We're still about two weeks away from the release of Civilization: Beyond Earth, but already fans have been eagerly planning their opening strategies for when they can finally get their hands on a copy of the game. Here to help with this preemptive strategy planning is a neat interactive chart for the game's Virtue system.
Virtues in Beyond Earth are the equivalent of Social Policies in Civ V. A player's culture builds up over time, and once it reaches a certain level, the player is allowed to select one bonus buff from four distinct trees. A player won't be able to fill out the entire Virtue system in a single game, so it's useful to plan ahead and strategize about which Virtues you need to gun toward and which you don't mind missing out on.
The interactive tool lets player simulate purchasing Virtues. It lets them know how much culture is needed to purchase each successive Virtue and gives an idea about what prerequisite Virtues a player will need to open in order to get to the one they really want.
Learn More About The Wonders In Beyond Earth
The tool is especially helpful for figuring out the best strategy for grabbing Virtue-depth and Virtue-breadth bonuses. Depth bonuses mean that every time you choose a fifth Virtue in the same tree, you get an extra bonus related to that tree like an extra combat buff for going down the Might tree. Conversely, breadth bonuses are rewards for choosing Virtues out of many different trees. For example, choosing six different Tier 1 virtues (which you can't do using just one tree) will allow you to select a free Virtue. Gaining 15 different Tier 1 Virtues (which involves using at least three different trees) will grant the player a free tech. These changes make the culture system a little different from previous games, making this tool handy for new and old players alike.
The Virtues in Beyond Earth are divided up into four trees. Might focuses on military prowess. Prosperity supports empire growth. Knowledge gives bonuses to science, and Industry buffs a player's production. It's important to note that this tool may not be entirely accurate to the game's final Virtue system, which can still change as Firaxis balances the game pre-release.
Sid Meier's Civilization: Beyond Earth will release for PCs on October 24.
