What are the most useful wonders?

[TomKQT]

That's hilarious. I never thought of this but this makes the Statue of Liberty an ideal target city for invasion.

And thus a wonder that you in fact should hope that an AI will build before you
But building it yourself? ....

 

[Archon_Wing]

Not just that but rather, that the AI is stupid enough to build said wonder too! Literally a trap.

Well ok, it came in handy there. Magnus chopped it in a captured city. But that's really specific.

 

[Victoria]

Most great wonders are useful for keeping the AI busy.
It’s a shame you get half the production back, with Magnus you could troll the AI.... so to speak.

 

[zxcvbob]

Great Zimbabwe is one of my favorites. The AI don't plan ahead enough to ever build it, so it's pretty safe. Then I use that commercial hub to level-up my spies. I will build the Colosseum late if nobody has built it yet (I didn't know its culture extended to other cities, maybe I ought to prioritize it more) And I like the Venetian Arsenal.

 

[myclan]

The Colosseum is just so absurdly good- I do wonder how many cities the devs balanced it around. I think it is probably the single best wonder in the game. Even if it only gave amenities, it would be the best. The culture and loyalty are sprinkles on top.



As someone with an engineering background, I am physically unable to resist getting Mausoleum + James Watt + <3 Nikola Tesla <3 and Joseph Paxton every game. 2 charges on Watt means every factory is giving off +7 production. That's 4 more hammers in every city. Tesla lets you go beyond that and get a nice big 12 tile, +8 power plant. Paxton lets you set up a 12 tile uber EC with +7 amenities to every city in range. It is just SO GOOD that I can't honestly see why they applied it to engineers. (Interestingly, a Watt factory gives +7 aura. A city with Watt + Tesla will recieve +11 from its own factory, but other cities will still only get +7 from the factory aura. It is very odd, I wonder how it's coded!)

The +card slot wonders are also all amazing, especially now that we have legacy, dark age, and much better diplomatic cards. Before R&F potala palace was... meh.

While I don't mind having these always strong wonders in game, I think some are a little too good in every situation (Big ben, cough cough.) I really love how they've got a whole cast of very situational wonders- Petra, St Basil's, Temple of Artemis, Huey are all wonders you may have no use building, but the right city will get massive benefits. I really like this because then you aren't just doing the same rush every game.

In my games it seems that James Watt only +production for the city that owns the factory.

 

[RealHuhn]

I wish it would be possible to get the Hanging Gardens consistently on Deity. I'd like to experiment more with the +15% growth in all cities.

 

[Victoria]

I'd like to experiment more with the +15% growth in all cities.

Yeah, it's built before you can get Magnus... I recommend using firetuner and just building it if you wanted to experiment (maybe give yourself a penalty to make up for it)... or destroy any hanging gardens that becomes built ... but that would require reveal all.

 

[halfhalfharp]

For my list of priorities

Tier 1 (Essential)-- Always go for
Collosseum
Forbidden City

Tier 2 (Strong)-- Usually always take a shot at, unless I'm really slow
Pyramids
Big Ben
Oxford
Great Library
St Basil's
Oracle

Tier 3 (Good)-- Try to get these on a good map, or a specific condition.
Temple of Artemis
Bolshoi
Effel Tower
Cristo Redentor
Mt St. Michel
Collossus
Kilwa Kisiwani


Tier 4 (Ok)-- Mostly for decoration or making wins go smoother.
Ruhr Valley
Petra
Great Zimbabwe
Kilwa
Casa de Contratación
Sydney Opera House
Hagia Sophia

Tier 5 (Weak)-- Would rarely build myself, I'd want to capture it
Potala Palace
Alhambra
Amudsen-Scott
Hagia Sophia
Terracotta Army
Chichen Itza
Venetian Arsenal
Hanging Gardens
Broadway

Tier 6 (Awful)-- These are so bad that it's a waste of a tile and might even slow you down.
Great Lighthouse
Huey Teocalli
Macarana
Hermitage
Taj Mahal
Those two crappy religous wonders

Tier 7 (Counterproductive) These are so bad it can cost you the game.
Stonehenge
Statue of Liberty

There is some degree of bias since 90% of my R&F wins are culture so.... Also civ specific strats can make weak wonders stronger. America would see Potala as another Forbidden City, for example.

So.. you are playing a religious cultural game I suppose? As I saw the St Basil on the list.

But why Cristo Retendor has got such a high tier? I think its a defensive wonder for most games and especially for cultural players.

Big Ben is a nice attraction but I rarely have the chance to have it as I beeline to Flight normally. Its on another tech branch to cultural games. Is it really obtainable in difficulties like emperor?

