Beyond the Sword is the second expansion for Civilization IV, released in July 2007, and it is still the version most long term Civ 4 players run. It bolts three systems onto the 2005 base game: seven corporations that convert spare resources into food, production or cash, a full espionage economy with its own commerce slider, and the Apostolic Palace, a religious voting body that can hand you a diplomatic win centuries before the United Nations exists. It also brings ten new civilisations, six new leaders for existing ones, twenty five units, and eleven scenarios ranging from a squad tactics mission against the undead to a space colonisation mod.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Afterworld | Corporations basics | Byzantium under Justinian I | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Broken Star | Espionage points and the espionage slider mastery | Byzantium under Justinian I | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Charlemagne | The Apostolic Palace + gear | Babylon under Hammurabi or Byzantium under Justinian I | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Final Frontier | Build optimization | Babylon under Hammurabi | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Next War | Min-max | Babylon under Hammurabi or Netherlands under Willem van Oranje | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Afterworld)
A squad based tactical scenario against the undead with no city building at all, closer to a turn based skirmish game than to Civilization. It is the clearest demonstration of how far the Civ 4 engine could be pushed by the scenario tools.
Level/Difficulty: Standalone tactical scenario Key Rewards: Squad tactics practice, a complete change of pace from the main game
What to Do in Afterworld
- Learn Corporations. Seven corporations unlock from the Corporation technology, and each needs a specific Great Person, an extra technology and access to particular resources to found its headquarters. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Byzantium under Justinian I as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Found a corporation only when you already control the input resources, because a corporation with nothing to consume still charges you maintenance in every city it reaches.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Executive or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Corporations fundamentals
- Byzantium under Justinian I selected and functional
- Afterworld main content cleared
- Ready for Broken Star
Phase 2: Early Game (Broken Star)
Opens with Russia in civil war, so you begin fighting for control of a fragmenting state rather than founding a capital. It is one of the tighter scenarios because the starting position already contains the conflict.
Level/Difficulty: Modern era scenario Key Rewards: Fast paced modern warfare without a long buildup
What to Do in Broken Star
- Work on Espionage points and the espionage slider. Espionage becomes a real economy rather than a footnote, with a commerce slider that diverts output into espionage points accumulated separately against each rival. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Executive if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Sid's Sushi Co., Cereal Mills and Standard Ethanol all consume Rice, so you cannot run all three in the same city and should decide which one your empire actually needs.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Charlemagne.
- Consider whether Babylon under Hammurabi might suit your playstyle better than Byzantium under Justinian I.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Espionage points and the espionage slider integrated into gameplay
- Executive acquired
- Broken Star fully cleared
- Ready for Charlemagne
Phase 3: Mid Game (Charlemagne)
You conquer Dark Ages Europe while courting the Pope, and enough papal favour sees you crowned Holy Roman Emperor. It ties the expansion's religious diplomacy directly into a conquest objective.
Level/Difficulty: Dark Ages Europe scenario Key Rewards: Coronation as Holy Roman Emperor, religious diplomacy practice
What to Do in Charlemagne
- Master The Apostolic Palace. The Apostolic Palace is a wonder tied to the state religion of whoever builds it, and every civilisation influenced by that religion gets votes. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Spy. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Standard Ethanol produces Oil from Corn, Sugar or Rice through a Great Scientist headquarters, which is the peaceful answer to having no Oil on your continent.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Random events for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- The Apostolic Palace mastered
- Spy acquired or in progress
- Charlemagne fully cleared
- Ready for Final Frontier
Phase 4: Late Game (Final Frontier)
A science fiction mod where you explore and settle star systems while looking for the route home to Earth. Systems replace terrain and starships replace armies, which makes it the most transformed of the eleven.
Level/Difficulty: Space era total conversion Key Rewards: Star system colonisation, a completely reworked tech tree
What to Do in Final Frontier
- Finalize your build. You should be running Babylon under Hammurabi or Byzantium under Justinian I with optimized gear.
- Spy should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Espionage points accumulate separately against each rival, so pick one target and drive points into that relationship rather than spreading effort across the board.
- Advanced Start optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Next War.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Spy upgraded to max
- Final Frontier fully cleared
- Ready for Next War
Phase 5: Endgame (Next War)
A near future scenario built around clone armies, cyborgs and other technologies past the base game's modern era. It extends the tech tree rather than replacing it, so the familiar rules still apply.
Level/Difficulty: Near future scenario Key Rewards: Extended future technologies, late era unit variety
What to Do in Next War
- Next War tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Poisoning a water supply or sabotaging production is often cheaper than fielding an army against a city you only need slowed down.
- The endgame loop: run Next War, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Netherlands under Willem van Oranje for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Advanced Start mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Next War fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Spreading a corporation into every city with an Executive without checking whether those cities have the input resources or the gold to carry the maintenance.
- Running the espionage slider at a high rate while splitting points across every rival, which produces nothing usable against any single target.
- Letting a rival build the Apostolic Palace while you sit outside its religion, then losing votes on resolutions that directly affect your wars.
- Founding Cereal Mills and Sid's Sushi Co. in the same city and wondering why they compete rather than stack, since both consume Rice.
- Treating Beyond the Sword like Civilization VI, where corporations, the espionage slider and Apostolic Palace voting simply do not exist in the same form.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Found a corporation only when you already control the input resources, because a corporation with nothing to consume still charges you maintenance in every city it reaches.
- Sid's Sushi Co., Cereal Mills and Standard Ethanol all consume Rice, so you cannot run all three in the same city and should decide which one your empire actually needs.
- Standard Ethanol produces Oil from Corn, Sugar or Rice through a Great Scientist headquarters, which is the peaceful answer to having no Oil on your continent.
- Espionage points accumulate separately against each rival, so pick one target and drive points into that relationship rather than spreading effort across the board.
- Poisoning a water supply or sabotaging production is often cheaper than fielding an army against a city you only need slowed down.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Guides
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Overview
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Best Builds
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Tier List
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Beginner's Guide
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Tips & Tricks
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Weapons Guide
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Combat Guide
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Boss Guide
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Maps & Locations
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Crafting Guide
- Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword Classes & Characters
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