Fall from Heaven II 1.0

There aren't many mods out there that gain such widespread recognition that they're called essential. Some mods that add so much to the game that to play without it would be considered by the fanbase at best a missed opportunity and at worst an act of lunacy. Fall from Heaven II is one of those rare mods for Civilization 4.

To install Fall from Heaven II, make sure you have Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword installed and updated, then run the executable.

The biggest thing to note about this mod is the change in setting. Instead of it being somewhat historically grounded, it instead converts the world into a medieval grimdark, fantasy world and adds RPG elements, magic, and the new Armageddon counter.

The magic system introduces mana into the world as a strategic resource, which affects your ability to construct some units and cast certain spells, as well as add passive empire-wide bonuses. Spells are learned using the core promotion mechanism.

The Armageddon counter encourages conflict, particularly in the late game. Some things you do will take the world closer to Armageddon and others will pull it away. Religions can strongly influence this counter. As it starts to tick up, Armageddon begins to arrive. The Four Horsemen will arrive, Hell will spread on Earth, and Satan will be summoned. You have to fight them off yourself if you want to survive.

This is all in a backdrop that's filled with rich lore and civilizations that all play very differently from one another. Fall from Heaven II is one of the most well known mods for Civilization IV for good reason.