Mastering the Divine: A Guide to Great Prophets in Civilization V

So, you’ve got a Great Prophet in Civilization V. Congratulations! This powerful unit holds the key to shaping your civilization’s spiritual path. But what exactly do you do with them? The primary function of a Great Prophet is to found or enhance a religion. Early in the game, they are your ticket to establishing your Pantheon, and later, your Religion. Once a Pantheon is established, spending your Great Prophet allows you to pick your religious beliefs, spreading them across your empire and beyond. It’s a crucial step toward a cultural or religious victory, influencing diplomatic relations, and providing powerful bonuses to your civilization.

Founding Your Pantheon and Religion

The first Great Prophet usually goes toward founding your Pantheon (if you have one). Once you have a pantheon, you will found your religion. Once you acquire a Great Prophet, move them to your Holy Site (or Stonehenge, if you built it) and activate their ability. This will prompt you to choose your religion’s name, icon, and, most importantly, its core beliefs. These beliefs dictate the bonuses your religion provides.

Enhancing Your Religion

After founding a religion, your next Great Prophet should almost always be used to enhance it. Enhancing allows you to choose a second set of beliefs, effectively doubling the benefits your religion provides. Timing is critical. Enhancing early allows you to spread your enhanced religion before other civilizations establish competing faiths. This is key for dominance.

Spreading the Word

After enhancing your religion, you may get the option to spread it. Great Prophets have a limited number of “spread religion” charges, typically four. Use these charges strategically to convert key cities, especially those of rival civilizations. Spreading your religion can exert cultural influence and can also cause unrest and even conversion of entire cities.

Using a Great Prophet to Create a Holy Site

While less common, a Great Prophet can also be used to create a Holy Site. This is useful if you need more Faith generation, especially in cities with limited tile yields. Creating a Holy Site can provide adjacency bonuses to other districts later in the game.

Frequently Asked Questions About Great Prophets in Civ 5

Here are some frequently asked questions with detailed answers to help you master the usage of Great Prophets in Civilization V:

1. Is it too late to create a Pantheon in Civ 5?

   Pantheons may not be founded once any religion in the world has been enhanced (unless there are still fewer pantheons than the maximum number of religions allowed on that map size, in which case they still can). Focus on accumulating Faith early through Cultural Wonders, Natural Wonders, or policies. This allows you to acquire a Great Prophet before another civilization enhances their religion and cuts you off.

2. How do you make a Great Prophet in Civ 5?

   Great Prophets are earned as the result of collecting Faith. Once you’ve accumulated enough Faith (at least 200 in a standard speed game), you have a chance to spawn a Great Prophet. This chance increases as you accumulate more Faith and can be modified by specific beliefs and wonders. Prioritize Faith generation early in the game by building Shrines and Temples, choosing relevant policies, and exploiting Natural Wonders that provide Faith.

3. How many Great Prophets are there per game?

   The number of Great Prophets available in a given game depends on the size of the map, being equal to half the default number of players plus one. This scarcity emphasizes the importance of securing a Great Prophet early.

4. How many Great Prophet points do you need?

   Being that you can only get one Great Prophet in a game (most of the time), this means that great prophet points have no use once you’ve founded a religion or received a great prophet. Holy Site prayers do give Faith, so it’s not entirely worthless.

5. How much Faith does the Great Prophet have?

   The Great Prophet unit itself doesn’t “have” Faith. Rather, you need to accumulate at least 200 Faith (in a Standard speed game) to have a chance to spawn one.

6. Can you found a religion without a Pantheon in Civ 5?

   Yes, if you have a Great Prophet, you can always found a religion regardless of your Pantheon status. Building the Hagia Sophia for the free Great Prophet you can get around this.

7. What is the point of Prophets?

   In Civilization V, Prophets are the key to founding and enhancing your religion, spreading it, and creating Holy Sites. They are essential for cultural and religious victories, influencing city-state relations, and providing powerful bonuses to your civilization.

8. Do great prophets have attrition Civ 5?

   Great Prophets do not take attrition damage in enemy territory. They are more resilient than Missionaries and Inquisitors, making them valuable for converting cities far from your borders.

9. What’s the best Pantheon Civ 5?

   There’s no single “best” Pantheon, as the optimal choice depends on your civilization, terrain, and strategy. Some popular and effective options include:

   • Goddess of Festivals: Provides Culture from Plantations, excellent for civilizations focusing on Culture.
   • Faith Healers: Heals adjacent units, useful for aggressive early-game military strategies.
   • Messenger of the Gods: Boosts Science in cities with connections to the capital, great for science-focused civilizations.
   • God of the Sea: Provides Production from fishing boats, beneficial for coastal civilizations.

10. What do great generals do in Civ 5?

    Great Generals do not spread religion in Civ 5. You are thinking of Great Prophets. Great Generals increase the combat strength of nearby military units. Great Generals create and plan strategies to protect a civilization from its enemies, creating bold offensives, strong fortifications and cunning traps.

11. How many times can you spread your religion in Civ 5?

    Each Great Prophet will be able to spread the religion 4 times.

12. Can you remove a religion from a city in Civ 5?

    Yes, but only with an Inquisitor.

13. Who are the three great prophets?

    The article refers to the biblical prophets, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

14. Can you found a religion and enhance it with the same prophet in Civ 5?

    No. A Great Prophet can only perform one of these actions, found or enhance.

15. Can you have a Pantheon and still not get a religion in Civ 5?

    Yes, if you do not spawn/buy a Great Prophet to found the religion.

By understanding the role and capabilities of Great Prophets, you can leverage their power to guide your civilization to victory. Remember to plan ahead, prioritize Faith generation, and make strategic decisions about when and where to use your Great Prophets for maximum impact.

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