📚 Quick-Reference Appendices

Everything here is built for mid-game lookup: open, find the number, get back to your turn.

Appendix A: Settlement quick reference

The numbers that decide how a Settlement develops. Placement rules are in Exploration & Settlement; development rules are in Improving Cities & Towns.

Rule	Value
Maximum border radius	3 hexes from the City Center – a hard cap, with no way to extend it
Border growth	Improving a tile claims it plus surrounding unowned tiles, within the 3-hex limit
Tile ownership	Permanent once claimed
Growth	Food accumulates to a threshold that rises with every citizen gained
Growth event options	Improve a rural tile, or place a Specialist (Cities only)
No room to place a citizen	A free Migrant is produced instead
Town Focus unlocks	At 7 Population; locked for the rest of the Age
Choosing a Focus	Halts Town growth; accumulated Food redistributes to connected Cities
Town Production	Converts entirely to Gold; no build queue, no Wonders or Projects
Town → City cost	Rises with the number of Cities owned; falls as the Town grows; doubled for captured Towns
Specialist cost	2 / 4 / 6 Food and Happiness by Age; 1 on Warehouse or obsolete Buildings
Specialist yield	100% of the tile's adjacency; no base yield
Unhappiness penalty	−5% yields per point, to a maximum of −80%
Settlement Limit penalty	Uncapped Happiness loss per Settlement over the limit

Appendix B: Buildings by class

Several systems in the game refer to a class of building rather than a named one – the Economic victory wants Gold Buildings, adjacency rules key off Culture Buildings, and abilities like Qing's Shiguan pay out per Happiness Building. This is the list of what actually counts.

Standard buildings only. Unique Buildings belong to whichever class their tooltip names and are Ageless; Warehouses are their own class and appear at the end. Placement strategy is in The adjacency system.

Key Insight – Class Is Fixed, Yield Is Not

A building's class is set by its type, not by everything it produces. The Guildhall gives +6 Influence alongside its +6 Gold and is still a Gold Building; the Inn gives +4 Happiness and is still a Food Building. When an ability or victory condition says "Gold Building," it means the class – check this list rather than the yield line.

💰 Gold Buildings

Adjacency: Coast · Navigable Rivers · Wonders. Gold Buildings pay no Gold maintenance.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Market	Currency	+3 Gold, +1 Resource slot
​	Lighthouse	Navigation	+4 Gold, +2 Resource slots
​	Ancient Bridge	Engineering II	+4 Gold; land units cross without embarking
⛵ Exploration	Bazaar	–	+6 Gold, +1 Resource slot
​	Bank	Urban Planning	+8 Gold, +1 Gold on Quarters
​	Guildhall	Guilds	+6 Gold, +6 Influence
​	Medieval Bridge	Feudalism	+4 Gold
🏭 Modern	Port	Steam Engine	+9 Gold, +2 Resource slots, trains Naval Units
​	Rail Station	Industrialization	+9 Gold, +9 Production; builds Railroads
​	Stock Exchange	Computation	+12 Gold, +1 Gold on Quarters
​	Modern Bridge	Urbanization II	+6 Gold; immune to Floods

Pro Tip – The Economic Victory Runs on This Table

GDP accrues each turn from slotted Resources and Gold Buildings in your Cities. Note how many of these also carry Resource slots – Market, Lighthouse, Bazaar, and Port between them add seven. Building Gold Buildings raises both halves of the Economic score at once. See Playing for a victory.

🔬 Science Buildings

Adjacency: Resources · Wonders.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Library	Writing	+3 Science, 2 Great Work slots
​	Academy	Mathematics	+4 Science, 3 Great Work slots
⛵ Exploration	Observatory	Astronomy	+6 Science
​	University	Education	+8 Science, +1 Science on Quarters
🏭 Modern	Schoolhouse	Academics	+9 Science
​	Laboratory	Electricity	+12 Science, +1 Science on Quarters
​	Launch Pad	Rocketry	+18 Science; unlocks the Launch Satellite Project

🎭 Culture Buildings

Adjacency: Mountains · Natural Wonders · Wonders.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Monument	Masonry	+3 Culture, +2 Influence
​	Amphitheater	Engineering	+4 Culture, +10% Wonder Production
⛵ Exploration	Kiln	Guilds	+6 Culture, +10% Wonder Production
​	Pavilion	Architecture	+8 Culture, +1 Happiness on Quarters
🏭 Modern	Museum	Natural History	+9 Culture, 3 Great Work slots
​	Opera House	Urbanization	+12 Culture, +6 Influence

