Can a Great Prophet Convert a Holy City in Civilization VI?
Yes, a Great Prophet can convert a Holy City in Civilization VI, but the consequences and mechanics surrounding this action are quite nuanced and can dramatically impact your game. Converting a Holy City involves using a Great Prophet to spread a new religion to that city, effectively replacing the founding religion. However, this action doesn’t simply change the religious makeup of the city; it triggers a Religious Emergency, a late-game crisis with significant rewards for success and penalties for failure.
Understanding the Mechanics of Religious Conversion
Before diving into the nitty-gritty, let’s establish the basics. In Civilization VI, each civilization can found a religion if they are among the first to earn a Great Prophet. This religion then spreads through their cities and outward, influencing other civilizations. Holy Cities are the source of these religions, providing strong religious pressure to nearby cities and acting as the center of that faith.
Converting a Holy City: The Spark That Ignites a Crisis
When you use a Great Prophet to convert a Holy City to a different religion than the one that founded it, the game triggers a Religious Emergency. This is a special type of global competition where participating civilizations vie to either restore the Holy City to its original faith or maintain the new religion’s dominance.
The Religious Emergency: A Race Against Time
The Religious Emergency lasts for a set number of turns. During this time, civilizations can contribute to the Emergency by converting the Holy City back to its original religion or spreading the new religion to other cities. The civilization that contributes the most towards their chosen goal (either restoring or maintaining the religion) is declared the winner.
The Rewards and Risks of Converting a Holy City
The rewards for winning a Religious Emergency are substantial, making the gamble of converting a Holy City worthwhile under the right circumstances.
Victory Rewards: Era Score and Gold Galore
Winning the Religious Emergency grants a significant Era Score boost (+4), contributing towards a Golden Age. More impressively, the winning civilization receives a massive influx of gold. The exact amount of gold varies depending on the game speed and the number of cities following the winning religion. It can easily reach tens of thousands of gold, providing a huge economic advantage.
The Risks: Enmity and Religious Backlash
Converting a Holy City is not without its risks. The civilization whose Holy City was converted will likely be deeply unhappy, leading to strained diplomatic relations and potential war. Furthermore, other civilizations that follow the original religion might join the Emergency on the side of restoring the faith, making it more difficult to secure victory. Be sure your military is strong and ready.
Strategies for Converting and Defending a Holy City
Successfully converting a Holy City and winning the ensuing Religious Emergency requires careful planning and execution.
Preparation is Key: Building Faith and Military Strength
Before attempting to convert a Holy City, ensure you have a strong religious presence of your own and a powerful military. A large faith output will allow you to purchase Apostles and Missionaries to spread your religion rapidly. A strong army is essential for defending your religious units and potentially capturing the Holy City itself if necessary.
Strategic Use of Religious Units: Apostles, Missionaries, and Inquisitors
Apostles are the most effective religious units for spreading religion, especially those with promotions that increase their spread strength or reduce the religious strength of rival religions. Missionaries are useful for converting cities quickly, while Inquisitors can be used to cleanse your cities of rival religions, preventing them from spreading back.
Diplomacy and Alliances: Gathering Support
Before triggering a Religious Emergency, consider your diplomatic situation. Alliances with civilizations that share your religion can provide crucial support during the Emergency. Conversely, be wary of civilizations that are likely to oppose you, as they will actively try to undermine your efforts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Holy Cities and Religion in Civilization VI
Here are 15 frequently asked questions to further clarify the intricacies of religion and Holy Cities in Civilization VI:
1. How do I found a religion in Civilization VI?
You must earn a Great Prophet before other civilizations have claimed all available religions. Generate Great Prophet Points by building Holy Sites and their associated buildings (Shrines and Temples).
2. What is a Holy City in Civilization VI?
The city where a religion is founded becomes its Holy City. This city exerts strong religious pressure on surrounding cities and serves as the primary source of that religion’s spread.
3. Can I lose my Holy City?
Yes, you can lose control of your Holy City if another civilization converts it to a different religion. However, the city will still be considered the Holy City for the original religion, and it will continue to exert pressure even if it follows a different faith.
4. What happens if I capture a Holy City militarily?
Capturing a Holy City gives you control of the city, but it doesn’t automatically convert it to your religion. You’ll need to use religious units to convert the city to your faith.
5. How do I destroy a religion in Civilization VI?
To effectively remove a religion, you must conquer its Holy City and then use an Inquisitor of your religion to eliminate the original religion from the city. This prevents the religion from spreading from its source. However, the religion may linger in other cities if not adressed as well.
6. Can I have multiple religions in one city?
While a city can be influenced by multiple religions, only one religion can be the dominant religion. The dominant religion provides benefits to the city, such as faith generation and other bonuses depending on the religion’s beliefs.
7. What are Religious Beliefs?
Religious Beliefs are bonuses and effects that you get to choose when founding a religion. They include things like Pantheon Beliefs, Founder Beliefs, Follower Beliefs, Worship Beliefs, and Enhancer Beliefs. These beliefs provide various advantages, such as increased faith generation, production bonuses, and combat strength for religious units.
8. How do I spread my religion to other cities?
Use religious units like Apostles and Missionaries to spread your religion to other cities. These units have a “Spread Religion” action that exerts religious pressure on the target city.
9. What is religious pressure?
Religious pressure is the force that causes a city to adopt a particular religion. Each city exerts religious pressure based on the dominant religion and the presence of religious buildings. Nearby Holy Cities also exert significant pressure.
10. What is the difference between an Apostle and a Missionary?
Apostles are stronger religious units with unique promotions that enhance their spreading abilities, defense, and offensive capabilities. Missionaries are cheaper and less powerful but are useful for quickly converting cities.
11. How do I defend my cities from rival religions?
Use Inquisitors to remove foreign religions from your cities. Inquisitors can eliminate other religions’ presence, making it easier for your religion to maintain dominance. Building Holy Sites and their associated buildings also increases your city’s religious defense.
12. What is a Religious Emergency, and how do I participate?
A Religious Emergency is triggered when a Holy City is converted to a different religion. Civilizations that follow either the original religion or the new religion can participate by converting the Holy City or spreading their religion to other cities. The civilization that contributes the most towards their chosen goal wins the Emergency.
13. What are the benefits of winning a Religious Emergency?
Winning a Religious Emergency grants a significant Era Score bonus and a substantial amount of gold. The amount of gold depends on the game speed and the number of cities following the winning religion.
14. Can City-States spread religion?
Yes, City-States with a religious bonus can spread their religion to nearby cities, but their influence is typically weaker than that of major civilizations. Suzerainty of religious City-States can provide valuable faith and religious support.
15. How does difficulty level affect religion in Civilization VI?
On higher difficulty levels, the AI tends to prioritize religion more aggressively, founding religions earlier and spreading them more effectively. This makes it more challenging to secure a religion and maintain religious dominance.
Conclusion: Mastering Religion for Victory
Converting a Holy City is a high-risk, high-reward strategy in Civilization VI. While it can trigger a lucrative Religious Emergency and provide a significant boost to your civilization, it also carries the risk of diplomatic backlash and religious opposition. By understanding the mechanics of religion, carefully planning your strategy, and utilizing your religious units effectively, you can master religion and use it as a powerful tool for achieving victory. Remember, the best strategies evolve with gameplay, and sharing with the Games Learning Society helps the entire gaming community improve!
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