Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Darius.

Likely a reference to the Age of Empires video game series, and the fact that Darius was the ruler of the Persian Empire at the time of its peak in the 5th century BC.

Discover a route to the Orient.

Discovering China in the New World DLC. The Orient Express was a famous train line that ran from Paris to Istanbul from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.

Have every civ declare war on you at the same time.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

A proverb meaning "Different paths can take one to the same goal." Modern wording of medieval sentiment; apparently originally a reference to Roman roads generally and the Milliarium Aureum (Golden Milestone) specifically.

Suleiman I (Modern Turkish: Süleyman, almost always Kanuni Sultan Süleyman; 6 November 1494 – 5/6/7 September 1566) was the tenth and longest-reigning Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1520 to his death in 1566. He is known in the West as Suleiman the Magnificent and in the East, as the Lawmaker (Turkish: Kanuni; Arabic: al-Qanuni), for his complete reconstruction of the Ottoman legal system.

A quote from The Outsider, a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. In Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos, Nephren-Ka was an Egyptian Pharaoh whose unspeakable cult worship led him to be stricken from almost all Egyptian records. The catacombs where he is buried are referenced in several Lovecraft stories as well as many stories by other mythos authors.

"Now I ride with mocking and friendly ghouls on the night wind, and play by day amongst the catacombs of Nephren-Ka in the sealed and unknown valley of Haddoth by the Nile." - The Outsider, H.P. Lovecraft

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Arabia.

Probably a pun on the name of the story collection called Arabian Nights in English, also known as the One Thousand and One Nights - and the fact that the Arabs can build Camel archers instead of Knights.

Trade a luxury resource to another Civ that you earned through a city with a Bazaar.

Arab traders were active throughout the known world in medieval times, and sailed to India and beyond in their quest for spices and other exotic products that could be sold in Europe for a hefty profit - and spreading Islam to the locals along the way.

Return a Treasure to Europe.

Applies to the DLC scenario The New World. Au is the chemical symbol for Gold. EU is, of course, a reference to the European Union.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Wu Zetian.

A reference to the common expression "a woman's work is never done."

A reference to the fact that the settler difficulty is the easiest one in the game.

As Suleiman, accumulate a navy with 10 Barbarian naval units.

The Barbary Pirates were Muslim pirates based in North Africa active from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Best known in the West as the enemy in the United State's first foreign war.

Battlefield Earth is a novel and subsequent film written by the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard.

Blood and Iron (German: Blut und Eisen) is the title of a speech by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck given in 1862 about the unification of the German territories. It is also a transposed phrase that Bismarck uttered near the end of the speech that has become one of his most widely known quotations.

A colloquial name for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai, India.

Build Statue of Zeus (Civ5) and Temple of Artemis (Civ5) in the same city.

In Greek mythology, the god Zeus used thunderbolts as weapons, and the goddess Artemis used a bow and arrow.

Beat the game on any difficultly setting as Babylon.

"By the rivers of Babylon" or "By the waters of Babylon", is a phrase from Psalm 137, one of the best-known psalms in the Judeo-Christian Bible, telling about the yearning of the Jewish people to one day return home from their captivity in Babylon. It is also the title of a short story written by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Play and win a game without ever declaring war on another Civ (does not preclude them from declaring war against you).

After a video of police officers beating Rodney King sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, King famously uttered this plea for peace on national television, and it has since become a common phrase.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

As a female leader, defeat all other present female leaders in a single game.

A cat fight is a common term for a fight between two or more women, without the involvement of men.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.'

Prince Charming in the Shrek movie franchise refers to himself in this manner in the second film, when introduced as "my son, the Prince".

Develop a city to produce more than 100 gold per turn.

The "City of Gold" refers to El Dorado, the legendary city claimed to be made completely out of gold.

Develop a city to produce more than 100 culture per turn.

The city of lights is a nickname of Paris, France.

A connoisseur is a specialist of a given field whose opinion is valued; especially in one of the fine arts, or in a matter of taste.

Alexander the Great achieved something similar during his lifetime, having created an empire stretching from Macedonia in northern Greece to the Indus River on the border with India, although he died in 323 BC and not 350.

Fully Explore the Social Policies Honor Policy Track.

A common warrior's code is to strive to uphold one's honor at any cost, and if you fail, to rather die than submit to a humiliating defeat. Exemplified in the Bushido code of the Japanese samurai and their obligation to commit ritual suicide, seppuku, if they failed in any serious way to uphold its obligations and tenets.

