Cities are the centers of population, production and power. When founded or captured, a City is assigned to a Family. The first City founded by a Nation is its Capital and gains a yearly bonus of +2 Culture and +2 Money.
Cities can only be founded on certain locations called City Sites, which are initially controlled by Tribes.
During war a City's HP bar will be shown. Once a City's HP reaches zero a Unit can be moved on it, at which point the City enters a state of Anarchy for a few turns. If a Unit is kept on the City tile until the Anarchy ends the City will be annexed by the army's owner. Each point of HP damage also reduces a City's yields by 2.5% until repaired. Cities regain 1 HP each year.
Each city has a culture level, which is increased each time the Culture bar fills. Culture level provides increasing bonuses to the city but also increasing costs per Citizen and Specialist.
Once a City reaches Developing Culture Level it will gain the ability to Hurry Production using a chosen resource, causing the item at the top of the production queue to be finished next turn. Each turn that an item is produced normally decreases the resources needed to rush it. However Hurry Production always produces Discontent unless the Monetary Reform law has been passed.
Culture Level
Projects Tier
Victory Points
Governor XP/Year
Hamlet Limit
Can Hurry Production
Citizen and Specialist Upkeep
Enabled Wonders of the World
Weak
I
+1
+4
0
No
1 Food
The Hanging Gardens The Oracle The Pyramids The Ziggurat
Developing
II
+2
+6
1
Yes
2 Food 1 Iron
The Apadana The Ishtar Gate The Lighthouse The Necropolis
Strong
III
+3
+8
2
Yes
3 Food 1 Iron 1 Stone
The Acropolis The Colossus The Mausoleum The Musaeum
Legendary
IV
+4
+10
3
Yes
4 Food 1 Iron 1 Stone 1 Wood
The Circus Maximus The Hagia Sophia The Pantheon The Via Recta Souk
Improvements
Improvements are constructed by Worker units can be used to grand various bonuses to a City. There are two types of improvements: rural and urban. If a Worker unit is selected the game will suggest the tile where each improvement is most effective, as long as said improvement can be constructed either immediately or after buying resources.
Improvements without a Specialist will increase the City's Maintenance.
Improvements may be pillaged by military units. A pillaged improvement does not produce anything and will be destroyed in 10 turns unless repaired by a Worker unit. Repairing an improvement costs half of its construction cost.
Rural improvements
Rural improvements can only be constructed on non-urban tiles. They require either certain terrain or a certain natural resource present on the tile.
+10 Money +2 Money per Adjacent Resource -1 Stone +40% Adjacent Nets Yield +10 XP for Idle Ship Units
None
60 Wood 1 Orders for 4 years
Coast
Cartography
Lumbermill
+5 Wood
Woodcutter
20 Iron 1 Orders for 3 years
Trees
Forestry
Watermill
+2 Science
None
40 Wood 1 Orders for 2 years
River
Hydraulics
Windmill
+2 Science
None
40 Stone 1 Orders for 2 years
Hill
Hydraulics
Urban improvements
Most urban improvements come in three tiers. A higher tier improvement requires a lower tier one to be constructed before it can be built, as well as increasing the city's Culture Level by one for each tier. Urban improvements can be constructed on Urban, Arid, Lush or Temperate tiles, and Sand tiles if the city is run by a family of Clerics, but only if one the following is true:
An urban tile.
A tile adjacent to two urban tiles. The tile will become urban once the improvement is completed.
A tile adjacent to one urban tile and one water tile. The tile will become urban once the improvement is completed.
