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Tile improvements are buildings or installations constructed in terrain outside of cities, generally by Workers. Each improvement changes the properties of the tile where it's built, usually adding potential such as tile yields to it. Improvements are unlocked via certain technologies.

Improvements built on certain strategic and luxury resources are required for an empire to access the resources' special properties.

Mechanics[]

With the exception of Great Tile Improvements, most improvements can be built by a Worker (or a Work Boat at sea), given the appropriate technology and provided that the tile meets the requirements. Improvements remove Forests and Jungles unless otherwise specified (notably the Trading Post and Camp). Building with a Worker requires several turns, while the Work Boat finishes the improvement instantaneously.

Improvements are susceptible to pillaging by enemies, including Barbarians. When any improvement is pillaged, it will be inactive until repaired by a Worker (including Great Tile Improvements).

Improvement yields, which include both relevant increases depending on the resource as well as bonuses from appropriate technologies such as Fertilizer, will be added to the base terrain yield combined with increased yields from the resource itself (yields provided when worked by a city).

There are some improvements only available to certain civilizations. And finally, there are certain improvements that can only be built by using Great People. This article lists all improvements in Civilization V.

Standard Improvements[]

These improvements are available to all civilizations after researching the technologies that unlock them.

Name Technology Placement Resources Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Farm
Farm
Agriculture
Agriculture
Plains
Plains
Grassland
Grassland
Desert
Desert
Hill
Hill (if adjacent to fresh water)
Tundra
Tundra (if adjacent to fresh water)
Wheat Wheat +1 Food Food
+1 Food Food (if adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Civil Service Civil Service)
+1 Food Food (if NOT adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Fertilizer Fertilizer)
Pasture
Pasture
Animal Husbandry
Animal Husbandry
Only on Resource Sheep Sheep
Cattle Cattle
Horses Horses
+1 Production Production on Horses Horses and Cattle Cattle
+1 Food Food on Sheep Sheep
+1 Food Food (Req. Fertilizer Fertilizer)
+1 Culture Culture (Req. God of the Open Sky) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
+1 Production Production for the Huns (GodsKings5 clear)
Mine
Mine
Mining
Mining
Hill
Hill and on tiles with resource
Iron Iron
Coal Coal
Aluminum Aluminum
Uranium Uranium
Gold Gold
Silver Silver
Copper Copper
Gems Gems
Salt Salt
+1 Production Production
+1 Food Food on Salt Salt
+1 Production Production on Coal Coal, Aluminum Aluminum and Uranium Uranium
+1 Production Production (Req. Chemistry Chemistry)
+1 Production Production (Req. Five-Year Plan Five-Year Plan) (BNW-only)
Fishing Boats
Fishing Boats
Sailing
Sailing
Only on Resource Fish Fish
Whales Whales
Crab Crab
Pearls Pearls
+1 Food Food
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Compass Compass)
+1 Production Production (Req. God of the Sea) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
Plantation
Plantation
Calendar
Calendar
Only on Resource Bananas Bananas
Incense Incense
Wine Wine
Cotton Cotton
Sugar Sugar
Spices Spices
Silk Silk
Citrus Citrus
Dyes Dyes
Cocoa Cocoa
+2 Food Food and -1 Production Production on Bananas Bananas
+1 Gold Gold on Incense Incense, Wine Wine, Cotton Cotton, Sugar Sugar, Spices Spices, Silk Silk, Citrus Citrus, Dyes Dyes and Cocoa Cocoa
+1 Food Food (Req. Fertilizer Fertilizer)
+1 Culture Culture (Req. Oral Tradition) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
Camp
Camp
Trapping
Trapping
Only on Resource Bison Bison
Deer Deer
Furs Furs
Truffles Truffles
Ivory Ivory
+1 Production Production on Bison Bison and Deer Deer
+1 Gold Gold on Furs Furs, Truffles Truffles and Ivory Ivory
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Economics Economics)
+1 Food Food (Req. Goddess of the Hunt) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
Does not remove Forest or Jungle
Quarry
Quarry
Masonry
Masonry
Only on Resource Stone Stone
Marble Marble
+1 Production Production
+1 Production Production (Req. Chemistry Chemistry)
+1 Production Production (Req. Five-Year Plan Five-Year Plan) (BNW-only)
+2 Faith Faith (Req. Stone Circles) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
Lumber Mill
Lumber Mill
Construction
Construction
Forest
Forest
+1 Production Production
+1 Production Production (Req. Scientific Theory Scientific Theory)
Does not remove Forest
Fort
Fort
Engineering
Engineering
Plains
Plains
Grassland
Grassland
Hill
Hill
Desert
Desert
Tundra
Tundra
Snow
Snow
+50% Melee strength Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile.
Trading Post
Trading Post
Guilds
Guilds
Plains
Plains
Grassland
Grassland
Hill
Hill
Desert
Desert
Tundra
Tundra
Forest
Forest
Jungle
Jungle
+1 Gold Gold
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Economics Economics)
+1 Gold Gold (Req. finishing Commerce Policy Tree)
+1 Science Science (Req. Free Thought Free Thought)
Does not remove Forest or Jungle
Oil Well
Oil Well
Biology
Biology
Only on land tiles with Oil Oil resource Oil Oil +3 Production Production
Offshore Platform
Offshore Platform
Refrigeration
Refrigeration
Only on land tiles with Oil Oil resource Oil Oil +3 Production Production

Transportation Improvements[]

These improvements can be built on any passable land tile, including outside your own territory. They can be built alongside any other improvement, and do not remove Forests or Jungles.

