Most important Wonders for Culture Victory?

[WILDY]

Being a pretty major noob, I love shooting for culture but find myself building too many wonders and not enough other stuff. So which wonders are the real key necessities, and which are not?

[The Rock God]

Depends on if whether you have BNW, since the criteria for culture victory changed in BNW.

No BNW: Basically anything that gives a lot of culture. Sistine Chapel is good as it boosts culture in all cities. I think Terracotta Army was 6 culture, which can be worth it early game, and ecpecially if you only have a few cities. Sydney Opera House, of course, for the free policy.

With BNW: Ones with great work slots. Ones that give you something in that slot are even better. Parthenon is basically the earliest way to get tourism going. Uffizi (and another one, maybe two) gives you a great person when you build it. If you're planning to go Piety/Sacred Sites, Stonehenge can give you a boost towards getting the belief buildings, but the AI also like to try to build it a may beat you to it.

[Ivanthe8th]

I've only played BNW culture victories so this only applies if you've got the expansions.

First, any wonders you build that provide great work slots need to be stacked in the same city (normally your capitol) for maximum tourism multipliers. Tourism multipliers include Hotels, Airports, and the National Visitors Center. The NVS is a national wonder, so don't spread your great work slots around if you can help it.

Second, focus on building great work-housing wonders that you think you can fill completely to get the theming bonus. The Louvre is great, but has difficult requirements. Likewise Uffizi is also good, but it can be difficult to get 3 GWoA from the same era without significant planning ahead.

If you have to pick only a few, then your top choices should be Sistine Chapel (easy theming bonus and great perk) and Great Library (a lot of people ignore the GWoW slots, but it's an easy bonus to get early). They're also early buildings which will give you a head start on the ideology pressure and influence games. Focus on early theming bonuses over later ones if you can.

In terms of B-tier wonders, Uffizi is nice and isn't too difficult to get a theming bonus for since it provides a Great Artist. Chain this with the social policy that gives a free artist to complete the set or plan your tech in such a way as to extend one era long enough to get two artists. Sydney Opera House is easy to get a bonus in but comes pretty late in the game. Globe Theater is similar to SOH in terms of easy bonuses and comes early, but it comes at an awkward time when you'd probably rather build something else.

C-tier is getting into the national wonders like Hermitage and Oxford. Depending on how many world-wonder slots you've built you may find it difficult to get a theming bonus for them in spite of their easy bonuses. Remember that each new great work increases the cost of future great people, and Artists get hard to come by. If you've missed Uffizi then go for it, but you're going to want the early ones if possible.

Also max out great person generation as much as possible. Obviously.

[Matthew]

You don't need wonders, but I prefer to get Sistine so I can start getting great art right away instead of waiting until archaeology.

[americanman_4_life]

Originally posted by Ivanthe8th:

...
Also max out great person generation as much as possible. Obviously.

To add to that! And his last comment...

You can max out GPP with wonders like Leaning Tower of Pisa, which has a 25% bonus to GPP in all cities, plus a GP of your choice.
ADD the National Epic in same city , another +25% bonus to that city in GPP, so it's at 50% bonus for that city. Other ways to increase GPP in that city!

Aesthetics Policy Tree, the Culture, Tourism, Artistic GP tree... its in the bottom right of the Social Policy window, and not available til Classic Age I think! Simply opening the Aesthetics tree grants +33% bonus to ALL ARTISTIC GPP, in ALL Cities... STACKED with LT Pisa, and N.Epic. Cultural Centers Policy boosts production of all Cultural buildings. Fine Arts, 50% of your happiness is contributed to culture every turn! Flourish the Arts, big bonus ea city with wonder plus a GA (who doesn't love a GA with bonus to gold, production, culture?), Artistic Genius brings a G Artist, could be another GA or a great work, and the Culture Exchange which only boosts Tourism, doesn't effect Culture! HOWEVER, assuming that's your last... completeling all brings you Doubles the theme bonus of Museums and wonders! SO... if your dying for a Culture Victory... Aesthetics is a MUST!

