Move:

Terrain and Rivers: Standard terrain movement applies. Small rivers can be crossed by most units. Wide, navigable rivers are crucial for naval units and embarked land units, acting as strategic pathways across the map. Rivers now flow through tiles rather than along their edges.

Age Transitions: The game features three distinct Ages: Antiquity, Exploration, and Modern. Each Age has unique tech and civic trees. Your civilization is tied to one Age, and player actions can lead to transforming into a different civilization for the next Age (e.g., Rome in Antiquity can become Normans in Exploration, then French Empire in Modern). Civilization choices are influenced by the leader, previous civilization, and specific gameplay elements (like owning 3 Horse Resources to unlock Mongolia in the Exploration Age).

Crisis Mechanic: All players face a temporary "Crisis" during each Age shift. This forces the adoption of negative policies, aiming to balance the game by preventing runaway leaders and giving trailing players a chance to catch up.

Influence Yield: A new yield type, Influence, is introduced and used for diplomatic interactions with other civilizations.

Settlements: Cities are now divided into two categories: Cities and Towns, both falling under the umbrella of Settlements. All Settlements, except your Capital, begin as Towns. Towns cannot produce anything independently; Production is handled by adjacent Cities or specialized buildings.