Virtues (CivBE)

Civilization: Beyond Earth

Virtues are an orthogonal system to complement and augment your technology choices and play style. Whereas a player's technology path may be a series of adaptive choices to the environment and circumstances, Virtues represent the player's long-term choices about style and flavor which are more removed from immediate circumstances.

Acquiring virtues

Virtues are acquired by accumulating Culture over time, much like social policies in Civilization V. All Culture your colony is producing from all sources is gathered in a pool, and whenever a certain threshold is reached (based on how many Virtues and cities you already have and the difficulty level on which you're playing), you can select and activate one Virtue.

There are four distinct categories of Virtues: Might (Military), Prosperity ( Health, Energy, and Growth), Knowledge ( Science and Culture), and Industry ( Energy and Production). Each category is aimed at enriching a specific gameplay aspect, as implied by its name. Unlike in Civilization V, however, you don't need to unlock a certain Virtue category in order to acquire anything in it - all four categories are available right from the start, without any restrictions. Another difference is that each category has three times the number of individual Virtues in it, which are organized into three tiers. Individual Virtues within each category are further organized into a tree, so you need to adopt the lower-tier ones first and then make your way down the tree to reach the higher-tier Virtues. Although you have the freedom to choose whichever of the four categories you want right from the start, you will have to develop each category methodically in order to reach higher tiers and more powerful Virtues.

Synergy bonuses

Acquiring a certain number of Virtues from either the same category or the same tier yields an additional synergy bonus. For example, after you get 5 Virtues from the Might category, you get a special bonus; when you get 6 Tier I Virtues you also gain a special bonus. Each category- and tier-related synergy bonus is different. In general, category bonuses are oriented towards the same aspect the category develops (see each category for the specific bonuses), while tier bonuses have a more general benefit (see below).

This system allows great flexibility in developing your Virtues. You could choose to develop a single category consistently and acquire its Tier II and III Virtues and synergy bonuses quickly, or you could choose to develop two categories simultaneously, or even three. Of course, the ever-increasing Culture price of subsequent Virtues imposes a practical limit on how many you can get, so plan ahead and look at strengthening aspects of your colony which are consistent with your overall strategy, or which are otherwise lacking.

Tier Synergy Bonuses

Tier	Number required	Bonus
1	6	Choose 1 Free Virtue
1	10	+10% Production in the Capital +10% Energy in the Capital
1	15	Choose 1 Free Technology
2	8	Choose 1 Free Virtue Recruit 1 new Covert Agent
2	12	Choose 1 Free Affinity Level
3	10	+10% Growth in every city +10% Production in every city +10% Science in every city +10% Culture in every city +10% Energy in every city

Might column

Might

Might deals with all things military, bringing benefits from combat or cheaper/better Units, or lowering the cost of building and maintaining your combat forces. Those looking to expand through force of arms, whether fighting Aliens or other colonies, will likely pursue the Virtues of Might.

• 5 - +5% Combat Strength and +5% Ranged Strength for all Units
• 10 - +5% Combat Strength and +5% Ranged Strength for all Units
• 15 - Choose 1 Free Affinity Level

	Tier	Name	Description
	1Might	Adaptive Tactics	+50% XP from combat
	1Might	Survivalism	+25% Combat Strength and Ranged Strength against alien life forms
	1Might	Military-Industrial Complex	+15% Production towards Military Units
	1Might	Public Security	+0.25 Health for every Military Units under your command
	1Might	Liberation Army	After conquering an enemy Outpost automatically found an Outpost of your own in its place
	2Might	Scavenging	Earn 100% of an alien lifeform's strength as Science after killing it. Earn 30 Science from destroying alien nests
	2Might	Adaptive Sciences	+20% Affinity earned from researching technologies
	2Might	Special Service	+40% Intrigue from Covert Agent
	2Might	Army Engineering Corps	+1 Production from every Strategic Resource +1 Energy from every Strategic Resource
	2Might	Martial Meditations	Choose 1 Free Affinity Level
	3Might	Brutal Efficiency	+50% quantity from sources of Strategic Resource
	3Might	Integrated Arms	+10% Production towards a Unit for each Upgrade it has
	3Might	Joint Operations	+3 Orbital Coverage provided by Stations you trade with
	3Might	Democratized Quartering	-50% maintenance for Units
	3Might	Channeled Wrath	+10% Combat Strength and Ranged Strength for all Units

Prosperity column

Prosperity

Health, Energy, and Growth are the focuses of the Virtue of Prosperity. Whatever the medium of exchange and the benefits of hard work, players who seek to have large cities and healthy citizens to fill them should consider the path of Prosperity.