Other must have Social Policies? Only Depends how you use them, but every tree has bits and peices of a culture boost policy!

In Tradition, opening the tree grants +3 culture to capitol and boosts the growth of borders, which is a great early start! Also allows the Hanging Gardens, which allows for big growth boost for local city its built in! Growth can equal to more culture from city! Legalism = free culture building in first 4x cities, wait til you have 4x cities before choosing for a greater effect. Landed Elite is more growth, again could equal more culture. And finishing could be even more growth and aquaducks in all cities.

Liberty is designed for larger Civ's, however the bonuses can be added for small Civ's, and if they stay small, are just as great!! Opening the tree will only add +1 culture to every city. Citizenship, doesn't help culture directly, however bonuses workers, and grants free worker (who doesn't want that) which will help any, all cities grow faster, and get culture sooner, however, some improvements could bring more culture! Meritocracy, only boost to happy, but if choosing Aesthetics as I suggested, happy will boost culture!! Representation, is the big helpful bonus to any Civ for culture, as ea city increases culture cost of adding social policies much less than normal, so each new city does not cost as much for next policy. Adopting it all, Free GP! Could possibly choose G Artist = GA! G Sci, could boost sci, getting to select wonders sooner. G Engineer could get that wonder your dying for sooner, or increase local porduction, building select city faster. Or any of the Great Work Peoples... enough said!

Honor, out of the gate, you gain bonus vs barbs, notified of new barbs popping up in your blindspot, and gain culture for each barb kill, early on all this can make the difference if played right. Military Castle, boosts happy and culture for each garrison city.

Piety, the Religious tree. Honestly, the entire tree itself, has nothing to do with Culture! Nothing. Except, has everything to do with culture, if you choose the right pantheons, beliefs, and bonuses to your religion that can boost your Culture. I'm not going in to all that to explain how strong you can build culture out of your religion alone... but you can! If you havn't taken time to read through all the possible options you can get from religion cause your one of those that's anti religion, and so you refuse it in the game... your missing out! I think it's great and can be a great aspect to the game, no matter what victory you are vying for! However... completeing entire tree, you do get direct bonus to culture, with +3 culture on every Holy Site (the tile improvement which comes from the Great Prophet).

Patronage... just like Piety, has nothing to do with culture, except... has everything to do with culture, if you manage to find the right CS cities out there. If you manage to get no Culture CS near you, patronage is not the way to go for culture. But if you manage to find A LOT of cultural CS near you, definately shoot for patronage, as it's all about CS Relations on the map! Boost the relations with CS, and your likely to boost your culture from CS as well. If anything, the Happy boost from the Cultural Diplomacy in Patronage can pair with Aesthetics to gain more culture from that happy! And completeing the tree, allows your CS Friends/allies to ocasionally gift you Great People, that's always good!

Commerce again has nothing directly to do with culture. However, managed right, with the commerce tree, you can indirectly effect culture through your gold. Trade Routes can help gain CS and spread Tourism. Great Merchants can gain the right CS through their one time trade mission with CS giving you great gold, and influence, with that CS... which could gain you an allied CS. The happy bonus at the end of tree, could once again pair with Aesthetics to gain more culture through the happiness.

Exploration, can gain a lot of production if used right. Open the tree, besides bonus to navy, allows the Louvre, big cultural Wonder! Production from coastal cities, and more from the E.I. Company. Production helps cities grow faster, contributing to culture sooner. The EIC also gains Culture as well with that policy. The naval tradition policy gains Happiness, which again can gain culture in Aesthetics. There is a lot of gold potential from this tree, which again could help culture in many ways. Completeing tree, could gain access to the HIdden Antiquity sites, allowing gain of culture!