Fully Explore the Autocracy Policy Track.

The German general and tactician Carl von Clausewitz in his most famous work War On War, asserted that "war is merely the continuation of policy by other means". Although not intended to be taken literally, it has nevertheless become a famous quotation across the world today.

Hold a Defensive Pact with another civilization for at least 50 turns.

A diplomat is the official representative of a state, sent to another state to act on its behalf in matters of policy.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.'

Beat the game on a Large Map.

Super Size referred to the largest size of French fries (7-ounce) and soft drinks (42-ounce) available after the large size at a McDonald's restaurant. After taking a customer's order, McDonald's employees would ask customers “Would you like that Supersized?” or “Would you like to Supersize that?”

McDonald's began to phase out the Super Size option from their menu in March, 2004. By the end of the year Super Size was gone completely.

Find the Fountain of Youth.

Applies to the DLC scenario The New World.

Dr. Heidegger's Experiment refers to a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne in which a group of scientists drink water from the legendary Fountain of Youth.

Fully Explore the Rationalism Policy Track.

88 mph was the speed the DeLorean time machine from the Back to the Future series needed to achieve in order to travel through time.

Build a Wonder.

An engineer is someone who, amongst other things, designs and oversees the construction of large buildings and projects.

Win a Domination Victory.

A phrase of the Daleks from BBC Series Doctor Who.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Washington.

A phrase from Henry Lee III's euology of George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen."

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Hiawatha.

A reference to The Last of the Mohicans, an 1826 novel by James Fenimore Cooper and a 1992 movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

Build 1000 mines, across any number of playthroughs.

This is a colloquial name for a miner, referring to the California Gold Rush of 1849.

Fully Explore the Freedom Policy Track.

A common jingoistic American saying, referring to the necessity of the military to uphold social and political freedoms.

As Darius, start 5 Golden Ages in a single game.

Refers to the line of Persian empires stretching from the Classical period (the Archaemenid Empire, founded 550 BCE) to the early Modern (the Safavid dynasty, ended 1746 AD).

Build a Floating Garden a city with a lake tile in its radius. The original floating gardens were grown in and around Lake Texcoco in the Aztec Empire.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Gandhi.

Give Peace A Chance is song by the ex-Beatle John Lennon.

Win a Science Victory.

A reference to the Star Trek TV series (and to the Science victory condition, launching a starship), in which the words "To boldly go where no man has gone before" are spoken to reference the vast unexplored galaxy in the opening scene of every episode.  ("Go Boldly" is the somewhat more grammatically correct version of the quote.)

Beat the game on all standard map types and sizes.

A reference to the Pokémon franchise which focuses heavily on the collection of a wide variety of the titular Pokémon.

Upgrade a Unit.

Refers to the title of a Daft Punk song.

Beat the game as Harald Bluetooth .

Wordplay conflating the name of the historical king of Denmark with modern "hands-free" wireless Bluetooth devices.

Have any city ransomed by Barbarians.

A quote from Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog. Dr. Horrible claims his arch-nemesis, Captain Hammer, has done this after returning from a foiled scheme.

In the "In to the renaissance" scenario

"Select the Papal Primacy Belief and Ally with 12 City-States."

Which means capture and hold, or stay allied with "Vatican City" (what Rome is called in the scenario) and ally with 12 City States. Might be you need to be a faction that is originally Roman Catholic.

Holy Father is one of the honouraries of the Pope.

Be engaged in a single war for 100 or more consecutive turns. The hundred years war was a war lasting a little over 110 years. It pitted the French and the English.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Drop a Nuke on another Civ.

A refrence to the "Lol Cats" meme, specifically the "I Can Has Cheezeburger?" macro.

Win 20 battles with a single unit.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Embark a Unit.

A refrence to the popular song of the same name by the band The Lonely Island.

Lose a Game to someone not on your friend's list. This is a reference to The Princess Bride, where Vizzini made a habit of saying "Inconceivable!"

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Destroy an enemy unit in just one hit.

A refrence to the Pokémon franchise. This is said whenever one Pokémon uses a move that the reciving Pokémon is weak to, a la water beats fire.

Kill an enemy unit attacking with a Japanese unit with just 1 HP remaining.

Refers to the act of "Sucide Bombing" by Japanese aircraft units in World War 2. Unlike real life, your unit must survive the attack.

Run out of time to beat the Mongol scenario.

