How do Ages work in Civilization 7?

Ages are a new addition in Civilization 7, the latest mainline installment in the 4X strategy series helmed by Sid Meier. Instead of one continuous campaign, it is split into three different acts/stages. These phases provide clearer checkpoints in the title while also being a good reset point. Thus, knowing the ins and outs of the Age system is essential if players want to expand their empire.

This article details how the Ages work in Sid Meier's Civilization 7.

A guide on the three Ages in Civilization 7

The three ages in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K)

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One campaign of Civilization 7 will be split into three acts:

Antiquity Age
Exploration Age
Modern Age

Players need to meet certain victory conditions that to win one Age. Each Age in the game has four Legacy Paths: Culture, Military, Science, and Economic. These are progression lines that have a series of objectives for you to complete. Major points in the path will feature a milestone. Each line has certain conditions players need to meet to achieve prosperity in that Age.

Out of the four paths, players will need to meet the main condition in at least one of them to transition to the next Age successfully. For example, in the Antiquity Age, you'll need to construct seven World Wonders to transition to the Exploration phase.

There will be a clock in the top left of the screen called the Age timer. When it reaches a hundred percent, the players will need to shift to the next stage. Each turn adds one point of progression to the timer, while when a player achieves a legacy milestone, numerous units will be added to the clock, making it move faster.

However, achieving victory in an Age won't be so easy. When the timer reaches around 70% in the Antiquity and Exploration period, your settlement will experience a crisis. These are Age-specific and bring numerous challenges that the player must then deal with.

Achieving the final victory in Modern Age (via completing a Legacy Patch, eliminating all opponents, or scoring the most Legacy Points) will mean you've won the game.

Golden Age/Dark Age

Developing a successful empire in Civilization 7 depends on how well you adapt to crises (Image via 2K)

If players reach the Age's victory condition (reaching the end of the current period's legacy path within the stipulated time), they will unlock its Golden Age. This will unlock some helpful benefits in the next phase in Civilization 7. For example, if they achieve an economic Golden Age, the towns that were converted into cities will stay that way, while in other instances, they would revert to the former.

However, if players can't reach even one milestone for a long time, the game will offer them a Dark Age Legacy. These offer essential benefits packaged with some debuffs. For example, a Scientific Dark Age will half their overall science gain will provide them with a tech boost every five turns.

Although they will have to make some sacrifices, this can help them get back on track quickly if they play wisely.

New Civilizations

You can establish your civilization in India during three different periods in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K)

When the Age timer reaches 100%, players will transition to the next act of the campaign. Now, you'll need to choose a different civilization for the next stage. There will be three factors that will determine which Civs will be available. They are:

If there is a geographical or historical connection between the past and future civilizations, e.g., Maurya India to Chola India
Certain Leaders will cause some civilizations to automatically unlock, e.g., Choosing Himiko will always open up Meiji Japan for play in the Modern Age.
Your gameplay actions can help unlock non-historical paths to new civilizations. This encourages players to explore their creativity, as they try to stray from the historical scriptures and create their own destinies.

Legacy Points

After choosing your new grounds, you can choose which Legacies you want to carry forward to the next Age. These can be unlocked through Legacy points, which are earned by completing milestones in the previous Age. For example, a Science Legacy can be bought if you have earned enough science legacy points/tokens.

Note that you do not need to achieve the Golden Age to acquire legacy points. There are numerous legacies available for players to invest in, each priced according to its impact.

Changes in the New Age

The Mongolian City in Civilization 7 (Image via 2K)

Every time you transition into the next Age, two events will occur without fail.

Conflicts will end

Any dispute/war you were previously a part of will end when you move into the next Age. The positions of your units are reset if they're stationed at the borders. While the conflict itself will end, your relationship with the leader will not change, meaning you can declare war again if you want to.

New Civic and Tech trees

Each transition into the new Age also replaces your Civic and Tech trees with new ones. This means if you didn't unlock a particular civic or technology from a previous Age in Civilization 7, you won't be able to obtain its benefits later on. This can include unique structures, cultural buildings like amphitheaters, etc.

What remains between Ages

Build connections with leaders or go to war with them (Image via 2K)

A few things will be present throughout Ages:

The Leaders of a Civilization will remain the same throughout the Ages.
Investing in a civilization's exclusive Civics tree unlocks social policies usable in every Age titled Traditions.
Some structures will be irreplaceable due to their importance. These are titled Ageless Buildings. These include Wonders and any unique Quarters you construct..
Commander units will persist throughout all Ages.

Other important details about Ages

Civilizations: Civilizations will be exclusive to a particular Age.
Resources: Some Resources will span multiple Ages, while others are exclusive to one.
Buildings and Units: What types of Units, Buildings, and Wonders are available is determined by the Age.
Game Systems: Certain game systems are only available during a particular period, ensuring each Age feels unique.
Playable Map Area: Ages decide the overall size and scope of the playable map, they expand as the player transitions into new Ages.