Terrain
Terrain shapes nearly everything about how the world plays — what a hex produces, how costly it is to cross, how defensible it is in battle, and how kindly it treats an army simply standing still on it. See Resources for the resource output of each terrain type; this page covers everything else.
Terrain Reference
| Terrain | Population Cap | Move Time In | Move Time Out | Defensive Bonus | Equipment Wear (Stationary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plains | 300 | 66 | 56 | +0% | 0.05%/day |
| Forest | 200 | 140 | 110 | +30% | 0.15%/day |
| Dark Forest | 80 | 200 | 150 | +60% | 0.15%/day |
| Broken Ground | 150 | 110 | 90 | +20% | 0.15%/day |
| Hills | 150 | 180 | 130 | +40% | 0.15%/day |
| Mountains | 0 | Impassable | Impassable | +0% | 0.50%/day |
| Bog | 80 | 180 | 150 | +30% | 0.25%/day |
| Swamp | 80 | 270 | 220 | +40% | 0.25%/day |
| Desert | 50 | 80 | 70 | +0% | 0.15%/day |
| Oasis | 300 | 66 | 56 | +0% | 0.05%/day |
| Mesas | 50 | 180 | 130 | +40% | 0.15%/day |
| Lakes | 300 | 70 | 60 | +0% | 0.05%/day |
| Island | 150 | Impassable by land | Impassable by land | +0% | 0.05%/day |
| Coast | 200 | Impassable by land | Impassable by land | +0% | 0.15%/day |
| Ocean | 0 | Impassable by land | Impassable by land | +0% | 0.15%/day |
Island, Coast, and Ocean all show as impassable to ordinary land movement — reaching or crossing them requires embarking and disembarking rather than a normal step between hexes. Mountains are impassable entirely, by land or by sea.
Defensive Bonus applies to a defending army's MV, RV, and AV in combat — see Combat System. Dark Forest is the single best defensive terrain in the game at +60%, with Hills, Swamp, and Mesas close behind at +40%. Open ground — Plains, Lakes, Oasis, Desert — offers no defensive advantage at all, which is exactly why armies fight so differently depending on where the battle happens to land.
Equipment Wear is how much support equipment an army loses per day simply for standing on that terrain, regardless of any project, movement, or combat — see Armies for how this interacts with Combat Readiness over time. Mountains are punishing at 0.50%/day, reflecting how harsh the terrain is even just to camp on; gentle terrain like Plains, Oasis, Lakes, and Island sit at a far gentler 0.05%/day.
Terrain Descriptions
Plains
Expansive, flat areas characterised by grasslands. Plains are ideal for agriculture, allowing for efficient farming and the development of large settlements. Their openness also facilitates rapid movement for armies, making them crucial for both offence and defence.
Forest
Large areas covered by a dense growth of trees and underbrush. Forests provide valuable timber resources and offer natural concealment for armies. However, they can also hinder movement and present challenges for large-scale agriculture.
Dark Forest
A particularly dense and shadowy forest where sunlight barely penetrates the canopy. Dark forests severely restrict visibility and movement, making them dangerous to traverse but also ideal for ambushes and secretive activities.
Broken Ground
A rugged and uneven terrain type, scarred by geological forces or past conflicts. Broken ground is difficult to traverse, slowing down armies and hindering settlement development. However, its challenging nature can offer strategic advantages in defence.
Hills
Elevated areas of land that rise above the surrounding plains. Hills provide a height advantage for defenders, offering better visibility and strategic positioning. They can also be rich in mineral resources, making them valuable for mining operations.
Mountains
Imposing geological formations that create significant barriers across the landscape. Mountains severely restrict movement, making them difficult and slow to traverse, and can isolate settlements. However, they also offer formidable defensive positions and often contain valuable resources within their peaks.
Bog
Wet, spongy terrain saturated with moisture and characterised by poor drainage. Bogs are difficult and dangerous to traverse, posing a risk to armies and hindering settlement.
Swamp
An area of land permanently saturated with water, featuring a unique ecosystem of water-tolerant plants and animals. Swamps present movement challenges and can harbour diseases, but they may also contain valuable resources.
Desert
Arid regions with sparse vegetation and limited water resources. Deserts are harsh environments that demand resilience and adaptation for survival. Oases, scattered throughout the desert, become vital points of settlement and conflict.
Oasis
A fertile haven amidst the arid desert, characterised by a natural spring or other water source that supports vegetation and wildlife. Oases break the monotony of the desert landscape and offer respite from its harsh conditions.
Mesas
Elevated, flat-topped landforms with steep sides, rising abruptly from the surrounding terrain. Mesas offer natural defensive positions and commanding views, but their isolation can limit expansion and accessibility.
