--- title: "Civilization 7 best Mementos by goal and Age (2026 guide)" description: "Best Mementos in Civilization 7: what to equip for each Age and goal, current effects since 1.4.0, and how to unlock them. Rules checked on version 1.5.0." url: https://after-strategy.com/en/civilization-7-best-mementos-2026/ lang: en published: 2026-11-07 author: "Simon Dougnac" author_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/auteur/simon/ game: "Civilization 7" game_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/civilization-7/ categories: [4x, tour-par-tour] tags: [civilization-7, civ-7, firaxis, guide] translations: fr: https://after-strategy.com/fr/civilization-7-meilleurs-souvenirs-2026/ es: https://after-strategy.com/es/civilization-7-mejores-recuerdos-2026/ publisher: "After Strategy" --- # Civilization 7 best Mementos by goal and Age (2026 guide) > Best Mementos in Civilization 7: what to equip for each Age and goal, current effects since 1.4.0, and how to unlock them. Rules checked on version 1.5.0. The best Memento in Civilization 7 depends on your goal and the current Age. In Antiquity, the most flexible pick is an attribute point Memento matched to your leader, such as Antikythera Mechanism for Science. After that, equip a bonus tied to your plan: Corona Civica to expand, Brace of Pistols for naval war, Uraeus for Culture. Nothing is locked in, because you can swap the pair between Ages. This guide follows [Dev Diary #7](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/508443269496046342) and the patch notes up to [update 1.5.0](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/683012924902474392) of September 15, 2026, plus a [hotfix on September 30](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/672881728134578257). Most online rankings date from February 2025, yet effects have been rewritten twice since. It was not written from play: values come from official notes, and opinions are credited to the players who gave them. ## How Mementos work A Memento is a bonus attached to your leader for the game. The official diary sets four rules, and each one shapes your choice. - **Two slots.** Each leader equips two at most, and any Memento works with any leader. - **About a hundred bonuses.** Firaxis announced nearly 100 at launch, and updates added more, such as Gordian Knot for Alexander. - **No purchases.** You earn them only by playing, never with real money. - **Multiplayer included.** They stay available online, but a game can disable them. The least known point concerns Ages. [PC Gamer](https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/civilization-7-guide-to-unexplained-systems-faq) and [Millenium](https://www.millenium.org/guide/421527.html) explain that Mementos can be changed at each transition, on the civilization selection screen. Both guides date from 2025, but [CivFanatics](https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/mementos-post-tot.703478/) players still built their pairs Age by Age in June 2026. An older support page describes a choice that lasts the whole game, so check the transition screen if you cannot find the button. PC Gamer adds a detail that changes the math: an attribute point Memento applies at the start of each Age in which it is equipped. In practice, keeping one through Antiquity and Exploration yields two points, and one CivFanatics player reserves them for exactly those two Ages. ![Civilization 7: fortified harbor and ships off a large city, capture from Crossroads of the World](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/civilization-7-meilleurs-souvenirs-2026/screenshot-1.webp) ## Which Mementos to pick for your goal This table starts from your game plan, not a general ranking. Each row gives the version in which the value was recorded. A "per Age" bonus grows with each Age, which matters for late-game pairs. | Goal | Memento | Effect | Recorded in | |---|---|---|---| | Opening | Antikythera Mechanism, Groma, Complaint to Ea-nāṣir | +1 Scientific, Expansionist or Economic attribute point | Game8, 2025 | | Expansion | Corona Civica | +1 Settlement Limit each Age, +50% Convert to City cost | 1.4.0 | | Exploration | Merchant's Saddle | +1 Movement for Scouts, Merchants, Settlers and Explorers | 1.1.0 | | Land war | War Club | +1 Combat Strength for Infantry per City-State Suzerainty | 1.4.0 | | Taking cities | Chanda-Mahasena | +3 Combat Strength against Fortified Districts during a Celebration | 1.4.0 | | Naval war | Brace of Pistols | +2 Combat Strength for Naval units when attacking | 1.3.1 | | Science | Kiem | +2 Science per Army Commander Promotion | 1.4.0 | | Alliances | Glass Armonica | +15 Science and Happiness per Age in an Alliance, for you and your ally | 1.4.0 | | Culture | Uraeus | +10 Culture per Age in Cities with at least one Wonder | 1.4.0 | | Gold | Mascapaycha | +1 Gold from Specialists, +1 more next to Mountains | 1.4.0 | | Influence | Shisa Necklace | +50 Influence per Age when you become Suzerain | 1.4.0 | | Production | Wampum Belt | +1 Production per Age in Cities per Suzerainty | 1.4.0 | ### In Antiquity: the attribute point, without consensus Attribute point Mementos unlock early and suit every leader. On [CivFanatics](https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/mementos-post-tot.703478/page-2), one player rates them much stronger since Test of Time, arguing points are harder to get. Another calls them worthless, and a third finds their yields too weak. What matters is the tree you are aiming for: a point only makes sense if it quickly opens a bonus your plan needs. Take the point matching your leader's attributes, then replace it once that tree is full. Two simple bonuses round out the pair. Lydian Lion gives 200 Gold per Age at the start of each Age according to [Game8](https://game8.co/games/Civ-7/archives/498483), and Millenium rates it strongest in Antiquity. Corpus Juris Civilis adds one starting Social Policy slot: one player calls it a favorite, while others find it often unnecessary. ### For expansion: Corona Civica, on one condition Corona Civica gives +1 Settlement Limit each Age and no longer scales with the Age since 1.4.0. The price stays fixed at +50% Convert to City cost. In practice, it pays off if you keep many Towns, and it hurts if you convert quickly. One player calls it mandatory, while another avoids it for that exact reason. Two openings circulated on CivFanatics in June 2026, and they remain player reports written before 1.5.0. The first pairs Groma with Gold & Sapphire Flowers. The second combines Xerxes, King of Kings, with Corona Civica, Gordian Knot and Qajar. Their authors describe Settlers available before turn 10. ### For war: check the unit type War Club now covers Infantry only, not all units. If you play Cavalry or Naval, it leaves the pair. Chanda-Mahasena also fell from +5 to +3, but it stays focused on taking cities during a Celebration. Brace of Pistols comes up often among players for naval battles at the end of Exploration. On the Commander side, [Game8](https://game8.co/games/Civ-7/archives/498438) ranked The Art of War first in 2025: +10% experience, +50% inside the radius of a higher-level Commander. It arrives late, at Foundation level 44. Promotion Mementos pay out in yields instead: Kiem in Science, Artilleryman's Gloves in Culture at +2 per Promotion, Flag of Jhansi in Influence at the same rate. These three are flat values per Promotion, so they follow your Commanders and not the Age. ### For Science, Culture and Gold Uraeus now gives a flat value per Age to any City with a Wonder, whereas 2025 guides required owning the most Wonders. Noli Me Tangere gives +1 Science, Culture and Gold per Age for each Major Triumph in an Age, which makes it a late-game pick. Lotus Blossom converts 4% of Gold income into Science and Culture according to the 1.1.0 notes, and one player keeps it for the Modern Age. For Gold, [Game8](https://game8.co/games/Civ-7/archives/499971) listed Green Colonel's Jacket and Kwalkwali in 2025: the first pays per Trade Route, the second per Resource assigned to Cities. Neither value appears in later adjustments, but check the tooltip before building a strategy on them. ## What changed: advice to stop following Firaxis adjusted Mementos in two passes. [Update 1.1.0](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/498314610455087084) toned down those overshadowing leader abilities. [Update 1.4.0](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/688631746613215317) removed most percentages and double-scaling. Rankings from 2025 therefore sometimes describe a different Memento under the same name. | Memento | Effect in 2025 guides | Current effect | |---|---|---| | Great Imperial Crown | +5% Science per Great Work, 25% max | +2 Science per Age on Towns in Tundra | | Dong Son Drum | Celebration when declaring war | Tech Boost when declaring a Formal War | | Uraeus | +10% Culture with the most Wonders | +10 Culture per Age per City with a Wonder | | War Club | +1 Combat Strength for all units | +1 Combat Strength for Infantry | | Noli Me Tangere | +10% per Legacy Path completed | +1 per Age per Major Triumph | | Glass Armonica | +10% Science and Happiness | +15 Science and Happiness per Age | | Shisa Necklace | +100 Influence per Suzerainty | +50 Influence per Age per Suzerainty | Great Imperial Crown shows the trap: Game8's top Culture pick of February 2025 now only gives a Science bonus in Tundra. Dong Son Drum, for its part, lost the Celebration that made it attractive