Converting Cities in Civ 6: A Guide to Religious Dominance
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Yes, you absolutely can convert cities in Civilization 6 to your religion! This is a core mechanic for achieving a religious victory and a powerful tool even if you’re aiming for domination, culture, or science. Conversion involves spreading your religion’s influence until it becomes the dominant faith within a city. Let’s dive into the hows, whys, and whens of religious conversion in Civ 6.
The Mechanics of Religious Conversion
At its heart, religious conversion in Civ 6 is about building up religious pressure. Each city has a certain percentage of followers for each religion present in the game. The religion with the highest percentage is considered the dominant religion of that city. Your goal is to increase the percentage of followers of your religion until it surpasses all others.
Spreading the Word: Religious Units
The primary way to convert cities is through religious units. These units, such as Missionaries, Apostles, and Gurus, have the “Spread Religion” action. When used, this action exerts religious pressure in the surrounding city, adding followers of your religion. The amount of pressure exerted depends on the unit’s strength and any relevant promotions.
Holy Cities and Natural Spread
The Holy City of a religion (the first city to found it) exerts passive religious pressure on nearby cities. This natural spread can be a slow but steady way to gain a foothold in neighboring territories. Additionally, some civics and policies can increase the passive spread of your religion.
Trade Routes
Don’t underestimate the power of trade! Trade routes between cities can also spread religion, with the originating city exerting religious pressure on the destination city. This is especially useful for converting cities that are geographically distant or heavily fortified against religious units.
Governor Effects
Some Governors, like Reyna the Financier, possess promotions that can passively convert cities to your religion as long as she is assigned to them. This is a more subtle way of swaying a city’s religious landscape, working behind the scenes as your city thrives.
Strategies for Effective Conversion
- Prioritize Holy Sites: A strong Holy Site district is crucial. It generates Faith, which allows you to produce more religious units. Constructing buildings within your Holy Site, such as Temples and Shrines, further boosts Faith output.
- Promote Your Units: Promotions on your religious units can significantly enhance their effectiveness. Look for promotions that increase the number of spreads, the strength of the spread, or resistance to theological combat.
- Target Weak Cities: Focus on cities with low religious pressure from competing religions or cities belonging to civilizations that haven’t founded a religion.
- Consider War (Strategically): As the article excerpt mentions, converting cities of civilizations at war with you provides Era Score. This can be a risky strategy, as it can incur warmonger penalties, but it can also be very rewarding. Use troops to protect your religious units as they do their work.
- Utilize Great People: Certain Great People, like specific Great Prophets, can provide powerful boosts to your religion or spread it to new cities.
Countering Religious Pressure
Of course, other civilizations won’t just sit idly by as you convert their cities. They will likely deploy their own religious units to counter your efforts. This can lead to Theological Combat, where religious units battle each other.
Defending Your Faith
- Apostles with Combat Promotions: Some Apostle promotions are specifically designed for theological combat. These units can effectively defend your cities against enemy missionaries and apostles.
- Inquisitors: Inquisitors are specialized units that remove foreign religions from your cities. They are excellent for cleansing cities that have been heavily converted by other civilizations.
- Religious City-States: Becoming Suzerain of religious city-states can provide defensive bonuses for your religion, such as increased combat strength for your religious units.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions about religious conversion in Civilization 6:
1. Can you convert city-states to your religion in Civ 6?
Yes, you can convert city-states. Use religious units to spread your religion until it becomes the dominant faith in the city-state. This will grant you extra favor per turn for having the same religion as them.
2. Is it better to have a lot of cities in Civ 6 for religious purposes?
Yes, generally, having more cities is beneficial for religious purposes. More cities mean more opportunities to spread your religion and generate Faith. More trade routes means that the cities that are trading together have a higher chance to share their religion.
3. Can you convert Jerusalem in Civ 6? What happens if you do?
Yes, you can convert Jerusalem to your religion. If you become the Suzerain of Jerusalem, it automatically adopts your founded religion and spreads it, acting like a second Holy City for your faith.
4. Can you dismantle a Holy Site district to stop religious pressure in Civ 6?
No, you cannot dismantle a District in Civilization 6 once it has been placed.
5. Can you peacefully annex the world through religion in Civ 6?
Yes, a religious victory is a form of peaceful annexation, achieved by converting all civilizations’ Holy Cities to your religion.
6. Should I destroy or keep a city based on its religious alignment in Civ 6?
Generally, keep the city. You can use Inquisitors to remove the dominant religion and then convert it to your own.
7. Can you destroy a city with nukes to prevent religious conversion in Civ 6?
Yes, nukes can severely damage a city, including its Holy Site district. However, this is a drastic measure with significant consequences and should be reserved for extreme situations. Be sure to review your strategy and see if there are other ways you can stop them from converting your cities.
8. What religion is best in Civ 6 for conversion?
There isn’t a single “best” religion, as it depends on your civilization, strategy, and the map. However, religions with beliefs that boost Faith generation, religious unit strength, or spread range are generally more effective for conversion. Some beliefs have other benefits too. Review the worship beliefs and see which suits your gameplay the best.
9. How do you convert a Free City in Civ 6?
Use religious units to spread your religion to the Free City. Alternatively, increase Loyalty pressure from your civilization to flip the city to your control.
10. Can cities flood and destroy Holy Sites in Civ 6?
Yes, river floods can damage or destroy districts, including Holy Sites, that are adjacent to the river. Build dams and flood barriers to mitigate this risk.
11. Which governor is best for religious cities in Civ 6?
Pingala is one of the best governors for religious cities because his promotions boost Faith generation and Great People points. He is a great choice if you want to spread religion quickly to gain points fast.
12. How far away should you build cities for religious synergy in Civ 6?
Aim for cities to be relatively close to each other (around 4 tiles apart) to maximize the spread of your religion. You can consider going wide to make sure you have a higher Faith generation.
13. Can you peacefully take over a city-state through religious influence in Civ 6?
While difficult, it is possible to flip a city-state through Loyalty pressure. Having a shared religion can contribute to Loyalty.
14. Can City-States declare religious wars in Civ 6?
City-states themselves do not declare religious wars, but they can be involved in wars declared by major civilizations over religious differences.
15. What happens if you lose your religion in a city in Civ 6?
If a city loses your religion, it will have a negative Loyalty modifier. This can lead to the city rebelling and becoming a Free City. Keep an eye on your cities and convert them again if needed.
Conclusion: The Path to Religious Victory
Converting cities is the cornerstone of a religious victory in Civilization 6. By understanding the mechanics of religious pressure, utilizing religious units effectively, and defending your faith against opposing religions, you can spread your influence and achieve religious dominance. The Games Learning Society explores these complex systems and how they can inform real-world learning. Remember that your choices matter, and religion can be a powerful tool to shape your civilization’s destiny. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to explore the world of gaming and learning.