 

[Victoria]

I think its a defensive wonder for most games and especially for cultural players

Cristo is by no means defensive
its another computers for seaside resorts, it seriously ups your tourism
If you are building it you should be building resorts... then it gets scary strong very fast, much more offensive than defensive. You are crazy not to build resorts with this.
resort appeal x2 = 10 tourism. Cristo = 20 tourism ... computers = 40 tourism... just for one resort

 

[TomKQT]

I wish it would be possible to get the Hanging Gardens consistently on Deity. I'd like to experiment more with the +15% growth in all cities.

You shouldn't be able to get anything consistently in a game like this. There would be no surprises, no challenge.

 

[blackcatatonic]

Seriously? I think this is one of the worst wonders. It doesn't even give money, culture or great person points. You like it so much for the 2 settlers it gives? I never saw any use for the loyalty part, because a city able to build this wonder obviously wont have loyalty problems and it is also hard to make use of it in the 6 tile radius. It will not help you to make a new city on a foreign continent.

Well, I've played a grand total of 3 R&F games so far, so "always" has limited value.

It comes around at a stage of the game when I'm pretty much just cruising and will probably have at least one city that can build it, so I do.

 

[RealHuhn]

You shouldn't be able to get anything consistently in a game like this. There would be no surprises, no challenge.

Yeah, I agree with you but Hanging Gardens is almost as impossible to get as Stonehenge. And I always liked the Temple of Artemis (if I remember correctly) in CIV5. It's just sad I cannot use it here.

Yeah, it's built before you can get Magnus... I recommend using firetuner and just building it if you wanted to experiment (maybe give yourself a penalty to make up for it)... or destroy any hanging gardens that becomes built ... but that would require reveal all.

Thanks for the tip. Not sure if I ever use it though

@Statue of Liberty: I think it's pretty cool for role playing. Get the Hic Sunt Dracones golden age, settle on a foreign continent close to another civ with a few forest tiles nearby. Chop the SoL, forward settle the AI with both settlers, build encampments for defense, a small army and invade. Very situational though ^^

 

[halfhalfharp]

Cristo is by no means defensive
its another computers for seaside resorts, it seriously ups your tourism
If you are building it you should be building resorts... then it gets scary strong very fast, much more offensive than defensive. You are crazy not to build resorts with this.
resort appeal x2 = 10 tourism. Cristo = 20 tourism ... computers = 40 tourism... just for one resort

Oh yeah, I forgot the x2 seaside resort tourism. I often thought it was only offering -50% foreign faith tourism lol. And very seldom I have got a seaside map so... it is unfamiliar to me.

 

[Archon_Wing]

So.. you are playing a religious cultural game I suppose? As I saw the St Basil on the list.

Sometimes if I can capture Holy Sites, but usually just plain culture most of the time. St. Basil is multpurpose though, making better use of land and can help with culture if you go that route. But you don't have to. It's basically just snow Petra but with more utility.

But why Cristo Retendor has got such a high tier? I think its a defensive wonder for most games and especially for cultural players.

Because it's a very strong wonder for culture victories, but as it's not useful for the other victories, it can't go higher. It's not really a defensive wonder unless you're considering denial to other players though. I do think it's way overspecialized.

Big Ben is a nice attraction but I rarely have the chance to have it as I beeline to Flight normally. Its on another tech branch to cultural games. Is it really obtainable in difficulties like emperor?

It's not that huge of a detour IMO-- just one tech off Scientific Theory. At worst it leads to replaceable parts which I sometimes need the safety for and flight doesn't do much for most civs anyways. Yea it does go pretty fast on Emperor if you don't beeline it, but it's still worth a shot, especially if you can pick up the GE.... the GE is why it's lost most of the time anyways. Also, it's useful for all victories as well.

 

[Esperr]

Either all the other wonders need a buff ir coll needs a nerf. Its a whole leg above all the others. I really dont think they aim for balance in testing on civ.

 

[TomKQT]

It comes around at a stage of the game when I'm pretty much just cruising and will probably have at least one city that can build it, so I do.

That is true, this is happening also to me. But when I read the description again, I always (except for the very first time, to see the animation) realise that it really is a waste and rather build anything else. For me the wonder typically comes in times when I even dont want the settlers

 

[Victoria]

Either all the other wonders need a buff ir coll needs a nerf.

I can survive without Coll a lot better than Pyramids amd Oracle is pretty strong early.
Eiffel is also a later powerhouse if you are not rushing things too much.
After V it’s a nice change they toned them down.

Not sure I’d ever build liberty, that means someone else doesn’t build it.

 

[Archon_Wing]

I never get to build mids in most of my games.

Oracle is strong, but is it reliable to get on 7-8?

 

[blackcatatonic]

That is true, this is happening also to me. But when I read the description again, I always (except for the very first time, to see the animation) realise that it really is a waste and rather build anything else. For me the wonder typically comes in times when I even dont want the settlers

I'm not sure I know what not wanting settlers feels like

 

[halfhalfharp]

I never get to build mids in most of my games.

Oracle is strong, but is it reliable to get on 7-8?

Except you are Qin, I suppose. Those early wonders are gone gone in first 50 turns.