Civilization 7 Update 1.4.2: Gold, Influence and Reworked Peace Deals

Until 1.4.2, a Civilization VII peace deal could only move settlements: you kept a city or you handed it over, with nothing else to trade. The update released on July 28, 2026 finally puts gold and influence on the negotiating table.

Update, October 26, 2026: version 1.5.0, released on September 15, extends this diplomatic work. When an ally goes to war, you can now pay influence to stay neutral without breaking the alliance, with a fresh chance to join the conflict at regular intervals. The peace deal changes described below remain those of 1.4.2.

Peace deals that are no longer only about cities

Gold and influence join the negotiation

According to the Steam patch notes, you can now offer gold and influence on top of settlements. The amounts are not free. They are set by Age, in fixed steps, and Rock Paper Shotgun notes there is no slider to pick an exact figure.

Firaxis gives two reasons for that choice. Fixed amounts help manage the economy of war, and they let the AI negotiate better. The studio also promises more work on diplomacy and war, without saying what at this point.

On paper the gain is clear: a limited conflict can finally end without an annexation. The risk is that the sum on offer stays too modest next to a well-placed city, in which case territorial surrender would remain the default reflex.

Checking the map without losing the negotiation

The peace screen becomes more colorful and more compact. More importantly, you can set it aside temporarily to look at the map before agreeing to a settlement swap. Before, you had to remember where everything stood before opening the screen.

It is not a revolution, but that friction weighed on city trades: accepting or refusing a border settlement means seeing the geography.

Clearer relationships between leaders

Who started what

The relationship panel now shows which leader triggered an event that changed the relationship. Steam gives the example of whichever of the two started an Endeavor. Agenda notifications also gain detail, and each leader has unique messages when their Agenda shifts the relationship significantly.

Another concrete tweak: the Reconciliation diplomatic action used to be open only toward a hostile leader. It now works as soon as their attitude drops to unfriendly, so before things get out of hand. For anyone who prefers alliances to conquest, it is the most useful change in the package.

Victories can be switched off again

The victory overhaul in Test of Time had forced Firaxis to get the individual settings working again. With 1.4.2 they run once more, and in a way that fits the new structure. You can therefore force a game toward a military or scientific win by ruling out the others. Rock Paper Shotgun gives that very example, useful in custom games and in multiplayer.

Brush & Blade, part 2

The update ships alongside the second half of the paid Brush & Blade collection, centered on Korea. It adds the leader Yi Sun-sin and the civilizations Goryeo and Joseon. According to Firaxis, owners of part 1, released with 1.4.1 in June, receive it automatically.

Goryeo is a cultural and diplomatic civilization whose Apex falls in the Exploration Age, with the Hwacha siege unit. Joseon is cultural and expansionist, with a Modern Age Apex and the turtle ship. The content had been announced in July, and 1.4.2 makes it available.

What to watch now

Firaxis describes this update as slightly smaller ahead of bigger additions. Watch closely how much weight the fixed sums carry against a settlement, and how the AI uses them when it negotiates. The studio also promised new ways to keep alliances without joining their wars, which 1.5.0 has since begun to deliver.

Test it first if you play long games where war shapes every Age. If you care more about internal management, the government rework in 1.4.1 still speaks to you more.

Sources: Steam patch notes, Rock Paper Shotgun, Firaxis monthly recap.

Going further

• Our Civilization 7 hub: every article on the game.
• Civilization VII 1.4.1: Does the Government Overhaul Actually Change Your Strategy?: the happiness and celebration system.
• Civilization VII: Yi Sun-sin, Goryeo and Joseon are worth watching: the announcement of part 2.