If you want to master Civilization VI, you have to understand the ebb and flow of Ages. It’s a system that can launch your civilization to incredible heights or send it into a spiral of struggle. I’m going to walk you through how Era Score works, break down each type of Age, and share some solid strategies to help you use them to your advantage. Whether you’re aiming for an endless Golden Age or want to strategically use a Dark Age to come back stronger, this will give you the knowledge to shape history in your favor.
The Core Mechanic: Era Score
Era Score is the currency of the Ages system. It’s how the game tracks your civilization’s major accomplishments during an Era. Think of it as your civ’s report card, giving you points for big achievements and important “firsts.” You get Era Score for all sorts of things, from huge wonders to smaller, but still important, milestones.
You can always see your current Era Score and how much you need for a Normal or Golden Age right above the end-turn button. Keep an eye on this, as it’s key for planning your moves as the end of an Era gets closer.
How You Earn Era Score
The target score for a Normal or Golden Age isn’t fixed. It changes based on how you’ve done so far and the size of your empire. When a new Era starts, the game sets your target based on:
- Your starting Era Score from the last Age.
- A base value.
- The number of cities you own.
- A modifier for every Golden or Dark Age you’ve had before.
This means that stringing together Golden Ages gets harder each time, but bouncing back from a Dark Age into a Golden Age is a bit easier.
You earn Era Score from “Historic Moments.” Some common ways to get these are:
- World Firsts: Being the first to do something big, like circumnavigate the globe, found a religion, or build a certain wonder, gives you a huge Era Score boost.
- Civilization Firsts: Doing something for the first time in your own civ, like building your first ship or a district with a high adjacency bonus, also adds to your score.
- Major Accomplishments: Building World Wonders, discovering Natural Wonders, and clearing Barbarian Outposts are all reliable ways to get Era Score.
- Military Victories: Winning key battles, taking cities, and promoting units all give you Era Score, especially if you’re using your unique units.
- City Development: Founding new cities, especially in tough spots like tundra or desert, and hitting population milestones will give you a steady trickle of points.
- Great People: Recruiting Great People is one of the most consistent ways to earn Era Score.
It’s important to know that many Historic Moments only count once. You only get Era Score the first time you build a specific district or unit. This pushes you to diversify and plan ahead to keep the Era Score coming in.
The Four Ages: A Strategic Breakdown
At the end of every Era, your score determines which Age you enter. Each one comes with its own set of challenges and advantages that will really shape your game.
The Dark Age: A Time of Struggle 🌑
If you don’t hit the Normal Age threshold, you’ll fall into a Dark Age. This means all your cities will have a major loyalty penalty, making them more likely to rebel and become Free Cities or even flip to another civ. It sounds bad, but a Dark Age has its upsides.
- Dark Age Policies: You get access to powerful policy cards that have a double edge. They give you a huge bonus in one area but a big penalty in another. For example, “Monasticism” gives a +75% science boost in cities with a Holy Site but cuts culture by 25% in those without. If your empire is specialized, you can make these work for you in a big way.
- The Path to a Heroic Age: The biggest reason to not fear a Dark Age is the chance to earn a Heroic Age. If you’re in a Dark Age and you earn enough Era Score to surpass the Golden Age target, you’ll trigger a Heroic Age next, which is like a Golden Age on steroids.
The Normal Age: Keeping Steady ⚖️
If you meet the Normal Age requirement but not the Golden Age one, you’ll have a Normal Age. This is the baseline—no bonuses, no penalties. You still pick a Dedication for the Era, which gives you a goal that can earn you bonus Era Score. A Normal Age is stable, just not very exciting.
The Golden Age: A Time of Plenty ✨
Exceeding the Golden Age threshold brings on a Golden Age, a period of major growth. The main benefit is a big loyalty boost in your cities, which makes them nearly impossible to flip and puts a lot of pressure on your neighbors’ cities.
- Golden Age Dedications: Instead of giving you bonus Era Score, these Dedications offer powerful, game-changing bonuses. “Monumentality” lets you buy civilian units with Faith at a big discount, perfect for rapid expansion. “Free Inquiry” turns your Commercial Hub and Harbor adjacency bonuses into science, giving you a massive research boost.
- Building Momentum: Golden Ages are all about speeding up your path to victory. Picking the right Dedication that matches your long-term strategy can create a powerful snowball effect.
The Heroic Age: A Legendary Era 🌟
A Heroic Age is the ultimate prize for toughing out a Dark Age. It gives you the loyalty bonus of a Golden Age, but you get to choose three Golden Age dedications instead of just one. This combination of powerful bonuses can be a game-winner, letting you surge ahead in multiple areas at once. A good Heroic Age can completely turn a game around.
Strategies for Mastering the Ages
Now that you know the basics, let’s talk about how to apply it. How you manage your Era Score should be a central part of your game plan.
The Perpetual Golden Age Strategy
This is a lower-risk strategy focused on hitting a Golden Age every single era. It gives you a constant stream of bonuses and keeps your loyalty high, so you don’t have to worry about losing cities.
Early Game (Ancient & Classical)
The early game is all about setting yourself up for a long run of Golden Ages. You need to focus on exploring, expanding, and grabbing all the early “firsts” you can.
- Scout Everything: Build two or three scouts right away. You want to be the first to meet every other civ and city-state, find natural wonders, and pop as many goody huts as you can. This will give you a ton of Era Score right at the start.
- Hunt Barbarians: Actively go after barbarian camps. Clearing them gives you a good amount of Era Score, protects your new cities, and gets your units valuable promotions.
- Settle Smart: Founding cities is a repeatable way to get Era Score. Try to settle near natural wonders for an extra bonus, or on different continents and in tough terrain like desert or tundra for even more points.
