Civilization VI: Rise and Fall Guide—Historic Moments and How to Increase Your Era Score

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Civilization VI: Rise and Fall Guide—Historic Moments and How to Increase Your Era Score

Historic Moments: what are they, how do they work, and why do they matter? In Civilization VI: Rise and Fall, the most significant advancements of a burgeoning civilization have been now categorized and turned into a system called Historic Moments, which are used to build an Era Score that determines whether your civilization experiences a Dark Age or a Golden Age in the next Era. In the earlier stages of the game, it’s easy to maintain a steady progression of these achievements and at least maintain a Normal Age. But as time wears on you may find yourself in need of directly pursuing a few points for the Era Score to avoid slipping into a Dark Age, and the game doesn’t always make it clear what will constitute a Historic Moment, or how much it will really add to your Era Score. That’s where this guide comes in.

The thing about Historic Moments is you need to achieve them throughout the game steadily, but they become increasingly rare in the late game stages, all but ensuring you will go through at least one Dark Age at some point in your file. They’re also less effective or completely obsolete if not earned in the appropriate era. For example, the game will not be impressed if you eliminate a Barbarian camp in the Modern Era.

The timing of the Historic Moments also suggests that they expect you will be taking over other cities and eliminating other civilizations, as well as completing some of the heftier science-focused projects. Keep that in mind if you are not pursuing a Domination or Science victory.

Predictably, there are fewer +4 and +5 Era Score Historic Moments than the others. Many of the additional Era Score bonuses are also only awarded if you are the first civilization to achieve the Historic Moment in question.

With that in mind, here are some things you can focus on to keep the Era Score of your civilization climbing, roughly ordered in about the point in the game that it makes sense to achieve them, or grouped together for relevancy.

Tribal Village Contacted
+1 Era Score when a Unit makes contact with a Tribal Village was contacted, giving strength to our budding cities.

This Historic Moment can only be achieved in the Ancient Era.


Barbarian Camp Destroyed
+2 Era Score for leveling a Barbarian Camp.
+3 Era Score if the Barbarian Camp is within 6 tiles of one of your cities.

This Historic Moment becomes obsolete in the Medieval Era.


Met New Civilization
+1 Era Score when contact has been made with a new civilization.
+3 Era Score for making contact with all civilizations in the world.
+5 Era Score if your civilization is the first to meet all other civilizations in the world.


First Discovery of a New Continent
+4 Era Score if your civilization’s explorers are the first in the world to find the continent.


Establish a City
+1 Era Score on a Desert tile.
+1 Era Score on a Snow tile.
+1 Era Score on a Tundra tile.
+1 Era Score if within 5 tiles of another civilization’s city.
+2 Era Score on a new continent.
+3 Era Score if within 2 tiles of a Natural Wonder.
+3 Era Score if the city puts your civilization over the threshold to become the largest in the world (at least 3 more cities than its next biggest rival).


Pantheon Founded
+1 Era Score when your people adopt Belief in a Pantheon.
+2 Era Score if the Pantheon is the world’s first.


Religion Founded
+2 Era Score when a Great Prophet founds a Religion in your civilization.
+3 Era Score if it is the first Religion in the world.
+3 Era Score when the final Belief has been added.
+5 Era Score if your Religion is the first in the world to add its final Belief and become complete.
+3 Era Score if the city from an enemy civilization converts to your Religion.
+4 Era Score if the Holy City of another Religion converts to your Religion.

+1 Era Score if your Religion launches an Inquisition.
+2 Era Score if it is the first Inquisition in the world.


Discover a Natural Wonder
+3 Era Score if your civilization is the first in the world to discover the Natural Wonder.


Build a World Wonder
+4 Era Score for completing a World Wonder.
+3 Era Score if it is an Old World Wonder (from a bypassed Era).


Unique Building, District, Tile Improvement, or Unit Constructed
+4 Era Score when your civilization completes the construction of a specific Unique feature for the first time.


City-State’s First Suzerain
+2 Era Score for becoming the first Suzerain of a city-state.

This Historic Moment becomes obsolete in the Medieval Era.


Great Person Recruited
+1 Era Score if a Great Person of any type joins your civilization.
+1 Era Score if an Old Great Person of any type joins your civilization.
+3 Era Score if the Great Person is lured by Gold.
+3 Era Score if the Great Person is lured by Faith.


Trading Post Established in New Civilization
+1 Era Score when the first Trading Post in a civilization is established.
+5 Era Score if it is the first Trading Post in the world.
+3 Era Score for establishing a Trading Post in all civilizations.
+5 Era Score if you are the first to establish a Trading Post in all civilizations.


First Civic or Technology of New Era
+1 Era Score when your civilization obtains the first Civ or Technology of a new Era.
+2 Era Score if it is the world’s first.


Splendid District Completed
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Campus with a starting adjacency bonus of 3 Science or higher.
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Commercial Hub with a starting adjacency bonus of 4 Gold or higher.
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Harbor with a starting adjacency bonus of 4 Gold or higher.
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Holy Site with a starting adjacency bonus of 3 Faith or higher.
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Industrial Zone with a starting adjacency bonus of 4 Production or higher.
+3 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Theater Square with a starting adjacency bonus of 3 Culture or higher.


