Age Select
Of the many gameplay evolutions in Civilization VII, Ages represent the biggest new feature. Civilization VII features three distinct Ages to play through — the Antiquity Age, the Exploration Age, and the Modern Age — each with their own unique set of civilizations you can play as, along with gameplay mechanics specific to that Age.
Ages are inspired by a transformational idea for Civ: that 'history is built in layers.' This idea is a way of understanding how civilizations have grown, changed, and evolved over time. Each Age is its own rich, nuanced journey, creating a deep, historically immersive strategy experience.
You have the freedom to take on multi-Age campaigns, progressing through multiple themed Legacy Paths while measuring your success and focus against rival civilizations in each Age. Scientific, cultural, military, and economic milestones can be achieved within every Age, unlocking impactful advantages that shape your civilization’s foundation for further expansion and prosperity throughout history. Matches can also begin from later Ages, allowing for shorter play sessions if you prefer to skip the earlier eras.
Ages and the Evolution of Civilizations[]
There are three Ages for you to play:
- The Antiquity Age — When agricultural societies began to cluster into urban centers, forming the foundations of the first civilizations. Represents the Ancient and Classical periods beginning in 4000 BCE.
- The Exploration Age — When the desire for precious commodities from distant lands spurred empires to stretch across the great oceans. Represents the Medieval and Renaissance periods beginning in 400 CE.
- The Modern Age — A period of incredible technological growth and global conflict, where mankind goes from development of the steam engine to the splitting of the atom. Represents the Industrial Revolution until the end of World War II beginning in 1750 CE.
Instead of playing as one single civilization across every Age, you'll evolve your empire by selecting a new civilization to play in for each new Age — one that is suited to take on the historical challenges of that time.
Each Age has a multitude of aspects unique to that Age, including which civilizations you can play as. Each civilization is specifically balanced for the Age where it's available, its Bonuses, 
Units, and 
Buildings are always relevant and powerful.
Legacy Paths[]
Regarding the aforementioned Legacy Paths, these are a series of objectives for you to complete during an Age, categorized as Scientific, Cultural, Economic, and Military objectives. Every Legacy Path contains several milestones, providing you with greater rewards as you progress further down a given path. Each new reward unlocks one or more bonuses that you can take advantage of during the transition into the next Age.
Completing a Legacy Path in its entirety unlocks a Golden Age Legacy that you'll have access to in the next Age; failing to complete even one milestone of a Legacy Path gives you an associated Dark Age Legacy. Every path and its objectives are themed to the Age, further bringing out the essence of that time period.
Age progression[]
Age Progress determines how far along you are in a given Age. Once the progress meter reaches 100%, the Age will end, triggering a forced transition to the next. Several key factors contribute to Age progression:
- Each turn adds a small amount of Age Progress.
- Completing milestones along a Legacy Path grants larger boosts.
- Researching future technologies and civics ahead of their time accelerates the Age, penalizing civilizations that have fallen behind.
- Eliminating a civilization provides a significant boost to the Age Progress meter.
On standard speed, an Age typically lasts between 75 to 125 turns, though this varies based on difficulty and player success. Factors such as completing multiple Legacy Paths or eliminating rival civilizations can shorten an Age. Additionally, the number of turns per Age is usually the highest in the Antiquity Age, and generally decreases over the following Ages.
Crises[]
As you near the end of an Age, you'll be confronted with a Crisis. Crises are something all civilizations in the game must face and navigate, and are themed to the Age. Every Crisis comes in stages and intensifies over time, making it more challenging to maintain your empire if you don't adapt. In addition to gameplay moments, you'll have to select which 
Crisis Policies you want to take on. In contrast to the beneficial social policies you slot in when completing Civics, Crisis Policies are negative ones that are slotted into their own separate set.
Potential Paths - Hatshepsut
Age transitions[]
Age transition screen
Legacy choose popup
A full campaign in Civilization VII is one that goes through all three Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Once the Age is completed, all players (and any AI opponents) experience an Age Transition simultaneously. During an Age Transition, three things happen:
- You select a new civilization from the new Age to represent your empire
- You choose which Legacies you want to retain in the new Age
- The game world evolves in ways both big and small.
Potential Paths - Ashoka
Civilization transitioning[]
When it comes to selecting a new civilization in the new Age, you won't be able to choose just any new civ at random. There are three factors that determine your options:
- If there is a historical or geographical connection between the past civ and the future one, you'll have a choice that's more rooted in history. Some examples include Antiquity Egypt to Exploration Abbasid, as well as Maurya India to Chola India.
