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Mastering Faith: The Easiest Path to Religious Victory in Civ 6

The easiest way to achieve a Religious Victory in Civilization 6 boils down to maximizing efficiency and focusing on early game advantages. This means picking a civ with a strong religious bonus, prioritizing Faith generation from turn one, and aggressively spreading your religion before other civilizations have a chance to establish their own. Leverage Missionaries and Apostles effectively, using promotions to enhance their spread and combat capabilities. Don’t neglect defensive measures – Inquisitors are crucial for purging foreign religions from your cities.

Choosing Your Civilization: The Cornerstone of Victory

Your choice of civilization dramatically impacts the ease with which you can achieve a Religious Victory. Some civilizations are simply better suited for this path. Here are a few top contenders:

Russia (Peter the Great): Russia stands out with its Lavras providing extra Great Prophet points early, ensuring you found a religion before others. The additional tiles gained with each city also accelerate your empire’s growth and provide more territory to establish Holy Sites. Russia is arguably the easiest and strongest civilization to secure a religious victory.
India (Chandragupta Maurya): Chandragupta’s Stepwell unique improvement provides Housing, Food, and Faith, bolstering early growth and religious power. Also, his unique combat bonus makes him very strong on defense against early game war.
Arabia (Saladin): Arabia receives a guaranteed Great Prophet when they are the last civilization to found a religion, ensuring they can participate even if they lag behind early. Also, their Madrasas provide Science alongside Faith, helping maintain technological parity.
Indonesia (Gitarja): Indonesia’s Kampung improvement provides Housing, Production, and Food from coastal tiles. This enables rapid coastal city growth that generate faith.

Early Game Foundation: Faith Generation is Key

A strong start is paramount. Your initial focus should be on generating Faith. Here’s how:

Choose a Pantheon that boosts Faith: Religious Idols (+2 Faith from Mines over Luxury and Bonus resources) or God of the Open Sky (+1 Culture per Pasture) are excellent choices, depending on your starting terrain.
Prioritize Holy Sites: Found your first few cities with Holy Site placement in mind. Look for tiles with bonus adjacency bonuses from mountains, forests, or districts.
Shrine and Temple ASAP: Build a Shrine in your Holy Site first, followed by a Temple as soon as possible. These structures significantly increase your Faith output.
Early Game Civics: Researching Astrology and Theology early unlocks key religious units and policies.

Religious Units: Missionaries and Apostles – Your Evangelizing Army

Missionaries and Apostles are the backbone of your Religious Victory. Use them strategically:

Missionaries for Initial Spread: Use Missionaries to quickly convert your own cities and begin spreading your religion to nearby city-states and civilizations.
Apostles for Conversions and Theological Combat: Apostles are more powerful converters and can also engage in Theological Combat with other religious units. Use Apostle promotions wisely.
Apostle Promotions: Some key promotions include:
- Proselytizer: Reduces the religious pressure of other religions when converting a city.
- Debater: Provides a combat bonus in Theological Combat.
- Translator: Increases the spread of religion to foreign cities.
Theological Combat: Use Theological Combat defensively to weaken rival religions and protect your own units. Focus fire on weaker units and retreat damaged units to heal.

Spreading the Word: Aggressive Conversion is Essential

Passive Faith generation isn’t enough. You need to aggressively spread your religion:

Target Weak Civilizations: Focus on converting civilizations that haven’t founded a religion or have a weak religious presence.
Utilize Trade Routes: Trade routes exert religious pressure on the cities they pass through. Send trade routes to cities you want to convert.
Religious Pressure: Be aware of religious pressure from nearby cities. Building Holy Sites and generating Great Prophet points increase your religious pressure.
City-States: Converting city-states is important for diplomatic advantages and ensuring they don’t spread competing religions.

Defense and Maintenance: Protecting Your Flock

Just as important as spreading your religion is defending it:

Inquisitors: These units are essential for removing foreign religions from your cities. Use them to purge rival religions and maintain religious unity.
Governors: Appointing a Governor like Moksha with the “Divine Architect” promotion in a city with a Holy Site can significantly increase Faith generation and protect against conversion.
Theocracy Government: This government provides bonus Faith and combat strength to religious units, making it ideal for a Religious Victory.

