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Game Info[]

Late-game strategic resource. Used by most of the powerful late industrial-early modern era units.

Strategy[]

Oil Oil is the first late-game strategic resource (revealed by the Biology technology), and is quite unique for a number of reasons. First, it is the only strategic resource found on both land and sea. Second, it is the only resource which requires two unique new improvements to access: the Oil Well for land-based sources, and the Offshore Platform for sea-based ones. Finally, its sources are in weird locations: Deserts, Snow, and Tundra terrain or anywhere on Coast tiles. Of these, Oil Oil is most often found in Deserts, which gives desert-based civilizations a unique advantage: they can be all but sure that they will reveal multiple sources already within their territory. Otherwise, be ready to expand immediately after you reveal the Oil Oil sources.

Unimproved, the Oil Oil resource itself doesn't provide a big Production Production bonus (only +1), but both of the improvements add a whopping +3 Production Production. This is a total of +4 Production Production over the base tile yield, which makes the tile really productive. Sea-based sources of Oil Oil are even more useful because of the additional bonuses the Lighthouse and the Seaport provide (+2 Production Production and +1 Gold Gold, apart from the Offshore Platform's own bonus).

Oil Oil is used for most early late-game machines on land, sea, and air, such as armored units and airplanes, so militaristic civilizations should make sure they have plenty of Oil Oil to continue their wars.

Civilopedia entry[]

Oil is a liquid fuel found in large and small deposits across the world. Although occasionally used by some civilizations as far back as four thousand years ago to create asphalt or naptha or burned as a light source, modern use can be traced back to 1857 when the first modern refinery was constructed in Alsace, France. At about the same time wells were being drilled across Europe and in North America. By the early 20th century oil was in great demand, largely due to its use in internal combustion engines as used by ships, planes, and automobiles. Today much of international politics is driven by growing tension between those who have abundant sources of oil, and those who do not. Remember that oil is a strategic resource, and thus it is consumed as you construct the associated units and buildings.

See also[]

  • Oil in other games
Civilization V Resources [edit]
Bonus BananasBison BNW-onlyCattleDeerFishSheepStoneWheat
Strategic AluminumCoalHorsesIronOilUranium
Luxury Citrus GodsKings5 clearCloves BNW-onlyCocoa BNW-onlyCopper GodsKings5 clearCottonCrab GodsKings5 clearDyesFursGemsGoldIncenseIvoryJewelry GodsKings5 clearMarbleNutmeg BNW-onlyPearlsPepper BNW-onlyPorcelain GodsKings5 clearSalt GodsKings5 clearSilkSilverSpicesSugarTruffles GodsKings5 clearWhalesWine

GodsKings5 clear Added in the Gods & Kings expansion pack.
BNW-only Added in the Brave New World expansion pack.

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