Plague (Exploration) (Civ7)

For the Plague Crisis in the Antiquity Age, see Plague (Antiquity) (Civ7).

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The Plague is one of the possible Crises that can occur during the Exploration Age in Civilization VII and its expansions. Its theme centers on the Black Death — a devastating pandemic that spread along trade routes in the late medieval period, reshaping societies, economies, and urban life across the known world.

Theme

The Plague Crisis centers around the spread of infection across Settlements and tiles. At any point during the Crisis, a Settlement may become infected. When this occurs, the Settlement immediately enters Unrest, and a random number of nearby tiles become afflicted — visually marked by a green, fog-like cloud hovering over them.

Each infected tile destroys any Buildings or Improvements on it upon impact. These must be repaired using Production, as Settlements in Unrest cannot spend Gold.

Unlike the Plague Crisis of the Antiquity Age, players can now recruit Physicians, who can use the Treat the Sick action to immediately remove Unrest from infected Settlements. However, manually stopping the spread of the plague is impossible. Infected tiles may continue to spread the disease to adjacent tiles, causing further destruction — though the plague cannot spread beyond the borders of the infected Settlement. Additionally, any Unit — whether Military or Civilian — that ends its turn on an infected tile will suffer randomized damage, typically ranging between 30 and 50 HP.

There are minor and major outbreaks, with the latter affecting more tiles and destroying a greater number of Buildings and Improvements. Each outbreak lasts for a limited number of turns, after which the player is notified that the Settlement has been cleansed and the disease has been eradicated. The duration depends on the type of outbreak, as major outbreaks persist significantly longer than minor ones. Once a Settlement is cleansed, it exits Unrest, and all surrounding plague tiles disappear.

As the Crisis progresses through its phases, both the frequency of outbreaks and the likelihood of them being major steadily increase. However, while outbreaks are generally random, Settlements that follow your religion have a significantly lower chance of becoming infected. Additionally, once a Settlement has experienced and recovered from an outbreak, it becomes permanently immune to further infections for the remainder of the Crisis.

Crisis flow

Plague

Phase 1 — The Death Ship
A ship is seen, tacking to and fro outside the harbor where the wind will take it. The crew has died or abandoned it, but left expensive cargo from distant lands... and rats. Before the harbormaster can think to scuttle the ship, opportunistic looters from the shore have already carried off many things — some of which they did not intend.
This plague is a divine punishment	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks Physician Unit and Divine Punishment Crisis Policy.
This plague is a divine mercy	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks Physician Unit and Divine Mercy Crisis Policy.
Crisis Policies
Divine Punishment	+5 Happiness in infected Settlements that follow your religion. These Settlements gain a Migrant when infected.
Divine Mercy	Districts, Buildings and Improvements in Settlements that follow your religion are not damaged by minor outbreaks.
Phase 2 — Cargo
Trade made the great cities of the world great, bringing silks and spices, new ideas and wonders. But pestilence flows, too, through these routes. While physicians debate its causes, and monarchs seek to maintain order, it is the dockworker and the caravan hand who must lift each load of foreign cargo and wonder — will this crate contain my death?
Continue the crisis	+1 Crisis Policy slot. The plagues grow stronger. Unlocks 2 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Humoralism	Gain Science when Physicians Treat the Sick on a tile with a Hospital.
Plague Cults	Gain Culture when Physicians Treat the Sick on a tile with a Temple.
Phase 3 — A White Horse
Trained doctors flee plague-struck cities, while charlatans peddle false cures in their stead, drawing the desperate and naïve alike. Those neighborhoods that remain erect barricades to exclude the sick, but the plague seeps in regardless. The best administrators seek to aid where they can; the worst simply seek to survive.
Continue the crisis	+1 Crisis Policy slot. The plagues grow stronger. Unlocks 2 Crisis Policies
Crisis Policies
Cordon Sanitaire	Buildings, Improvements and Districts in Settlements with a Commander stationed are not damaged by Major Outbreaks.
Lazarettos	Buildings, Improvements and Districts in Coastal Settlements with a Dungeon are not damaged by Major Outbreaks.
The end — Rebirth
As urban districts turned in on themselves in the face of the plague, new designs emerged. Choked urban streets are now replaced by broad avenues, sewage is no longer dumped into reservoirs — an unseen enemy requires constant vigilance, a lesson learned through grief.
The Age of Exploration is ending.	Who will carry our legacy?

Legacies

Legacy Bonus	Requirement	Legacy point cost	Effect
Early Industrialization	Have at least a combination of 10 Sawmills and Gristmills.	2 Economic	+2 Science on Sawmills and Gristmills.
Contagion Theory	Have at least 4 Hospitals.	2 Scientific	Hospitals become Plague Hospitals (They retain their base yields, adjacency bonuses, and effects in the next Age).

Strategy

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See also

• Plague (Antiquity) (Civ7)
• Plague in other games

Civilization VII Crises [edit]
Antiquity	Invasion Plague Revolts
Exploration	Plague Religious Revolts Revolutions