Marvels (CivBE)

Civilization: Beyond Earth

Image seen when Marvel related quest is activated

Marvels have been introduced to Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth in the Rising Tide expansion pack. They are similar to the natural wonders in Civilization V. Unless the player specifically chooses to disable them, every Rising Tide map will have at least one marvel.

All marvels take up three hexes except for the Massive Meteorite Crater, which takes up four. There are unique marvels for each of the five biomes, and one for the water as well.

Once a marvel is found, a quest begins for all players which requires them to explore the map to find various items. The quest is separated into two parts, requiring the player to gather a single sample and then 2 (or more, corresponding to your game speed; Marathon requires 9) additional samples. Once the quest is complete the player will gain a bonus. Unlike wonders, multiple factions may complete these quests. Different factions can complete the same marvel quest, as well.

Any unit can be used to explore marvels. Units over the appropriate "subquest marvel" task tiles (i.e., smaller version of the Fungus, Hydracoral Overmind), will have a yellow explore action/function (yellow version of the quest symbol above, on the right side of their action bar. Subquest marvels can be claimed by opposing factions, preventing credit when you attempt to claim.

List of marvels

Ancient Alien Metropolis

Ancient Alien Metropolis

• Biome: Arid
• Description: This sprawling city represents the abandoned remains of a powerful alien race. To date, sites like these are our only glimpse into the "Progenitor's" mysterious way of life.
• Quest Item: Abandoned Alien City
• Quest: Hearts and Sand: Survey Abandoned Alien Cities
• Initial Quest Description: Seemingly abandoned for millennia, what still stands is testament to engineering capabilities far beyond our own. Those first to explore the city describe a landscape of inexplicable parts: large districts are completely inaccessible, and massive skyscrapers float hundreds of feet from the ground. It’s unlikely this was the only alien presence on this world. We should keep our eyes open for other settlements to explore.
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: None
• First Quest Completion Description: Our colonists have discovered a second alien city! Buried in the sand, it appears to be a smaller settlement. Intriguingly, this place shares a structure in common with its larger cousin. A massive, geodesic sphere dominates the landscape, but its purpose remains unknown. Citizens entering the dome discover what seem to be individual dwellings. We may have discovered the homes of this intriguing alien race. This excavation is cut short however, when the field team reports hearing voices while inside the sphere. To quote one rattled explorer, “I thought I heard a man and a woman discussing their lunch. The voices were definitely human. They sounded so close...
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: 5-20% bonus Combat Strength for all military units, dependent on positive global Health (1-20).
• Quest Conclusion Description: “We can hear you!” exclaimed one scientist from the field, “There’s no question. We read you loud and clear while standing inside the dome!” Further exploration of the abandoned, alien cities has solved the mystery of their geodesic spheres. By some bizarre, alien science, individuals standing inside the spheres can communicate telepathically with soldiers in the field. Our scientists are studying this effect: familial bonds seem to be important. Soldiers report feeling a strong mental connection when close family is inside the spheres. Ancient inhabitants of these cities seem to have lived mostly within their walls, in constant contact with their kin. A massive effort is now underway to relocate one of these structures in our Capital city. If our engineers can recreate this alien technology, the potential military benefits would more than justify the cost.

Ancient Alien Structure

Ancient Alien Structure

• Biome: Frigid
• Description: This ancient alien machinery represents the grand industrial efforts of an ancient civilization. Its function remains mysterious, as does its goal...
• Quest Item: Floating Alien Structure
• Quest: Ice and Conquest: Investigate Alien Structures
• Initial Quest Description: Rising high into the sky, the structure appears to be millennia old, built from materials that have withstood eons of decay. Mankind can only hope to understand the technologies in use. A closer examination reveals that the central spire houses a massive drill, reaching far below the planet’s crust. At those depths, no metal should survive the planet’s intense heat. Radio interference at the site suggests the device may be communicating with something nearby. There must be more alien structures on this planet.
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: None
• First Quest Completion Description: In the field, our colonists have discovered a second alien structure- smaller than the first, but clearly built from the same incredible materials. An intense, radiating heat kept the team from approaching the device. Their instruments measured temperatures on its surface in the many thousands of degrees Celsius. No natural process is known to sustain these temperatures, outside of the planet’s core! We don’t yet know their purpose, but these floating structures might serve as a radical source of energy on this planet. We should locate as many as we can.
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: Each ancient alien structure within the player's territory provides 3  Geothermal.
• Quest Conclusion Description: After investigating several alien structures, our scientific community has a theory about their original design: this world was not always so frigid. Whatever advanced beings built here, they did so with a clear goal: to extract boiling magma from beneath the planet’s crust. To allow their machinery to operate at such depths, these beings installed floating structures at strategic points across the globe. Using an unknown process, they extracted heat from the planet’s core, slowing its rotation, and gradually freezing the planet. These aliens seem to have long since left, but their immense machinery remains. After years of research, our field teams have learned to safely gather thermal energy from these hovering devices. Current yields are impressive, and scientists believe they could even improve with increased access to each device.

