The march of history is relentless. Empires rise and fall, technologies advance, and the very art of warfare is rewritten time and again. Yet, the great achievements of the earliest civilizations—the Wonders of the Ancient world—remain static, frozen in time. They provide a powerful early-game advantage, but their significance can wane as empires progress through millennia. But what if they didn’t? What if these monuments to early human ingenuity could evolve, growing in power and adapting their benefits to the changing strategic landscape of a modern world? This is a concept frequently debated within the player community: a system where Ancient Era Wonders could be upgraded, reflecting a civilization’s continued cultural investment and technological prowess. Such a feature would not only deepen long-term strategic planning but also add a profound new layer of dynamism to the game, making those early-game gambles pay dividends right up to the final turn.
The Pyramids: From Ancient Labor to Modern Efficiency
The Pyramids are a testament to a civilization’s ability to mobilize its population. Their base effect, granting an extra charge to all Builders, is powerful but one-dimensional. Analysis on forums shows that while universally useful, their impact is front-loaded. An upgrade path could transform them from a simple construction bonus into a symbol of evolving labor and engineering mastery.
Classical Era Upgrade: Architectural Guilds
Upon reaching the Classical Era and constructing a Government Plaza, a new project would become available: “Establish Architectural Guilds.” Completing this would upgrade the Pyramids to grant an additional +1 Production to all adjacent tiles with a Quarry. Furthermore, many professional gamers suggest that a logical evolution would be for all newly trained Builders to receive the “Expert Masons” promotion, allowing them to complete an additional 5% of a Wonder’s production cost instantly.
Medieval Era Upgrade: Feudal Contracts
With the discovery of the Feudalism civic, the Pyramids could be upgraded to reflect the changing nature of labor. The “Feudal Contracts” upgrade would cause the Pyramids to grant a free Builder every time a new city is founded. This would dramatically accelerate expansion, allowing new settlements to become productive far more quickly. A popular strategy is to pair this with policies that boost settler production, creating a powerful engine for rapid, wide-scale colonization.
Renaissance Era Upgrade: Engineering Schools
The advent of the Renaissance and the construction of a University would unlock the “Engineering Schools” upgrade. This would transform the Pyramids’ bonus entirely. Instead of Builder charges, the Wonder would now provide a +10% production bonus towards all districts in every city. This shift reflects the transition from raw manpower to intellectual and engineering prowess, making the Pyramids a cornerstone of a burgeoning industrial power.
Industrial to Information Era Upgrades: Prefabricated Construction & Urban Planning Institutes
In the Industrial Era, the “Prefabricated Construction” upgrade could grant a significant +25% production bonus towards Industrial Zones and their buildings. As you progress to the Modern Era, this could evolve into the “Urban Planning Institutes” upgrade, granting an additional Amenity and Housing to every city with at least three specialty districts, symbolizing the advanced logistical and social planning required to manage a modern metropolis. Finally, in the Information Era, the Pyramids could offer a “Global Engineering Projects” bonus, granting a massive +15% production bonus towards all space race projects, representing the culmination of millennia of engineering knowledge.
The Hanging Gardens: A Bounty for All Ages
The Hanging Gardens are an early-game powerhouse for growth, but their flat +2 Housing and bonus to city growth can feel underwhelming in later eras. The player community often discusses how this Wonder, a symbol of agricultural and botanical mastery, could evolve to sustain a global empire.
Classical & Medieval Upgrade: Botanical Classification & Medical Herbs
In the Classical Era, the “Botanical Classification” upgrade could cause the Hanging Gardens to provide +1 Food to all tiles adjacent to a river. This would make river-heavy empires incredibly fertile. Progressing to the Medieval Era, the “Medical Herbs” upgrade could be unlocked with the construction of an Apothecary (a new building in the Campus district). This would grant +1 Amenity to all cities within 6 tiles of the Wonder, representing the discovery and cultivation of plants with medicinal properties.
Renaissance Era Upgrade: Global Seed Vault
A popular strategy in the mid-game is to focus on developing a few key cities. The “Global Seed Vault” upgrade, available in the Renaissance, would supercharge this. It would allow the city with the Hanging Gardens to collect and store “Seed” charges. These charges could be expended on other cities to instantly boost their population by one. The number of charges generated per turn would be based on the number of different luxury resources improved within the empire, encouraging diverse expansion.
Industrial to Information Era Upgrades: Mechanized Agriculture & Genetic Modification
The Industrial Era’s “Mechanized Agriculture” upgrade would cause all Farms to provide an additional +1 Production. This simple but powerful bonus would fuel the engines of industry. In the Modern Era, the “Genetic Modification” upgrade would become available after researching Genetics. This would allow the Hanging Gardens to provide a unique luxury resource, “Miracle Fruit,” which provides +6 Amenities when traded. In the Information Era, the Wonder could be upgraded one final time to the “Biosphere Project,” granting a permanent +10% growth rate and +3 Housing to all cities on the continent, representing a complete mastery over the environment.
The Oracle: From Prophecy to Global Intelligence
The Oracle is a potent tool for generating Great People points, but its influence is tied to the districts in a single city. Analysis on forums shows that players feel its power should expand as an empire’s intellectual and cultural reach grows.
Classical & Medieval Upgrade: Philosophical Discourses & Great Library Patronage
Upon building a Library, the “Philosophical Discourses” upgrade would cause the Oracle to grant a free Envoy every time a Great Writer, Artist, or Musician is earned. This would tie the generation of Great People directly to diplomatic influence. In the Medieval Era, the “Great Library Patronage” upgrade would grant a significant discount on the patronage of all Great People with Gold.
