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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.
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 |
The Wheel |
-1 Gold Establishes a City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital x2 Movement speed increasing to x3 (Req. Machinery) Allows crossing Rivers without losing Movement points (Req. Engineering) |
Railroad |
Railroad |
-2 Gold Establishes a City Connection when connecting a city to its owner's Capital Provides +25% Production to a city when connecting it to its owner's Capital x3 Movement (minimum speed 10 hexes/turn) Allows crossing Rivers without losing 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 |
Great Scientist |
+8 Science +2 Science (Req. Scientific Theory) +100% Science (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +2 Science (Req. Atomic Theory) ( and ) +4 Science (Req. New Deal) () +2 Science (Req. Historical Landmarks Resolution) () +2 Science for Korea |
Citadel |
Great General Khan |
+100% 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.) ( and ) |
Customs House |
Great Merchant Merchant of Venice |
+4 Gold +1 Gold (Req. Economics) +100% Gold (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +4 Gold (Req. New Deal) () |
Holy Site |
Great Prophet |
+6 Faith +3 Gold (Req. Theocracy) +3 Culture (Req. finishing Piety Policy Tree) +4 Faith (Req. New Deal) () |
Landmark |
Great Artist (vanilla and ) Archaeologist () |
+6 (vanilla and ) +1 for each Era of age of the Archaeological site () |
Manufactory |
Great Engineer |
+4 Production +1 Production (Req. Chemistry) +100% Production (Req. finishing Freedom Policy Tree) (Vanilla and only) +4 Production (Req. New Deal) () |
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), 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 |
Brazilian |
Machinery |
Jungle |
+2 Gold +2 Culture (Req. Acoustics) Does not remove Jungle |
Chateau |
French |
Chivalry |
Adjacent to Luxury Resource tile NOT adjacent to another Chateau |
+1 Gold +2 Culture +50% Defensive Combat Strength for friendly units on the tile. +2 Gold (Req. Flight) +1 Culture (Req. Flight) |
Feitoria |
Portuguese |
Navigation |
Coastal land tiles without Resources on a City-State City-state territory | 1 copy of each Luxury Resource the City-State City-state has. +50% Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile. Pillaging this improvement constitutes an act of war against Portugal. |
Kasbah |
Moroccan |
Chivalry |
Desert |
+1 Food +1 Production +1 Gold +50% Defensive Combat Strength for any units on the tile. |
Moai[1] |
Polynesian |
Construction |
Coastal land tiles | +1 Culture +1 Culture for each adjacent Moai +1 Gold (Req. Flight) |
Polder |
Dutch |
Guilds |
Marsh Flood Plains |
+3 Food +1 Production (Req. Economics) +1 Gold (Req. Economics) |
Terrace Farm[1] |
Incan |
Construction |
Hill |
+1 Food +1 Food for each adjacent Mountain +1 Food (if adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Civil Service) +1 Food (if NOT adjacent to fresh water) (Req. Fertilizer) |
Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack.
Added in the Brave New World expansion pack.
Civilization V [edit] |
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Gods & Kings • Brave New World |
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† Only in vanilla Civ5 ‡ Only in Gods & Kings and Brave New World |