Apprentices improvement
Master improvement
Elder improvement
Requiremnts
Improvement
Yearly yield
Cost
Improvement
Yearly yield
Cost
Improvement
Yearly yield
Cost
Garrison
+20% Defense if own army +0.5 Orders -2 Stone Enables City Governor
80 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Stronghold
+30% Defense if own army +0.5 Orders -3 Stone Enables City Governor Enables tier 1 Nation Unit
100 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
Citadel
+40% Defense if own army +0.5 Orders -10% Maintenance -4 Stone Enables City Governor Enables tier 2 Nation Unit
100 Stone 1 Orders for 6 years
1 Active Law
Odeon
+3 Culture -2 Stone Enables Apprentice Poet
40 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Theater
+4 Culture +1 Happiness -3 Stone Enables Master Poet
60 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
Amphitheater
+5 Culture +2 Happiness -4 Stone Enables Elder Poet
80 Stone 1 Orders for 6 years
Drama
Cold Baths
+1 Happiness -2 Stone Enables Apprentice Doctor
40 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Warm Baths
+2 Happiness -3 Stone Enables Master Doctor
60 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
Heated Baths
+3 Happiness +10% Growth -4 Stone Enables Elder Doctor
80 Stone 1 Orders for 6 years
Architecture Developing Culture
Courthouse
+20% Civics -2 Stone Enables Apprentice Scribe
80 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Ministry
+30% Civics -3 Stone Enables Master Scribe
100 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
Palace
+50% Civics -10% Maintenance -4 Stone Enables Elder Scribe
120 Stone 1 Orders for 6 years
Citizenship Developing Culture
Library
+20% Science +1 Science per adj. resource -2 Stone Enables Apprentice Philosopher
80 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Academy
+30% Science +1 Science per adj. resource -3 Stone Enables Master Philosopher
100 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
University
+50% Science +1 Science per adj. resource +10% Civics -4 Stone Enables Elder Philosopher
+10 XP per year for Idle Melee Units +20% Adjacent Garrison Yield +20% Training -2 Iron Enables Officers
40 Stone 1 Orders for 4 years
Military Drill Max 2 per City
Range
+10 XP per year for Idle Ranged Units +20% Adjacent Garrison Yield +20% Training -2 Wood Enables Officers
40 Wood 1 Orders for 4 years
Composite Bow Max 2 per City
Hamlets
Once the City reaches at least Developing Culture Level and the Nation has the Polis technology, Workers will be able to construct Hamlets the cost of 40 Stone and 1 Orders for 4 years. Only one Hamlet may be build per Culture Level. After 20 turns a Hamlet will grow into a Village, and after another 20 turns the Village it will grow into a Town. All of them improve the output of Odeon and Bath improvements.
Level
Yearly yield
Yearly consumption
Hamlet
10 Money without a Trade Network 20 Money with a Trade Network
1 Food
Village
15 Money without a Trade Network 30 Money with a Trade Network
2 Food
Town
20 Money without a Trade Network 40 Money with a Trade Network +10% Defense Strength if own army
3 Food
Shrines
Shrines require the Divination technology, 40 Stone and 1 Orders for 4 years. They can be built anywhere except near another shrine. They provide resources like other improvements but their main purpose is spreading the Nation's Paganism Religion and enabling the Acolyte specialist. Each Shrine can only be built once unless the Polytheism law is passed.
Shrine
God
Yearly yield
Nations
Atar Nuska Vulcan
+1 Training per Adjacent Lumbermill +20% Adjacent Mine Yield
Persia Assyria Rome
Ashur Madruk Zeus
+2 Civics +1 Orders per Adjacent Wonder of the World
Assyria Babylonia Greece
Eshmun Isis Kamrusepa
+2 Growth per Adjacent Grove +6 HP Healing for Idle Units
Carthage Egypt Hatti
Arinnitti Tanit Vesta
+2 Culture +10 Money per Adjacent Resource
Hatti Carthage Rome
Halki Mithra Neith
+20% Adjacent Camp Yield +1 Level for New Ranged Units
Hatti Persia Egypt
Astarte Ishtar Venus
+2 Growth +20% Adjacent Pasture Yield
Carthage Babylonia Rome
Hvar Khshaita Ra Shamash
+0.5 Orders +20% Adjacent Farm Yield
Persia Egypt Assyria
Ereshkigal Hades Osiris
+2 Culture +50% Culture if Adjacent Mountain +100% Culture if Adjacent Volcano
Babylonia Greece Egypt
Anahita Melqart Poseidon
+20 Money +20% Adjacent Nets Yield
Persia Carthage Greece
Mars Ninurta Tarhun
+2 Training +10 XP for Idle Infantry Units
Rome Assyria Hatti
Athena Nabu
+1 Science +1 Civics per Adjacent Odeon
Greece Babylonia
World religion improvements
World Religion improvements can only be constructed by Disciple units of the same Religion but they can be built anywhere. Despite having different appearance depending on Religion all improvements have the same yields and costs.
