Boost (Civ6)

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Go to the List of boosts in Civ6 article

For the policy card, see Inspiration (Civ6).

An example of a Eureka, providing a boost towards the Masonry technology

An example of an Inspiration, providing a boost towards the Reformed Church civic

Boosts are a brand new feature introduced in Civilization VI, representing real-life moments of enlightenment which lead to groundbreaking inventions. The two types of boosts in the game - Eurekas and Inspirations - act as specific ways to progress through the technology and civics tree (respectively) at a much faster rate.

Mechanics

Boosts are particular gameplay objectives which are tied to a certain tech or civic, and upon completion, players gain 50% (40% after Rise and Fall) of the Science or Culture required to discover it, plus an additional 10% if you play as China or if you have the Free Inquiry or Pen, Brush and Voice dedications respectively, and all of the remaining Science cost if the boost is a Eureka and you are playing as the Babylonians. For example, you will gain a fraction of the Science required to unlock Masonry when you build a Quarry, and a fraction of the Culture required for Drama and Poetry when you build a wonder.The boost may be activated at any time as long as the respective tech/civic is not yet completed, and can even complete the research in the event that you have already accumulated enough progress in that tech/civic. The interface represents the potential progress boost a Eureka or Inspiration would give you via a hollowed-out color bar in the Progress circle of the tech/civic icon. This hollowed-out bar moves together with any actual research you make on the tech/civic (shown by the bar filling with color). Use this in case you are already researching a tech or civic, and are close to activating its Eureka/ Inspiration - thus you will be able to stop on time and not waste your research by spending more turns than necessary.

Most technologies and practically all civics in the game have Eurekas or Inspirations. The only exceptions are the first three technologies (Animal Husbandry, Mining and Pottery) and the first civic (Code of Laws), all of which have none. Most technologies in the Information Era and Future Era can only be boosted through Great Scientists and Spies. Ideology and civics in the Future Era can never be boosted.

Other sources of boosts

Apart from Eurekas and Inspirations earned by performing a designated task, you can earn boosts through:

• Activating Tribal Villages. Each activation may boost one or two random techs/civics which you have not boosted yet.
• Activating Great People. Most Great Scientists, as well as a small number of other Great People, have the ability to boost random techs (and in some cases, civics).
• Espionage. Spies can perform the Steal Tech mission in foreign cities and acquire boosts for technologies.
• Research Agreements with friendly or allied civilizations, which also activate the boost for a certain technology upon which both partners agree. (Applies to vanilla Civilization VI only.)
• Research Alliances. From level 2 onward, you and your ally can unlock a Eureka for a technology that neither has researched. (Applies to Rise and Fall and Gathering Storm only.)
• China's civilization ability, Dynastic Cycle. In addition to boosting their value, whenever a wonder is completed, it grants a random Eureka and Inspiration from that wonder's era.
• Kublai Khan's leader ability, Gerege. It grants a random Eureka and Inspiration the first time you establish a Trading Post in one of a given civilization's cities.
• If the Barbarian Clans game mode is enabled, there is a random chance to get a Eureka when a Barbarian outpost is dispersed.

Note that each boost can only be activated once. For instance, if you earn the Archery Eureka by visiting a Tribal Village, killing a unit with a Slinger will not give you more progress.

List of Eurekas and Inspirations

Main article: List of boosts in Civ6

Strategy

The main goal of the boost system is to diversify the development of a civilization according to unique sets of elements present in each playthrough. Their activation depends on the most diverse things: particular features in nearby terrain, battle conditions, or sometimes simply chance events in the game. It is also possible to get these boosts through activating Tribal Villages, which makes the system even more random! You can never be sure what sort of bonuses the game will give you, so you will have to change your strategy accordingly, even when playing with the same civilization! For example, sometimes circumstances will give you early access to a certain wonder, offering you the compelling temptation to go for it (even if your strategy doesn't call for this). Other times, the boosts will throw you into a different part of the tech or civics tree altogether, again requiring a strategy adjustment. A wise player will always take Eurekas and Inspirations into account, and use the opportunities they give instead of insisting on a fixed research strategy - this way, progress will be much faster.

Related achievements

Archimedes Bath Get 5 Tech boosts in 1 turn. Legend tells that Archimedes, upon noticing the displacement of water in his bath, exclaimed 'Eureka!' as he realized it was directly proportional to the volume of his body as it was submerged.

Civ 6 Civets System Get 5 Civic boosts in 1 turn. Possibly a reference to the CIVETS, a group of six favored emerging markets countries (Colombia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey, and South Africa).

Let's Do the Time Warp Again As Babylon, earn 5 tech boosts for techs that are at least one era later than your current era. A song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show.