Highlights
- Winning a Religion Victory in Civilization 6 can be tricky in multiplayer games.
- Certain civilizations have advantages in spreading religion quickly and effectively.
- Japan, Ethiopia, and Khmer are strong contenders for achieving a Religion Victory.
Due to its prerequisites and potential friction against the neighboring civilizations in the process, a Religion Victory can be quite tricky to win for players of Civilization 6, especially when they are trying to earn it in a multiplayer game session. Other experienced human players will immediately be alert for any kind of attempt to win with a Religion Victory.
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However, some civilizations can gain a Religion Victory out of their sheer advantage that no other players can stop, even when they can gain a slight advantage. Between their massive Faith output and reliable ways of spreading religion, these civilizations can be relied on to consistently earn a Religion Victory.
Updated April 13, 2024 by Evan Arnoldi: With the number of playable civilizations in Civilization 6, some are more suited to achieving a Religion Victory than others. These civilizations can gain a huge advantage in spreading their religion to others via religious units or simple religious pressure that can convert a neighboring city within a few turns.
These civilizations are also capable of gaining huge Faith per turn to further facilitate this process. With these advantages, new civilizations will be considered regarding the Religion mechanic.
1 Japan
Build Holy Sites Quicker Than Others
- Build Holy Sites, Theater Squares, and Encampments in half the time
- Gain bonus adjacency for each adjacent district to +1 instead of +0.5
One of the best ways to acquire a quick Religion Victory is to build a large number of Holy Sites to gain Faith, and playing as the Japanese under Hojo Tokimune is one of the best ways to do it. His unique ability enables various districts to be built at half the time, including the precious Holy Sites for a Religion Victory. The quick construction of Holy Districts can also enable them to quickly acquire a strong Pantheon that is usually taken at the first few turns.
Moreover, the Japanese innate bonus of having more bonus adjacency than other civilizations makes them one of the strongest civilizations to try winning a Religion Victory. By having well-planned cities to build a huge adjacent bonus for several Holy Sites, Faith generation will not be a problem at all for them to spread their religion. With these bonuses, players will need to pay close attention to what districts Japan is currently building in a game of Civilization 6.
2 Ethiopia
Rapidly Generate Faith Through Various Means
- Cities founded on Hills gain Science and Culture equal to 15% of their Faith output
- Each improved resource tile in a city grant +1 Faith
- International Trade Routes grant +0.5 Faith for each resource in the origin city
As one of the civilizations that can generate a massive amount of faith, Ethiopia becomes one of the contenders that can suddenly achieve a Religion Victory if their efforts in generating Faith are left unchecked. They can generate Faith through various means, including improving resources and having international trade routes from a city with improved resources. This will allow them to focus on building cities near useful resources, be it luxury, strategic, or even bonus resources, as it allows their Faith generation to snowball on a high scale.
Moreover, they can focus on generating Faith while still acquiring Culture for powerful policies and Science for the best technologies in the game, as long as the cities are founded on hills. With these bonuses, a game with Ethiopia will need closer attention as they will be able to achieve victory silently without other players noticing their slow but steady approach to spreading their religion to the world.
3 Khmer
Acquire Huge Faith Generation With Productive Cities
- Cities with Aqueducts receive bonus Amenity and Faith for every population
- Able to build Prasat on a Holy Site instead of a Temple, which grants more Faith than the normal Temple and 0.5 Culture for every population, and provides 10 Tourism if the city has 10 or more population, and 20 Tourism for more than 20 population
Having productive cities with a huge population is always one of the most important things to do in Civilization 6. Consequently, these productive cities will be able to produce the desired yield for the player to acquire their victory type, which in this case, is the Religion Victory. The Khmer can provide such a solution with its rapidly growing cities and unique Prasat building.
By having their cities near rivers and placing an Aqueduct near them, the Khmer are able to acquire a lot of Faith generation for every population of the city. Moreover, the unique Prasat also generates more Faith than the usual Temple, making it more convenient for them to acquire more Faith in the long run and enhance their Religion as a result.
4 Indian
Benefits From Other Religious Beliefs In Cities
- Cities receive follower beliefs from all Religions in them, not just the majority Religion, and gain +1 Amenity for each Religion in the city
- Missionaries can spread Religion for 2 more charges
- Religion pressure from trade routes is doubled
In a Civilization 6 game, a player can expect to compete with other civilizations in all aspects of the game, including in the Religion part, as other civilizations will be trying to spread their Religion as well. India can use this to their advantage, as its cities receive all the follower beliefs of all Religions, not just the majority Religion.
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Fans that are dabbling in religion can find details on Civilization 6's best Follower, Worship, Founder, and Enhancer Beliefs here.
