Big Button
Big Button technologies are prominent, building-specific research choices introduced with The WarChiefs for Native American civilizations. The category includes Aztec, Haudenosaunee and Lakota options and the later Inca roster; each eligible civilization has its own effects and research buildings. Walls and Trading Posts do not have Big Button technologies.
Native civilization technology
A Big Button is selected from a building interface and costs resources and research time. Its effect may grant units, improve a unit class, generate resources or change a building or hero. The cost, Age, building and effect vary by technology and civilization, so the shared label is an interface category rather than one universal upgrade. Gun Running is a shared example that enables Native Embassies to train additional outlaw units.
Building choices
Check the exact button at the building you intend to use, then compare its cost and timing with the current army or economy need. Treat the civilization-specific technology description as authoritative before committing resources.
Civilization-specific technologies and effects
Big Button is a category of large, building-specific research options rather than one shared technology. Aztec, Haudenosaunee, Lakota and Inca rosters have their own buttons, effects and costs; the Inca entry is part of the later Definitive Edition content. The research is tied to the building shown in the interface, and Walls and Trading Posts are exceptions. Some buttons send a batch of units from the Town Center, while others create units over time, improve a military class, affect the War Chief, or change resource and shipment behavior. For example, Aztec Town Center buttons can send 4, 8 or 12 Jaguar Prowl Knights as the game advances. Other Aztec options generate Puma Spearmen, Eagle Runner Knights or Otontin Slingers over time, with a maximum that depends on elapsed game minutes. A Dock option can send Tlaloc Canoes and improve warship strength. Haudenosaunee options include Tomahawk shipments, a cavalry improvement and a War Hut range and sight upgrade. Lakota buttons can improve the War Chief against Artillery, strengthen Lakota Warriors against siege or increase naval attack. Inca options use their own unit and structure effects. These examples show why the category should not be treated as a universal bonus: the chosen civilization, building, age and resource cost determine what the button actually does.
Research timing and practical choices
Before clicking a Big Button, inspect its exact cost, Age requirement, building and effect. A one-time shipment can provide an immediate defensive force, while a trickle or timed unit effect pays off only if enough game time remains. A unit upgrade can be worth more when the affected army is already being produced; a resource or shipment discount matters when the player has an active plan to use it. Big Buttons consume the chosen building’s research time and resources, so competing technologies or military queues may be delayed. Avoid researching a cavalry improvement when the army is not using cavalry or paying for a late trickle that will not reach its maximum before the game ends. Shared options such as Gun Running can unlock Native Embassy training for specified outlaws and captured artillery, but their exact roster and cost should be checked for the civilization and release. Big Buttons are part of the Native American age-up and building systems introduced with The WarChiefs and expanded in Definitive Edition; they are distinct from European Politicians, Asian Wonders and ordinary Home City shipments. Use the relevant civilization page and linked technology entries to plan the research sequence instead of assuming that a large button is always the best choice available.
Examples of effects and when to research
A Big Button may provide an immediate shipment, a unit trickle or a persistent bonus, and those effects have different timing. A Town Center party gives units at once; a building that adds one unit every two minutes rewards earlier research and a long remaining match. Researching a cavalry speed or training bonus matters only if the army intends to use cavalry, while a War Hut range and line-of-sight improvement supports a different composition. Aztec buttons can grant groups of Jaguar Prowl Knights, Puma Spearmen, Eagle Runner Knights or Otontin Slingers, while Haudenosaunee options include Tomahawk shipments and upgrades to cavalry or War Hut units. Lakota buttons alter the War Chief, Lakota Warriors, cavalry or naval forces. Inca effects are separate and should be read from the Inca building rather than inferred from another Native civilization’s menu. This variety makes the button’s visual size a poor guide to its value. Compare research time and cost with the resources needed for the next army batch, and activate the option that supports the current plan.
A shared interface with civilization-specific effects
The Big Button is the special research or activation option shown at certain civilization buildings. Its name describes the interface, not one universal technology: effect, cost, prerequisites and repeatability depend on the civilization and building. Buttons can improve the economy or nearby units, grant an ability, create units or alter a structure’s output. Check the building tooltip and matching civilization entry before assigning resources. A button that consumes a scarce resource can delay an age-up or military batch, and long research may be more valuable before a push than during one. Read the system as civilization-specific choices rather than an upgrade shared by every faction.
Timing the activation
A Big Button competes with ordinary production, so its timing depends on what the match needs next. Use an economic effect early enough to repay its cost, a defensive effect before the opponent reaches the base, and a military effect when its units can arrive with the army. Check whether the building is needed for unit production, whether the effect requires a target or nearby units, and whether it can be researched again. Big Button choices can interact with Home City Cards and age upgrades, so compare the combined result rather than judging the button alone.