😊 Happiness Buildings

Adjacency: Mountains · Natural Wonders · Wonders. Happiness Buildings pay no Happiness maintenance.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Altar	Mysticism	+3 Happiness; benefits from your Pantheon
​	Arena	Military Training	+4 Happiness, +1 Happiness on Quarters
​	Garden	Irrigation	+3 Food, +2 Happiness
​	Villa	The Wheel	+3 Influence, +3 Happiness
⛵ Exploration	Temple	Piety	+6 Happiness, 1 Great Work slot; trains Missionaries
​	Menagerie	Architecture	+8 Happiness, +1 Happiness on Camps and Pastures
​	Inn	Feudalism	+6 Food, +4 Happiness
🏭 Modern	City Park	–	+9 Happiness, +1 Happiness on Vegetation
​	Department Store	Urbanization	+12 Happiness, +1 Resource slot
​	Radio Station	Radio	+9 Influence, +9 Happiness

⚒️ Production Buildings

Adjacency: Resources · Wonders. The Military ones are also where units spawn.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Barracks	Bronze Working	+3 Production; trains Land Units
​	Blacksmith	Military Training	+4 Production, +1 Production on Quarters
⛵ Exploration	Armorer	Metallurgy	+8 Production; trains Land Units
​	Dungeon	Castles	+6 Production, +4 Influence
​	Shipyard	Shipbuilding	+8 Production; trains Naval Units
🏭 Modern	Military Academy	Military Science	+9 Production; Commanders trained here gain a free level
​	Factory	Mass Production	+12 Production; enables a Factory Resource
​	Aerodrome	Flight	+9 Production; trains Air Units

🌾 Food Buildings

Adjacency: Coast · Navigable Rivers · Wonders.

Age	Building	Unlocked by	What it gives
🏺 Antiquity	Bath	Currency	+4 Food, +10% Growth Rate
​	Garden	Irrigation	+3 Food, +2 Happiness
⛵ Exploration	Hospital	Urban Planning	+8 Food, +15% Growth Rate
​	Wharf	Cartography	+6 Food, +2 Resource slots
​	Inn	Feudalism	+6 Food, +4 Happiness
🏭 Modern	Cannery	Mass Production	+9 Food, +10% Growth Rate
​	Tenement	Radio	+12 Food, +1 Happiness on Quarters

📦 Warehouse Buildings (Ageless)

Ageless – they never obsolete and can never be overbuilt, and they have no adjacency of their own. They raise the yield of rural tiles across the whole Settlement, which is why they scale with the land you actually work. See Warehouse buildings.

Building	Age	What it gives
Granary	🏺 Antiquity	+1 Food on Farms, Pastures, Plantations
Brickyard	🏺 Antiquity	+1 Production on Clay Pits, Mines, Quarries
Fishing Quay	🏺 Antiquity	+1 Food on Fishing Boats
Saw Pit	🏺 Antiquity	+1 Production on Camps and Woodcutters
Harbor	🏺 Antiquity	+1 Production; +1 Production on Fishing Boats
Gristmill	⛵ Exploration	+4 Food; +1 Food on Farms, Pastures, Plantations
Sawmill	⛵ Exploration	+3 Production; +1 Production on Camps and Woodcutters
Stonecutter	⛵ Exploration	+3 Production; +1 Production on Mines and Quarries
Grocer	🏭 Modern	+4 Food; +1 Food on most rural tiles
Ironworks	🏭 Modern	+4 Production; +1 Production on Mines, Quarries, Woodcutters, Clay Pits, Mountains

Watch Out – Maintenance Scales With the Age

Standard buildings cost 2 Gold and 2 Happiness in Antiquity, 3 and 3 in Exploration, and 4 and 4 in Modern. Gold Buildings are exempt from the Gold half and Happiness Buildings from the Happiness half; Warehouses cost nothing at all. An empire full of obsolete Modern buildings is paying full maintenance for a fraction of the yield – another reason to overbuild promptly. See The overbuilding system.

Appendix C: Wonders

Every Wonder in the game, by Age. All Wonders are Ageless – they never obsolete and keep paying for the whole game – which is why a Wonder is usually worth more than the building you gave up to fit it.

The What's notable column is written for decision-making rather than completeness: what the Wonder actually does for a strategy, and where one is especially strong or weak. A ⭐ marks the picks worth reordering your plans around.

Watch Out – Finish It or Lose It

When an Age ends, every Wonder still under construction is removed from the map permanently – no refund, no carry-over, and no civilization can build it again. Check Age Progress before starting an expensive one late. See Wonders and where to put them for placement strategy.

