Best Religion Beliefs In Civ 6

Key Takeaways

• Founding a Religion in Civ 6 requires a Great Prophet & Pantheon.
• Select Religion Beliefs wisely; consider terrain & victory conditions.
• High-powered Religion Beliefs like Mosque & Pagoda offer strategic advantages.

Once a player has selected one of the best Pantheons in Civilization 6 and attracted a Great Prophet, they will then be able to found a Religion. This will in turn require fans to make several tough decisions, as they will need to select several Religion Beliefs, each of which grants its own special bonuses and perks. For those players having trouble picking their Religion Beliefs in Civilization 6, this guide should help quite a bit.

To note, as players get more experience with Civilization 6 they are likely to deviate from the Religion Beliefs that are recommended below. Indeed, these fans will be able to assess Beliefs relative to things like terrain and desired victory conditions on a per-game basis, allowing them to pick the perfect Beliefs for every set of circumstances. That said, the Civ 6 Religion Beliefs selected for this guide all have a high raw power level, and newer players should certainly consider them on their first playthrough.

Updated on October 30, 2024, by Rhenn Taguiam: With Civilization 7 having just been teased to revamp some elements of the Civilization franchise, fans might be excited to discover just what the installment can over that improves upon its predecessors. However, players who want to enjoy Civilization’s unique objective-based victory system might want to hop back to Civilization 6 and explore its more unique gameplay mechanics – such as Religion Beliefs that can affect not only a Civ’s overall outlook on Religion but even provide bonuses to other gameplay elements. Fans should consider looking into how Religion Beliefs under certain groups can affect gameplay factors to decide which ones are worth the investment.

How To Found A New Religion

Create A Religion From Scratch

Before players even think about selecting Beliefs, they need to found a new Religion. Founding a Religion in Civ 6 requires a Great Prophet and a Pantheon. Players must accrue enough Great Prophet points before the unit itself can be claimed. There are several methods for collecting Great Prophet points; the most straightforward way is by capturing Holy Sites, which generate +1 Great Prophet points per turn.

While players are working towards unlocking a Great Prophet, they can also focus on establishing a Pantheon. A Pantheon is created automatically once players accumulate 25 Faith points. Once fans have both a Pantheon and a Great Prophet, the latter can be used to found a new Religion in any Holy Site district or the Stonehenge Wonder (if available).

Mosque (Worship)

Get +3 Faith, +1 Spread Religion Charge To Missionaries, Apostles

Among Worship structures that players can create in their Civilization 6 experience, the Mosque (Worship) is the most inclined to support a Civ’s religious endeavors. Having one provides +3 Faith and +1 Spread Religion charge to Missionaries and Apostles, giving them extra juice in their efforts to spread the player’s religion to areas they visit.

Perhaps the best advantage of the Mosque in traditional Religion Victory pursuits is the fact that players only generally need one Mosque to thrive for the entire game. At its core, this easily makes the Mosque a worthwhile investment with the best long-term rewards. Stats-wise, combining the Mosque with the Hagia Sophia (Medieval Era Wonder) for +4 Faith and +1 Spread Religion Charge plus the Orator (Apostle Promotion) for +2 Spread Religion Charges can give Apostles a whopping +7 Spread Religion Charges.

Stupa (Worship)

Get +3 Faith, +1 Amenity

Maintaining the general happiness of citizens is an often-overlooked aspect in Civilization 6 gameplay, especially with the many things going on in the grand strategy experience. However, as the Amenities mechanic would start to emphasize, fulfilling these needs can proc boosts such as boosts to Food Yields and Population Growth. Aside from Luxury Resources, Entertainment, and Civics being common resources of Amenities, the added boost from the Stupa (Worship) and its +3 Faith and +1 Amenity boost might be all that a player needs to get the bonuses of the very next Amenities level for their cities.

The Amenity bonus of the Stupa might seem small, but it can do wonders from a technical level. In Domination Victories, this Amenity boost can help alleviate War Weariness, especially without the presence of the Colosseum and an abundance of Luxuries. Not only that, but the statistical benefit of the Stupa can make or break modifiers – just that point can bring a negative modifier to a neutral modifier, or a neutral modifier to a passive modifier.

