Great buildings

[white_star]

I was just wondering about great buildings. Thoose you cant build but gives great bonouses. Even though you are from an different culture. Do you get the benefits? Or is it better to destroy them and get rid of the culture penalty?

[Hax]

My suggestion is just use the benefits, they will come in handy.

[Apgad]

You really need to weigh up the benefits against the disadvantages.

If there are good trade benefits but heavy culture penalties in a settlement where you don't expect much trade but are having trouble keeping order, it might be better to demolish. Also buildings that give good recruitment/training bonuses aren't much use if you won't be training troops there.

On the other hand, if you can overcome the culture penalty with a reasonable garrison and plan on using whatever bonuses are offered (be it trade, recruitment etc), then I'd certainly keep the building.

What's the saying, horses for courses?

[Labrat]

Except that the culture penalty of unique buildings is rather small, IIRC. The governor's residence is the main cause of culture penalty.

[MarcusAureliusAntoninus]

Yeah. If you upgrade the city and most of the buildings in the town, the cultural penalty of undestroyable buildings and uniques will usually round down to 0-5%. And even if it is 5%, the bonuses it provides will at least count that.

[Flying Pig]

The exception is the Paestrum temples if the epeirote war goes wrong and little green men are marching up Italia - burn them! They become a centre for the epeirote army.