Strongest Social Policies (Top 10)

[Zechnophobe]

I should warn everyone that the Rational policy that claims to give +2 science for each trading post, actually only gives +1.

Another great combo is Freedom with Rationalism. 5 Science scientists that eat 1 food, and only give .5 unhappiness are pretty dang efficient.

 

[delra]

1 science is still pretty darn awesome per a trade post for a cash w hore economy... I typically double my output when I take this one.

 

[QuixotesGhost]

Monarchy (cheaper land-buy) is awful and only gets worse with Washington. Not because it's an awful abilty - but beacuse of where it is situated - deep into Tradition. Land-buy for the most part is a rex'ing ability. It's about settling aggeresively and then using land-buy to snatch up valuble tiles before someone else can or using it to grab a productive hex in a newly settled city to get it up and running ASAP. Either you're rexxing and Monarchy is useful, but you're giving up the Liberty tree for it. Or you're not rexxing and land-buy is only of marginal use to you.

Monarchy would be a good ability if it were in the Liberty Tree. But in the Tradition tree? Bleh.

 

[bhavv]

For culture victory all you really need for most of the game is wonder construction, patronage tree for the extra CS culture and GPs, and some of freedom depending on taste

After that, just stockpile culture points until Cristo Redentor is done and buy everything at once. obviously one of the trees you'll buy is Piety tree, that's just because it's effectively a 4-item social policy rather than 6 rather than because the tree is any good in general

Nope, I just wn a 1927 culture game years before Cristo Redentor was available and without Sydney Opera house.

Right from the Ancient era, I had 29 excess , which rose to 50 by the mid game, and 99 by the end simply from all the luxuries I were getting from city states (4 were cultural), and having a puppet city that spammed culture and happiness buildings for me.

The Piety tree was the single most powerful and useful tree throughout my whole game. I had so much excess happiness for loads of free culture, and triggered around 5 golden ages from the bucket thanks to the 25% reduced cost.

Patronage was just as useful, but I were getting far more extra free culture through Mandate of Heaven than I were getting from paying 1000 gold to individual city states.

 

[Knut_Are_M]

Mandate of heaven is a very strong way to get extra culture if going for a culture win.

Free religion still gives you 'Two free policies' that do not add to your policy cost increase. If you think that neither of those are worth it, then you really dont understand the mechanics of trying to gain a culture win in Civ V.

The best way to use Reformation and Free Religion is after you have built the Cristo Redentor. You should also save as many other policies as you can until then to get the additional 33% discount.

Even with the acoustics slingshot to take free speech with as my 4th policy choice, Oracle plus Sydney Opera House, and prioritizing culture buildings in all of my cities, I only managed to get 4 full policy trees by 1950 AD, with only one policy in my 5th tree (tradition + aristocracy).

You NEED every bit of culture you can possibly get, and you need to save policies until after the Sydney opera house is built. Mandate of Heaven is crucial as well as pumping up happiness along with it to boost culture gain, as is free religion.

There is an alternative way.
build 1 city and puppet state the map. If you win militarily the puppet states will build lots of culture and happyness buildings. Honor is a very good policy for this tactic.
Ps Do not kill off your opponents, only set them back to 1 city and farm them.