In Civilization 7, among the first strategic choices to consider is which Legacy Path to pursue from the start of the Antiquity Age. Each Legacy Path has unique challenges divided into milestones. Completing these milestones awards Legacy Points spent at the beginning of the next Age. These paths are divided into four categories - Cultural, Scientific, Military, and Economic - each with its own particular requirements based on a historically relevant idea or concept. Completing a Legacy Path awards a Golden Age bonus while failing to complete any milestones in a path unlocks a Dark Age option.

In the Antiquity Age, the four Legacy Paths in Civ 7 are relatively straightforward but challenging for the uninitiated. While it's possible to pursue all four Legacy Paths simultaneously, doing so might fail to complete any in their entirety due to the Age Progression meter. Each milestone that every leader in the game reaches advances the Age progression by a certain number of points, so there is somewhat of a limit to how many milestones and bonuses can be acquired. The Antiquity Age Legacy Paths include the Wonders of the Ancient World (Culture), Silk Roads (Economic), Pax Imperatoria (Military), and the Great Library (Science).

Construct Wonders For The Cultural Path In Antiquity

Wonders Of The Ancient World

The Cultural Legacy Path in Civ 7's Antiquity Age, Wonders of the Ancient World, is as straightforward as they come: build seven Wonders before the Age is over. However, there are a few things to know about Wonder Construction if you are unfamiliar with the mechanics. For starters, Wonders are unlocked through Civics or Technology research and are Age-specific, meaning Antiquity Age Wonders will only be available to build during this Age. Wonders are finite, and only one of each can be built, so if other civilizations are building the same Wonder, the race is on to see who can construct it the fastest.

If you fail to do this, the Production is allocated to the next project, but that specific Wonder cannot be constructed again. When it comes to deciding which Wonders to build, each civilization has an associated Wonder and has increased Production toward building it, so be sure to take advantage of this when pursuing the Wonders of the Ancient World Legacy Path. Completing seven wonders awards a Golden Age bonus that creates Golden Age Amphitheaters that retain their base yields, adjacency bonuses, and effects into the Exploration Age. Each milestone awards a Legacy Point that can increase production toward the Cultural Victory in Civ 7's Modern Age.

Assign Resources For The Economic Path In Antiquity

Silk Roads

The Economic Legacy Path, Silk Roads, requires you to collect and assign 20 Resources to your empire. Resources can be acquired from several sources, and Resource slots are in somewhat limited supply, requiring you to expand your Resource limit via buildings, Civics, and more. Resources themselves can be acquired when developing a settlement by placing a population on it, but they are also gained through alternative means. Trade routes with other civilizations or City-States can provide additional Resources, and the Economic City-State bonuses offer the Lapis Lazuli, a one-of-a-kind Resource.

Resource slots may be an issue as well, and Camels are valuable in this regard as they expand Resource limit in the Settlement they're assigned to. Certain Wonders, such as Monks Mound and the Colossus, can also increase Resource capacity. Buildings that increase Resource capacity include the Market and the Lighthouse, while certain civilization-specific Civics do as well, such as Mississippi's Cah-nah-ha. The Silk Roads Golden Age is among the best in the Antiquity Age, allowing a leader's cities to remain cities in the next Age where they would typically reset to towns.

Expand Your Empire For The Military Path In Antiquity

Pax Imperatoria

The Military Legacy Path in the Antiquity Age, Pax Imperatoria, requires you to have 12 Settlements in your empire, with conquered Settlements counting as double. This path can technically be completed without going to war, though it's clearly more efficient to do so by conquering. Conquering Settlements in Civ 7 and earning points toward Pax Imperatoria can be done in a few ways. The most straightforward option is to simply send out Settlers to establish Towns, which will count as one point toward the path. Another option is to befriend Independents, become Suzerain, and convert City-States to absorb them into the empire for one point.

The most effective strategy is to send siege units to opponents' Settlements to conquer them, largely because of the Settlement cap that penalizes leaders with -5 Happiness for every Settlement over the limit. Because conquered Settlements count as two, leaders only really have to conquer six Settlements (or five and a half technically, since the Capital also counts toward the total). You should increase the Settlement limit regardless of your tactics, and this can be done by researching Irrigation, unlocking the Entertainment and Organized Military Civics, and Expansionist Attributes, among others.

Display Codices For The Scientific Path In Antiquity

Great Library

Lastly, the Scientific Legacy Path, or the Great Library, can be completed by collecting and displaying 10 Codices. A Codex is gained through various methods and is the Antiquity Age Great Work, requiring Great Work slots to house and display each Codex. The primary method for collecting Codices is to Master Technologies, as a large percentage of this award one Codex, with Mathematics Mastery awarding two. Codices are also awarded during Narrative Events, from Scientific City-States, and from unlocking the Literacy Civic or building the Nalanda Wonder, which awards a Codex AND provides two Codex slots.

Outside of the Nalanda and the Palace, the Library and Academy provide two and three slots, respectively. Importantly, Codes can be lost if there are no available slots to place them in or if the buildings they are displayed in are pillaged or destroyed by a natural disaster. This makes placing these buildings crucial, as it's possible to run out of possible Codices to place in the Great Library.

Regardless of which Legacy Path(s) you focus on, the bonuses for doing so are extremely useful, and each milestone makes achieving the final victory project easier. Each Legacy Point earned will give you a much-needed bonus at the start of the Exploration Age, potentially turning the tides of the campaign entirely. Understanding the four Legacy Paths in the Antiquity Age is essential to developing a sound strategy and winning a victory in Sid Meier's Civilization 7.