Pagoda (Worship)

Get +3 Faith, +1 Diplomatic Favor Per Turn

At base, the Pagoda (Worship) simply provides +3 Faith and +1 Housing – this extra Housing benefit can help alleviate the eventual restrictions poised by Housing in the mid-game to the late-game of Civilization 6 playthroughs. In Gathering Storm, the Pagoda now provides +3 Faith and +1 Diplomatic Favor per turn.

This transforms the Pagoda into an efficient tool to pursue Diplomatic Victory, especially in the World Congress where Diplomatic Favor can ensure policies don’t immediately affect players negatively. Although the Gurdwara might be the more favorable choice for its sustainability focus (+3 Faith and +2 Food at base, with +1 Housing in Gathering Storm), the Pagoda is an easy choice for players who want a Diplomatic Victory as soon as possible.

Sacred Places (Founder)

Get +2 Science, +2 Culture, +2 Gold, +2 Faith For Every Follower City With A Wonder

A Wonder’s massive advantages can make them a desirable prospect for any Civilization, especially those pursuing Cultural Victories. It’s for this reason that Sacred Places (Founder) can become quite the must-have Religion Belief for players who choose Civilizations that heavily rely on building Wonders. After all, a city with a Wonder immediately provides +2 Science, +2 Culture, +2 Gold, and +2 Faith provided they’re following the player’s Religion. Have enough cities with a Wonder and these bonuses can snowball into advantages that put players ahead of the pack.

In turn, Sacred Places is a great Religion Belief to choose for Wonder-focused Civs. These include China (Qin Shih Huang) that can build Wonders even in unideal starting locations, Germany (Ludwig II) through Great Engineers, Egypt that specializes in Wonders close to rivers, and France that specialize in building Wonders in the mid-game.

Pilgrimage (Founder)

Get +2 Faith For Every Follower City In Other Civs

Players out to win a Religion Victory can do so rather traditionally with Pilgrimage (Founder). Unlike other Religion Beliefs, Pilgrimage is as straightforward as it gets in terms of overall gameplay efficiency. Gaining +2 Faith per Follower City among other Civilizations incentivizes sending Missionaries and Apostles to spread the word of the player’s Faith. Should a player’s strategy end up focusing on large-scale conversion, players can easily snowball their Faith acquisition and secure a Religion Victory much faster.

It’s also for this reason that Pilgrimage is often combo’d with Reliquaries (Follower, x3 Faith and Tourism from Relics), the Mosque (+3 Faith, +1 Spread Religion charge for Missionaries and Apostles), and Holy Order (30% cheaper costs for Missionaries and Apostles). After all, the lesser cost for Religion agents combined with more benefits ensures players are incentivized to pursue spreading Religion and rewarded for accomplishing it.

Tithe (Founder)

Get +1 Gold For Every 4 Followers

Players looking for a more efficient means of boosting their economy can look at Tithe (Founder) as an effective means of using Religion to build a sizable wealth. Instead of relying heavily on Trade Routes, players can simply spread their Followers across the map and let the Gold flow – a useful strategy, especially since the Follower count also considers the player’s own territories. Expand (or dominate) far enough, and Tithe can become quite a Gold-producing mechanic.

At first glance, the immediate effective use-case of Tithe is for Domination Victory, as having many Followers across the game can easily push more Gold Production. It’s very likely for players pursuing a Religion Victory to push creating as many Holy Sites as they can, but this also means offsetting their Production through Commercial Hubs. Due to its economic focus, Tithe is a decent Religion Belief for players pushing for better Production without necessarily wanting to focus on a Religion Victory.

Religious Colonization (Enhancer)

Cities Begin With This Religion In Place If Founded By A Player Using This As Their Majority Religion

While it’s true that players need to make an active effort to send their Missionaries and Apostles to more distant locations in order to convert cities, Religious Colonization (Enhancer) makes a Religion’s foothold more permanent for players. At first glance, just “securing” a new city’s Religion into that of the player’s seems rather unremarkable. However, players in it for the long haul can thank Religious Colonization for not needing them to send Missionaries and Apostles to new locations.

