Civilization VII · Exploration Age

Inca

Inca returns to its Civ VI identity of turning Mountains into a genuine growth engine — settling in terrain every other civilization avoids is the entire strategy, not a side benefit.

Unique Ability

"Apus" lets Inca work Mountain terrain directly for Food and Production from the very first turn, with further Food increases in later Ages. After completing the right Civic, Cities with enough worked Mountain tiles can generate Homelands Treasure Convoys, and Inca gets increased Production toward its associated Wonder.

Unique Unit

The Chasqui is a unique Scout with increased Movement and Sight that can see through Mountains and Rough terrain. The Warak'aq is a unique Ranged unit with high Movement that ignores Rough terrain penalties and gets increased Combat Strength attacking from Rough tiles — a genuine mountain-warfare specialist.

Unique Infrastructure

The Terrace Farm is Inca's unique Improvement, providing a high Food yield; it can be built on any Rough terrain without a River or other Feature, though it benefits most when placed near Mountains. The associated Wonder, Machu Pikchu, must be built on a Grassland or Tropical Mountain tile and grants Gold plus Culture and Gold adjacency to nearby Buildings.

How to Play Inca

  • Settle directly adjacent to Mountains rather than avoiding them — Inca's entire kit, from the core ability to the Terrace Farm to Machu Pikchu, rewards mountainous terrain specifically.
  • Unlock the Ayllu Civic as early as you reasonably can — it meaningfully boosts Terrace Farms near Mountains or Granaries, accelerating Inca's whole growth curve.
  • Use the Warak'aq to fight from Rough tiles rather than seeking flat ground — its Combat Strength bonus depends on the terrain you're attacking from.

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