Improvement
Specialist
Construction reward
Yearly yield
Yearly consumption
Cost
Requirements
Christian Monastery Jewish Monastery Manichean Monastery Zoroastrian Monastery
Monk
+2 Disciple's Religion Opinion
+2 Science +60% Adjacent Grove Yield
2 Wood
60 Wood 1 Orders for 4 years
Monasticism technology
Christian Temple Jewish Temple Manichean Temple Zoroastrian Temple
Priest
+2 Disciple's Religion Opinion
+3 Culture +0.5 Orders
2 Stone
60 Stone 1 Orders for 5 years
Doctrine technology
Christian Cathedral Jewish Cathedral Manichean Cathedral Zoroastrian Cathedral
Bishop
+4 Disciple's Religion Opinion +6 Legitimacy
+40% Culture
4 Stone
100 Stone 1 Orders for 6 years
Vaulting technology Strong culture level Adjacent Temple of the same Religion Max 2 per Family
The Adur Burzen-Mihr The Cao'an The Church of the Holy Sepulchre The Temple of Solomon
None
+20 Disciple's Religion Opinion +2 Victory Points
+40% Culture Creates a Disciple of the same Religion every 20 years Cannot be replaced
None
200 Stone 200 Civics 1 Orders for 8 years
Developing culture level Holy City Max 1 per Nation
Specialists
Specialists are unlocked by certain Improvements that can be trained to boost the yield of the Improvement. All Specialists also produce a small amount of Science. A Specialist's production cost increases with each one built in a city.
Rural specialists
Rural specialists produce 1 Science. They can also provide Luxuries if the Improvement is built on a natural resource that can produce it.
Specialist
Improvement
Yearly yield
Cost
Farmer
Farm
150% Improvement Yield 1 Growth
40 Civics
Miner
Mine
150% Improvement Yield 1 Training
40 Civics
Stonecutter
Quarry
150% Improvement Yield 1 Civics
40 Civics
Woodcutter
Lumbermill
150% Improvement Yield 1 Science
40 Civics
Fisher
Nets
200% Improvement Yield
60 Civics 20 Food
Gardener
Grove
200% Improvement Yield
60 Civics 20 Food
Rancher
Pasture
200% Improvement Yield
60 Civics 20 Food
Trapper
Camp
200% Improvement Yield
60 Civics 20 Food
Urban specialists
Urban specialists can be upgraded, improving their bonuses. Upgrading a specialist does not require Citizens.
Training an Apprentice specialist costs 40 Food and 40 Civics and produces a bonus of 2 Science each year.
Upgrading to Master specialist costs 60 Food and 60 Civics and produces a bonus of 3 Science each year.
Upgrading to Elder specialist costs 80 Food and 80 Civics and produces a bonus of 4 Science each year.
