Civilization VII · Exploration Age · DLC

Shawnee

Shawnee makes river settlement a genuinely binary choice — cities built along Navigable Rivers thrive under its ability, while cities anywhere else are actively penalized for it.

Historically paired with Tecumseh — mix-and-match with any leader is fully supported, but this pairing is the game's own suggested starting point.

Unique Ability

"Nepekifaki" gives Settlements built adjacent to Navigable Rivers increased Food on River tiles, but Cities not built adjacent to a Navigable River receive less Food than normal — a real trade-off that makes river access a much bigger settling priority than usual.

Unique Unit

The Hoceepkileni is a unique Missionary-replacement unit.

Unique Infrastructure

The Mawaskawe Skote is a unique Improvement that gains increased Culture for every City-State you're Suzerain of. The associated Wonder, Serpent Mound, adds Science and increases Science and Production on all Unique Improvements; it must be placed on a Grassland tile.

How to Play Shawnee

  • Settle every city adjacent to a Navigable River if at all possible — the Food penalty for not doing so is steep enough to genuinely shape your whole expansion plan.
  • Invest in City-State Suzerainty specifically if you're building around the Mawaskawe Skote — its Culture output scales directly with how many City-States you control.
  • Prioritize the Bread Dance Tradition once available — the Culture and Food bonuses for Farming and Fishing Towns reinforce Shawnee's river-focused economy.

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