Civilization 7 best Wonders: Tier list for the Modern Age
Firaxis GamesSo you have made your way through Antiquity and the Exploration Age in Civilization 7 and you’ve reached the final era. The Modern Age is as spectacular as ever, and there are plenty of Wonders to build on your way to victory.
Wonders have been a critical part of Civilization since the series’ earliest days. These megastructures are drawn from the real history of humanity, serving as the most spectacular construction projects you can undertake in a campaign.
The time they take to build is often worth it though, as Wonders bring major bonuses into play for your civilization.
Unfortunately, not all are worth pursuing in the average game, so we have broken down the best Wonders to build once you reach Civilization 7’s climax.
Modern Age Wonder tier list
| TIER | WONDER NAME |
| S | Brandenburg Gate, World’s Fair |
| A | Hermitage, Manhattan Project, Oxford University, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Taj Mahal |
| B | Chengde Mountain Resort, Dogo Onsen, Doi Suthep, Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty |
| C | Muzibu Azaala Mpanga, Red Fort |
Our tiers explained
- S: The best Wonders in the game overall
- A: Very good for most playthroughs
- B: More situational, though not without merit in the right setting
- C: Best to avoid unless you find yourself drawn to them
As we have previously stated on our other Wonder tier lists, the best choices for you will largely be dictated by the Legacy Paths and victory conditions that you have chosen to pursue. Many Wonders are geared towards Culture, while others have generally useful Yields like happiness.
The S-Tier is reserved for Wonders that players will find useful in most games, while effective but more niche options will appear in the tiers below.
S-Tier Modern Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Brandenburg Gate
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- 6 Production
- This settlement suffers no Happiness penalties from War Weariness
- +5 Happiness in conquered Settlements
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed:
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
The Brandenburg Gate adds a significant boost to Production, a Yield that is always hugely useful in the Modern Age as structures and units take more time. The biggest benefit that it brings to the table is the lack of Happiness penalties from War Weariness.
War Weariness occurs when you have less War Support than your opponent. Your population will grow more unhappy the more protracted the conflict becomes, so avoiding that entirely is a massive bonus in the final Age.
World’s Fair
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- Wins the Cultural Victory
- Technology/Civic needed: Complete Cultural Legacy Path in Modern Age
- Placement: N/A
Of all the Wonders to put in the top tier, the World’s Fair is the easiest to include. In short, it does absolutely nothing other than serving as the final milestone on the way to a Cultural Victory. Once you have it, you win.
In order to unlock it in the first place, you will need to complete the Cultural Legacy Path in the Modern Age, then you should be able to get it started in any city.
A-Tier Modern Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Hermitage
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Culture
- +10% Culture in Cities that have a Great Work on display
- Has 3 Artifact slots
- Ageless.
- Technology/Civic needed: Modernization
- Placement: On a Tundra tile
The Hermitage is the largest art museum on the planet, so you’d expect it to add significant Culture in your game of Civilization 7. Fortunately, that’s exactly what it does, adding +4 as a baseline level.
While that wouldn’t be enough on its own to warrant inclusion in the A-Tier, the additional 10% Culture for every city with a Great Work is well worth having if you’re in pursuit of a Cultural Victory. With 3 Artifact Slots to complement that already compelling package, the Hermitage is a great Wonder to pick up early in the Modern Age.
Manhattan Project
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +5 Science
- Allows the creation of Nuclear Weapons
- Allows the construction of Operation Ivy
- Technology/Civic needed: 20 Ideology Points
- Placement: N/A
The Manhattan Project has always been a stalwart of the Civilization series, and nothing has changed this time around. It offers a boost to Science, but critically, it serves as the penultimate step in the path to Military Victory in the Modern Age.
Once you’ve secured the Manhattan Project, you’ll be able to move on to Operation Ivy in order to build the first Hydrogen Bomb. That is the final obstacle on your way to the win, but how much of the world you rule will remain when you’re done?
Oxford University
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Science
- Grants 2 free Technologies
- +1 Wildcard Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Academics
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
Getting Oxford University early in the Modern Age is a massive bonus for the rest of your campaign. The two free Technologies it offers are a huge time save and a brilliant way to get a jumpstart on your closest foes.
It also offers a nice direct Yield in Science at +4 with an additional Wildcard Attribute Point that you can put into any perk for your Leader.
Palacio de Bellas Artes
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +5 Culture
- +2 Happiness on Great Works
- +10% Happiness in this City
- Has 3 Artifact Slots
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Globalism II
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
The Palacio de Bellas Artes is one of the more well-rounded Wonders on offer in the Modern Age in Civilization 7. It’s great if you’re going down the Culture Legacy Path on the way to a Cultural Victory, particularly thanks to the three additional Artifact Slots.
In a nice extra layer to its benefits, it also comes with an additional 10% Happiness in the City where it’s built, as well as +2 direct Happiness for Great Works.