Key Insight – Read the Placement Column First

A Wonder you cannot legally site is not a choice. Several of the strongest below require Coast, a Mountain, a River, or a specific terrain – check whether your city can host it before you commit Production, and reserve the tile early if it can. Civilization-associated Wonders also build 30% faster for that civ and unlock early through its Unique Civics.

🏺 Antiquity Age Wonders

Available to everyone

Wonder	Placement	What's notable
Colossus	Coast adjacent to land	⭐ Top pick. +3 Gold, +3 Resource Capacity, and a free Economic Attribute Point. Resource Capacity is the scarcest thing in Antiquity and this is the cheapest way to buy it
Great Library	Adjacent to a District	+4 Science, +1 Science on Science Buildings across your whole empire, 3 Great Work slots, 3 Innovation. One of the few Antiquity effects that scales empire-wide
Great Lighthouse	Coast adjacent to land	+3 Gold, a free Merchant, +15 Naval Trade Route Range, +1 Naval Sight. Community opinion is split – strong for a naval trade empire, thin otherwise
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus	Flat adjacent to Coast	+3 Production; your first destroyed Cavalry Unit respawns. Niche insurance
Mausoleum of Theodoric	Adjacent to Coast	+3 Production and +100% Pillage yields. Narrow, but genuinely strong in a raiding game
Mireuksa	Adjacent to a Mountain	Culture and Production on Happiness-providing Districts
Nalanda	Plains	⭐ Top pick for Science. +3 Science, a free Codex, 2 Great Work slots, a Scientific Attribute Point, and 3 Innovation outright
Petra	Desert	Turns Desert from dead ground into real yield. Situational by definition – excellent on a desert start, pointless without one
Pyramid Of The Sun	Flat, adjacent to a District	⭐ Top pick for Culture. +3 Culture and +2 Culture on every Quarter in the Settlement – it scales with how densely you build, so put it in your best city
Terracotta Army	Grassland	+2 Production, a free Army Commander, and +25% Commander experience. Commander XP crosses every Age, so this compounds for the whole game

Civilization-specific

Wonders that bend settlement limits, War Support, diplomacy, unit production, or population are summarized here rather than duplicated across the earlier rule-bender tables.

Wonder	Civ	Placement	What's notable
Angkor Wat	Khmer	Adjacent to a River	+3 Happiness and +1 Specialist Limit in this Settlement
Byrsa	Carthage	Adjacent to Coast	Trade Routes here cannot be plundered, and coastal tiles gain Walls
Colosseum	Rome	Adjacent to a District	+3 Culture, plus Happiness and Gold on Quarters. Strong in a dense capital, unremarkable in a sprawling one
Dur-Sharrukin	Assyria	Adjacent to a District	Acts as a Fortified District and gives +5 Combat Strength to Fortified Districts everywhere. A defensive pick
Emile Bell	Silla	Rough	+2 Influence and a unique Endeavor. Diplomatic niche
Gate of All Nations	Persia	Adjacent to a District	⭐ +1 War Support on all Wars, permanently, plus +2 Happiness. Small number, enormous reach – it applies to every war for the rest of the game
Great Stele	Aksum	Flat	+200 Gold per Age for every Wonder completed in any Settlement, including itself, plus +2 Production. Only worth it if you intend to build many Wonders
Ha'amonga 'a Maui	Tonga	Adjacent to Coast	Culture and Food on Fishing Boats, plus a Cultural Attribute Point
Hanging Gardens	Babylon	Adjacent to a River	+1 Food on Farms here and +10% Growth Rate in all Cities – quiet, empire-wide, and best taken early
Hoo-do Hall	Heian Japan	Flat adjacent to a River	Wonders provide Appeal to adjacent tiles – the enabler for an Appeal-based Culture game
Monks Mound	Mississippian	Adjacent to a River	+4 Food and +4 Resource Capacity – the largest single Capacity boost in the Age
Mundo Perdido	Maya	Tropical	Science and Happiness on Tropical tiles. Entirely map-dependent
Oracle	Greece	Rough	+2 Culture and +20 Culture per Age from every Narrative Event, plus a Wildcard Attribute Point
Pyramids	Egypt	Adjacent to a Navigable River, any biome but Tundra	Yields on river Improvements and Districts. Good with a river-heavy capital, weak otherwise
Sanchi Stupa	Maurya	Plains	+3 Happiness and Culture from excess Happiness. Fine in a Celebration empire, skippable elsewhere
Weiyang Palace	Han China	Grassland	+3 Influence and +1 Tradition slot. Traditions outlive the civilization that granted them, so the slot is permanent value