Specialist
Improvement
Apprentice yearly yield
Master yearly yield
Elder yearly yield
Acolyte
Shrine
1 Religion Opinion 2 Culture
2 Religion Opinion 3 Culture 0.5 Orders
3 Religion Opinion 4 Culture 1 Orders
Monk
Christian Monastery Jewish Monastery Manichean Monastery Zoroastrian Monastery
1 Religion Opinion 4 Culture
2 Religion Opinion 6 Culture 1 Civics per Culture Level
3 Religion Opinion 8 Culture 2 Civics per Culture Level
Priest
Christian Temple Jewish Temple Manichean Temple Zoroastrian Temple
1 Religion Opinion 1 Happiness
2 Religion Opinion 1.5 Happiness 0.5 Training per Citizen
3 Religion Opinion 2 Happiness 1 Training per Citizen
Bishop
Christian Cathedral Jewish Cathedral Manichean Cathedral Zoroastrian Cathedral
1 Religion Opinion 10 Money per Culture Level
2 Religion Opinion 15 Money per Culture Level 0.5 Orders
3 Religion Opinion 20 Money per Culture Level 1 Orders
Officer
Barracks Range
2 Training
3 Training 20 XP for New Units
4 Training 50 XP for New Units
Poet
Odeon
3 Culture
4 Culture 0.5 Civics per Citizen
5 Culture 1 Civics per Citizen
Doctor
Cold Baths
2 Growth
3 Growth 1 Science per Culture Level
4 Growth 2 Science per Culture Level
Philosopher
Library
2 Science
3 Science 1 Culture per Citizen
4 Science 2 Culture per Citizen
Scribe
Courthouse
2 Civics
3 Civics 1 Money per Citizen
4 Civics 2 Money per Citizen
Shopkeeper
Market
20 Money
30 Money 1 Growth per Culture Level
40 Money 2 Growth per Culture Level
Wonders of the World
Wonders of the World are powerful improvements that can only be constructed once. As soon as a Nation begins constructing a Wonder of the World other Nations cannot start it unless a hostile unit enters the tile of an unfinished Wonder of the World and destroys it. Not all Wonders of the World are available each game. They are chosen randomly at the start of each game. Most Wonders of the World require the City to reach a certain Culture Level before they can be constructed. Each Wonder of the World provides 2 Victory Points and cannot be replaced by other improvements.
Wonder of the World
Yield
Cost
Min. Culture Level
Requirements
The Hanging Gardens
+4 Culture per year +20% Growth [All Cities]
100 Civics 400 Stone 200 Wood 1 Orders for 10 years
Weak
River
The Oracle
+4 Culture per year +10 Money per year per Religion +1 Tech Hand Card Size Free Agent Network in all Holy Cities on completion
100 Civics 400 Stone 200 Food 1 Orders for 10 years
Weak
Hill
The Pyramids
+4 Culture per year +1 Orders per year per Religion -50% Start Law Cost
100 Civics 600 Stone 1 Orders for 10 years
Weak
Arid or Sand
The Ziggurat
+4 Culture per year +20 Civics per year -20% Improvement Costs [All Cities]
100 Civics 600 Stone 1 Orders for 10 years
Weak
Holy City (Any Religion)
The Apadana
+6 Culture per year +20 Civics per year -50% Maintenance [All Cities]
200 Civics 900 Stone 1 Orders for 12 years
Developing
Adjacent City Center
The Ishtar Gate
+6 Culture per year +1 Growth per year per Culture Level 100 Culture in all Cities on completion
200 Civics 600 Stone 300 Iron 1 Orders for 12 years
Developing
Adjacent City Center
The Lighthouse
+6 Culture per year +100% Nets Yield [All Cities] -10 Upgrade Years for Hamlet Improvements
200 Civics 600 Stone 300 Iron 1 Orders for 12 years
Developing
Adjacent City Center
The Necropolis
+2 Happiness per year per Temple
200 Civics 900 Stone 1 Orders for 12 years
Developing
Hill
The Acropolis
+8 Culture per year +2 Civics per year per Religion +0.5 Orders per year with Forum