A reference to the famous scene in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when Captain James T. Kirk yells "Khaaan!" into a communicator when Khan leaves him to die on a planet. You will often see this same scene referenced on "The Colbert Report" and "The Daily Show."

Hold a Research Pact with another civilization for at least 50 turns.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Beat the Mongol scenario on the Immortal or harder difficulty level.

The grandson of Genghis Khan and subject of the eponymous poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Win the New World scenario as the Iroquois.

A reference to The League of Extraordinary Gentleman comic book, the Iroquois League formed in the 16th century between the Iroquois and neighboring tribes, and the Iroquois tribal chieftains, called hoyanehs.

Beat the game on a Small Map.

Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang and Pete Ross. Smallville was the setting of many Superboy comics, which depicted Clark as a young man defending Smallville from otherworldly evils and occasionally, the young Lex Luthor. Smallville is also the setting of the television series Smallville which similarly depicts the young Clark Kent.

Lux Aeterna is a piece for 16 solo singers, written by György Ligeti in 1966. It is most famous for its use in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The text (in Latin) is from the Roman Catholic Requiem Mass: Lux aeterna luceat eis, Domine, cum sanctis tuis in aeternum, quia pius es. Requiem aeternum dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis, which means "May everlasting light shine upon them, O Lord, with thy saints in eternity, for thou art merciful. Grant them eternal rest, O Lord, and may everlasting light shine upon them."

Win the New World scenario as the Incas .

A pun on the Incan world wonder, Machu Picchu.

Ferdinand Magellan (Fernão de Magalhães), was a Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition around the world.

Manifest Destiny was the 19th century American belief that the United States (often in the ethnically specific form of the "Anglo-Saxon race") was destined to expand across the North American continent, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean.

Marco Polo was an explorer and merchant from Venice, Italy, who travelled to China and back in the 13th century and wrote a book, Il Milione, which describes his epic journey in a time when most people in Europe had barely been outside their village.

From the first stanza of the song "Tradition", from the musical Fiddler On The Roof.  Also the title of a Song from Les Misérables about a crooked innkeeper. Can also refer to a Patriarch and his traditional role in governing a household.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting with each leader .

A reference to the children's cartoon He-Man: Master of the Universe.

A satirical song from the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance about how a "modern Major-General" in the British Army should behave.

Montezuma's Revenge (var. Moctezuma's revenge) is the colloquial term for any cases of traveler's diarrhea contracted by tourists visiting Mexico. The name refers to Moctezuma II (1466-1520), the Tlatoani (ruler) of the Aztec civilization who was defeated by Hernán Cortés, the Spanish conquistador.

Earn a Unit Promotion.

A refrence to the the the theme song of the 70's sitcom, The Jeffersons.

My Little Pony is a brand of toy ponies marketed primarily to young girls and produced by the toy manufacturer Hasbro. This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the well known myth of Catherine the Great's sexual affinity for horses.

Beat the game on any difficultly setting as Isabella.

A refrence to the popular "Spanish Inquisition" skits from the British comedy program "Monty Python's Flying Circus."

Likely referring to the One Ring from the Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. It contained an inscription describing it, with the lines "'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, 'One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them".

Spawn over 100 Great Generals, build an army of over 100 standing units, and beat the game 100 times.

Panzer General was the name of a popular WWII strategy game from the 90's. Shafernator is clearly a reference to Civilization V lead programmer, Jon Shafer.

Chop down 1000 forest tiles, across any number of playthroughs.

Paul Bunyan was a folk-tale of a giant lumberjack who traveled with his pet, a large blue ox named Babe.

Build a Longhouse in a city with at least 4 unchopped forests in its radius.

The Iroquois called themselves Haudenosaunee, or "People of the Longhouse".

Discover El Dorado.

Applies to the DLC scenario The New World.

Gain 1000 gold from expended Great People with the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus (Civ5) across any number of playthroughs.

Rush a wonder as Egypt with a Great Engineer.

In Greek mythology, the Sphinx would ask a riddle of anyone who passed by and if they answered incorrectly it would kill them. The riddle was: What goes on four legs in the morning, on two legs at noon, and on three legs in the evening?

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Japan

The Rising Sun is a component of the Imperial Japanese Flag.

As Elizabeth, sink and destroy 357 enemy naval units, across any number of playthroughs.

357 is the total number of ships engaged at the Battle of Gravelines (1588), in which the English navy defeated the invading Spanish Armada during the Anglo-Spanish War.

