It’s all about developing your society from a nomadic unit of settlers into a global superpower through different means. Among them, one of the most interesting and exciting ways is building wonders… unique structures based on real-life locations with effects ranging from somewhat useful to dramatically tide-turning. In Civilization VI the developers focused on “unstacking” the city, allowing the player to build districts and the like in spaces around the city rather than having everything in the same spot. This change applied to wonders as well, which opened creative possibilities to modify their effects. They also became much more beautiful and detailed, and players are treated to an amazing animation of the wonder being built from the ground up once they complete it. After some in-game research and experimentation I’ve come up with a ranking of the best 10 wonders in Civilization VI based on how much they added to the game, how versatile they were, and the probabilities of someone else building it before me. I hope this will help you all get your building priorities straight!
10. Colossus
This maritime wonder is based on the legendary Colossus of Rhodes, and it’s an amazing option if you’re the first player to have harbors and are generally building for a naval empire. You get it early on in the game, during the Classical Era, but only if you’re researching naval techs. Once built, the Colossus will start generating gold and Great Admiral points. It’ll also grant you a naval trader unit with its own trade route slot giving you a powerful economic advantage. It must be built on a coast and adjacent to a harbor. It’ll be the first thing sailors see when approaching your city.
9. Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia was originally built at Constantinople for religious adoration, then passed around by all religious groups that have occupied the city over the years. In Civilization VI you get it during the Medieval Era and it’s essentially a necessity if you’re going for a World Religion victory. It produces faith, but most importantly, it allows your missionary and apostle units to use their “Spread Religion” ability one more time than usual. If you want to build it you have to be fast, as all other religious civilizations will want it as well.
8. Petra
A city carved out of red stone situated between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. In its time it served as one of the biggest markets and economic hubs in the area. Now in Civ VI it will make all desert tiles in the city where it’s built produce gold, food, and hammers, effectively making a desert city viable. It’s an amazing tool if for some reason you’re forced to settle in a generally barren desert location. It can be built on a desert tile starting the Classical Era. If you’ve got the correct placement you should definitely go for it, as it won’t generally be contested given how situational it is.
7. Pyramids
The Pyramids are one of the first wonders available and are therefore one of the most contested ones. Still it’s worth taking the risk, as it will multiply the building charges on all of your builder units, an invaluable advantage in the early stages of a game.
6. Eiffel Tower
This is one of the most recently-built wonders in the game. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889’s World’s Fair in Paris, and it caused great controversy among its population. In Civilization VI it will cause your foes to become nervous about your rapid progress. It’ll make all tiles in your city two levels more appealing, allowing you to build more neighborhood districts for housing, and making National Parks and Seaside Resorts more productive if you’re pursuing a Tourism victory.
5. Oxford University
This Industrial Era wonder will blind your opponents with your scientific achievements. It will produce Great Scientist points at an accelerated rate, as well as increase your overall science production by 20%, an insane advantage considering how generally powerful science is in most Civilization games. It will also award you two random technologies you haven’t yet unlocked, which could be either a minor boost or a game-changing achievement.
4. Big Ben
London’s iconic clocktower is the wonder for you if you enjoy swimming in golden coins and $100 bills. You can build it starting the Industrial Era and it will provide you with great gold production on its tile as well as an extra economic policy slot. It also generates Great Merchant points, and most importantly, multiplies your gold by 1.5x at the moment of completion. With this you’ll be able to buy your way to victory.
3. Chichen Itzá
This monument to Mayan achievement and engineering can be built starting the Medieval Era and it will provide culture and hammer production on all rainforest tiles for the city, which can be an amazing advantage during the early game. It may be somewhat situational but there’s no denying the game-changing nature of its bonuses at such an early stage. For this very reason it will probably be a contested wonder from others. Be careful in deciding whether to build it or not!
2. Colosseum
The Colosseum is one of the most useful wonders in Civilization VI… which makes the fact that the AI tends to ignore it a complete mystery. Not only does it provide some nice culture growth, but also bonus amenities to all cities in a six tile radius. This will let tightly-packed empires grow without worries and keep their cities loyal. It’s available starting in the Classical Era, shortly after acquiring several wonder-building bonuses which makes it really easy to build. It won’t be contested at all by the AI but it’s a different story in multiplayer matches.
1. Forbidden City
By far, the single most useful wonder in the game has to be the Forbidden City. You can build it starting the Renaissance Era and it will give you access to an extra Wildcard policy slot. This means you can choose what benefit this wonder will provide, as well as change it depending on the situation. It will be very contested for obvious reasons. But if you manage to build it first, you’ll be guaranteed an advantage over your foes that are equally strong through the entirety of the game. Talk about a great decision.
