Scout or Monument?

[werothegreat]

I *always* start by building a Monument in every game I play, because it sets me up quite nicely cultural for the rest of the game. However, in almost every Let's Play I've watched on YouTube, the player will almost always get a Scout first. I get that it can help get all those Ruins more quickly, but still... what do you all think?

 

[joncnunn]

Unless this is a water map, Scout first is best.
In addition, Monument if going Tradition Monuments are normally skipped entirely.

 

[werothegreat]

Unless this is a water map, Scout first is best.
In addition, Monument if going Tradition Monuments are normally skipped entirely.

Well, I typically open Tradition, then open Piety to make my Shrine more quickly, then go through Liberty for the free Settler and such.

 

[Iannewton80]

Are you people crazy? Gotta get that culture going, those borders expanded!

 

[MrDumpstertrash]

Well, I typically open Tradition, then open Piety to make my Shrine more quickly, then go through Liberty for the free Settler and such.

What!? What a giant waste of all of those social policies. COMPLETE A TREE. The bonuses are amazing, especially with tradition. Besides scout always, chances of you running into a culture ruin while exploring and grabbing other goodies > time spent building a monument and accumulating said culture.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

Are you people crazy? Gotta get that culture going, those borders expanded!

Unless you're on a water map scouting is critical. You've got to meet your neighbors so that you can start selling them stuff and decide how you want to proceed given who you're near (having the Aztecs as a neighbor requires very different early decisions than having India as a neighbor). You've got to meet city-states to get their free gifts. You've got to find where the best spots to settle new cities are going to be. Ruins are just an added bonus, I would always go scout first even with ruins turned off.

 

[Lord Alexander]

Scout always. They're great for exploring, ruins, stealing workers, etc. The monument can wait usually it will be my 2nd policy in Tradition anyways.

 

[Vitruvius]

Are you people crazy? Gotta get that culture going, those borders expanded!

Scouts make border expands too, however you like it. They meet city states for money so you can buy those tiles.

 

[KidHorn]

Scout first for all the reasons mentioned above.

 

[phillipwyllie]

Your first ruin may be 25 and so might your third, that's a free monument there.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

scout scout shrine

 

[Buttercup]

Your first ruin may be 25 and so might your third, that's a free monument there.

What do you do if you're first Ruin turns your Scout into an Archer? Then the third one does the same to your second Scout?

 

[werothegreat]

What!? What a giant waste of all of those social policies. COMPLETE A TREE. The bonuses are amazing, especially with tradition. Besides scout always, chances of you running into a culture ruin while exploring and grabbing other goodies > time spent building a monument and accumulating said culture.

Because that gets my Faith up quickly, and my Great Person from finishing Liberty is my Enhancer Prophet. It ends up timing quite nicely like that.

 

[Lord Alexander]

What do you do if you're first Ruin turns your Scout into an Archer? Then the third one does the same to your second Scout?

Then I have something to fight Barbs with and I would send one back to the capital. I wouidnt mind that.

 

[Wolfbeckett]

What do you do if you're first Ruin turns your Scout into an Archer? Then the third one does the same to your second Scout?

Thank your lucky stars that you just got two awesome units that will kick ass throughout the entire game if you protect them?

 

[Buttercup]

Lol, 8.5/10

 

[Lord Alexander]

I don't see the real reason to ever build a monument first unless you decided to go full liberty or something but even if I went liberty I would still build at least one scout first.

 

[Knowtalent]

Originally Posted by phillipwyllie<br />
Your first ruin may be 25 and so might your third, that's a free monument there.

<br />
<br />
What do you do if you're first Ruin turns your Scout into an Archer? Then the third one does the same to your second Scout?<br/>

Rejoice as I now don't have to build those units. That type ruins bump will get me busting barb camps. Then an early jump on military expansion of borders

 

[Buttercup]

It's WIN WIN WIN all they wayhayhay!111!!!

 

[Knowtalent]

Originally Posted by MrDumpstertrash<br />
What!? What a giant waste of all of those social policies. COMPLETE A TREE. The bonuses are amazing, especially with tradition. Besides scout always, chances of you running into a culture ruin while exploring and grabbing other goodies > time spent building a monument and accumulating said culture.

<br />
<br >
Because that gets my Faith up quickly, and my Great Person from finishing Liberty is my Enhancer Prophet. It ends up timing quite nicely like that.<br/>
I seem to recall a thread that said this resets both the the GP and the GE GS GM pools. If that is the case this is a very poor choice