300 Civics 1200 Stone 1 Orders for 14 years
Strong
Hill
The Colossus
+8 Culture per year +2 Civics per year with Road Connection +1 Level for New Units
300 Civics 400 Stone 800 Iron 1 Orders for 14 years
Strong
Coastal Water
The Mausoleum
+8 Culture per year +40% Culture [All Cities] New Units start with Guard I
300 Civics 1200 Stone 1 Orders for 14 years
Strong
Hill
The Musaeum
+8 Culture per year +50% Science New Units start with Guard I +1 Civics per year per Elder Specialist
300 Civics 800 Stone 400 Wood 1 Orders for 14 years
Strong
Adjacent City Center
The Circus Maximus
+10 Culture per year +40 Training per year +10 XP per year for Idle Mounted Units New Mounted Units start with Swift[All Cities]
400 Civics 1200 Stone 600 Food 1 Orders for 16 years
Legendary
Adjacent City Center
The Hagia Sophia
+10 Culture per year +40 Civics per year +2 Happiness per year [All Cities]
400 Civics 1800 Stone 1 Orders for 16 years
Legendary
Holy City (Any Religion)
The Pantheon
+10 Culture per year +40 Training per year +2 Civics per Culture Level [State Religion Cities]
400 Civics 1800 Stone 1 Orders for 16 years
Legendary
Holy City (Any Religion)
The Via Recta Souk
+10 Culture per year +2 Growth per year +1 Happiness per City Luxury [All Cities]
400 Civics 1200 Stone 600 Food 1 Orders for 16 years
Legendary
Adjacent City Center
Projects
Projects are internal City enhancements that on completion grant an instant bonus and a permanent bonus. Each Project can only be constructed in Cities with the same tier of Culture Level.
Project
Tier I
Tier II
Tier III
Tier IV
Requirements
Yearly Yield
On Completion
Cost
Yearly Yield
On Completion
Cost
Yearly Yield
On Completion
Cost
Yearly Yield
On Completion
Cost
Council
+40% (1 turn) +40% (1 turn) +40% (1 turn)
1 Year
+60% (1 turn) +60% (1 turn) +60% (1 turn)
1 Year
+80% (1 turn) +80% (1 turn) +80% (1 turn)
1 Year
+100% (1 turn) +100% (1 turn) +100% (1 turn)
1 Year
Festival
1
20 20
40
1
40 40
60
1
60 60
80
1
80 80
100
Treasury
10
100
40 20
20
200
60 40
30
300
80 60
40 1
400
100 80
Administration technology
Forum
1
20
40 20
2
40
60 40
3
60
80 60
4 1
80
100 80
Rhetoric technology
Archive
1
10
40 20
2
20
60 40
3
30
80 60
4 1
40
100 80
Metaphysics technology
Inquiry
1
40
80
1
80
120
1
120
160
1
160
200
Scholar governor
Convoy
1
100 40
40
1
200 60
60
1
300 80
80
1
400 100
100
Trade League law
Decree
3
40
6
60
9
80
10
100
Constitution law or Statesman family seat
Hunt
1
100
40
1
200
60
1
300
80
1
400
100
Hunters family seat
Olympiad
1
50
40
1
100
60
1
150
80
1
200
100
Greece nation
Repair Damage
3 HP
1 Year
City has below 20 HP
Defenses
Cities can also construct 3 permanent projects that give defenses to the city and are visible on the world map. Each one requires the previous project to be constructed but none of them have any Culture Level requirements.
Project
Effects
Cost
Walls
+10 City HP +1 Happiness per year if there is any Family Military Unit in City Territory
40 Stone 60 Civics
Moat
+10 City HP +1 Happiness per year if there is any Family Military Unit in City Territory +25% City Defense
60 Stone 80 Civics
Towers
+10 City HP +1 Happiness per year if there is any Family Military Unit in City Territory +25% City Defense +1 Unit Range
80 Stone 100 Civics
Suppress Dissent
Suppress Dissent projects are only available for Cities that suffer from Religion Dissent and have a Governor. The project will remove the Dissent at the cost of 100 Training and 60 Discontent.