What is *your* most important strategic resource?

If you could guarantee that you had one strategic resource close to your capital every game (meaning you are guaranteed to get it) which would it be?

Note: I included elephants because they allow the building of War Elephants.

yep, ivory would be a strategic resource. Stone and Marble would not. Not sure about aluminum either, maybe it activates some late game units.

I voted Horse.

lymond said:

yep, ivory would be a strategic resource. Stone and Marble would not. Not sure about aluminum either, maybe it activates some late game units.

I voted Horse.

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Sorry about that, I thought it was health, happiness, and strategic (at least that is how I see it under the city screen) so I assumed they were strategic since they are all listed together. Is there another category I am missing that they should be listed under?

Horses. With them, every map is winnable in non-cheesy fashion.

I voted Iron. I only play OCCs and have to be able to build something other than Longbows and catapults.

Next important would be Horse.

Definately Iron, because for Iron, you can get Horses, for Horses, you don't get Iron.

BFC horse chariot rushes are absolutely insane. I'd take them. Late game I'd take uranium obviously but that's not what this poll asks.

BTW stone/marble unlock no military unit, however aluminum does (some of the modern/future era units require aluminum).

Horses, definitely.

TheMeInTeam said:

.....however aluminum does (some of the modern/future era units require aluminum).

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yeah, I wasn't sure on that one...late game warfare is not common for me

Copper. Nothing beats an early-game axe rush.

Oil.. Game without Bombers and Fighters is boring

And yet another vote for horses. I personally love elephants but ivory is pretty rare compared to the other early game strategic resources.

any resource that allows me to take the others through conquest

This was a tough one. Horse? Copper? Copper, Horses......?

Copper for now.

Copper! Because I almost never, ever, EVER, get it. I consider it to be the rarest strategic resource in the game.

hmmm... I jumped at Ivory, because I do like War Elephants, but if I had to wait until Ivory to get a unit other that archers and warriors, that would be a horrible game.
After some thought, a game can be won or lost before War Elephants even becomes used. Certainly on Epic and Marathon games.

I have been playing a game as Russia and I do not have Copper.
My Iron was half way between me and America.
I did have horse adjacent to my Capitol.
I rushed America with Chariots and eliminated them by 1850 BC.
If, I could switch my vote, I think, it would have to go into the Horse column.
It can be a game changer early.

Though a War Elephant with a Great General giving it +1 Movement from the Morale promotion, is nice.

Iron for me. You got horses? Gimme pikes and I'll take my chances.

It's very hard to decide between horses and copper.

Horses give a couple good early->Classical units. If I have Pigs\Cows\Sheep in the BFC and enough open land to make use of those 2 movements points horses are ideal. If I'm playing any militaristic but non-aggressive leader (like Cha, Cha loves horses) horses are ideal. If I can hit them before their culture pop's to tier 3 and instakill their capital horses are ideal.

In most cases, copper is nicer though. Chopping is going to help you on >95% of map scripts. Copper lets you hard counter opponents with horses. Copper gives a higher base str unit. You can wage an axeman war vs axemen+any other ancient unit, but you can't wage a horse war vs any opponent spearmen. Copper works directly with the aggressive trait.


Iron is tempting, but really if you can't war in the middle ages its not a big loss. Walls or walls+castles takes too much time to break down. Longbows+Cats+castles can defend against whatever is thrown at you before the Renaissance, and chain drafting muskets is viable not long after knights usually hit the scene. I suppose not having iron in the railroad era would be a disaster, but I've never had the displeasure, so it's kind of hard to say...

In the earlier eras iron but in later eras oil becomes important strategically.

cain3456 said:

Iron for me. You got horses? Gimme pikes and I'll take my chances.

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I like this response, I had the same thought.