Potential Paths - From Rome
- Second, certain leaders will automatically unlock certain civs due to their particularly strong identities. Choosing Himiko, for example, means that you will always be able to play as Meiji Japan in the Modern Age.
- Finally, gameplay actions that you take can unlock non-historical paths.
Roman city
Legacies[]
After selecting your new civilization, you'll then pick and choose which Legacies you want to carry forward in the new Age. Legacies can only be selected if you have earned enough Legacy Points to acquire them, the latter which are obtained primarily through completing those milestones in Legacy Paths. For example, completing a milestone in the Scientific path gives you a Science point, which can be used to grab a Science Legacy in the next Age.
Legacies come in a variety of different costs and bonuses. Some Legacies are easily acquired - Leader 
Attributes only cost one point and can be grabbed in bulk. Others are more expensive and may require prerequisite accomplishments, like the Golden Age Legacies mentioned earlier.
When choosing your legacies, you are also offered a choice to change your 
Capital. You will be presented with 2 options, both of which are major 
Settlements in your empire, and you can pick one of them to be the Capital in the next Age. If you choose to move your Capital, you will start the Age with 2 Cities (your former and your new Capital) instead of one. The game will choose which 2 Settlements to present to you by choosing the largest 2 Settlements based on Population that are connected to the current Capital.
Key Changes and Continuities[]
Once you select your new civ and legacies and the new Age begins, your game world undergoes a series of changes across the board. All civilizations begin anew with an updated Civics and Technology Tree. New 
Resources fill the map, and the world expands. From Antiquity to Exploration, you'll be able to research Shipbuilding to cross great oceans and reach Distant Lands — which are already occupied with other undiscovered civilizations. You'll be able to "overbuild" - construct new Buildings on top of your old ones, which have reduced yields as they're less powerful in the new Age. New Legacy Paths present you with updated objectives and new game systems can come online; Religion, which plays a minor role in the Antiquity Age, becomes an essential driver of action during the Exploration Age.
Changes with each Age:
- Civilizations: Civilizations are Age-exclusive, and come equipped with unique abilities, units,
Civics, and Buildings and/or Tile Improvements. - Resources: Each Age contains a set of obtainable Resources on the map that were available during that time period. Some Resources span multiple Ages, while others are exclusive to an individual Age.
- civics and technologies: Ages determine which civics and technologies can be researched.
- Buildings and Units: Available types of units, Buildings, and Wonders are determined by the Age.
- Independent Powers: Independent Powers are minor factions on the map that can be interacted with.
- Playable Map Area: Ages determine the overall size and scope of the playable map, expanding as the player transitions into new Ages.
- Legacy Paths: Each Age reshapes the focus and objectives of each Legacy Path, reflecting the evolving needs and ambitions of civilizations as they progress through history.
- Game Systems: Certain game systems are only available during each Age, ensuring every Age feels unique and exciting to engage with.
With a new civilization and a constantly evolving world, maintaining a cohesive empire identity is a key challenge. Several mechanics ensure this remains intact:
- Leaders remain the same across Ages. Leaders persist across all Ages, ensuring you always have a sense of who is part of your empire, and who are your rivals. Relationships that you develop persist, and Leaders continue to grow by leveling up their attributes. It also helps lend a sense of personal storytelling to each campaign, as you decide which of the other leaders deserve to be your cherished allies or bitter enemies across the Ages.
- Traditions are always available. Investing in a civ's exclusive Civics tree unlocks Traditions: Social Policies that can be used in any Age. In the Modern Age, it's entirely up to you whether you want to slot all your social policies with Traditions - and some leaders have bonuses for doing so.
- Ageless Buildings. Some Buildings are so essential that they cannot be replaced. Any Wonders you've built will always remain on the map, as well as any Unique Quarters you've constructed.
- Commanders persist. Commanders are particularly powerful and impactful units, gaining levels as they survey the battlefield. Your investments in these units will pay off in the long run, as all Commander attributes and experience continue across Ages.
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Norman city with Roman buildings & wonders
Age Transitions represent moments of possibility in a game of Civilization VII. If you find yourself falling too far behind, an Age Transition will offer you a way to get back into the game. You can double down on a preferred playstyle or pivot to a completely different civ if you find yourself outmatched in certain parts of the game. Snowballing into an unstoppable juggernaut is no longer as obvious an outcome, but will still be rewarded for playing well through an abundance of Legacy Points, Golden Age options, and more.
Videos[]
See also[]
- Age in other games
External links[]
| Civilization VII Ages [edit] |
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