for war. ![Civilization 7: vast river city with horsemen in the foreground, capture from Crossroads of the World](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/civilization-7-meilleurs-souvenirs-2026/screenshot-2.webp) ## How to unlock Mementos Mementos arrive automatically when your Legends level up. According to Millenium, challenges supply the experience, such as turns played, Wonders built or Age objectives completed. The Foundation Path is tied to your account and holds the most accessible bonuses, based on [Game8's list](https://game8.co/games/Civ-7/archives/498483) from February 2025. | Foundation level | Mementos | |---|---| | 2 | Inscribed Sling Bullet (Militaristic), Complaint to Ea-nāṣir (Economic) | | 3 | Treaty of Kadesh (Diplomatic), Groma (Expansionist) | | 4 | Shakokidogu (Cultural), Antikythera Mechanism (Scientific) | | 5 to 7 | Sword of Brennus, Lydian Lion, Imago Mundi | | 8 and 9 | Corpus Juris Civilis, The Travels of Marco Polo | | 44 | The Art of War | Each leader also has a path. Game8 puts Corona Civica at Augustus level 2, Uraeus at Hatshepsut level 9 and Dong Son Drum at Trung Trac level 9. Some require a paid leader: Chanda-Mahasena goes through Ashoka, World Conqueror. The 1.4.0 notes state that earned levels and rewards are unaffected, even if some challenges show as uncompleted again. ## Mistakes to avoid Three habits waste a slot, and each takes a minute to fix at the transition screen. - **Copying a 2025 tier list.** Check the in-game tooltip, because a familiar name can hide a rewritten effect. - **Doubling a bonus without measuring it.** Firaxis says a Memento that copies a leader ability matches it or stays slightly weaker. - **Keeping the same pair to the end.** Lydian Lion loses weight outside Antiquity according to Millenium, while per Age bonuses gain value. The opposite risk exists too: spending ten minutes on a screen for a tiny gap. One player even won on Deity without any Memento, as the [May 2026 community recap](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1295660/view/687507011804332821) reports. They give momentum, not victory. ## Going further Your Mementos depend on your leader first, and our [tier list of civs and leaders](https://after-strategy.com/en/civilization-vii-tier-list-best-leaders-civs-2026/) helps you settle that. Our breakdown of the [1.4.1 governments](https://after-strategy.com/en/civilization-7-government-rework-1-4-1-strategic-guide-2026/) completes the game plan. Advanced settings are in our [complete console commands guide](https://after-strategy.com/en/civilization-7-cheats-console-commands-guide-2026/). Everything else is on the [Civilization 7 page](https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/civilization-7/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best Memento in Civilization 7? No single one suits every game. In Antiquity, an **attribute point Memento** matched to your leader remains the most flexible pick. To expand, look at Corona Civica. For naval war, Brace of Pistols. For Culture, Uraeus. Players disagree on any ranking, and effects moved a lot with update 1.4.0, so check the tooltip. ### How do you unlock Mementos in Civilization 7? You earn them only by playing, never with real money. Challenges award experience to your Legends. The account-wide Foundation Path gives Complaint to Ea-nāṣir at level 2, for example. Each leader also has a path: Harriet Tubman gives Lantern at level 2. Unlocks happen automatically when you level up. ### How many Mementos can you equip in Civilization 7? Two per leader, according to the official dev diary. You fill those slots when you set up the game. They are independent from the leader, so any Memento can go with anyone. The effect then applies on its own, unless it depends on an event such as a Celebration or becoming Suzerain of a City-State. ### Can you change Mementos during a game? Yes, between Ages, when you select your new civilization. PC Gamer and Millenium both describe this, and CivFanatics players plan their pairs Age by Age. Within an Age the pair stays fixed. An attribute point Memento applies at the start of each Age in which it is equipped, which makes it useful more than once. ### Can you use Mementos in multiplayer? Yes. The official dev diary says they remain available online and that a game can disable them, so check the lobby options before building a plan around them. Account progress stays safe: Foundation and leader levels were not affected by update 1.4.0, even though some completed challenges can show as uncompleted again. ## Sources - - - - - - - - - - - - Source : [Civilization 7 best Mementos by goal and Age (2026 guide)](https://after-strategy.com/en/civilization-7-best-mementos-2026/) — After Strategy