⛵ Exploration Age Wonders

Available to everyone

Wonder	Placement	What's notable
Grand Bazaar	Adjacent to a District in the homelands	+2 Gold, +2 Resource slots, and Gold on homeland Treasure Resources
Nan Madol	An Island City on Coast	Large yields on the Palace and City Hall of island Cities. Superb on Archipelago, useless inland
Notre Dame	Adjacent to a River and a District	⭐ Starts a Celebration on completion and gives all Specialists +3 Culture during Celebrations. The Celebration engine's best single purchase
Shwedagon Zedi Daw	Adjacent to a Lake	+4 Science, Science on Appeal tiles, a Wildcard Attribute Point, and 3 Innovation
Wat Xieng Thong	Adjacent to a River	200 Gold every time you obtain a Great Work. Pairs with any Relic engine

Civilization-specific

Wonder	Civ	Placement	What's notable
Borobudur	Majapahit	Adjacent to Coast	+3 Happiness, plus Food and Happiness on Quarters. Widely rated the best Wonder in the game for Specialist upkeep
Brihadeeswarar Temple	Chola	On or adjacent to a River	+3 Influence and a Happiness adjacency for Navigable Rivers on every Building in the Settlement
Buseoksa	Goryeo	Tropical or Grassland adjacent to a Mountain	Influence and Gold on Unique Improvements in nearby Joyous and Ecstatic Settlements
El Escorial	Spain	Rough	+1 Settlement Limit and +4 Happiness to Cities within 7 tiles, plus 3 Great Work slots
Erdene Zuu	Mongolia	Flat	Culture per Cavalry Unit trained. Niche, but banks Wildcard points in a cavalry game
Forbidden City	Ming China	Adjacent to a District	+4 Culture and yields on all Fortifications, plus Tourism on them here
Hale o Keawe	Hawai'i	Adjacent to Coast, not Tundra	+2 Culture, Culture on water Buildings, and 3 Great Work slots – display capacity is the real constraint on a Culture game
Havana Harbor	Republic of Pirates	Distant Lands Coast	+3 Gold and generates Treasure Convoys worth 3 Cargo
Himeji Castle	Sengoku Japan	Rough	Culture on Fortifications and +5 Combat Strength for Fortified Districts everywhere. Acts as a Fortified District
House of Wisdom	Abbasid	Adjacent to a District	⭐ The strongest Exploration Wonder by consensus. +3 Science, a free Relic, +2 Science on every Great Work, 3 Great Work slots, and 3 Innovation. Science and Culture at once
Machu Pikchu	Inca	Grassland or Tropical Mountain tile	+4 Gold and Culture and Gold adjacency from Mountains for all Buildings. Turns dead terrain into yield
Reykjaholt	Iceland	Tundra	Production toward Military Units scaling with Great Works held, plus 3 Great Work slots
Rila Monastery	Bulgaria	Not adjacent to a District	A Relic every time you build a Wonder, including this one, plus 3 Great Work slots
Serpent Mound	Shawnee	Flat Grassland	+4 Influence and strong yields on Unique Improvements
Thành Huế	Dai Viet	Adjacent to Medieval Walls in a heavily walled City	+4 Culture and a Specialist Limit increase in fortified Cities
Tomb of Askia	Songhai	Desert	+2 Gold, +2 Resource Capacity, and yields per assigned Resource. Community favorite for free money and Production
White Tower	Norman	Adjacent to a City Hall	+4 Happiness per Tradition slotted in your Government – scales with a Tradition-heavy build

🏭 Modern Age Wonders

Available to everyone

Wonder	Placement	What's notable
Manhattan Project	–	+5 Science, 3 Innovation, and unlocks Nuclear Weapons. Buildable by multiple civilizations, so it is not a race you can lose outright
Nirayama Reverberatory Furnace	Adjacent to a Mine on a Resource	+5 Production, plus large Production and Science on Mines
Oxford University	Adjacent to a District	Two free Technologies, +4 Science, a Wildcard point, and 3 Innovation. Expensive, but the free techs usually justify it
Taj Mahal	Plains	+5 Gold, +50% Celebration duration, and a Wildcard Attribute Point
Ubudiah Mosque	Wet terrain	+4 Happiness and +50% to all yields on Improvements in this Settlement
World's Fair	–	⭐ Top pick. +6 Culture, Influence, Happiness, and Science, plus +2 Tourism on all Wonders. The single best capstone for a Wonder-heavy empire