Beat the game on a Huge Map.

Referring to Battlestar Galactica's Twelve Colonies of Kobol that were conquered by the Cylons.

Reach Ally Status with a City State.

An oft-repeated line spoken by Tony Montana in the film Scarface to the invaders of his compound. His "little friend" is his very big gun.

Win the New World Scenario as Spain .

Translates to "Golden Age" referring specifically to the Spanish Golden Age from the 15th to 17th centuries.

Play a multiplayer match with another player who has this achievement (starting with Sid).

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

A reference to the game "Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon" in which players try to connect actors with their co-stars to reach Kevin Bacon in six movies or less.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Catherine.

A title given to Catherine the Great by her friend Voltaire.

As Wu Zetian, earn a Great General through battle.

The Art of War by Sun Tzu was the quintessential military manual used by Chinese emperors for generations. It was held in secret for hundreds of years until a copy was smuggled to Japan.

Beat the Mongol scenario on the Emperor or harder difficulty level.

Each Mongol warlord was called Khan, so when Temujin united all the Mongols under his rule a new title had to be invented and given to him, Genghis Khan. "Genghis" does not translate to "supreme" but it is a good description of the fact.

Beat the game on the Chieftain difficulty level.

Referring to removing the training wheels from a child's bike. In America, it is also symbolic of a child growing up.

Win the New World scenario as England.

Tea and crumpets are traditional English fare from Elizabethan times to today.

Build 1000 roads, across any number of playthroughs.

The Appian Way was one of Rome's earliest roads connecting Rome to Brindisi. Called the "queen of the long roads" by Roman poet Statius.

Win a Cultural Victory.

The Best State of a Republic was part of the very long subtitle of Thomas Moore's book, Utopia. Incidentally, it is from this book we get the word and concept of a utopia.

Destroy another Civ's unique unit with a Naresuan's Elephant.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Beat the game on any difficultly setting as Genghis Khan.

Refers to the vast 13th-century Mongol successor empire, and its army.

Beat the game on the Emperor difficulty level.

A reference to the Dune series, the Golden Path was the path through time God Emperor Leto Atreides led humanity to ensure humanity could never be ruled or contained again.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Alexander.

The Man Who Would Be King is a Rudyard Kiping short story about two British adventurers who become kings of a remote region in Afghanistan after one convinces the locals he is the reincarnation of Alexander the Great.

Beat the game on the King difficulty level.

The Once and Future King is a well-known fantasy novel about King Arthur by T. H. White.

Read 500 articles in the Civilopedia.

NOTE: This achievement currently seems to be bugged or not yet implemented, as few if any people have gotten it and it lacks a description in the official Steam achievements list.

Win a Diplomatic Victory.

Half of the now common saying: "the pen is mightier than the sword." Originally coined by Edward Bulwer-Lytton in his play Richelieu; Or the Conspiracy in 1839.

Build all the Wonders, across any number of playthroughs.

A reference to the 80's television show "The Wonder Years".

Beat the game on the Immortal difficulty level.

A quote from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

Kill a unit with a FrenchMusketeer when two other Musketeers are providing flanking bonuses.

A refrence to the classic novel "The Three Musketeers."

Pillage gold from an Egyptiancity with a burial tomb in it.

A reference to the Tomb Raider series of games.

Win the New World Scenario as France.

Translates to "All the world French-speaking?"

Completely defeat another Civ and remove them from the game.

From the movie Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. This line was chanted by the Thunderdome audience as the two men inside fought to the death.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Caesar.

Famous quote reported said by Ceaser when asked about his recent war victory. He responded "I came, I saw, I conquered."

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Elizabeth.

A common phrase said by Elizabeth of her advisors, translating to "I see and say nothing." This means she would listen to the thoughts of her advisors but would not commit herself, politically or any other way.

Beat the game on any difficulty setting as Napoleon.

The battlecry during the French Revolution that led to Napoleon's rise to power.

Fully explore the Tech Tree.

A refrence to the opening of "The Six Million Dollar Man." A scientist, Oscar Goldman, utters this famous phrase when presented with the challenge of saving the life of Steve Austin, a fighter pilot who was in a deadly crash.

Fully Explore the Liberty Policy Track.

The final line of the Pledge of Allegiance, an American oath to the flag commonly recited in public schools.

Lists

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Eras

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Industrial Modern Atomic Future

Concepts

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Food Production Gold Great people

Guides etc.

Achievements Mathematics

Modding Major patches