Governor Fully Promoted
+1 Era Score when a Governor is fully promoted for the first time in your civilization.


All Governors Appointed
+1 Era Score when all available Governors have been appointed.


Free City Joins
+2 Era Score when a Free City pledges Loyalty to your civilization.


City Returns to Original Owner
+2 Era Score when a rebelling city has returned to your civilization.


Strategic Resource Potential Unleashed
+1 Era Score when you build a unit that makes use of a Strategic Resource for the first time, like Oil or Niter.
+2 Era Score if you are the first civilization to use this Strategic Resource.


Artifact Extracted
+1 Era Score when an Artifact has been extracted by an Archaeologist.


City-State Army Levied
+1 Era Score when your civilization levies the military forces of a city-state.
+2 Era Score if your civilization levies the military forces of a city-state within striking distance of an enemy civilization.


Levied Army Stands Down
+2 Era Score when your civilization uses Envoys to convince a city-state’s levied army to stand down.


Enemy City-State Pacified
+2 Era Score when your civilization’s use of Envoys topples a hostile city-state’s Suzerain, convincing it to end hostilities with you.


First Military Unit Formed: Armada, Army, Corps, Fleet
+1 Era Score the first time your civilization forms an Armada, Army, Corps, or Fleet.
+2 Era Score if it is the first in the world.


Unit Promoted with Distinction
+1 Era Score when one of your units reaches its fourth level of promotion.


First Unit Promoted with Distinction
+1 Era Score when one of your units reaches its fourth promotion for the first time in your civilization.


Enemy Formation Defeated
+1 Era Score when one of your units defeats an enemy unit with a superior military formation.


Enemy Veteran Defeated
+ 3 Era Score when one of your units defeats an enemy unit with at least 2 more promotions than it.


Admiral Defeats Enemy
+2 Era Score when one of your Great Admirals has overseen their first victorious offensive against an enemy unit.


General Defeats Enemy
+2 Era Score when one of your Great Generals has overseen their first victorious offensive against an enemy unit.


Cause for War
+2 Era Score when your civilization uses a Casus Belli to make war on another civilization.
Foreign Capital Taken
+4 Era Score when your civilization has taken control of a foreign power’s original capital city.


Final Foreign City Taken
+5 Era Score when your civilization has taken control of a civilization’s last remaining city.


City Population Increase
+1 Era Score when a city reaches 10 Population for the first time in your civilization (Large).
+1 Era Score when a city reaches 15 Population for the first time in your civilization (Enormous).
+1 Era Score when a city reaches 20 Population for the first time in your civilization (Gigantic).
+2 Era Score if the city is the first in the world to reach the population tier.

Note that the Historic Moment for a Large City becomes obsolete in the Modern Era.


First Seafaring Unit Completed
+2 Era Score for the first seafaring unit to be completed in your civilization.
+3 Era Score if it is the first seafaring unit to be completed in the world.


First Flying Unit Completed
+3 Era Score when your civilization completes their first flying unit.
+5 Era Score if it is the first flying unit to be completed in the world.


World Circumnavigated
+3 Era Score when your civilization has revealed a tile in every vertical line of the map.
+5 Era Score if your civilization is the first in the world to do so.


Emergencies
+3 Era Score if you succeed as a member in an Emergency.
+4 Era Score if you succeed in defending yourself as a target of an Emergency.


Master Spy Earned
+1 Era Score when one of your Spies reaches its maximum promotion level.
+2 Era Score if it is the first time one of your Spies has reached maximum promotion level.


First Neighborhood Completed
+2 Era Score for completing your civilization’s first Neighborhood district.
+3 Era Score if it is the first Neighborhood district in the world.


First Tier Government
+2 Era Score when your civilizations adopts Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 of its Government.
+2 Era Score if they are the first to adopt Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3 of its Government in the world.

Note that the first goes obsolete in the Medieval era, the second in the Renaissance Era, and the third in the Atomic Era.


Landed on the Moon
+1 Era Score for sending a successful mission to land on the moon.
+1 Era Score if your civilization is the first to do so.


Operation Ivy Completed
+1 Era Score when the scientists of your civilization complete Operation Ivy.

This Historic Moment becomes obsolete in the Medieval Era.


Satellite Launched Into Orbit
+1 Era Score when your civilization launches their first satellite into orbit.
+1 Era Score if your civilization launches the first satellite into orbit in the world.


Manhattan Project Completed
+1 Era Score if your scientists complete the Manhattan Project.


Mars Component Launched
+1 Era Score if your civilization launches their first component for the Mars spacecraft.
+1 Era Score if it is the first completed component for the Mars spacecraft in the world.


Holly Green is the assistant editor of Paste Games and a reporter and semiprofessional photographer. She is also the author of Fry Scores: An Unofficial Guide To Video Game Grub. You can find her work at Gamasutra, Polygon, Unwinnable, and other videogame news publications.

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