Age Crisis Response: Emergency Plans When Things Go Wrong

The Age Crisis is the easiest point to collapse in Civ VII. Even if unprepared, an emergency plan cuts losses. This guide gives an action list by before / during / after.

1. 10 turns before: stockpile

• Bank gold (300+); buy emergency units in crisis.
• Convert soon-obsolete units to gold; don't keep dead troops.
• Finish achievable Legacy Paths to lower crisis intensity.

2. During: defend first

Barbarian and independent activity spikes in crisis. Pull troops back to garrison core cities, pause expansion, hold the board.

3. After: recover

1. Fix happiness in weakened cities.
2. Replan districts changed by the transition.
3. Swap civ to align with the next Age route.

4. Common mistakes

• Expanding in crisis: spread troops, picked off.
• No gold bank: no emergency money when crisis hits.
• Ignoring happiness: crisis plus unrest spirals.