Civilization-specific

Wonder	Civ	Placement	What's notable
Battersea Power Station	Great Britain	Land adjacent to Coast	+4 Production and a second Naval Unit each time you train one. Complete it before queuing an expensive fleet
Boudhanath	Nepal	Grassland or Tropical adjacent to a Mountain	+6 Influence and +20 Relationship with every other leader – best before treaties and sanctions are settled
Brandenburg Gate	Prussia	Adjacent to a District	⭐ +6 Production, +1 War Support in all Wars, and +1 Settlement Limit
Chengde Mountain Resort	Qing China	Adjacent to a Mountain	+6 Gold and +5% Culture per other civilization connected by your Trade Routes
Dogo Onsen	Meiji Japan	Adjacent to Coast	+4 Happiness and +1 Population in this Settlement per Celebration
Doi Suthep	Siam	Rough	+4 Influence and +5 Culture and Gold per City-State suzerainty
Eiffel Tower	French Empire	Adjacent to a District	+5 Culture, plus +4 Culture and +2 Tourism on every Quarter in the City
Eram Garden	Qajar	Desert	+4 Food and +1 Specialist Limit in this Settlement
Hermitage	Russia	Tundra	+4 Culture, +5 Culture in every Settlement displaying a Great Work, and 3 Great Work slots
Hwaseong	Joseon	Flat adjacent to Rough	+4 Culture, a Social Policy slot and Tradition slot, and acts as a Fortified District
Muzibu Azaala Mpanga	Buganda	Adjacent to a Lake	+4 Food, +4 Culture and Food on Lake Improvements and Districts, and +1 Population in lake-adjacent Settlements
Palacio de Bellas Artes	Mexico	Adjacent to a District	+5 Culture, a free Artifact, 3 Great Work slots, and +3 Happiness on Great Works
Red Fort	Mughal	Adjacent to a District	+4 Gold and Production, acts as a Fortified District, and grants +50 HP to itself and all City Centers
Statue of Liberty	America	Coast adjacent to land	+6 Happiness and spawns 4 Migrants – prepare housing or workable tiles before completion
Sultanahmet Camii	Ottoman	Adjacent to another Wonder	+4 Happiness and +4 Culture and Gold on local Wonders, doubled for Exploration and tripled for Antiquity Wonders

Appendix D: Unit actions and commands

Every unit carries a row of buttons. The game sorts them into two kinds, and knowing which is which tells you who spends their turn:

• An Action is one unit doing one thing to itself or its tile – Fortify, Pillage, Range Attack. Commanders have a few of their own.
• A Command is a Commander spending its turn to act across its Command Radius, usually ordering several units to strike at once with a bonus attached.

✨ Charged-unit actions

Activate spends a charge to produce the unit's effect. It is available only when the unit is standing on a qualifying tile and has Movement left, so a unit that spends its whole move arriving cannot activate until the next turn. Most charged units have one use, though a few have more. Activate is used by Great People and by specialized units including America's Prospector, Maya's Jaguar Slayer, Aksum's Dhow, the Republic of Pirates' Buccaneer, and Sengoku Japan's Shinobi.

🛡️ Actions every unit has

Action	Available to	What it does	Cost
Fortify	Land military	Adds Combat Strength while defending. The Bulwark promotion completes it a turn sooner.	All
Alert	Most units	Sleeps the unit but wakes it automatically when an enemy comes near.	Free
Sleep	All	Standby – the unit stops appearing in your turn cycle until woken.	Free
Heal	All	Sleeps the unit and wakes it at full HP.	Free
Skip Turn	All	Cycles past the unit, keeping any unspent Movement.	Free
Range Attack	Ranged · Siege	A ranged attack on a unit or fortified district in Range.	All
Naval Attack	Naval	A ranged attack against a land target in Range.	All
Air Strike	Air	Damages a unit or fortified district anywhere in Range.	All
Pillage	Land · Naval · Commanders	Damages the improvement or district underneath, granting 30 HP or yields.	3
Plunder Trade Route	Land · Naval · Commanders	Destroys an enemy Trade Route and grants Gold.	3
Add To Army	Land · Naval · Civilian	Joins an adjacent Commander with an open slot.	1
Leave Army	Packed units	Disbands from the Commander onto an adjacent tile.	All
Reinforce Army	Land · Naval	Sends the unit to a Commander invisibly and untargetably, joining on arrival.	All
Upgrade Unit	Military	Spends Gold to upgrade in friendly territory.	All
Rebase Aircraft	Air	Relocates to an Aerodrome, Squadron, or Carrier with a free slot.	All
Move By Rail	Land civilian	Enters the rail network and travels instantly to a connected Rail Station in range.	All

Key Insight – Reinforce Beats Marching

A unit sent with Reinforce Army travels invisible and untargetable until it reaches the Commander. Walking the same unit forward manually exposes it to interception for every turn of the journey. Once a war is running, reinforcements should almost always be sent, not marched.

