Civilization · Terrain
Arctic
0 food · move 2 · def +0%
The polar caps of every world. Arctic tiles are dead ground for a city — settle near them only when Seals sweeten the deal.
What it does
Frozen wasteland that yields nothing and cannot be irrigated or mined. Only a Seals special makes an Arctic tile worth working, and only roads (4 turns) can be built on it.
Key details
- Yield
- 0 food, 0 shields, 0 trade
- Movement cost
- 2
- Defense bonus
- +0%
- Special resource
- Seals — 2 food
About terrain in Civilization
Every map square is one of twelve terrain types, each with a yield of food, shields and trade, a movement cost, and a defense bonus. Settlers improve tiles with irrigation, mines and roads — and some improvements transform the terrain itself (clearing Forest to Plains, draining Swamp to Grassland). Special resources like Coal, Gems or Fish appear in fixed cluster patterns and dramatically boost a tile's yield.
Strategy — Cities live on food: settle on Rivers or beside Grassland and Plains. Under Despotism any tile producing 3+ of a resource is penalized one — so don't waste early Settler turns irrigating grassland; road the shield-grassland first.
