Pros and cons of razing enemy cities vs. looting them?

[El Generalissimo]

I am playing as Rome and am being pestered by Nabatea and Bithynia. They are a distraction from my main goal of conquering Macedon. I really am not interested in occupying Asia at this time but feel compelled to do something about them. I'm considering marching across Asia razing every city and then heading back west. The goal is to cripple them.

What are the pros and cons of razing and looting cities you don't want to keep. For example, I know that no money is gained razing.

• Would it be better to loot the city, then dismantle all the buildings and move on? Or will the population extermination (the population is killed-off, correct?) in razing a city cause the enemy more damage in the long-term?
• Are there any negative impacts from having these destroyed cities rebelling and going to enemy hands afterward, e.g. some negative reputation penalty beyond the enemy hating me even more?

[jonny duck]

When playing as the barbarians (not sure about other factions), one of those options allows you to take the money but not the city, so you loot it (I think it's loot), get your money and march on to the next one. However, one of the options also causes you to enslave a lot of the population. Too many slaves can cause unrest in the provinces you want to keep.

Also, if your province rebels succesfully, it might either go straight back to the enemy, or a new faction may arise. This new faction is usually at war with you automatically then.

[El Generalissimo]

So I've decided to quit Asia entirely and focus my efforts on internal stability and conquering Macedon. I've dismantled all buildings in the Asian provinces I held (big cash infusion) and am now marching back toward the coast taking and razing any Bithynian or Nabatean city within easy reach. The abandoned cities will rebel soon and I don't care. One was taken back by rebels and Macedon tried, and failed miserably, to take a provincial capital protected by only a garrison. (Truly pathetic AI.) I'll continue to fight the defensive battles in the cities knowing they are lost just to cause maximum damage to those factions taking them back. I'm being particularly vindictive. The plan is to allow them to recover and once my imperium is more stable, take them back for good.

Food levels are doing crazy things; going from +3 to -11 to +9 over the course of a turn. I do not understand how the game calculates food (and it is not entirely by building use or production).

[Arakorn]

I used to defend unwinnable minor province sieges too, just to cause maximum damage to the attacking army. But after I realized that they will just replenish in a couple of turns, I stopped doing it. I feel that an army can replenish ridicolously fast, in just three turns even a Pyrrhic army can be back at full strength.

[jonny duck]

I used to defend unwinnable minor province sieges too, just to cause maximum damage to the attacking army. But after I realized that they will just replenish in a couple of turns, I stopped doing it. I feel that an army can replenish ridicolously fast, in just three turns even a Pyrrhic army can be back at full strength.

Units that are completely destroyed cannot be replenished, they have to be re-recruited, so it can still make a difference.

[Red_Oktoberfest]

Units that are completely destroyed cannot be replenished, they have to be re-recruited, so it can still make a difference.

Yes, but that requires complete destruction of the unit.

From my experience they can recover after having like 90% of the unit gone. It bothers me because I can recover from otherwise destroyed units, I want a challenge.

I know there's a Steam-Workshop mod that makes units be destroyed much earlier, at 75% I think.

[fokke85]

Yes, but that requires complete destruction of the unit.

From my experience they can recover after having like 90% of the unit gone. It bothers me because I can recover from otherwise destroyed units, I want a challenge.

I know there's a Steam-Workshop mod that makes units be destroyed much earlier, at 75% I think.

Still it can be worth your while to focus on specific units to take out entirely. A heavy infantry unit with a lot of experience. A lonely ranged unit you can take out quickly or sometimes even a high level general. I've fought many battles I could never have won just to take out a general with 12 Authority, 7 Cunning & 9 Zeal. It saved me the 900 gold I had to spend just to assassinate him..

[Leftcoaster]

I've starting using the tactic of destroying cities I don't want to keep, but I NEVER use raze.

I loot the city for the cash, then dismantle every building, and defend for 1 turn.

Then I abandon the city. If an enemy doesn't take it back, a rebellion will after a few turns, and it's been destroyed down to level 1 city, and a bunch of slums.

A few turns later, if it's rebuilt, I can attack and loot it again. (Though have to watch out for too many slaves).