⚔️ How a Command resolves

Commands are the part of the interface with rules that are never spelled out on screen. There are three, and they explain most of the surprises:

1. It happens now, not next turn. A Command resolves immediately and simultaneously. Every eligible unit moves, fires, fortifies, or pillages the instant you press it.
2. Only eligible units join. A unit participates if it is inside the Command Radius, is the right class for that Command, has a legal target in range, and still has Movement left. A unit that already attacked or spent its Movement this turn is simply skipped – there is no penalty and no warning, it just does not take part.
3. Everyone who joins is finished for the turn. A Command depletes the Movement of the Commander and every participating unit. The two exceptions are Assemble Army and Upgrade All Units, which cost nothing.

Pro Tip – Command First, Cleanup Second

Because participants must still have Movement, press the Command before you start moving units by hand. Attack with one Cavalry unit first and it will sit out the Coordinated Attack you press a moment later, losing both its strike and the +2 bonus. Issue the Command, then spend whatever Movement is left on the units that were not eligible. With two Army Commanders, use Focus Fire to soften a target, then Coordinated Attack to finish it.

🎖️ Commander commands

The bonus column is the reason to use a Command instead of attacking with each unit by hand.

Command	Commander	What it does	When to press it
Assemble Army	Army · Fleet	Pulls adjacent units that still have Movement into the Commander's slots. Costs no Movement.	Any time units are adjacent. It is free, so gather on the move rather than waiting.
Deploy Army	Army · Fleet	Unpacks all carried units onto the Commander's tile and adjacent tiles.	On arrival, one tile short of contact. Pair with Initiative so they can act the same turn.
Coordinated Attack	Army	Orders every Infantry and Cavalry unit in radius with Movement left to close and melee one target, +2 Combat Strength each.	Your standard opener against a stack or a defended tile.
Focus Fire	Army	Orders every Ranged and Siege unit in radius with the target in range to fire, +2 Ranged and +2 Bombard Strength each.	Softening a fortified defender before the melee wave.
Coordinated Naval Attack	Fleet	The naval melee equivalent, +2 Combat Strength each.	Closing on an enemy fleet or a coastal district.
Barrage Land Target	Fleet	Orders naval units in radius to bombard a land unit or fortified district, +2 Ranged and +2 Bombard.	Shore support. This is how a fleet cracks a coastal city it cannot melee.
Defensive Perimeters	Army	Orders every eligible land unit in radius to Fortify at once.	Ending a turn in the open, or holding ground against a counterattack.
Scorched Earth	Army · Fleet	Orders every eligible unit in radius to Pillage at once.	Deep in enemy land with improvements everywhere. Mass healing and yields in one press.
Grant Second Wind	Army · Fleet	Restores 2 Movement to one friendly unit in radius that already attacked this turn. Requires the Valor Commendation.	The exception to rule 2 – it is how you get a second swing out of a unit that is already spent.
Heroic Assault	Army · Fleet	The Commander itself makes a ranged attack on an adjacent enemy not behind walls, using its Defense Strength as Ranged Strength. Requires Duty.	Free chip damage from a unit that normally cannot attack. Not usable against a walled settlement.
Upgrade All Units	Army · Fleet · Air	Upgrades every eligible packed unit at once, if you have the Gold. Costs no Movement.	The moment a new unit tier unlocks. Free to press, so never save it for later.
Airdrop	Squadron	Deploys all packed land units to any eligible tile in Range.	Seizing an objective behind the front line.
Cargo Drop	Squadron	Drops a healing package: +25 HP to a friendly unit in Range and all units adjacent to it.	Sustaining an army too far forward to rotate home.
Carpet Bomb	Aerodrome · Squadron · Carrier	Orders all packed Bombers to strike one land unit or fortified district.	Pre-invasion softening of a defended settlement.
Ground Attack	Aerodrome · Squadron · Carrier	Orders all packed Ground Attackers to strike one land target.	Same role as Carpet Bomb for the ground-attack airframes.
Fighter Sweep	Aerodrome · Squadron · Carrier	Orders all packed Fighters to strike any tile in Range.	Clearing enemy air cover before committing bombers.

🏇 Commander-only actions

These are things the Commander does itself, rather than orders others to do.