Name Technology Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Road
Road
The Wheel
The Wheel
-1 Gold Gold
Establishes a City Connection City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital Capital
x2 Movement Movement speed increasing to x3 (Req. Machinery Machinery)
Allows crossing Rivers without losing Movement Movement points (Req. Engineering Engineering)
Railroad (improvement)
Railroad
Railroad (technology)
Railroad
-2 Gold Gold
Establishes a City Connection City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital Capital
Provides +25% Production Production to a city when connecting it to its owner's Capital Capital
x3 Movement Movement (minimum speed 10 hexes/turn)
Allows crossing Rivers without losing Movement Movement points

Great Tile Improvements[]

These improvements are built by Great People, with the exception of the Landmark in Brave New World. All great tile improvements can be built on any passable land terrain type (except Oases). With regard to resources, they will only connect any strategic resources on the tile. While they get additional bonus yield from technology, they do not get an increase from the type of strategic resource. They do not have any effect on luxuries nor bonus resources.

Name Built by Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Academy
Academy
Great Scientist
Great Scientist
+8 Science Science
+2 Science Science (Req. Scientific Theory Scientific Theory)
+100% Science Science (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and GodsKings5 clear only)
+2 Science Science (Req. Atomic Theory Atomic Theory) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
+4 Science Science (Req. New Deal New Deal) (BNW-only)
+2 Science Science (Req. Historical Landmarks Resolution) (BNW-only)
+2 Science Science for Korea
Citadel
Citadel
Great General
Great General
Khan
Khan
+100% Melee strength Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile.
Damages all enemy units that end their turn adjacent 33% of their Health (Damage does not stack with other Citadels).
Instantly annexes all adjacent tiles, as well as its own, into your empire's territory. (Must be constructed on a tile within or bordering your own territory.) (GodsKings5 clear and BNW-only)
Customs House
Customs House
Great Merchant
Great Merchant
Merchant of Venice
Merchant of Venice
+4 Gold Gold
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Economics Economics)
+100% Gold Gold (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and GodsKings5 clear only)
+4 Gold Gold (Req. New Deal New Deal) (BNW-only)
Holy Site
Holy Site GodsKings5 clear
Great Prophet
Great Prophet
+6 Faith Faith
+3 Gold Gold (Req. Theocracy Theocracy)
+3 Culture Culture (Req. finishing Piety Policy Tree)
+4 Faith Faith (Req. New Deal New Deal) (BNW-only)
Landmark
Landmark
Great Artist
Great Artist (vanilla and GodsKings5 clear)
Archaeologist
Archaeologist (BNW-only)
+6 Culture (vanilla and GodsKings5 clear)
+1 Culture for each Era of age of the Archaeological site (BNW-only)
Manufactory
Manufactory
Great Engineer
Great Engineer
+4 Production Production
+1 Production Production (Req. Chemistry Chemistry)
+100% Production Production (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and GodsKings5 clear only)
+4 Production Production (Req. New Deal New Deal) (BNW-only)

Unique Improvements[]

These improvements are available only to certain civilizations. Unlike unique buildings and unique units, they never replace standard improvements, and civilizations that don't have one will have a unique building or a second unique unit instead. Unique improvements cannot be used to connect resources (e.g., a Brazilwood Camp cannot be built on a tile with Bananas Bananas), and any civilization that works a unique improvement's tile can benefit from its effects.

Name Civilization Technology Placement Base Yield Modifier & Notes
Brazilwood Camp
Brazilwood Camp BNW-only
Brazilian
Brazilian
Machinery
Machinery
Jungle
Jungle
+2 Gold Gold
+2 Culture Culture (Req. Acoustics Acoustics)
Does not remove Jungle
Chateau
Chateau BNW-only
French
French
Chivalry
Chivalry
Adjacent to Luxury Resource tile
NOT adjacent to another Chateau
+1 Gold Gold
+2 Culture Culture
+50% Melee strength Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile.
+2 Gold Gold (Req. Flight Flight)
+1 Culture Culture (Req. Flight Flight)
Feitoria
Feitoria BNW-only
Portuguese
Portuguese
Navigation
Navigation
Coastal land tiles without Resources on a City-State City-State City-state territory 1 copy of each Luxury Resource the City-State City-State City-state has.
+50% Melee strength Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile.
Pillaging this improvement constitutes an act of war against Portugal.
Kasbah
Kasbah BNW-only
Moroccan
Moroccan
Chivalry
Chivalry
Desert
Desert
+1 Food Food
+1 Production Production
+1 Gold Gold
+50% Melee strength Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile.
Moai
Moai[1]
Polynesian
Polynesian
Construction
Construction
Coastal land tiles +1 Culture Culture
+1 Culture Culture for each adjacent Moai
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Flight Flight)
Polder
Polder GodsKings5 clear
Dutch
Dutch
Guilds
Guilds
Marsh
Marsh
Flood Plains
Flood Plains
+3 Food Food
+1 Production Production (Req. Economics Economics)
+1 Gold Gold (Req. Economics Economics)
Terrace Farm
Terrace Farm[1]
Incan
Incan
Construction
Construction
Hill
Hill
+1 Food Food
+1 Food Food for each adjacent Mountain
+1 Food Food (if adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Civil Service Civil Service)
+1 Food Food (if NOT adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Fertilizer Fertilizer)
  1. 1.0 1.1 This improvement belongs to a DLC civilization.

GodsKings5 clear Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack.
BNW-only Added in the Brave New World expansion pack.

Civilization V [edit]
Gods & KingsBrave New World
Lists
Eras
Concepts
Miscellaneous
† Only in vanilla Civ5
‡ Only in Gods & Kings and Brave New World
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