- Early Wonders and Districts: It can be tough on higher difficulties, but building an early wonder like the Oracle or Pyramids is a huge injection of Era Score. Also, try to build your first Holy Site, Campus, or Theater Square with at least a +3 adjacency bonus.
Example: If you’re playing as Trajan of Rome, you get a free Monument in every city. This gives you a culture advantage, letting you unlock key civics faster. Use that to rush Political Philosophy and get your first government. Combine that with aggressive scouting and building a few Legion units to clear camps, and you should be well on your way to a Classical Golden Age.
Mid-Game (Medieval & Renaissance)
As the game goes on, the “firsts” start to dry up. You need to shift your strategy to more repeatable actions to keep your Golden Age streak going.
- Synergize with Dedications: Choose your Golden Age dedications carefully. If you pick “Exodus of the Evangelists,” focus on spreading your religion. If you choose “Hic Sunt Dracones,” start exploring and settling overseas. Matching your actions to your dedication is the key.
- Race for Great People: Actively go after Great People. Build the districts that generate Great Person points and run the city projects. This will not only give you their powerful abilities but also a steady flow of Era Score.
- Become Suzerain: Becoming the suzerain of a city-state for the first time gives you a nice Era Score bump. Look for city-states that no one else has claimed.
Example: As Kristina of Sweden, you’re built for a culture victory and generating Great People. Build Theater Squares everywhere and fill them with Great Works. The “Pen, Brush, and Voice” dedication will be incredibly strong, giving you extra culture and tourism. The Era Score you get from recruiting Great Writers, Artists, and Musicians will help keep your Golden Ages coming.
Late-Game (Industrial to Future)
In the late game, the Era Score targets can get very high. You need to be efficient and focused.
- Build Wonders: The late game has a lot of powerful wonders that give a lot of Era Score. If you have a city with high production, think about making it your dedicated wonder-builder.
- Tech and Civic Firsts: Being the first to research a tech or unlock a civic in a new era is a great source of Era Score. Prioritize the ones that help your victory condition.
- Military Campaigns: A well-planned war can be an Era Score goldmine. Taking enemy capitals, defeating unique units, and winning an Emergency all give you a lot of points. The “To Arms!” dedication can make this even more effective.
Example: Playing as Suleiman of the Ottomans, you’re geared for war. In the Industrial Era, pick the “To Arms!” Golden Age dedication. Use your Janissaries and the Grand Vizier to launch a quick war. The Era Score from taking cities and winning battles will likely lock in your next Golden Age, letting you snowball your military power.
The Dark Age Gambit: High-Risk, High-Reward
This is a more advanced strategy where you intentionally enter a Dark Age to set up a massive Heroic Age. It’s risky and requires careful planning. The idea is to hold back on earning Era Score in one Era, then unleash everything in the next to trigger a Heroic Age.
When to Try It
This isn’t something you should do every game. Here are a few situations where it might be a good idea:
- You’re Behind: If you’re struggling, a Dark Age followed by a Heroic Age can be a powerful way to catch up.
- Your Empire is Stable: If your cities are loyal and you’re not about to be attacked, you can probably handle the loyalty penalties of a Dark Age.
- You Have “Banked” Era Score: If you have a few Historic Moments you can trigger whenever you want (like building a unique unit or becoming suzerain of a city-state), you can pretty much guarantee a Heroic Age.
How to Do It
- Hold Back: As you get close to the end of an Era, avoid doing things that generate Era Score. Don’t build wonders, delay key techs, and wait to become suzerain of new city-states.
- The Dark Age: Once you’re in the Dark Age, pick a policy card that helps you out. If you’re not planning to expand, “Isolationism” can give a huge boost to your internal trade routes. Keep an eye on loyalty and use governors and policies to keep your cities from flipping.
- The Push: As soon as the new Era starts, go all out. Build your unique units, finish that wonder, claim those city-states. You want to blow past the Golden Age threshold as quickly as possible.
- Enjoy the Rewards: When you enter your Heroic Age, pick three dedications that work well together. For example, combining “Monumentality,” “Exodus of the Evangelists,” and “Hic Sunt Dracones” could let you rapidly expand with faith-purchased settlers and missionaries, with super-loyal cities on new continents.
Example: You’re playing as Tamar of Georgia and you’re falling behind in the Medieval Era. You decide to go for a Renaissance Heroic Age. You spend the last few turns of the Medieval Era avoiding Era Score. You enter a Renaissance Dark Age and slot in the “Inquisition” policy to protect your religion. You have several Khevsur units ready to go and you’ve waited to build your unique Tsikhe walls. In the first few turns of the Renaissance, you build your units, finish the walls, and spread your religion. This burst of Era Score launches you into a Heroic Age. You pick “Monumentality,” “Exodus of the Evangelists,” and “To Arms!” Now you can use faith to buy settlers and military units, and your cities are incredibly loyal, setting you up for a huge comeback.
A Few Final Tips
- Timing is Key: Pay attention to how many turns are left in an Era. Sometimes it’s worth delaying a Historic Moment by a few turns so the Era Score counts toward the next Age instead of being wasted on an Age that’s already golden.
- Dedications Matter: Don’t just pick any dedication. It should guide your strategy for the entire Era.
- Manage Loyalty: Even in a Golden Age, watch out for loyalty pressure from neighbors, especially if they’re also in a Golden Age. Use governors, garrisons, and policy cards to keep control.
- Be Adaptable: It’s good to have a plan, but be ready to change it. If a great opportunity for a lot of Era Score comes up, it might be worth taking it.
By understanding this intricate dance of Era Score and Ages, you can turn it from something that just happens into a powerful tool for victory. Whether you go for the steady path of the perpetual Golden Age or the daring Dark Age gambit, I hope your civilization’s story is one of triumph.