Wonders: what they need.

[Perzival12]

So, I feel like wonders are an almost useless building. They cost a lot, are usually too big to place anywhere, and provide little return on your investment , so to speak. I have come up with a few ways to make them more interesting outside of capture the wonder mode:

#1: Merge the Glorious Expansion technology into the Wonder, to save the excessive resources spent on it.

#2: Give Wonders an aura that improves movement speed, gather rate, and melee damage (either global or localized).

#3: Make Wonders acts as more powerful civic centers that can’t train units or attack.

#4: Increase the resource trickle amounts from the Wonder.

Edited February 18 by Perzival12

[Obelix]

Thank you for the new thread!

1 hour ago, Perzival12 said:

#1: Merge the Glorious Expansion technology into the Wonder, to save the excessive resources spent on it.

Alternative: Increase the resources trickle (see below). This would amortize the Glorious Exp. Tech. earlier.

 

[Dakara]

I'd prefer tactical, diplomatic, or civilization-building bonuses. Economic bonuses are pretty annoying and make them after a wonder seems late. And military bonuses unbalance endgame battles and reduce the depth of strategies and troop movement.

We can imagine a passif bonus for wonder and one different by civilisation.

Passive :

increase capture resistance of the player X2, give 40 house population (not a pop cap).

Passive by civilisation : need fix it 

 

Civilization	Passive Effect	Details / RTS Notes
Rome	Pax Romana	Forces a global ceasefire for 1 minute. Cooldown: 10 minutes. / Useful for repositioning armies or delaying an assault. Can trade on roman camp.
Maurya	Universal Knowledge	All technologies become free for the player. Permanent bonus. / Encourages technological superiority.
Sparta	Double Hero & League Tax	Can recruit a second hero simultaneously. “League Tax” bonus: receives 40 metal every 60 seconds per controlled ally (0 in duel, 120 in 4v4 team games).
Athens	Hero Memory	Allows recruitment of heroes who have died. / Encourages high-risk play and strategic planning.
Carthage	Carthaginian Ingenuity	Walls automatically regenerate. Metal mines deplete more slowly (+50% metal in each mine), Military production buildings construct 50% faster.
Bretons	Champion Monks	Monks can switch into melee combat units (like Immortals) via a button. Strong attack, weak resistance./ Adds strategic versatility, new unit for a lot cost
Iberians	Vigilance & Engineering	Building have line of sight increased by 100%.- Castles construct 50% faster. Enhances map control and rapid fortifications.
Macedonians	Macedonians strengh	Allow the recruitment of 4 general, higher champ cav, with 500 HP in stables. / Adds strategic versatility, new unit for a lot cost

Kush

Camel expansion

New unit in stable slower than horse but they have an aura -25% attack for ennemy horses.

Gauls

?

?

Ptol

Pyramid

All pyramid can produce all champ unit type and they heal like a temple

[Arup]

I believe you forget ptol don't have pyramids

[LienRag]

Maurya is too unbalanced, but the rest is interesting indeed.

[Dakara]

On 26/02/2026 at 5:12 PM, LienRag said:

Maurya is too unbalanced, but the rest is interesting indeed.

sure but wonder is alrerady P3 

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

On 26/02/2026 at 11:12 AM, LienRag said:

Maurya is too unbalanced, but the rest is interesting indeed.

Free of resources, but not of research time. 

[DesertRose]

By the time you complete your wonder, wouldn't you have already researched almost all technologies?

[Dakara]

17 hours ago, DesertRose said:

By the time you complete your wonder, wouldn't you have already researched almost all technologies?

Most of time yes but some player maybe can make the choice to rush on wonder first.

[Thalatta]

I was thinking about this wonder issue some weeks ago. I think all wonders should have different effects, to enhance how each faction plays differently, while keeping it historically accurate. I agree that the "wonder tech" should be merged with the wonder, if that's the only thing they'll do.

Also, I don't think the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World have the prominent role they should have, considering the time span of the game: 3 were built before 500 BC, the other 4 being built before 280 BC. The Persians have the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, when they should build the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. I think they should start with the Gardens, thus working as a civ. bonus that could be captured or destroyed. Worse is the case of the Ptolemies, they have the Pharos (I would add “of Alexandria”, for everyone to get it just in case), yet it’s not even their wonder, but the temple of Horus (a bigger version of the temple of Isis). I would make the Pharos of Alexandria the wonder, and put the Great Pyramid of Giza close to them for capture, kind of another civ. bonus for the player to decide if and when to get it. This would make the wonder play of these 2 civs quite particular (historical ideas first, balance later). Their mentioned civ. bonuses could be called Echoes of Babylon (a known phrase, used in a book title, and a shoot out to the Voices of Babylon AoE campaign) and Sands of Time (another known phrase, the Pyramid is by far the oldest of the 7, the only one remaining, and hints at the race against time for capturing it). The remaining 3 of the 7 Wonders (not belonging to any playable faction) could be included in different game modes: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus to be “rebuilt” at a specific location to win, while the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, if the map is continental, or the Colossus of Rhodes, if it’s on an island, could be captured to win (the scenario could start with Gaia building the wonder, preferably finishing it before a reasonable time to capture it after it’s finished).

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

3 hours ago, Thalatta said:

Also, I don't think the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World have the prominent role they should have, considering the time span of the game: 3 were built before 500 BC, the other 4 being built before 280 BC. The Persians have the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, when they should build the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. I think they should start with the Gardens, thus working as a civ. bonus that could be captured or destroyed. Worse is the case of the Ptolemies, they have the Pharos (I would add “of Alexandria”, for everyone to get it just in case), yet it’s not even their wonder, but the temple of Horus (a bigger version of the temple of Isis). I would make the Pharos of Alexandria the wonder, and put the Great Pyramid of Giza close to them for capture, kind of another civ. bonus for the player to decide if and when to get it. This would make the wonder play of these 2 civs quite particular (historical ideas first, balance later). Their mentioned civ. bonuses could be called Echoes of Babylon (a known phrase, used in a book title, and a shoot out to the Voices of Babylon AoE campaign) and Sands of Time (another known phrase, the Pyramid is by far the oldest of the 7, the only one remaining, and hints at the race against time for capturing it). The remaining 3 of the 7 Wonders (not belonging to any playable faction) could be included in different game modes: the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus to be “rebuilt” at a specific location to win, while the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, if the map is continental, or the Colossus of Rhodes, if it’s on an island, could be captured to win (the scenario could start with Gaia building the wonder, preferably finishing it before a reasonable time to capture it after it’s finished).

I've started adding "Wonders of the World" discreetly to the game. There are several more in DE. I'd like to have a "Wonder of the World" game mode, similar to "Capture the Wonder" or "King of the Hill" in other games, where the script places a gaia-owned Wonder in the center of the map and the player or team who captures it either gains victory (after a designated time) or gains some kind of large benefit. We can retrofit the random map scripts to allow for the mode. In DE, I've kind of done it as a proof of concept on a couple skirmish maps, but I don't have the scripting knowledge to make it into a mode, let alone add it as an option for RMSs.