Civilization 7 remains true to the core mechanics of the series while introducing some changes that force players to adapt their strategies. One of the key innovations is the revamped resource system, which has altered the ways of acquiring, managing, and distributing them. Understanding how to effectively increase and allocate resources will give you a significant advantage in developing your empire.

What are resources in Civilization 7

In Civilization 7, there are two main types of resources: incomes and special goods. Incomes include gold, culture, influence, and science, which are generated each turn and used to develop various aspects of civilization. They are vital for your empire as they drive economic growth, scientific progress, and political influence.

Special goods are resources that can be found on the map and collected by improving the corresponding tiles. They are divided into several categories: city resources, bonus resources, imperial resources, and unique resources.

City resources can only be assigned to cities, while bonus resources are available for both cities and settlements. Imperial resources affect the entire civilization without the need for distribution. Unique resources, such as treasures or industrial materials, appear in the later stages of the game and require special mechanics for management.

How to acquire resources in Civilization 7

Before distributing resources, they must first be acquired. There are three main ways to obtain resources in the game:

1. Establishing settlements in resource-rich locations

The location of cities and settlements plays a key role in resource collection. If a settlement is built near a resource deposit, they are automatically added to your network. As the settlement grows, it covers more resources within its sphere of influence. Before founding a city, it is necessary to carefully choose a location to ensure access to the maximum possible number of resources.

2. Creating trade routes using merchants

Merchants allow establishing trade routes with other civilizations, exchanging resources, and gaining access to goods lacking in your own holdings. Each trade route requires a certain amount of gold per turn, and its cost depends on the number of resources available in the partner city.

It is important to remember that players can only obtain local resources from the partner – imported goods remain unavailable for exchange. Trade routes in Civilization 7 are permanent but also attract foreign merchants, helping to balance the inflow and outflow of resources and gold in your empire.

3. Capturing other settlements

Military expansion is another way to obtain resources. Capturing a city adds its local and bonus resources to your pool. However, after conquest, it is important to maintain order in the new territories.

If the level of discontent in the captured cities is too high, they may revolt or lower the overall happiness level in your civilization. Therefore, it is better to initially leave resources that increase happiness in the conquered city until the situation stabilizes.

How to distribute resources in Civilization 7

After acquiring resources, they need to be properly distributed. Players can only use resources that are within their settlements.

When a city's population grows, there is an opportunity to improve a new tile and obtain an additional resource from it. This opens the resource distribution menu, where you can choose which resources will be assigned to specific settlements. All resources fall into the general pool, but they can only be distributed according to the type of settlement (city or village).

Players can change the distribution of resources in this menu, but they are limited by the number of available slots in each settlement. Once the menu is closed, resource redistribution becomes unavailable until a new resource is obtained or a new trade route is opened. This means that resource management requires a thoughtful approach to avoid frequent changes in distribution.

Some resources, particularly those located on other continents, remain unavailable until an appropriate connection is established. Trade routes built by merchants or fishing docks for maritime settlements allow transferring resources between distant territories. Connecting distant settlements with the mainland is important for integrating resources into your empire.

Therefore, to distribute resources you should:

1. Acquire a resource

You can do this by constructing a building on the resource (for example, a mine, plantation, or farm on the corresponding tile). An alternative option is to trade with a merchant or another civilization to acquire a new resource.

2. Open the resource distribution tab

Once you have acquired a new resource, the distribution menu activates automatically. Click on the resource distribution tab to start managing your stocks.

3. Move resources between cities

• Simply click on the resource you want to move.
• Then click on the city where you want to send it.
• There is no need to drag or perform complex actions—just click on the resource and then on the destination.

How to increase the number of resource slots in Civilization 7

The number of available resource slots in a settlement directly depends on its population. Cities have a higher slot-to-population ratio compared to settlements, making them more efficient in storing and utilizing resources. Players who want to expand their resource distribution capabilities should focus on increasing the population of their cities.

Some resources, such as camels, provide additional slots when assigned to a city. Since camels belong to city resources, only cities can take advantage of these additional slots. Besides this, the only reliable way to increase the number of available slots is to continuously develop the population of settlements.