Civilization · Terrain
River
2 food · move 1 · def +50%
The best city site in the game: food, trade, and a defense bonus in one tile. The great ancient capitals are river capitals.
What it does
Yields 2 food and 1 trade with a +50% defense bonus. Irrigation adds 1 food (5 turns); a railroad adds 50% yields. Rivers follow the grassland shield pattern.
Key details
- Yield
- 2 food, 0 shields, 1 trade
- Movement cost
- 1
- Defense bonus
- +50%
- Special resource
- Shield — adds 1 shield
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.