• 5 - +10% Growth in every city
• 10 - +1 Health for every city
• 15 - +50% Orbital Coverage radius from cities

	Tier	Name	Description
	1Prosperity	Frugality	+10% Food retained after a City grows
	1Prosperity	Workforce Initiative	Gain a free Worker Unit
	1Prosperity	Homesteading	+30% faster development for Outposts.
	1Prosperity	Helping Hands	+15% build speed for Tile improvements
	1Prosperity	Colony Initiative	Gain a free Colonist Unit
	2Prosperity	Pathfinders	Explorer Units can build 3 additional Expeditions
	2Prosperity	Pioneer Spirit	-25% Culture needed for border expansion
	2Prosperity	Gift Economy	+3 Energy from your land based Trade Routes to foreign Cities +3 Energy from your sea-based Trade Routes to foreign Cities
	2Prosperity	Settler Clans	+1 Population for newly founded Cities
	2Prosperity	Mind Over Matter	+7 Health
	3Prosperity	Nature's Bounty	+1 Production from every Basic Resource
	3Prosperity	Joy From Variety	+1 Health from every tree of Basic Resource that is improved
	3Prosperity	Hands Never Idle	+2 energy from any Population acting as a Specialist
	3Prosperity	Ecoscaping	+1 Food +1 Production +1 Culture from every Terrascape Improvement
	3Prosperity	Eudaimonia	15% less Unhealth

Knowledge column

Knowledge

It has been said that "knowledge is power." This Virtue is devoted to improving research towards new Technology, and should excite those excited about the shape of things to come. The Virtue of Knowledge is not limited to Science, of course, but encompasses artistic expression as well.

• 5 - +10% Culture in every city
• 10 - +10% Science in every city
• 15 - Choose 1 Free Technology

	Tier	Name	Description
	1Knowledge	Foresight	+10% Science when Healthy
	1Knowledge	Field Research	Earn 50 Science from finishing Expeditions
	1Knowledge	Social Mores	Each City tile produces +0.25 Culture for every Population
	1Knowledge	Laboratory Apprenticeship	Each City tile generates +0.25 Science for every Population
	1Knowledge	Creative Class	Earn extra Culture equal to 50% of net positive Health
	2Knowledge	Cohesive Values	-10% Culture needed for new Virtues
	2Knowledge	Applied Metasociology	City Intrigue decreases faster when an Agent is present
	2Knowledge	Networked Datalinks	-50% Science penalty from number of Cities for new technologies
	2Knowledge	Community Medicine	+1 Health for every 6 Population in a City
	2Knowledge	Memeweb	50% Culture penalty from number of Cities for new Virtues
	3Knowledge	Metaresearch Methods	Leaf Technologies cost 20% less Science
	3Knowledge	Information Warfare	Recruit 1 new Covert Agent
	3Knowledge	Learning Centers	+1 Science from Academy Improvement
	3Knowledge	Technoartisans	Earn extra Science equal to 25% of the Culture you generate
	3Knowledge	Monomyth	+7 Culture for every Great Wonder

Industry column

Industry

Industry is the Virtue for those seeking to increase wealth and productivity. It offers bonuses in Energy and Production, along with some other benefits to ensure these aren't wasted. It may be that hard work is its own reward, but it is nice to get something out of it.

• 5 - +10% Energy in every city
• 10 - +10% Production in every city
• 15 - Earn 1% of stockpiled Energy amount every turn, up to 100 Energy

	Tier	Name	Description
	1Industry	Labor Logistics	+10% Production towards Buildings
	1Industry	Commoditization	+1 Energy from every Basic Resource
	1Industry	Central Planning	+5 Energy in the Capital
	1Industry	Scalable Infrastructure	+15% Production towards Wonders
	1Industry	Standardized Architecture	+25% Production towards Buildings which have been built in the Capital
	2Industry	Investment	Earn 1% of stockpiled Energy amount every turn, up to 100 Energy
	2Industry	Entrepreneurial Spaceflight	+25% Production towards Orbital Units
	2Industry	Profiteering	+0.5 Health for every Trade Unit under your command
	2Industry	Alternative Markets	Trade Routes with Stations grant +5 Energy per Station tier
	2Industry	Interdependence Network	+25% more yields from your Trade Route to your own Cities
	3Industry	Social Investment	+2 Production from every Manufactory Improvement
	3Industry	Liquidity	-20% Energy cost to purchase Units
	3Industry	Civic Duty	Each City tile generates +0.5 Production for every Population
	3Industry	Magnasanti	Each City generates +0.2 Health for every Building
	3Industry	Superior Engineering	Orbital Units stay in orbit 50% longer before deorbiting

Tips and Tricks

• Once you've purchased 5 Virtues in the first tier of a tree, if you haven't unlocked the first Tier I synergy bonus, it is advantageous to buy the first Virtue of one of the other three trees, then use the free Virtue to continue working your way down your original tree.

Original Virtues screen

The original Virtues screen seen below has been replaced since the release of Rising Tide in both the base game and the expansion.

Videos

Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth - Livestream 3 Techs and Virtues

Official gameplay video showing the Virtues system (beginning at 14:56)