The current batch of updates in Civilization 7 have been all about naval exploration and warfare, making the Exploration Age even more important than it already was. While it might be tempting to pick a Civilization with powerful ships like the Chola or Majapahit for the midgame, Hawai’i offers extremely strong Cultural gameplay plus tons of extra Food and Production for your coastal settlements. If you want to defend your coasts while spreading your religion across the globe, this is the Civ to pick.
Hawai’i is easy enough to work with that new players can get a good game out of them, but once you know what you’re doing you can really make this island culture shine. They’ll not only help you stay on top in the Exploration Age, but they’ll set you up for success in the Modern Age as well.
When Should You Pick Hawai’i?
In any game of Civilization 7, picking your Civ as you transition to a new Age is one of the most important choices in the game. Hawai’i isn’t always the right choice, but when it’s their time to step up they can really deliver.
Hawai’i thrives in Grassland and Tropical terrain, ideally with lots of Coasts. That’s the only place they can build their Lo’i Kalo improvement, which is key to their strategy – if you don’t have lots of Grassland or Tropical, pick a different Civ. The Coastal terrain can be either along the Ocean or Lakes. Ocean is slightly better, but if you have lots of Lakes Hawai’i can still make use of Fishing Boats there to enhance their Lo’i Kalo, possibly setting up for a powerful run as Buganda in the Modern Age.
Note: Rivers don’t count as Marine Terrain, so they don’t get the bonuses from Hawai’i’s abilities. Fishing Boats on Rivers still grant Culture to nearby Lo’i Kalo, though.
Assuming you’ve got the right biome for a strong Hawai’i run, the other considerations are your Leader and overall plan. Ashoka, World Renouncer can make great use of Hawai’i’s reliance on Rural tiles, and Xerxes the Achaemenid generates extra Gold and Culture from each Lo’i Kalo. Himiko, High Shaman generates a lot of Culture normally, and all the extra that Hawai’i can produce feeds into her percentage-based bonuses nicely.
Ultimately, if you’re picking Hawai’i, your plan should be to expand to the islands of the Distant Lands, then focus on getting as many Relics as possible, setting yourself up for a World’s Fair victory in the Modern Age with lots of Culture from everything you accomplished in Exploration.
Getting Started As Hawai’i In Civilization 7
Once you’ve started the Exploration Age, it pays for Hawai’i to start the race for the Distant Lands early, while establishing a religion. Start by unlocking Piety and building a Temple as soon as possible to get the best pick of Beliefs, then train a Kahuna or two to start going out in search of Relics. The Kahuna, Hawai’i’s unique missionary unit, also has charges to heal 25 HP to nearby friendly units, so it pays to keep one with your troops instead of proselytizing if you find yourself in a war.
While that’s happening, research Cartography so that you can start sending Scouts and Settlers across the Ocean in search of new islands to settle. You don’t need to go all the way to the continent where the Civs who weren’t present in Antiquity reside – Hawai’i is just fine taking over the islands midway between the main landmasses.
Tip: If you have a lot of Science and Production to start the Age with, consider researching Astronomy before Cartography. It won’t take too long, and the Serpent Mound is a great Wonder for Hawai’i since it buffs your Lo’i Kalo.
Once you’ve started a religion and send your first Settlers out into the unknown, start researching your unique Hawai’ian Civics. Unlocking the Lo’i Kalo lets you start building it, and you should try to do so wherever you can; each one you make provides extra Food and Production on top of what the basic Tile Improvement was already giving you, plus Culture for every adjacent Fishing Boat.
Continue researching your Hawai’ian Civics, since your Traditions will give you even more Culture to fuel your search for Relics. Ho’okupu is particularly important, since it makes all Marine Terrain provide +1 Culture as long as it’s equipped. Remember, Lo’i Kalo are Ageless, and Ho’okupu is a Tradition, so both will stay with you after you progress to the Modern Age. Build as many as you can and expand to as much Marine Terrain as possible while you’re Hawai’i, and reap the benefits later.
Note: Marine Terrain includes Coast, Ocean, and Lakes, but not Rivers.
Military Strategy As Hawai’i In Civilization 7
Once you’ve set yourself up, all you really need to do is keep expanding in the Distant Lands and spreading your religion to get Relics. That might mean coming to blows with other Civilizations, though, especially if they occupy the Grassland and Tropics that you need. Hawai’i doesn’t have a ton of military tricks, but they do have a versatile infantry unit in the Leiomano.
The Leiomano gets +3 to Combat Strength when fighting Infantry or Cavalry, regardless of whether they’re attacking or defending. That’s pretty respectable, and can help tip an otherwise even fight in your favor. Just watch out for Ranged and Siege units!
Leiomanos’ real strength, though, is in coastal defense. They get +5 Combat Strength when defending against ships, letting them withstand bombardments and still repel any land units that try to flush them out afterwards. This is great on defense, but it also means they’re good for taking and holding islands.
Send in a Fleet Commander and their ships to bombard an island Settlement – these are usually not well defended, and you can make more use of them as Hawai’i than most other Civs could. Once the defenses are down, have the Leiomanos and their Army Commander move in and fortify the island. Your opponent will have a tough time taking it back, especially if you have a Kahuna nearby to provide healing.
Whether you expand aggressively or just take unclaimed islands before the rest of the world shows up, control of the coastlines will give you all the Culture you need to race down the Civics tree, stockpiling Relics and earning a Toshakhana Golden Age to pave the way to victory.