Wonders and Policies: Amplifying Your Faith

Certain wonders and policies significantly boost your religious efforts:

Hagia Sophia: Provides Faith and bonus spreads for Missionaries and Apostles.
Mahabodhi Temple: Grants two free Apostles.
Mont St. Michel: Gives Apostles the Martyr promotion, generating relics when they die in Theological Combat, further boosting Faith and Tourism.
Religious Orders Policy: Increases the strength of religious units, making them more effective converters and combatants.

Late Game Strategies: Consolidating Your Victory

As the game progresses:

Monitor Religious Spread: Continuously track the religious demographics of other civilizations and adjust your strategy accordingly.
Counter-Conversion: Be prepared to defend against rival religions attempting to convert your cities.
Declare Religious Wars: If necessary, declare a Religious War against civilizations that are aggressively spreading their religion or refuse to convert.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the best pantheon for a Religious Victory?

Religious Idols (+2 Faith from Mines over Luxury and Bonus resources) and God of War (Bonus Faith equal to 50% of the strength of each combat unit killed within 8 tiles of a Holy Site district) are top choices. Initiation Rites (+50 Faith for each Barbarian Outpost cleared) can provide a strong early Faith boost if Barbarian Outposts are abundant.

2. How early should I found a religion?

As early as possible! The longer you wait, the higher the risk of other civilizations founding religions before you. Prioritize Holy Sites and Faith generation from turn one.

3. How do I combat other religions spreading to my cities?

Use Inquisitors to remove foreign religions. Also, ensure your own religion exerts strong pressure by building Holy Sites and generating Great Prophet points.

4. Is it worth declaring a Religious War?

Yes, in certain situations. If a rival religion is aggressively spreading, declaring a Religious War allows you to attack their religious units without warmongering penalties.

5. How important are city-states for a Religious Victory?

Converting city-states is important for securing diplomatic bonuses and preventing the spread of competing religions. Also, many city-states provide bonuses to faith.

6. What are the best Apostle promotions?

Proselytizer (reduces the religious pressure of other religions when converting a city) and Translator (increases spread to foreign cities) are generally considered the best, but it depends on your strategy. Debater (combat bonus) is useful for defensive purposes.

7. Can I regain my religion if it’s been mostly wiped out?

Yes, but it’s difficult. Focus on rebuilding Holy Sites and generating Faith. If your religion is completely gone, you can’t do anything and should consider switching to an alternative victory condition.

8. How do I destroy a religion completely?

Conquer the Holy City of the religion you want to destroy, then use an Inquisitor to remove the religion from that city. Without a Holy City, the religion cannot be spread.

9. What is the role of Great People in a Religious Victory?

Great Prophets are essential for founding a religion. Other Great People, like Theologians and Missionaries, can provide additional Faith, religious units, or boosts to religious spread.

10. How does terrain affect my Religious Victory strategy?

Terrain impacts Holy Site placement. Look for tiles with adjacency bonuses, such as mountains, forests, or districts. Also, certain pantheons and beliefs benefit from specific terrain types.

11. What is the Theocracy government and how does it help?

The Theocracy government provides bonus Faith and combat strength to religious units. This is an ideal government to adopt when pursuing a Religious Victory.

12. Is it possible to win a Religious Victory on higher difficulty levels?

Yes, but it requires more strategic planning and efficient execution. The AI is more aggressive on higher difficulties, so you need to be proactive.

13. What do I do if I miss out on founding a religion?

If you fail to found a religion, focus on another victory condition. Religious alliances can provide some benefits, but you won’t be able to pursue a Religious Victory.

14. How important is Culture for a Religious Victory?

Culture is important for unlocking civics that boost Faith generation and provide access to beneficial policies. Prioritize Culture alongside Faith.

15. What are the biggest mistakes players make when trying for a Religious Victory?

Neglecting early Faith generation.
Failing to defend against rival religions.
Not utilizing Apostle promotions effectively.
Ignoring technological advancements that can boost Faith output.
Not monitoring the religious demographics of other civilizations.

By understanding these principles and implementing them effectively, you’ll be well on your way to achieving a swift and decisive Religious Victory in Civilization 6.

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What is the easiest way to get religious victory in Civ 6?