Colossal Alien Fungus

Colossal Alien Fungus

• Biome: Fungal
• Description: This ancient fungus was once the largest member of a planet wide super-organism. An underground network of mycelium connected each mountain-sized specimen into a single massive being. Over centuries, these fungi were gradually covered by spores and debris. They exist now in a dormant, yet living state.
• Quest Item: Alien Fungus
• Quest: Spores and Harvest: Clean Giant Fungi
• Initial Quest Description: The mountain-sized specimen is largely inaccessible, due to a treacherous landscape of surrounding rock. Hundreds of years of growth have disrupted the surrounding terrain, creating hazardous badlands and covering the fungus in airborne debris. It’s unlikely that a species this large would live in isolation. We should study any other specimens we can find.
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: +3 Food added to adjacent tiles
• First Quest Completion Description: An exciting report from the field: our colonists have discovered a second colossal fungus! This specimen appears to be younger than the first, and more easily accessible. The team was able to reach its base and clear away some of its debris, revealing a beautiful, bioluminescent interior. Overnight, our field team observed an amazing transformation: Exposed once more to the air, the giant fungus has sprung back to life. Glowing brightly, it’s released millions of spores into the surrounding countryside. Our biologists are studying these spores now, but have already requested more samples. We should continue to collect as many as we can.
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: 15% Food carried over after city growth.
• Quest Conclusion Description: Research into this planet’s massive fungi has revealed a startling discovery: these mountain-sized individuals all seem to form a single super-organism, spanning the globe through a subterranean network of mycelium. The spores these fungi produce seem to serve as a potent, alien fertilizer. Scientists revisiting these previously barren sites have discovered an explosion of growth in the surrounding countryside. Before it became dormant, this species must have played a major role in this planet’s early ecosystem. Samples of this enriched soil have shown some astounding results in our own test, producing the largest crop yields our colony has ever seen. We should strongly consider farming the land around these marvels of nature.

Monstrous Alien Remains

Monstrous Alien Remains

• Biome: Lush
• Description: These massive remains belong to the largest specimen of a long-extinct species. At their peek, these beasts were so large that only a few individuals could occupy the globe at once. A quirk of anatomy causes their tissue to decay at an extremely slow pace.
• Quest Item: Alien Remains
• Quest: Strength and Decay: Biopsy Alien Remains
• Initial Quest Description: Most of the remains are underground, otherwise they most likely would’ve been noticed by our orbital operations. Carbon dating has determined the remains are thousands of years old. A being this size shouldn't even exist, let alone survive intact for millennia. Clearly we still have much to learn about this planet's ecosystem. We should be on the lookout for more ancient alien remains.
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: None
• First Quest Completion Description: Our colony has discovered new alien remains! Like the first, most of this massive creature remains hidden in the earth. However, this specimen's skull is especially well preserved. Even some ancient brain tissue remains intact! Research into this soft tissue revealed a supersized version of familiar brain anatomy: a spinal cord many meters in diameter; individual neurons you can hold in your hand. With more samples like this, our colony could learn far more about alien anatomy than we do today. We should locate more.
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: All military units can leash alien units.
• Quest Conclusion Description: Our research into the alien remains is beginning to form a more complete picture of these ancient creatures. Individuals in this species were so large, it seems only a small number could occupy the planet at once. There may have only been a dozen such creatures alive at any one time! Further study of these massive remains has led to a better understanding of alien neuroscience. Our biologists believe they have discovered an alien brain region dedicated to stress relief. We now believe we can stimulate this region, by focusing specific radio frequencies at individual aliens. Though they're long since extinct, it's reasonable to assume these massive creatures share anatomy in common with this planet's modern day species. Our explorers have been outfitted with the needed radio equipment- perhaps this calming technique could be used as a deterrent, or as a training method in the field.

