As you progress into the Exploration Age while playing Sid Meier’s Civilization 7, you’ll encounter a fresh variety of Legacy Paths. Three out of the four paths emphasize exploring the vast Deep Oceans to uncover new land, converting Settlements to your religion, and launching Treasure Fleets to gather valuable Resources. The four Legacy Paths in this Age include Toshakhana (Cultural), Enlightenment (Scientific), Non Sufficit Orbis (Military), and Treasure Fleets (Economic).
You can usually tackle these Legacy Paths at the same time, but it’s important to keep an eye on the progression through Ages and focus on which path will enhance your chances of winning in the Modern Age. Compared to the simpler paths seen in the Antiquity Age, these Legacy Paths are more intricate and require well-thought-out strategies to execute effectively. Each path culminates in a Golden Age, just like the Antiquity Age, providing exclusive bonuses as you transition into the Modern Age.
Display Relics for the Cultural Path in Exploration
Toshakhana: Showcase 12 Relics in Your Empire
The Cultural Legacy Path, known as Toshakhana, requires you to display 12 Relics within your empire. While this may sound easy, it involves establishing a Religion in Civ 7 and dispatching Religious units to convert Settlements belonging to rival civilizations. Once you’ve unlocked the Piety Civic, you can establish a Religion and choose a Reliquary Belief—this decision is crucial, as it will influence your strategy throughout the Exploration Age since these beliefs generate Relics when converting specific types of Settlements.
The Golden Age bonus from Toshakhana enables you to retain the benefits of your Religion’s Founding Beliefs, so strive to fill all three Founding Belief slots by the end of the Age. For example, the Apostolism belief grants two Relics for converting another civilization’s Settlement that contains a Wonder from any Age. Other Reliquary Beliefs pertain to Civ 7‘s Distant Lands, where converting Settlements boosts your Non Sufficit Orbis points when those Settlements are later conquered. Selecting a belief like Evangelism allows you to gain points for both the Cultural and Military paths by converting and taking over Settlements in the Distant Lands. Be sure to construct enough buildings with slots for Great Works to accommodate all 12 Relics, and keep in mind that Great Works can be lost through pillaging.
Conquer Distant Land Settlements for the Military Path in Exploration
Non Sufficit Orbis: Earn 12 Points from Settlements in the Distant Lands
The Non Sufficit Orbis path in the Exploration Age focuses on acquiring 12 points from Distant Land Settlements. Points are earned in the following ways: one point for establishing your own Settlement or converting a City-State, two points for conquering a Settlement, and a hefty four points for taking over a Settlement already converted to your Religion. This makes conquering converted Settlements particularly lucrative, as it reduces the total number of Settlements while maximizing points. Points can accrue from both conquering and razing Settlements, assisting in managing your Settlement cap.
Mongolia has a distinct Non Sufficit Orbis ability that grants one point for each conquered Settlement on their home continent and in Distant Lands, though they don’t receive the Religion point bonus. The Golden Age for Non Sufficit Orbis provides one infantry unit and one ranged unit for each of your Distant Land Settlements as you enter the Modern Age. Additionally, reaching significant milestones awards bonuses, such as the Land of Opportunity bonus, which offers +10 Production to Distant Land Settlements during the Modern Age. As you strategize for the Distant Lands, consider how you will interact with these Settlements—whether through Religion, razing, or independent powers.
Return Treasures for the Economic Path in Exploration
Treasure Fleets: Acquire 30 Points by Returning Distant Land Treasures
For the Economic Legacy Path in the Exploration Age, you must venture into the Distant Lands to set up Treasure Fleets. To do this, establish or conquer a Settlement housing Treasure Resources, improve those resources, and construct a Fishing Quay to generate Treasure Fleets. This path is multifaceted, allowing for diverse strategies. Once established, the Treasure Fleets emerge after a designated number of turns and must return to your homeland to deliver their goods. Each trip allows Fleets to carry multiple resources, making it advantageous to have Settlements rich in Treasure Resources.
Proximity to your homeland plays a pivotal role in your strategy. Establishing Settlements that require only one or two turns to reach may prove just as efficient as more distant ones rich in resources. The Golden Age bonus for Treasure Fleets not only preserves cities during Age transitions but also boosts population in Distant Land Settlements by two—a notable strength leading into the Modern Age. If you’re exploring the Distant Lands for other Legacy Paths, it’s certainly beneficial to return some Treasure Fleets, as they also grant Gold.
Place Specialists for the Scientific Path in Exploration
Enlightenment: Maintain 5 Districts with 40 Yield Each
The Enlightenment Legacy Path aims for 40 yield in five non-City Center Districts. Achieving this milestone requires the placement of Specialists in Urban Tiles to maximize yields, primarily through adjacency bonuses. This path uniquely promotes urban density rather than exploration, requiring players to research Technologies that expand the Specialist Limit in cities to optimize tile yields.
The Enlightenment Golden Age transforms all your Universities into Golden Age Universities, allowing them to maintain their yields, bonuses, and effects as you progress into the Modern Age. This grants a significant Science advantage at the start of the Modern Age, especially if you establish Universities across multiple cities. Each of the Legacy Paths in Sid Meier’s Civilization 7 demands specialized strategies, yet many can be pursued simultaneously for a more varied gameplay experience.
