Wonders are the spectacular buildings, inventions, and concepts that have stood the test of time and changed the world forever. Wonders require much time, energy and effort to complete, but once constructed they provide your civilization with many benefits. There are two types of wonders: World Wonders and National Wonders.
Contents
World Wonders[edit]
World Wonders are unique; only one of each can be constructed during a game. (For example, the Great Lighthouse is a World Wonder; whichever civilization completes it first is the only one who can build it.) Great Wonders tend to be extremely powerful and extremely expensive, as well.
Losing the Construction Race[edit]
If another civilization completes a Great Wonder while you are in the process of building it, your construction ceases and a certain amount of your production efforts are converted into gold. (This doesn’t occur with National Wonders, since each civ can have its own version of a National Wonder.)
National Wonders[edit]
National Wonders may be built once by each civilization in the game. That is, each civilization can have its own National Epic Wonder (though no civilization can have two of them).
Effects of Wonders[edit]
A Wonder can have a huge variety of effects. One might greatly increase a city’s productivity, while another might increase your civilization’s happiness. A third might increase your civilization’s output of Great People, and a fourth might increase the defensive strength of all of your cities.
Capturing Wonders[edit]
If you capture a city, you will capture all World Wonders constructed in it. All National Wonders are destroyed, however.
Projects[edit]
Projects are a special kind of construction akin to Wonders in that they perform special functions unlike other buildings. Some Projects may be constructed only once per civilization, like the Apollo Program, or multiple times over the course of the game, such as the SS Booster. Unlike Wonders, which give your civ immediate bonuses upon completion, Projects help unlock other features or units in the game (like the ability to build the Atomic Bomb) or are necessary components to build for Victory.
Also unlike any other production item in a city, Projects may not be purchased or hurried.
New Wonders in Gods & Kings[edit]
Many new wonders were introduced in the expansion Gods & Kings:
World Wonders[edit]
Alhambra[edit]
Tech Requirement: Chivalry
Cost: 400
Cultural Output: 1
Great Person Points: 1 Artist Point
Effects: All newly trained non-air Units in this city receive the Drill I Promotion, improving combat strength when fighting in ROUGH Terrain. Provides a free Castle in the city in which it is built. Boosts city Culture output by 20%.
CN Tower[edit]
Tech Requirement: Telecommunications
Cost: 1250
Great Person Points: 1 Great Merchant Point
Effects: Provides a free Broadcast Tower in all cities. +1 Population in each city and +1 Happiness per city.
The Great Firewall[edit]
Tech Requirement: Computers
Cost: 1250
Effects: 99.9% reduction in effectiveness of enemy Spies in the city in which it is built. All other cities In the Civilization get a 25% reduction in enemy Spy effectiveness.
Great Mosque of Djenne[edit]
Tech Requirement: Theology
Cost: 300
Cultural Output: 1
Faith Output: 3
Great Person Points: 1 Engineer Point
Effects: All Missionaries born in this city can spread religion three times. Provides a free Mosque in the city in which it is built.
Hubble Space Telescope[edit]
Tech Requirement: Satellites
Cost: 1250
Great Person Points: 1 Science Point
Effects: 2 Great Scientists appear near the city where the Wonder was built. Provides a free Spaceship Factory in the city in which it is built. +25% Production when building Spaceship Parts.
Leaning Tower of Pisa[edit]
Tech Requirement: Printing Press
Cost: 500
Cultural Output: 1
Great Person Points: 1 Artist Point
Effects: +25% generation of Great People in all Cities. A free Great Person of your choice appears near the Capital.
Neuschwanstein[edit]
Tech Requirement: Railroad
Cost: 1060
Happiness Output: 2
Cultural Output: 4
Gold output: +6
Great Person Points: 1 Merchant Point
Effects: +3 Gold, +2 Culture, and +1 Happiness from every Castle. City must be built within 2 tiles of a Mountain that is inside your territory.
Petra[edit]
Tech Requirement: Currency
Cost: 250
Cultural Output: 1
Great Person Points: 1 Engineer Point
Effects: City must be built on or next to Desert. +1 Food, +1 Production, +1 Gold for all Desert tiles worked by this city (except Flood Plains). +6 Culture once Archaelogy is discovered. Provides a free Amphitheater in the city in which it is built.
Terracotta Army[edit]
Tech Requirement: Construction
Cost: 250
Cultural Output: 6
Great Person Points: 1 Artist Point
Effects: N/A
National Wonders[edit]
National Intelligence Agency[edit]
Tech Requirement: Radio
Cost: 155
Effects: Provides an additional Spy and levels up all your existing Spies. Provides a 15% reduction in enemy spy effectiveness. Must have a Police Station in all cities.
Natural Wonders[edit]
Mt. Kailash[edit]
The sacred peak of Mount Kailash, found in the Himalayas of Tibet, is cherished by a number of religions, particularly the followers of Hinduism. It is believed to be the home of Lord Shiva, who dwells on the mountain in a state of eternal bliss. Mount Kailash is said to be among the most difficult of all religious pilgrimages, as the harsh conditions dissuade many would-be pilgrims, and the mountain is not accessible by any forms of modern transportation.
Yields: 6 Faith, 2 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable
Mt. Sinai[edit]
Found on the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, Mount Sinai is among the most revered holy sites recognized by the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Mount Sinai is believed to be the location where Moses first received the Ten Commandments from God during the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, making the peak an important site for religious pilgrims from around the world.
Yields: 8 Faith
Movement Cost: Impassable
Sri Pada[edit]
Towering above Sri Lanka, Sri Pada is a large mountain peak with an unusually conical shape that is held sacred by a number of religions for the “footprint” found at its peak. The footprint, a large depression found in a rock formation on the mountain’s summit, has been attributed to Buddha, Shiva, and the biblical figure Adam, leading to the mountain’s reverence among followers of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Each year, thousands of pilgrims trek for hours up the mountain to pay their respects at the holy site.
Yields: 2 Food, 4 Faith and 2 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable
Uluru[edit]
Commonly referred to as “Ayers Rock,” the massive red sandstone formation in central Australia has, over the past century, become one of Australia’s most recognizable landmarks. Long before it was discovered by English explorers in the late 1800s, the mountain was known as “Uluru,” a name given by the indigenous tribesmen of the area who share varying legends as to its creation and significance. It was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, which led to an immediate upsurge in tourism, with several hundred thousand visitors exploring the site each year.
Yields: 2 Food, 6 Faith
Movement Cost: Impassable
