InCivilization 6, Builders are one of the most important units a player can get their hands on. They play a crucial role in developing cities and improving the surrounding tiles. Builders are essential for the growth and happiness of a civilization, thanks to their many abilities. They can construct tile improvements, gather resources, and perform various tasks within the player’s city’s borders.
Builders are also quite easy and cheap to recruit earlier in the game, but those who are new to theCivilizationseries might find it confusing to use this essential unit. There are a bunch of requirements indeed before a Builder unit can be put to work.
Updated on Jun 06, 2025, by Mehrdad Khayyat:Civilization 6 is an experience with incredible replayability, and this is actually the depth of gameplay mechanics that allows for so many unique scenarios to happen based on the player’s choice.
Knowing each one of the unit types and using them correctly is key to success inCivilization 6, no matter what the final approach is. When it comes to generating income, Builders are crucial units for growing!
How To Use Builders
to recruit Builders, click on a major city that you own, then open the “purchase an item with Gold” tab from below. Here, the player can recruit a variety of units, including Builders.
Once the required turns are done, the unit will spawn inside the city. Depending on the player’s Leader and Nationality, Builders might differ slightly, but in general, each Builder unit comes with 2 movements per turn and 3 building opportunities. When all three opportunities are used, the unit will be disbanded and removed.
Now, here are the requirements for using a Builder unit:
The Role Of Builders
Builders serve as the primary workforce responsible for developing a civilization’s infrastructure. They possessa range of abilitiesthat enable them toenhance the productivityof the player’s cities.
Builders have a total of 3 charges for building, and this can be used on various things:
To use a Builder, players need to move the unit to the tile they want to work on. From there, if the tile can be worked, there should be a variety of options for them to choose from.
Tile Improvements
Civilization 6players will usually spend most of their Builder charges on tile improvements. These can be done on most tiles within a player’s civilization. Some of the valuable enhancements Builders can make include Farms, Mines, Plantations, and more.
These improvements are definitely worth building, as they will provide the player’s civilization withmany benefits, such as increased food, production, gold, and strategic resources. All of these areessential for the growthandadvancement of the player’s civilization.
Repairing Pillaged Improvements
In the early game especially, players may find that their improvements are quickly being ravaged byrampaging Barbarians. Improvements can also be destroyed by natural disastersand enemy civilizations. Luckily, Builders are great for repairing pillaged improvements, and they can restore them to their fully functional state.
It’s important to note that Builders canonly repair tile improvements, not districts or their buildings. To repair a pillaged improvement, players simply need to move their Builder unit to the damaged tile and select the “Repair” action.
Resource Harvesting & Feature Removal
As an alternative to tile improvements, Builders can also Harvest Resources and Remove Features formore immediate results. Harvesting resources allows Builders to clear Bonus Resources from a tile, providing aone-time yield bonusto the city whose tiles the feature is on.
Similarly,Builders can remove featuressuch as Forests, Rainforests, or Marshes, which also provides a one-time bonus. This can be done by approaching an improved tile or feature with a Builder and selecting the Remove Feature or Harvest Resources ability. This will expend one build charge.
In the long term, this will provide fewer yields to the city but isgreat for finishing projects, buildings, and districts in a timely manner.
How To Increase Build Charges
Builders inCivilization 6start with 3 build charges, but this can be increased in a few different ways.