Taj Mahal
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +5 Gold
- +50% Celebration duration
- +1 Wildcard Attribute Point
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Nationalism II
- Placement: On a Plains tile
The Taj Mahal is one of the most iconic buildings in the world and it also comes with some nice benefits in Civilization 7. Celebrations are a very overpowered element of the game right now, and adding 50% duration is a potent combo, particularly if you have other Wonders that buff Celebrations.
It also adds a nice little Gold bonus to the coffers and a Wildcard Attribute Point to put in a perk of your choosing for your Leader.
B-Tier Modern Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Chengde Mountain Resort
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +6 Gold
- +5% Culture for every other Civilization with which you have a Trade Route
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Hegemony II or Stabilizing Fort (Qing Unique Civic)
- Placement: Adjacent to a Mountain
Chengde Mountain Resort is geared towards giving you a major direct bonus to your Gold Yield. Though it adds one more than the Taj Mahal, it’s a little more one-dimensional than its equivalent in the A-Tier.
The Culture bonus on offer for every civ you have a Trade Route with is a weird one, and feels like it doesn’t impact gameplay much at all. If it’s a choice between this and the aformentioned Taj Mahal, we’d pick the latter nine times out of ten.
Dogo Onsen
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Happiness
- This Settlement gains a Population every time you enter a Celebration
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Social Question
- Placement: Adjacent to the Coast
Dogo Onsen is a really interesting Wonder that could, if used correctly, ascend to the tier above. The direct Yield bonus of +4 Happiness is nice to have, but it’s the main mechanic of the Wonder that has the most potential.
That grants an additional population every time you enter a Celebration, something which you can actually control quite well. If you combo it with other Celebration-focused Wonders, it’s a great way to create a megacity with delighted populations quickly.
Doi Suthep
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Influence
- +5 Culture and Gold for every City-State you are Suzerain of
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Political Theory
- Placement: On Rough Terrain
Influence is a strong option to go for in Civilization 7 as it allows you to emerge from Diplomatic situations with more credit. Doi Suthep provides a nice direct buff in that department and it’s one of the better Yields available from any Wonder in the Age.
That said, the major mechanic of the Wonder is a little clunky and campaign-dependent. The start of each Age is a race to become Suzerain of independent city-states and if you miss out, Doi Suthep becomes a bit redundant.
Eiffel Tower
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +5 Culture
- +2 Culture and Happiness on Quarters in this City
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Radio
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
Culture, Culture, Culture. In Civilization 7, you’ll be so focused on accumulating Culture and building up the right Wonders is a major part of that. The Eiffel Tower is all about granting more, offering a pretty huge +5 direct buff to the Culture Yield.
Quarters are also a powerful mechanic to take advantage of, and something you’ll want to pursue regardless of your choice of Wonder, but the additional Culture and Happiness here is also a solid affix.
Statue of Liberty
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +6 Happiness
- Spawns 4 Migrants
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Capitalism II
- Placement: On Coast adjacent to Land
Gifted to the USA by France in the 19th Century, the arrival of the Statue of Liberty likely made a lot of people happy at the time. Logically, that’s also what it does here, adding +6 Happiness as a direct yield when constructed.
The biggest thing it does is spawn four Migrants, who can be used in any city to add a population and unlock additional tiles for expansion. As a one-off increase, it’s obviously nice to have but by the Modern Age, population increase and general growth isn’t particularly tough to achieve.
C-Tier Modern Age Wonders in Civilization 7
Muzibu Azaala Mpanga
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Food
- +2 Food on all Lake tiles
- +2 Culture and Happiness on Lake tiles in this Settlement
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Natural History
- Placement: Adjacent to a Lake
As a caveat, before we break down why this Wonder is in the C-Tier, if you need to get your hands on additional Food, then Muzibu Azaala Mpanga is brilliant. The reason that it’s all the way down here is because that’s all it does.
Sure, it might offer a little bonus to Culture if you’re near Lake tiles, but the whole thing is massively inconsequential if you aren’t desperate for food.
Red Fort
Dexerto/Firaxis Games- Effect:
- +4 Gold
- Acts as a Fortified District that must be conquered
- +50 HP to this tile and all City Centers
- Ageless
- Technology/Civic needed: Military Sciences
- Placement: Adjacent to a District
In the final slot on this tier list, we have the Red Fort. Nothing that it does is expressly bad, but it doesn’t do anything as well as alternative Wonders in this list. It generates less Gold than the Taj Mahal and Chengde Mountain Resort, and you can get Fortified Districts from Wonders in earlier Ages.
The additional HP for City Centers is the only real, tangible and unique benefit, but it isn’t really worth pursuing unless you’re under very heavy attack.
That’s the complete list! Make sure to check out our full tier lists for Antiquity and the Exploration Age, so you’ve got the lowdown on every Wonder in the game. We’ve also broken down the best Leaders around so you can pilot your empire with ease.