Moreover, their Missionaries can spread Religion with 2 more charges, which is incredibly useful when trying to gain a Religion Victory. India can also try to convert cities passively via their trade routes, as the pressure is doubled due to their unique Civ ability.
5 Georgian
Use Dramatic Age Policies For A Religion Advantage
- With Dramatic Ages, gain additional Wildcard policy slots in all governments. Able to use Dark Age policy cards as well during other ages
- Without Dramatic Ages, dedications chosen at the beginning of a Golden or Heroic Age also grant Normal Age bonuses
- Increased production towards Walls by 50%
- Able to build Tsikhe instead of Renaissance Walls, which have lower production costs and generate Faith. Doubles all bonuses while in a Golden Age
Achieving a Golden Age or at least a Normal Age during a game of Civilization 6 is crucial as it allows the player to gain more advantages and keep their civilizations snowballing into the newer ages. This doubly applies to Georgia, as their bonuses are tied to Golden Ages, which in turn can be used to gain more advantages by using either Dedications or Wildcard bonuses dedicated to Religion Victory.
Moreover, the Tsikhe which replaces Renaissance Walls, enables Georgia to safely focus on acquiring Faith without having too much reliance on the military side of the game, as it safeguards them from any attempted invasion from warmongering neighbors.
6 Polish
Convert Cities With Innocous Culture Bombs
- Able to take other city's territory via Culture Bombs by building an Encampment or a Fort. Cities that have their territory taken are instantly converted to Poland's Religion.
- Relics grant more Gold, Culture, and Faith bonuses.
- One military policy slot is converted into a Wildcard policy slot.
Although Poland is a strong civilization to play, players will need to focus on one victory type only, as the all-rounder bonuses might divert a player's focus on one victory type. With their unique ability to take other civilizations' territory and convert them instantly to their Religion with Culture Bombs, Poland can safely convert cities without generating Grievances.
Moreover, acquiring Relics will be more beneficial for Poland players to focus on generating more bonuses in Gold, Culture, and Faith, making it easier for them to build Missionaries and Apostles to convert other civilizations' cities.
7 Byzantine
Fight Ferociously Under A Religious Banner
- Increase combat and religious strength for all units for each Holy City converted to Byzantium's Religion
- Byzantium's Religion is spread when a unit from an enemy civilization or city-state is defeated
Earning a Religion Victory can also translate to a perilous time of war against other civilizations, as they tend to not appreciate having another Religion invade their cities, provided that they have their own Religion as well. However, the Byzantines relish these warmongering tendencies, as their unique ability allows them to convert other civilizations' cities for every victory they earn.
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Warmongers in Civ 6 can become leaders of these city-states to earn buffs that will aid them in their goal for a Domination Victory.
Moreover, Byzantines are incentivized to invade other Holy Cities, as it empowers their combat and religious units after taking each of them. Although it might look like warmongering at first glance, it is more beneficial for Byzantium to go along the path of a Religion Victory due to its unique bonuses.
8 Malian
Buy A Way Into Religion Dominance Via Faith And Gold Dominance
- City Centers gain bonus Faith and Food for every adjacent Desert tile
- Mines lose 1 Production, but gain 4 Gold in return
- May purchase Commercial Hub buildings with Faith
- Able to build Suguba instead of a Commercial Hub, which discounts all purchases made with either Gold or Faith
Although settling in Desert tiles might not be beneficial for other civilizations, Mali prefers it over other tiles due to their bonuses, as their city centers benefit from every adjacent Desert tile. The bonus Faith and Food facilitate a Religion rush, as they will be able to both find a Pantheon and Religion quickly with their generation.
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Moreover, their strong economy allows them to simply buy their way into advancement, and it will be discounted as well through the Suguba. Aside from buying buildings and units, the extra Gold can be used to acquire luxury resources as well. All in all, Mali players are expected to dominate the economic climate of a Civilization 6 game.
9 Russian
This All-Rounder Civilization Is Capable Of Religion Victory As Well
- Founded cities start with five additional tiles
- Tundra tiles provide additional Faith and Production
- Able to build Lavra instead of Holy Site, which can be built for less Production and grants extra points in acquiring cultural Great People if there is a building in the district
Veteran players of Civilization 6 will not be surprised and will be up for a difficult game when they see Russia is on their map. This civilization can easily focus on multiple victory types, including a Culture Victory, due to their outrageous unique abilities and tendency to settle on Tundra tiles, which other players might avoid instead.
With their Lavra, Russia is also able to rush the Dance of the Aurora Pantheon to gain more Faith as it allows their Lavra to get 1 Faith from each adjacent Tundra tile. This makes them able to easily build large numbers of Missionaries and Apostles to convert other cities rapidly.
