Wonders are the highest tier of buildings. Each is a months-to-year project requiring large stockpiles, specific tech, and (often) alliance contribution. They produce empire-grade global effects: belief tier multipliers, trade route blanket bonuses, climate immunities, victory-condition pressure.
The full catalog is 68 wonder entries across all cultures (per-culture signature wonders + shared wonders).
- Greatcity: 1 wonder slot.
- Capital: 2 wonder slots.
- Alliance Wonders (shared): contributed jointly by alliance members; counts toward Wonder Victory.
- A wonder occupies its slot permanently — it cannot be demolished without losing its global effect.
Each culture has at least one signature wonder rooted in its cultural identity. Sample list (full names per wonders_chain.md):
- Fjordborn — Hroth's Storm-Hold — coastal navy wonder; fleet storm-immunity tier.
- Sun Dune — Asha's Sun-Veil — heat-mastery wonder; empire-wide desert-attrition immunity.
- River Crown — Heket's Flood-Court — flood-control wonder; canal-network compound bonus.
- Jade Lotus — Tian Long's Mandate-Hall — legitimacy wonder; Imperial Bureaucracy compound bonus.
- Ironpeak — Morak's Forge-of-Mountains — equipment-quality wonder; permanent forge tier-up.
- Azure Isles — Talia's Tide-Court — naval wonder; sea-storm navigation network bonus.
- Cairnveil — Morrwen's Stone-Pair Web — sacred-ground wonder; omen tilt empire-wide.
- Condor Crown — Mallku's Sky-Road — road-network wonder; Elevation Logistics compound.
- Red Earth — Kondo's Drum-Empire — drum-network wonder; muster-coordination compound.
- Thunder Lodge — Seven Fires Plaza Complete — adoption-network wonder; Adoption Network compound.
A small set of wonders are accessible to multiple cultures (cultural prerequisites apply):
- Wonder Bastion Port — naval wonder; Azure Isles, Fjordborn, Thunder Lodge can build (others can join as alliance contributors). Doubles allied fleet survivability.
- Library of Worlds — research wonder; any culture with Imperial Bureaucracy + Tech Exchange contracts.
- Memorial of Lost Cities — Peace Victory wonder; required for full Concordance.
A wonder takes 90–360 in-game days (3–12 months) depending on type. Construction:
- Pulls resources from city stockpile + player pool every tick.
- Can be sponsored by alliance members (their pool feeds the build).
- Pauses if stockpile drains.
- Can be sabotaged by enemy spies.
- Can be lost if the host city is destroyed mid-construction.
Once complete, each wonder produces:
- A passive global effect (climate, faith, trade, military bonus).
- A patron god status for one of the host culture's gods (locks in Tier V belief).
- A Wonder Influence score contribution (counts toward Wonder Victory).
The Alliance Wonder Victory triggers when an alliance has 5 completed wonders under joint sponsorship. Each must be:
- Constructed in alliance-member cities.
- Held (not destroyed) for the victory hold timer.
- Distinct (no two of the same wonder).
Counterplay: enemy alliances can sabotage construction, raid the host city, or contest the hold timer with siege.
See victory conditions §5 for the full Wonder Victory rules.
Sources: wonders_chain.md, alliance.md §16, victory_conditions.md §5.