Action	Commander	What it does	Cost
Overrun	Army	The packed Commander moves onto an enemy tile and eliminates the unit outright with minimal retaliation, provided combined Combat Strength is at least 5× the target's.	1 Movement
Promote	All	Spends earned experience on an available Promotion.	Free
Fortify	Army	Builds a temporary fortification over two turns, granting Combat Strength when defending that tile.	All
Disperse Independent	Army	Removes an Independent Power from the map and triggers a Narrative Event. Grants the Commander experience.	Free
Convert Independents	Army	Places all adjacent Independent military units under your control. Unique to Genghis Khan.	All
Aerial Reconnaissance	Air	Fully reveals a tile within 8 Range and its surroundings for a turn, exposing Stealth units and hidden reinforcements.	Free
Establish Air Base	Squadron	Relocates and builds a temporary airbase to operate from.	All
Coastal Raid	Fleet	Damages an adjacent land improvement or district for 30 HP or yields.	All

Pro Tip – Overrun Is the Button You Are Forgetting

A packed Commander does not need to unpack to remove a lone Archer or a weakened straggler. If your combined Strength is 5× theirs, Overrun deletes them for 1 Movement and keeps your army packed and moving.

Appendix E: Crisis survival checklist

Crisis	Pre-Crisis Prep	During Crisis
Plague (Antiquity)	Build Happiness infrastructure; stockpile Food	Move units off infected tiles; accept losses; focus on healthy cities
Revolt	Maximize Happiness across all Settlements	Use Crisis Policies to redirect impact; avoid wars; maintain high Happiness
Invasion	Maintain standing army; fortify borders	Treat as free Commander XP; garrison key settlements; rush enemy camps
Plague (Exploration)	Pre-build Physicians; position near trade hubs	Use Physicians to Treat the Sick; Cordon Sanitaire with Commanders; Lazarettos for coastal cities
Wars of Religion	Spread your religion broadly; convert strategic cities	Leverage religious buildings; defend converted Settlements

Natural Disaster quick reference

Disaster	Where	Net effect
Flood	Coast, navigable rivers, floodplains	Damages rural tiles and Fishing Boats; fertilizes rural tiles
Volcanic Eruption	Adjacent to an active Volcano	Damages, then fertilizes with Production, Food, and often Science
Storm	Terrain-dependent – Hurricane, Tornado, Blizzard, Dust Storm, Squall Line	Travels for multiple turns on an unpredictable path

Crisis mechanics, Crisis Policies, and full disaster detail are in Crises & Natural Disasters.

Appendix F: Attribute Tree reference

Every tree side by side. Levels are cumulative – reaching level 5 means you also hold 1 through 4. Once a tree's numbered bonuses run out, further points repeat the bonus in the final row. How to choose is in Attribute Points.

Level	🎭 Cultural	🕊️ Diplomatic	💰 Economic	🌍 Expansionist	⚔️ Militaristic	🔬 Scientific
1	Palace/City Hall gains Culture bonuses	+2 Happiness on Palace	+2 Gold on Palace	+25% Production toward Settlers	+2 Combat Strength for all units	+2 Science on Palace
2	+15% Production toward Wonders	+1 Influence per Age on Palace	+1 Gold per Age from Resources	+1 Food per Age in Cities	+25% Production toward Military Units	+25% Science toward Tech Mastery
3	+25% Culture toward Civic Mastery	+1 Happiness from Resources; +50% Celebration duration	+2 Gold from Trade Routes	+1 Settlement Limit	Captured Settlements ignore Unrest for purchasing	+15% Production toward Buildings
4	+1 Culture per Age from Great Works	+25% Influence toward Befriend Independent	+1 Resource Capacity	+1 Food & Production per Age in Towns	Commanders start with a free promotion	+1 Science per Age per Quarter
5	+1 Culture per Age from Resources	−1 Influence cost on Diplomatic Actions	+1 Gold per Age in Towns	−1 Food & Happiness Specialist maintenance	+10 HP healed per turn for all units	+1 Science per Age from Resources
6	+2 Culture per Specialist	+1 Culture & Science per City-State suzerainty	−1 Gold maintenance on Buildings	Distant Lands bonuses (Food, Production, Gold)	+1 Settlement Limit	−1 Gold maintenance on Buildings
7	+1 Culture per Age from Alliances	+25% Production toward Levy Units	–	–	−1 Gold maintenance on Military Units	+1 Science per Age in Towns
8	+2 Culture per Age in Towns	–	–	–	–	–
Repeatable	9+ – +5 Culture per Age	8+ – +3 Influence and +5 Happiness per Age	7+ – +2 Gold per Age on Palace	7+ – +1 Settlement Limit	8+ – +5 HP for all units	8+ – +5 Science per Age

Appendix G: What's in the base game, and what isn't

21 of the 38 leaders and 30 of the 50 civilizations are in the base game. Everything else arrives through one of five Content Collections, each released as a set of small packs. The table below shows what each Collection contains.

