Strategic Resources are resources that allow you to build some units and buildings that require them. Most of them are found on the map, but can also be obtained by other means. Unlike other resources, they come in a quantity specified on the tile they appear on and add to a stock of that resource that you can use to trade, build units or buildings with it until it is depleted.
Overview[]
There are seven strategic resources, six of them are found on the map. Initially, they are not visible and become so when certain technologies are discovered. To obtain them, they need to be improved by a worker or work boat. Only Oil appears on water tiles. As Paper isn't placed on the map, it needs no improvement and unlocking technology.
| Resource | Icon | Unlocks at | Improved by | Use | Strategic
Monopoly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horses |  |
Animal Husbandry | Pasture | Mounted Units
Agribusiness |
+10% combat strength when attacking |
| Iron |  |
Bronze Working | Mine | Melee Units
Siege Units Ranged Ships Mine Field |
+10% combat strength when defending |
| Coal |  |
Steam Power | Mine | Melee Ships
Factory |
+1 movement for naval units |
| Oil |   |
Combustion | Oil Well (on land)
Offshore Plattform (on water) |
Air units
Armored Units |
+5 XP for all units after each combat |
| Aluminum |   |
Electricity | Mine | Submarines
Stealth Bomber Hydro Plant Wind Plant Spaceship Parts |
+5 HP when healing |
| Uranium |   |
Atomic Theory | Quarry | Nuclear Weapons
Giant Death Robot Nuclear Plants |
+10% combat strength when attacking |
| Paper |   |
Diplomatic Units |
Mechanics[]
All units and buildings that need a strategic resource use one copy of it, the only exceptions being the Agribusiness (using two Horses) and the Nuclear Missile (using two Uranium). The supply of a certain strategic you have determines the number of such buildings and units that exist in your army, are built in your cities, and are queued for production (or currently produced) in your cities. Also, you can't upgrade a unit if after the upgrade, you would be missing a resource that that unit requires.
If you lose access to a strategic resource (e. g. because an improvement is pillaged or a trade is finished), you suffer penalties for missing that resource:
- All units and buildings in production queues are cancelled and can't be produced until you control enough of that resource (production you already invested is stored as if you chose to cancel the production project).
- Units that require that resource can't heal.
- Units that after an upgrade would require that resource can't be upgraded, no matter if they already require it or not.
- Buildings that require that resource will gradually raise in maintenance costs until you control enough of that resource.
In addition to the global monopoly that can be obtained for strategic and luxury resources, strategic resources also give a military advantage for controlling more than 25% of their total quantity on the map (Strategic monopoly).
Sources[]
With the exception of paper, all strategic resources can be found on the map. However, they can also be obtained by other means. For buildings, policies and wonders giving a specific resource, refer to the pages on that resource. The general amount of strategic resources produced is influenced by:
- The Zealotry belief increases the strategic resource quantity by 1% per city following your religion, up to a 25% total.
- The Statecraft policy "Foreign Service" grants one of every strategic resource for every 3 city state alliances.
- The Autocracy tenet "Third Alternative" increases the amount of strategic resources by 100%.
- The Russian unique ability "Siberian Riches" doubles the amount of strategic resources.