Civilization 6: Resources - benefits, requirements Civilization VI Game Guide
Last update: 10 March 2022
The chapter below of Civilization 6 game guide concerns all kinds of resources. Here you can find out how to manage them in Civ 6 and what advantages you get for having different resources on your territory.
General information about resources
Resources can be divided into three groups that determine their industrial, military and strategic usefulness: bonus, luxury, and strategic. Food and production potential are the most basic resources you have to control, but many tiles offer additional advantages if you use them right. Most resources require specific upgrades to work. You will get access to them by developing your technology. Using resources is possible without getting upgrades, but you have to build the city center on a tile that offers them.
When you start the game, you will only see some of the tiles with resources, because you can get access to them by unlocking the way to use them - a corresponding technology. This condition hides most of the strategic resources so players cannot see them in the early parts of the game. If they did, cities would only be built on strategic resources, which would have a massive impact on the gameplay.
Bonus resources
Bonus resources improve production potential, food or income of gold of a city they are in. You cannot use them in trade or international agreements, since their only function is to improve stats mentioned before. All of them can be accessed from the very beginning and you will be able to see the location of some of them. To use each of them, you will need a specific upgrade.
Resources can be used more quickly. You can get a food or production bonus with them. Send a builder unit to a tile that contains resources. The builders can use the resources instead of building an upgrade on them, but keep in mind that it will remove the resource from the tile.
Such actions should be started in the middle of the game, when you start running out of place around the city center to develop districts or wonders. In other cases, having the resources will be more advantageous that using them all at once.
Icon | Name | Requirements | Advantages |
 | Bananas | Technology - Irrigation Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Cattle | Technology - Animal husbandry Upgrade - Pasture | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Stone | Technology - Masonry Upgrade - Quarry | +1 Production +25 Production (once) |
 | Crabs | Technology - Celestial navigation Upgrade - Fishing boats | +2 Gold +50 Gold (once) |
 | Copper | Technology - Mining Upgrade - Mine | +2 Gold +50 Gold (once) |
 | Sheep | Technology - Animal husbandry Upgrade - Pasture | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Wheat | Technology - Pottery Upgrade - Farm | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Fish | Technology - Celestial navigation Upgrade - Fishing boats | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Rice | Technology - Pottery Upgrade - Farm | +1 Food +25 Food (once) |
 | Deer | Technology - Animal husbandry Upgrade - Camp | +1 Production +25 Production (once) |
Strategic resources
Using strategic resources is one of the most essential elements of your industry. They will help you create units that require specific resources. It is important, as strategic units usually have a high strength or other properties that will help you dominate the enemies if you develop them faster. Locations of these resources (except for horses) are hidden To discover a resource, you have to develop a required type of technology, which will often give you access to units that required that resource.
If you only have one source of a strategic resource, you can only use it in a city that mines it. You will be able to create units in any city if you have two or more tiles containing a type of resource.
Strategic resources give you their own bonuses, mostly food and production, but a Science bonus can be found here as well. Resources with highest bonuses become available last, so you will not be able to build your empire using them (unlike bonus resources).
Icon | Name | Requirements | Advantages |
 | Aluminum | Technology - Advanced flight Upgrade - Mine | +1 Science |
 | Horses | Technology - Pasture | +1 Production +1 Food |
 | Oil | Technology - Combustion Upgrade - Oil well, Offshore oil rig | +3 Production |
 | Niter | Technology - Gunpowder Upgrade - Mine | +1 Production +1 Food |
 | Uranium | Technology - Nuclear fission Upgrade - Mine | +2 Production |
 | Coal | Technology - Steam power Upgrade - Mine | +2 Production |
 | Iron | Technology - Bronze working Upgrade - Mine | +1 Science |
Luxury resources
Luxury resources have the most influence on your civilization. They are not related to economic or military aspects, their sole purpose is to increase quality of life of your citizens. A high level of Amenities improves the rate at which the cities grow and their production potential.
Luxury resources differ from other types, because they only affect a limited number of cities, usually up to four. Remember that only one resource location affects the population. If you have several sources of something, you will receive bonuses from all of them (except for Amenities), so if you can, acquire all luxury resources.
They are the only resources that can be used in diplomacy. Remember that giving up a resource for a specific number of turns makes you lose it if you only have one source of it. Offering any luxury resource will not be beneficial, avoid doing it. It works both ways - try to gain access to luxury resources of other nations, just don't double ones that you already have. If you share a resource that you have, the enemy will grow stronger. Long story short - take, don't give.
Some of the resources offer some bonuses aside from amenities, but do not multiply ones that give you only amenities. If your city develops automatically and you acquire an extra tile with such a resource, try to trade it with another civilization for one that you do not have yet.
Remember that the Amenities bonus is split into several cities, even if you only have one. It means that if you only have the capital city, you will receive one Amenities point, even if the resource can give you up to four. Always try to build four towns and you'll see that each one will grow faster than the last.
Icon | Name | Requirements | Advantages |
 | Dyes | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Faith +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Cotton | Upgrade - Plantation | +3 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Sugar | Upgrade - Plantation | +2 Food +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Cinnamon | Available through trade with Zanzibar. | +6 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Citrus | Upgrade - Plantation | +2 Food +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Diamonds | Upgrade - Mine | +3 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Jeans | None | +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Furs | Upgrade - Camp | +1 Food +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Gypsum | Upgrade - Quarry | +1 Production +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Cloves | Available through trade with Zanzibar | +6 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Tea | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Science +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Jade | Upgrade - Mine | +1 Culture +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Silk | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Culture +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Incense | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Faith +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Cocoa | Upgrade - Plantation | +3 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Coffee | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Culture +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Cosmetics | None | +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Ivory | Upgrade - Camp | +1 Production +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Marble | Upgrade - Quarry | +1 Culture +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Perfume | None | +6 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Pearls | Upgrade - Fishing boats | +1 Faith +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Spices | Upgrade - Plantation | +2 Food +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Mercury | Upgrade - Mine | +1 Science +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Salt | Upgrade - Mine | +1 Food +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Silver | Upgrade - Mine | +3 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Truffles | Upgrade - Camp | +3 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Tobacco | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Faith +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Whales | Upgrade - Fishing boats | +1 Food +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Wine | Upgrade - Plantation | +1 Food +1 Gold +4 Amenities (1 per town) |
 | Toys | None | +4 Amenities (1 per town) |