How exactly do you use it? Is it really that advantageous if you could just have the caste system? Please explain it to me, I'm new to Civ

You get a free specialist in all your cities that won't consume food. In exchange, your cities can longer have trade routes with foreign cities. In the later game, you will get no affect from corporations other than your own.

You get a free specialist in all your cities that won't consume food. In exchange, your cities can longer have trade routes with foreign cities. In the later game, you will get no affect from corporations other than your own.

I thought Mercantilism specifically says no foreign trade routes.

I thought Mercantilism specifically says no foreign trade routes.

By "In Exchange" I meant that is the peanalty.

read the civilopedia

It is good if you don't have much foreign trade routes anyway, if you want to deny others your trade routes, or if you are haunted by foreign corps.

I don't think that is a very good thing to have...

The extra specialist is great for developing great people in the early to mid game. In the later game, this benefit is watered down by the ammount the each great person costs and other economic civics my be better depending on your strategy. To keep developing great people in the late game, try to keep one city with a lot of forest tiles. Have your workers preserve the forests and build the national park wonder in that city. It becomes an instant great person farm (as well as economic boost).

It's good with representation, and it's REALLY good when you have a lot of low pop cities (For example when you've just conquered a lot of cities). A free specialist doesn't do much for a size 20 city, but it's HUGE for a city with a pop of 3.

You get a free specialist in all your cities that won't consume food. In exchange, your cities can longer have trade routes with foreign cities. In the later game, you will get no affect from corporations other than your own.

your writing is not clear at all, in fact you are saying the opposite of what you meant

"In exchange, your cities can NO longer have trade routes...."

your writing is not clear at all, in fact you are saying the opposite of what you meant

"In exchange, your cities can NO longer have trade routes...."

I'm sorry it was a simple typo.

The power of mercantilism is not the civic itself, it's what civics you use it with and the current situation of your game.

* Combined with Caste System and Representation it is extremely powerful if you're still growing and founding new cities.

* Alone with a free merchant specialist in every city of a developed empire (markets, banks, etc) it may very well exceed the benefits of foreign trade routes.

* In close tech games denying others civs trade routes to your own cities can hurt them more than it hurts you to not have trade routes with them.

* If you don't have open borders with the civs that you can share trade routes with, you might as well take the free specialists.

Really, it's like any other civic out there, it has its moments when it is useful and times when it would be a bad choice. How useful is free speach for an island empire with few, if any towns? What good is free market when you're at war with everybody? Is Vasselage helpful if you're not at war or building up your defenses? I think the only civic that ends up being a 'must have' is Emancipation, but even then with enough hapiness resources you can survive without it.

In smaller maps or ones filled with jerks, you're not going to have many foreign trade routes anyway. Think of it like this: Merc+Rep= +3 beakers and +1 specialist per city. The +3 beakers outdoes another trade rout usually, and that's before considering the free specialist.