Rationalism will basically boost science only. The Porcelain tower only adds a little culture if I remember correctly. However, the obvious bonus to science, though mid game late, is getting to build wonders sooner!! Which, in all together... is a plus!

Too long?? Sorry! I tend to do that.

[americanman_4_life]

Honestly, the greatest effect you can do to help your chances at a Culture victory... is your choice of Civilizations in the game. There are many of Civ's in game which can have a great bonus directly or indirectly to culture, depending how you play. Some Civs bonus science more, which could help culture. Some Civs bonus combat more, which could help culture. Some could bonus gold more, which could help culture.

Personally? I recommend one that directly bonuses culture, gold, and military...

BRAZIL!! You say whaaa?? Yes, Brazil!

Brazil for Sure!!
A Culturally and Financially SOUND CIV with Brazil!

Military supports Culture boost! The Pracinha mid to late game Infantry that gains points towards next Golden Age (known as Carnival for Brazil). Carnival GA gains Culture and Gold.

Culture Supports financial Boost. The Brazil Unique Ability is the Carnival. Typical Golden Age bonuses, plus an extra 33% bonus to all ARTISTIC Great People, those from Aesthetics. This STACKS with every other GPP bonus I mentioned above.

Finances support Millitary Boost! Brazil's Unique Bldg is actually an improvement, the Brazilwood camp, at it's fullest natural ability +2/2/2/2 of Food/Gold/Culture/Sci once the right techs and Buildings are reached.

IF Played right, everything about Brazil compliments everything else! Brazil is JUST AWESOME! They are a late start Civ! The Pracinha replaces Infantry, which isn't available til Modern I think. The BWCamp isn't available til Machinery. Carnival is available from the beginning, though not able to exploit til you actually get a Golden age.

Thats the circle of life if your Brazil!! Only with plenty of Jungles though! Make sure change settings in the Advanced settings when setting up game for Wet Forests or whatever it says. This will get you a lot of Jungles! Needed for Brazil!

If you plan to play as Brazil, few things should know starting out. First off, set your self up for massive bonus with massive jungles, in game setup, before you start the game. If I remember correctly, Wet Forest settings with advanced setup settings, and there will be tons of jungles... everywhere. Most cities will have jungles, and that's what you want. The more the merier! DON'T CHOP jungles, at all cost jungles must survive! Brazil is a Jungle Rich thriving Civ! Only reason I chopped jungles, if needed to for tile resource, or if tile was lacking certain aspects the jungle was hiding; needed more mines, or farms etc... otherwise, Jungle stayed, and only than, I'd chop maybe 2-3 of said jungle tiles to gain a couple mines, and couple farms, though Farms only on river tiles for the extra food bonus. Otherwise I'd keep jungle for the +2 food it had.

Must haves...
All culture Buildings.

Wonders- I wonder spam if I can! All may not be possible, the more the merrier!
Leaning Tower Pisa, National Epic, Stonehenge (if you choose to boost culture with Religion, a drastic surefire help if you get this), Hanging Gardens (growth will help culture in late game, and the free garden helps with GPP), Chichen Itza, Petra (it's just awesome, read about it), Alhambra, Notredame, Sistine Chapel, Taj Mahal (esp if already have Ch Itza), Ufizzi, Eifell Tower, CN Tower, Hermitage, and the NVC!

Recommended Policy Trees! I always stick to 4 Trees BEFORE Ideology, than choosing Ideology.
Tradition if small Civ, Liberty if Big Civ, both depending how you play. Piety if choosing to boost culture with Religion. Patronage if able to boost with CS.

Aesthetics, is just a must have, combined with any the other suggested.

Commerce if able to keep most trade on land, or having a lot of cities (= lots of roads, and
there a policy to cut the cost of).

Or Exploration if most is over waters!

If choosing Brazil, and all of this... you will havie an AWESOME Civilization! Even if you don't keep the soldier Pracinha for long before he upgraded... getting as much as you can while you can, they keep their bonuses with promotions!