Massive Meteorite Crater

Massive Meteorite Crater

• Biome: Primordial
• Description: This giant crater is the result of a recent meteorite collision. Though it emits dangerous levels of radiation, such impact sites might also bring valuable new elements to a planet.
• Quest Item: Meteorite Crater
• Quest: Deus Ex Chemia: Mine Meteorite Craters
• Initial Quest Description: A cacophony of noise and a blinding light halts daily life across the globe: an enormous meteor has exploded in our planet’s atmosphere. Citizens of every colony watch in wonder, as the remaining pieces fall to its surface. Although a shockwave was felt across the globe, reports of damage in the colonies have been mercifully light. Scientists are now measuring trace amounts of nitrogen in the alien atmosphere, suggesting that the meteorite may have brought an abundance of this chemical to the planet. However, our responders are recording high levels of radiation near the largest impact site, preventing further study
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: None
• First Quest Completion Description: At the site of a smaller meteorite crater, our field team has confirmed the discovery of pure nitrogen gas! Experimenting on samples from this site has led to a second major discovery. Exposure to this nitrogen can momentarily convert our planet’s toxic atmosphere into a form a breathable air! With enough of this new chemical, we could greatly reduce the survival gear needed by our colonists in the field. Workers could forgo their heavy oxygen tanks and breathing masks. Instead, small tanks of Nitrogen would be slowly emptied, to create localized, breathable air around their wearers. We should collect as much nitrogen from these fresh impact sites as we possibly can.
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: Increase in Production in all cities for 50 turns. The number of turns the Production bonuses come from increases by +2 turns for every future crater mined.
• Quest Conclusion Description: After mining craters from across the globe, our colony has stockpiled several years’ worth of recovered nitrogen. A new, lightweight body suit, capable of dispersing the gas around its wearer, is just beginning human trails. A nervous control room receives its first reports from users in the field: “Command, the air out here is fine. Come try this for yourselves!” Plans are already underway to supply this miracle gas to local citizens and businesses. Nitrogen has the potential to revolutionize our colony, ushering in a golden age of productivity. Of course, our supplies are finite. We should continue harvesting this chemical from new meteorite craters at every opportunity.

Hydracoral Overmind

Hydracoral Overmind

• Biome: Any
• Description: This giant, bulbous mass acts as the central brain for a planet's hydracoral population. Though not sentient, hyrdacoral can sense their location and environment on the globe. They store this information in above-water "brains", which decide where next to expand.
• Quest Item: Giant Hydracoral Brain (May only be on Water)
• Quest: Visions in the Storm: Take samples of Giant Hydracoral Brains
• Initial Quest Description: It resembles the hydracoral seen on this planet, but a bulbous protrusion stems from its armored base. Bright storms of electrical energy surge beneath its skin. While probing its outer membrane, startled witnesses observed the nearby hydracoral shudder and twist. We don’t know how, but these giant ‘brains’ seem to be connected with the hydracoral through some form of sensory network. We should search for more specimens to study.
• Reward for Exploring Single Marvel: None
• First Quest Completion Description: A second hydracoral brain has been found! Comparing its electrical activity to the first site reveals that both specimens are mysteriously in sync. These electrical ‘storms’, once assumed to be random, seem to occur in both specimens at the same time. We knew these beings were related to hydracoral, but they now appear to communicate with each other. Further study is certainly required.
• Reward for Completing Entire Quest: Tiles surrounding Hydracoral are now visible. Citizens can work tiles containing Hydracoral.
• Quest Conclusion Description: A scientific breakthrough has revealed the inner workings of these massive, hydracoral brains. With enough specimens now studied, it’s clear that all hydracoral on this planet form a single, interconnected organism. These ‘brains’ seem to regulate the growth of new hydracoral, tracking their individual locations across the globe. Our colony’s scientists are excited to report that they can now decipher this code! Equipment installed at several ‘brain’ sites can detect incoming activity, and access the sensory networks of adult hydracoral. May this new awareness guide our exploration of this bizarre planet.