*This page last updated: 21 September, 2014 23:10 PST.
General Notes
- Tiles are now hexagons instead of squares.
- Natural Wonders are special terrain features that provide extra happiness, commerce and production for nearby settlements.
- Since most units have movement rates of 2+, terrain becomes more meaningful for regular troops' speed.
- Because of the new "one unit per tile" rule and the changes to combat, more fighting will take place out in the countryside rather than exclusively at cities (as in Civ IV). This means that terrain will become much more tactically important.
- +25% defensive bonus for rough terrain (hills, forest and jungle). This bonus is not cumulative; a forested hill still provides just +25%.
- Different continents have different terrain tileset appearances: Europe, Africa, Asia and America.
- In addition to the regular 3D view, there is also a hex-style 2D Strategic View, seen in some of the images below.
Base Terrain Types
Grassland
Basic Production: 2 Food
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%
Plains
Basic Production: 1 Food, 1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%
Desert
Basic Production: (none)
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%
Ocean
Basic Production: 1 Food, 1 Gold
Movement Cost: 1
Lake
Basic Production: 2 Food, 1 Gold
Movement Cost: 1
Tundra
Basic Production: 1 Food
Movement Cost: 1
Snow
Basic Production: (none)
Movement Cost: 1; Defensive Bonus: -33%
Terrain Features
Terrain Feature modify normal terrain. They can stack; you could have Grassland with Hills, Forest, and a River.
Hills
Basic Production: 0 Food, 2 Hammers
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Hills yield 0 Food and 2 Hammers, regardless of the underlying terrain
type.
Forest
Production: 1 Food, 1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Tiles with forests covering them always yield 1 Food and 1 Production,
regardless of the underlying terrain type. Forests can be cleared by Workers (with the Advent of Mining).
Jungle
Production Modifier: -1 Hammer
Movement Cost: 2; Defensive Bonus: +25%
Notes: Jungle can be cleared by Workers (with the advent of Bronze Working).
Jungle no longer has a negative modifier to Food production.
Mountains
Production: 0
Movement Cost: Impassable except to Air units; Defensive Bonus: +25%
River
Production Modifier: +1 Gold; Attack Penalty for crossing: -20%
Notes: As in Civ IV, rivers run on the boundaries between tiles. Crossing a
river will end movement for most units (unless it is spanned by a road with a
bridge).
Marsh
Production Modifier: Food -1.
Movement Cost: 2
Notes: Back from Civ III. Sugar resources can occur here, but the marsh needs to
be removed by Workers (ability gained with Masonry) before a Plantation can be
built. Some improvements such as farms can be built directly on a marsh, but
with the -1 food penalty.
Coast
Basic Production: +1 Gold
Notes: Coastal tiles now often go several hexes out into the water, allowing for
better freedom of movement for ancient units that are restricted from deep
ocean.
Flood Plains
Production Modifier: +2 Food
Oasis
Production Modifier: +3 Food, +1 Gold
Notes: As in Civ IV, the Oasis can't be improved (except with roads).
Ice
Notes: Impassable except to Air and Submarine units.
Fallout
Production Modifiers: Food -3, Production -3, Gold -3
Movement Cost: 2
Notes: Fallout must be cleared by a Worker before any improvements can be
built.
Atoll
Production Modifiers: Food 1, Production +1
Movement Cost: 1
Notes: Added post-release in a patch at the same time as the Polynesian DLC.
Natural Wonders
Natural Wonders are special terrain features that provide extra happiness and gold production for nearby settlements. Discovering a Natural Wonder gives your empire a permanent +1 happiness bonus (from my experience, this seems to happen whether you are the first to discover it or not).
Natural Wonders give a production yield of 2 Production, 3 gold, and are impassable.
Old Faithful
Production Modifiers: +2 Science, +3 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable
Great Barrier Reef
Production Modifiers: +2 Food, +1 Hammers, +1 Gold, +2 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Covers 2 tiles, and each tile counts separately for the
Happiness bonus for discovery.
Mount Fuji
Production Modifiers: +2 Gold, +3 Culture, +3 Faith
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Fuji has its own clouds around the peak.
Barringer Crater
Production Modifiers: +2 Gold, +3 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Perhaps better known as "Meteor Crater" in Arizona, if you
were wondering.
Grand Mesa
Production Modifiers: +2 Hammers, +3 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable
Rock of Gibraltar
Production Modifiers: +2 Food, +5 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable
Krakatoa
Production Modifiers: +5 Science
Movement Cost: Impassable
Cerro de Potosi
Production: +10 Gold
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC, but is available in a standard game.
El Dorado
Production: +5 Culture
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC. Grants 500 Gold to the first player to
discover it.
Fountain of Youth
Production: +10 Happiness
Movement Cost: Impassable
Notes: Added in the Spain & Inca DLC. Any unit that moves adjacent to the
Fountain gains a permanent double-healing-rate attribute.
Mount Sinai:
+8 Faith
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion
Sri Prada:
+2 Food, +4 Faith, +2 Happiness
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion
Mount Kailash:
+6 Faith if worked, +2 Happiness if within your borders.
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion
Uluru/Ayer's Rock:
+2 Food, +6 Faith
Notes: Added in the Gods & Kings expansion
King Solomon's Mines
Yield: +6 production
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion
Lake Victoria
Yield: +6 Food
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion
Mt. Kilimanjaro
Yield: +3 Food, +2 Culture. Adjacent units move at double speed through Hills
and receive a combat bonus on Hills for the rest of the game.
Notes: Added in the Brave New World expansion