Every Collection is also sold as individual packs, so you can buy a single leader or civilization on its own – check any digital store for current pricing. Each Collection is organized around a region and period rather than a power level, so its civilizations often fit naturally into the same historical combination. Alexander is free for all players, and so is Gilgamesh.

The five Content Collections

Collection	👑 Leaders	🗺️ Civilizations
Crossroads of the World	Ada Lovelace · Simón Bolívar	🏺 Carthage · ⛵ Bulgaria · 🏭 Great Britain · 🏭 Nepal
Right to Rule	Genghis Khan · Lakshmibai	🏺 Assyria · 🏺 Silla · ⛵ Dai Viet · 🏭 Qajar
Tides of Power	Edward Teach · Sayyida al Hurra	🏺 Tonga · ⛵ Republic of Pirates · ⛵ Iceland · 🏭 Ottoman
Brush & Blade	Toyotomi Hideyoshi · Yi Sun-sin	🏺 Heian Japan · ⛵ Sengoku Japan · ⛵ Goryeo · 🏭 Joseon
Hall of History	Elizabeth I · George Washington	🏺 Babylon · 🏺 Gauls · ⛵ England

Each Collection also carries a Wonder Pack adding Wonders and Natural Wonders to the shared pool – those appear for every player in the game regardless of who is playing them, so they change the map rather than your roster.

Edition content

Two leaders and one civilization arrive with the Deluxe and Founders editions rather than a Collection. The personas are also sold individually, so you can buy any one of them without owning the edition or pack it was bundled with:

Source	Contents
Deluxe & Founders editions	👑 Tecumseh and ⛵ Shawnee
Deluxe Content Pack	Leader personas: Friedrich (Baroque), Xerxes (Achaemenid)
Founders Content Pack	Leader personas: Ashoka (Conqueror), Himiko (High Shaman)

Personas are alternate versions of a leader you may already have – a different ability, agenda, and Mementos on the same historical figure. Napoleon's two personas ship the same way. They are additions to the roster rather than replacements: owning Ashoka (Conqueror) does not remove Ashoka (Renouncer).

Appendix H: Glossary of key terms

Term	Definition
Apex Civilization	A civilization played during its designated historical Age, receiving full unique bonuses (Units, Infrastructure, Civic Tree, Wonder).
Time-Tested	A civilization played outside its Apex Age (before or after), receiving reduced bonuses but access to Syncretism.
Syncretism	A mechanic allowing Time-Tested civs to adopt another Apex civ's Unique Military Unit or Infrastructure.
Affirmation	An alternative to Syncretism that strengthens the civ's own identity with a unique Tradition and free Tradition slot.
Dedication	A powerful bonus earned from Major Triumphs; up to 3 can be selected at each Age Transition.
Triumph	An optional objective (Major or Minor) that provides bonuses upon completion. The primary progression system between Ages.
Triumph Set	A preset collection of Triumphs selected in Advanced Settings (Default, Trailblazer, Explorer, Conqueror, Classic, None).
Celebration	An empire-wide event triggered by accumulating surplus Happiness; grants a Social Policy slot and Government-dependent bonuses.
Crisis Policy	A negative Social Policy that must be slotted during an active Crisis; more slots unlock as the Crisis deepens.
Commander	A special unit that leads armies; provides aura bonuses within a Command Radius; earns XP and Promotions.
Specialist	A citizen placed on a building to generate additional yields (100% of tile Adjacency Yields).
Quarter	A grouping of related buildings within a Settlement; provides adjacency bonuses.
Progression	The title-screen record of your overall level and each individual leader's level. Completing Challenges earns XP; gaining levels unlocks Mementos and cosmetic rewards.
Memento	An equippable bonus unlocked through Progression. Up to two are slotted at setup and may be changed at each Age Transition; once unlocked, any leader can use it.
Age Progress	A percentage tracker showing how close the game is to an Age Transition; advanced by Triumphs and Future research.
Dominion / Tourism / GDP / Innovation	The four victory scoring categories (Military, Cultural, Economic, Scientific respectively).
Distant Lands	Continents or landmasses separate from your starting continent; settling here provides unique bonuses and scores Military points.
Warehouse	An Ageless building with no adjacency of its own that raises the yield of rural tiles across the Settlement (Granary, Brickyard, Sawmill…). Never obsoletes, never overbuilt.
Obsolete building	A standard building from a previous Age. Loses adjacency entirely and its yield is capped at +2 until overbuilt. Specialists placed on one cost only 1 Food and 1 Happiness.
Town Focus	A specialization chosen for a Town at 7 Population that grants yield bonuses, unlocks a limited subset of Buildings for purchase, and halts the Town's own growth. Locked for the rest of the Age.