Lakes
Inland bodies of water, typically freshwater, that break up the landmass. Lakes often serve as crucial sources of water for settlements and can support unique ecosystems. Their presence can influence movement, creating natural barriers or strategic chokepoints.
Island
A piece of land completely surrounded by water, islands vary greatly in size and habitability. Some are small, isolated outposts with limited resources, while others are large enough to support thriving settlements. Islands can provide a measure of isolation and defence, but require naval capabilities to access and control.
Coast
The coastal waters represent the transitional zone between the ocean and the land. These waters are crucial for naval movement, fishing, and maritime trade. The depth and accessibility of the coastal waters can vary, influencing the location of harbours and the ease of naval operations. Controlling the coast is strategically important for any empire seeking to project naval power or secure its sea lanes.
Ocean
The vast ocean dominates the world, a continuous expanse of saltwater that facilitates naval travel and trade routes between empires. Its surface can be calm or turbulent, influenced by weather patterns that may affect movement. Beneath the waves, resources and mythical creatures lie in wait.
Editor DLC: Winter Terrain
DLC required: This feature requires the Eternal Creation expansion.
The Eternal Creation expansion adds six winter terrain types for use in custom scenarios, each a colder counterpart to an existing terrain type — though not simply a reskin. Winter terrain is consistently harsher: lower population caps, reduced resource output, slower movement, and faster equipment wear than their temperate equivalents.
| Terrain | Population Cap | Move Time In | Move Time Out | Defensive Bonus | Equipment Wear (Stationary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Plains | 200 | 73 | 62 | +0% | 0.10%/day |
| Tundra | 80 | 80 | 70 | +0% | 0.20%/day |
| Snow Forest | 50 | 170 | 130 | +30% | 0.30%/day |
| Snow Hills | 50 | 220 | 160 | +40% | 0.45%/day |
| Snow Mountains | 0 | Impassable | Impassable | +0% | 1.00%/day |
| Ice Ocean | 0 | Impassable by land | Impassable by land | +0% | 0.30%/day |
The pattern is consistent: Cold Plains and Snow Forest/Hills keep the same defensive bonus as their temperate equivalents (Plains +0%, Forest/Hills unchanged), but cost noticeably more in every other respect — Snow Hills, for instance, costs over 70% more to enter than ordinary Hills, and wears equipment down three times as fast. Tundra is a wholly new terrain type, with no temperate equivalent, offering a meaningful Iron yield despite its harshness — see Resources for the full output table. Snow Mountains, like ordinary Mountains, are entirely impassable, sealing off whatever lies beyond as completely as any wall.
Cold Plains
Expansive, flat areas blanketed in frost and hardy grasses that have adapted to endure the bitter cold. Cold plains support more modest agriculture than their temperate counterparts, but still allow for sturdy settlements built to withstand harsh winters. Their openness continues to facilitate rapid movement for armies, though the biting winds exact a toll on those who linger too long in the open.
Tundra
Vast, treeless expanses where the ground remains frozen for much of the year and only hardy moss and lichen cling to life. Tundra is a harsh and unforgiving environment that demands resilience and adaptation for survival, offering little in the way of food or shelter to those who settle there. Yet beneath its frozen surface lie mineral deposits well worth the hardship of extracting them.
Snow Forest
Large areas of dense evergreen woodland, their branches heavy with snow and their floor blanketed in white for most of the year. Snow forests provide valuable timber resources and offer the same natural concealment for armies as their temperate cousins. However, the deep drifts between the trees hinder movement even more severely, and the bitter cold makes any large-scale agriculture all but impossible.
Snow Hills
Elevated areas of land, their slopes capped in snow and ice that linger long after the surrounding lowlands have thawed. Snow hills offer defenders the same height advantage and improved visibility as their temperate counterparts, making them valuable strategic positions despite the cold. They are often rich in mineral resources, though the frozen ground makes mining a slower and more arduous affair.
Snow Mountains
Towering peaks crowned in permanent snow and ice, their slopes so riddled with hidden crevasses, sheer cliffs and the constant threat of avalanche that no army dares attempt the crossing. Snow mountains are utterly impassable, sealing off whatever lies beyond as effectively as any wall and isolating any settlements unfortunate enough to be hemmed in by them. They are not without value, however, as their frozen heights often conceal resources worth the considerable risk of reaching them.
Ice Ocean
Open waters where drifting blocks and floes of ice break apart the surface, the cold sea visible in patches between the scattered debris. Ships can still navigate the ice ocean, but must pick a careful path between the floating ice, slowing their passage and risking damage to hull and rigging alike. Beneath the surface, the waters remain as restless and mysterious as any other sea, indifferent to the ice drifting above them.
