players the ability to interact with the barbarian encampments, and each one is controlled by a specific clan. Players can bribe them to stop attacking their cities, hire their units, pay them to attack someone else, or pay a ransom. If an encampment earns enough progression points, then it can become a city-state, but most camps will not make it this far. All of this gives the barbarians far more personality, but they still feel bland.
Civilization's barbarians have always felt like nothing more than a little annoyance that players must overcome. They show up where they're not wanted, take things from players, and pillage trade routes throughout the entire game. The historical era changes don't change how they operate even as the world enters Civ's future era. While Firaxis tried to make them more engaging, they still need a lot of work, and Civilization 7 is the studio's chance to put in that work.
Sid Meier's Civilization 7's barbarians should feel like a real threat and change as the eras progress. They can still start out as mindless hordes attacking cities, but they should learn alongside the civilizations. They should be able to engage in diplomacy, expand their borders, and even take over cities. While they can be a bit more freeform in how they operate, they ought to feel like any other civilization in Civilization 7. To make things even more interesting, players should be able to take full control of them.
At some point in Civilization 7, the barbarians could also copy the marauders of Stellaris. In Stellaris, there is a chance that the marauders unite under the Great Khan and demand the submission of the rest of the galaxy. This mechanic can be terrifying if not stopped quickly, so the barbarians should replicate that feeling. It could really shake up the midgame if the barbarians randomly united under one banner. It could force players to shift their attention to this new adversary, and may result in a very different landscape.
There is a lot that Firaxis could do with barbarians, and hopefully it takes the time to fix them. Anticipation is high for Sid Meier's Civilization 7, and the studio needs to ensure that it delivers. While victories are the most important aspect, barbarians deserve just as much attention as development continues this next strategy adventure.
Sid Meier's Civilization 7 is currently in development.