Is there any reason to have external trade routes?

[Victoria]

Triangular trade really limits the value of external routes from a money perspective because domestic ones get +4 gold each too. You can do fancy things with Zimbabwe. The loads of money approach is fun, England naturally can get a tonne with harbour adjacency + commercial in each foreign port. There are lots of ways to get the dosh, and foreign trade is one. Been tried and does work and is fun.

 

[chazzycat]

the problem with over-relying on gold is that you can't use it for districts. That is one of the reasons why the end-game is the best time for external routes.

 

[Jonathan]

Very early game - I use internal trade routes to build roads to connect my cities and because i am likely at war with neighbors along with lots of barbarians spawning so external trade routes aren't feasible or secure with trade routes being an expensive investment to build and replace.

I normally play as Rome, so I get instant free roads to my capital. However, I often find that I have city states nearby that can accept trade routes; if they're close enough, the risk from barbarians may not be high. And sending a trade route sometimes gains me an envoy (if it's what the city state wants for Christmas).

 

[EpicWestern]

I mostly use external routes. The 1 science 1 culture civic for each trade route can be boosting both total science and culture by as much as 20% midgame. Early game, a trade route to a culture or science city state can increase its respective output as much as 33%. There's also so many small bonuses that add up

post gold
increased trade route range from post
scouting the route provides
civs like you more when you have a trade route
you don't have to move your routes (assuming a production city is mainly building routes while smaller cities are occupied with districts)

My main use for domestic routes is when I'm trying to build a super city for fast spaceport production and space projects.

 

[Jarms48]

There's three reasons I might make a foreign trade route:
- roads
- if their gold value is more than a 2:1 production ratio: for example if my trade route gave me 5 production, but a foreign route gave me 11 gold I'd rather take the gold
- (multiplayer only) if I'm behind in science I might use my trade routes to try and catch up in techs, whilst making those future military roads