What Changed

Firaxis Games released the Crossroads of the World Collection for Civilization VII in two parts during March 2025. It was the first paid post-launch DLC for the strategy sequel. Across both parts, the collection adds two leaders (Ada Lovelace and Simón Bolívar), four civilizations (Carthage, Great Britain, Bulgaria, and Nepal), a Wonder Pack containing four natural wonders, and one badge cosmetic bonus. The packs were also made available for individual purchase later, in May 2025.

Part 1 launched on March 4, 2025, alongside Update 1.1.0. It includes leader Ada Lovelace, civilizations Carthage (Antiquity Age) and Great Britain (Modern Age), and the Wonder Pack with four natural wonders: Machapuchare, Mount Fuji, Vihren, and Vinicunca.

Part 2 arrived on March 25, 2025, with Update 1.1.1. This release added leader Simón Bolívar and civilizations Bulgaria (Exploration Age) and Nepal (Modern Age). Separate from the paid DLC, the same free update added the Mount Everest natural wonder for all players. The original pre-launch roadmap paired this window with a “Marvelous Mountains” in-game event, but Firaxis postponed its planned event rollout to prioritize quality-of-life work, so players should not treat the event as shipped content from this update.

How It Works

New Civilizations and Age Placement

Carthage (Antiquity Age) is a Militaristic/Economic civilization built around an unusual constraint. Its Phoenician Heritage ability allows only one City, and its Towns cannot use Convert to City; in exchange, creating a Merchant or the unique Colonist settler unit grants a copy of that unit. Carthage’s unique military unit is the Numidian cavalry, and its associated wonder is Byrsa.

Great Britain (Modern Age) is an Economic/Expansionist civilization. Its Workshop of the World ability makes buildings a set percentage cheaper to produce or purchase, while converting Towns into Cities costs a set percentage more. It fields the Antiquarian unique explorer unit and the Revenge unique naval unit, with Battersea Power Station as its associated wonder.

Bulgaria (Exploration Age) is a Militaristic/Expansionist civilization that rewards aggression. Its Krum’s Dynasty ability grants Food in all Towns when the player pillages Improvements, equal to a percentage of the HP or yields gained. Its uniques are the Tarkhan commander unit and Bolyar cavalry unit, with Rila Monastery as its associated wonder.

Nepal (Modern Age) is a Diplomatic/Cultural civilization. Its Roof of the World ability makes all Warehouse buildings apply to Mountain tiles, in exchange for increased Food and Happiness maintenance costs. Its uniques are the Sherpa scout unit and Gurkha infantry unit, with Boudhanath as its associated wonder.

Leader Abilities

Ada Lovelace (Part 1) is a Scientific/Cultural leader whose ability, Enchantress of Number, gives cities increased Science per Age whenever the player completes a Civic Mastery, resetting at the start of each Age. Completing a Technology Mastery also grants Culture equal to a percentage of the player’s total Science per turn.

Simón Bolívar (Part 2) is an Expansionist/Militaristic leader whose ability, El Libertador, grants a free amount of Support on his wars. When the player conquers a Settlement for the first time, that Settlement can purchase a Building for free, and Bolívar can purchase items while in the Unrest status.

Natural Wonders

The paid Crossroads content includes exactly four natural wonders, all delivered in Part 1’s Wonder Pack:

  • Machapuchare (Tropical)
  • Mount Fuji (Grassland)
  • Vinicunca (Desert)
  • Vihren (Plains)

No additional natural wonders ship with Part 2 of the collection. Two other natural wonders from this period are frequently confused with the DLC but are actually free for all players: the Bermuda Triangle, added in Update 1.1.0, and Mount Everest, added in Update 1.1.1.

Free Content Updates

Alongside the paid DLC, Firaxis released substantial free updates:

Update 1.1.0 (March 4):

  • Bermuda Triangle natural wonder (free to all players)
  • UI adjustments, polish, and fixes for reported issues
  • Significant changes to the Modern Age’s Cultural Legacy Path and Cultural Victory, including AI improvements
  • Holy City conversion becomes possible in the Exploration Age
  • Naval units can disperse Coastal Independent Powers
  • Balance pass on several Mementos
  • Refinements to the Army Unpacking action
  • Cross-play between PC and consoles re-enabled

Firaxis’s first planned in-game event, Natural Wonder Battle, was originally slated for this update but was officially postponed to a later release.

Update 1.1.1 (March 25):

  • Mount Everest natural wonder (free to all players)
  • Quick Move functionality
  • Customizable Commander and City names
  • New “Standard” start position option with less predictable landforms, plus renaming of existing maps to “Start Position: Balanced”
  • Optional Restart button for map rerolling
  • AI scouting and settling improvements, including less aggressive forward settling
  • Further UI improvements as part of a multi-month plan

Build Path

Players who own the Deluxe Edition or Founders Edition of Civilization VII receive the Crossroads of the World Collection automatically. Separate purchase is available for players with the Standard Edition.

The content unlocks with the respective updates: Ada Lovelace, Carthage, Great Britain, and the Wonder Pack arrived in Part 1, while Simón Bolívar, Bulgaria, and Nepal unlocked with Part 2.

For players picking up the DLC civilizations, the confirmed kits suggest these approaches:

  • Carthage: Build tall around your single City and a network of Towns, and exploit the duplicated Merchant and Colonist units for rapid trade and settlement coverage.
  • Great Britain: Leverage discounted buildings to develop cities quickly, but plan around the higher cost of converting Towns.
  • Bulgaria: Pillage enemy Improvements aggressively; Krum’s Dynasty converts that damage into Food across all your Towns.
  • Nepal: Settle near Mountain tiles so Warehouse buildings can scale off them, and budget for the added Food and Happiness maintenance.

What It Means

The Crossroads of the World Collection was Firaxis’s first paid post-launch release for Civilization VII, following the game’s February 11, 2025 launch. The two-part structure delivered the new content across the same window as the game’s first two major free updates.

The civilization selection addresses geographic gaps in the base game’s roster. Carthage fills the ancient Mediterranean naval power niche, Great Britain provides a Modern Age industrial civilization, Bulgaria represents the Balkans during the Exploration Age, and Nepal adds a mountain-focused civilization for the Modern Age.

However, the collection’s scope is modest compared to the expansion packs of previous series entries. The DLC adds civilizations and leaders but introduces no new game mechanics, victory conditions, or age-spanning systems. That contrasts with Civilization VI’s major expansions (Rise and Fall, Gathering Storm), which added loyalty systems, climate change, and a world congress.

The split between paid DLC and free updates also creates a two-tier content structure. All players received the Bermuda Triangle, Mount Everest, UI improvements, and balance changes, while paying customers gained the new civilizations and leaders. The model lets Firaxis keep a shared player base across both groups while monetizing dedicated fans.

Looking ahead past Crossroads, Firaxis’s roadmap materialized largely as announced. The second paid collection, Right to Rule, shipped in two parts on July 22 and September 30, 2025, adding leaders Genghis Khan and Lakshmibai, civilizations Assyria, Dai Viet, Silla, and Qajar, and four standard world wonders (Grand Bazaar, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Ubudiah Mosque, and Wat Xieng Thong). A third paid set, the Tides of Power Collection, followed later in 2025. Free updates continued in parallel, and mod tools with Steam Workshop support remained a stated priority from the roadmap, addressing a notable gap in the base game at launch.