External conflicts can generate a lot of victory points for a player, and change the board drastically. Another way victory points can be scored is through the building of monuments. These may be built if a player places tiles in such a way that four identical tiles are arranged in a 2 x 2 square. These tiles can be turned face down, and a monument placed on the four squares as long as one of the colours on the monument matches the colour of the face down tiles. Monuments pay victory points in their two colours to a player if they own the leaders of those colours at the end of their turn.
Monuments are a powerful source of victory points and are often fought over.
At the start of the game each player is given two catastrophe tiles, which may be placed as one of a players actions during a turn. A catastrophe tile effectively removes the tile underneath, which can change the situation on the game board drastically. The problem with catastrophe tiles is exactly when to play them, as they are a destructive influence that while hurting others, isn't gaining you points. Careful thought is required when playing these tiles. Also at the start of the game, there are ten temple tiles placed in specific positions on the map.