Renaissance Era Upgrade: The Enlightenment Salons
With the advent of the Printing press, the “Enlightenment Salons” upgrade would become available. This would cause the Oracle to generate +1 Great Writer, +1 Great Artist, and +1 Great Musician point in every city with a University. This decentralizes the Oracle’s power, turning the entire empire into a hub of cultural innovation.
Industrial to Information Era Upgrades: National Intelligence Agency & Global Surveillance Network
The Industrial Era would see a dramatic shift in the Oracle’s function. The “National Intelligence Agency” upgrade would grant 1 additional level of diplomatic visibility with every other civilization and a free Spy. The Oracle would now generate Great Spy points. In the Modern Era, this would evolve into the “Global Surveillance Network,” granting vision on the capital of every other civilization and revealing all of their hidden agendas. In the Information Era, the “Predictive Analytics” upgrade would grant a +5% bonus to all yields (Culture, Science, Faith, Gold, Production) for every active listening post, representing the ability to predict and react to global trends.
Stonehenge: A Conduit of Evolving Faith
Stonehenge is a rush Wonder, a gamble to secure an early religion. If that gamble fails, it becomes little more than a scenic pile of rocks. An upgrade path could transform it from a simple faith generator into the enduring heart of a global religion.
Classical & Medieval Upgrade: Pilgrimage Routes & Sacred Texts
The “Pilgrimage Routes” upgrade, available in the Classical Era, would grant +1 Gold to all trade routes to or from the city with Stonehenge. This represents the economic activity generated by pilgrims visiting the holy site. In the Medieval Era, the “Sacred Texts” upgrade would allow the owner to add an extra belief to their religion (a Follower, Founder, or Enhancer belief), representing the codification and expansion of religious doctrine.
Renaissance Era Upgrade: Global Synod
Upon constructing a Grand Temple (a new, tier-3 religious building), the “Global Synod” upgrade would become available. This would allow the owner to call a “Global Synod” world congress special session once per era. This session would allow the owner to propose resolutions that could strengthen their religion or weaken others, such as “Condemn Heretics” (allowing military units to damage religious units) or “Promote Interfaith Dialogue” (granting a burst of culture for every city following your religion).
Industrial to Information Era Upgrades: Charitable Missions & Digital Theology
In the Industrial Era, the “Charitable Missions” upgrade would cause all religious units to provide a burst of Food and Housing to a city when they successfully convert it. This represents the social outreach and welfare programs often associated with organized religions. In the Modern Era, this could evolve into a bonus that grants a burst of Diplomatic Favor for every city converted. Finally, in the Information Era, the “Digital Theology” upgrade would allow the owner to exert religious pressure through broadcast towers and social media, causing all Broadcast Centers to generate +10 religious pressure and +5 Culture.
The Great Library: From Ancient Scrolls to the Digital Age
The Great Library is another high-risk, high-reward Wonder. Its boost to early science and Great Scientist points is significant, but its power fades quickly. An upgrade path could see it evolve from a repository of ancient knowledge into the central node of a global information network.
Classical & Medieval Upgrade: Scriptoriums & The Scientific Method
The “Scriptoriums” upgrade in the Classical Era would cause the Great Library to grant +2 Science for every Great Work of Writing in the empire. This encourages a synergistic approach to culture and science. In the Medieval Era, the “Scientific Method” upgrade, unlocked with the construction of a University, would grant a free Eureka for a random technology from the next era every time a Great Scientist is activated.
Renaissance Era Upgrade: The Printing Press Revolution
The “Printing Press Revolution” upgrade would be a game-changer. It would cause all Libraries to provide +1 Amenity and all Universities to provide +2 Culture. This represents the democratizing effect of mass-produced knowledge, spreading literacy and new ideas throughout the empire.
Industrial to Information Era Upgrades: National Archives & The Internet
In the Industrial Era, the “National Archives” upgrade would grant a permanent +10% bonus to all Science generation and allow the owner to see the technology tree of every other civilization they have met. In the Modern Era, the “Internet” upgrade would become available after researching Computers. This would cause the Great Library to function as a global hub, granting a +5% science bonus for every trade route sent from the city with the Wonder. In the Information Era, the “Global Research Initiative” upgrade would allow the owner to launch a special project that, once completed, would grant a free technology to all allies and friends, symbolizing a new era of collaborative scientific discovery.
Etemenanki & Temple of Artemis: Specialized Powerhouses
Etemenanki and the Temple of Artemis are more specialized, but their upgrade paths could be equally compelling.
Etemenanki, the ziggurat to the heavens, could evolve from a simple science and production booster for marsh and floodplains tiles into a center for astronomical and meteorological study. A Medieval upgrade could grant bonus food on these tiles, representing advanced irrigation techniques. A Renaissance upgrade could grant bonus culture, reflecting the ziggurat’s role in cultural and religious festivals. In the Modern Era, it could become a “Global Weather Center,” granting the ability to predict and mitigate natural disasters, providing a unique defensive and economic advantage.
The Temple of Artemis, a shrine to the hunt, could see its bonus to amenities and food from camps evolve into a comprehensive system of wildlife management and ecological preservation. A Classical upgrade could grant a production bonus towards cavalry units. A Medieval upgrade could grant a unique luxury resource, “Exotic Furs,” from camps. In the Industrial Era, it could be upgraded to the “National Parks Service,” granting a significant tourism bonus from all unimproved tiles adjacent to a camp, rewarding empires that preserve their wilderness.
The introduction of upgradable Ancient Era Wonders would fundamentally reshape the strategic landscape of Civilization 6. It would transform the early game from a series of short-term gambles into the laying of a foundation for long-term, evolving strategies. The choice of which Wonder to build would become even more critical, as players would be investing not just in an immediate bonus, but in a legacy that could define their empire for millennia. This dynamic system would create a more engaging and historically resonant experience, ensuring that the echoes of the ancient world are felt right up to the dawn of a new age.