Religious Colonization becomes especially useful when up-and-coming Civilizations converted into the player’s Religion begin colonizing more territories for themselves. If said Civ founds enough new areas, there’s a likelihood of switching their Religion. Thanks to Religious Colonization, new cities found by a Civ with the player’s Religion now need to actually create Inquisitors to replace their Religion. This takes time on their part, allowing players to send Missionaries and Apostles if necessary to stop the measure.

Crusade (Enhancer)

Foreigner Follower Cities Give +10 Combat Strength To Combat Units Within Their Borders

Players out to win a Domination Victory can do so rather aggressively with Crusade (Enhancer). Just having a foreign city of the player’s religion will grant +10 Combat Strength to combat units within their borders – providing a decent boost in times of war.

Due to the aggressive nature of the Belief, Crusade works best with Civs with a penchant for expansionism – strategies ideal for the likes of Byzantium, Poland, and even Spain. If using Crusader on a more “straightforward” strategy, even preparing for a war against a neighboring country of the same Religion can ensure the player’s military retains an edge by virtue of their faith. From an expansionist mindset, “neighbor” of course will start to expand into further and further regions the more players start expanding their domain.

Holy Order (Enhancer)

Missionaries And Apostles Now 30% Cheaper To Purchase

As players may have experienced during their Civilization 6 playthroughs, spreading enough Missionaries and Apostles across the game world can contribute a lot of Faith – making them an essential mechanic in Religion Victories. However, Holy Order (Enhancer) making them 30% cheaper to purchase can provide an unprecedented advantage for early-game expansion.

Thanks to the purchase discount, players can have access to more Missionaries and Apostles to expand their Religion more effectively across various Civs and locations. Likewise, this means players can get access to more Faith and be able to upgrade their Religion more efficiently. Depending on how players pair Holy Order with other Religion Beliefs, they may be able to gun for a fast and loose Religion Victory to ensure Civs are ripe for the taking once they’re converted into their Religion.

Choral Music (Follower)

Shrines And Temples Give Culture Equal To Their Faith Output

Players pursuing a Cultural Victory in their Civilization 6 gameplay know very well that Religion can play a key role in achieving early victory. The bonuses of Choral Music (Follower) to Culture based on their Faith can help supplement this pursuit, especially if players don’t have the resources to build a lot of Theater Square Districts.

Regardless of what Victory Condition players want to pull off, Culture can help any Civ push for milestones to make progress in their objectives. Choral Music can be especially helpful for timing-intensive Civs that rely on Culture such as Indonesia, Poland, or Vietnam. However, Choral Music is also a must-have for Civs and strategies that rely on building a lot of Holy Sites, as this can just be a player’s way of achieving a quick Cultural Victory.

Feed The World (Follower)

Shrines And Temples Give Food Equal To Their Faith Output

It’s a common religious belief that “god will provide,” and this is exactly what Feed The World (Follower) does for players. When activated, Feed The World ensures Shrines and Temples now provide Food equal to their Faith output. Despite this straightforward benefit, Feed The World can become an early-game booster when used properly. At its core, early-game settlers near mines with Feed The World will enable cities to thrive at the onset of the game as they have a source of Production while having enough sustenance. This will also allow settlements in areas like Coasts, Deserts, and Tundras that would otherwise be uninhabitable for ordinary Civs.

Feed The World is especially more effective in the Gathering Storm expansion, as Shrines and Temples provide flat +3 Food and +2 Housing bonuses. When combined with the Gurwara (Worship) that provides +3 Faith, +2 Food, and +1 Housing (only Faith and Food in the base game), then players can have a constant resource of Food – vital for early-game expansion. It’s for this reason that Feed The World is effective for Civs that rely on high-population setups, such as Russia and Yongle China.

Work Ethic (Follower)

Faith Adjacency Bonus Of Holy Site Districts Also Provide Production

When players activate Work Ethic (Follower), their Holy Site Districts now provide Production on top of their Faith Adjacency Bonus. This boost might not seem a lot at first glance, but setting this up with the right tiles can make it one of the best Production-oriented strategies in the game. Should players use Work Ethic with Desert, Rainforest, or Tundra Adjacency Bonuses, players may be able snowball their early-game momentum into a convenient playthrough.

Players who try to use Work Ethic with +6 Production and +12 Production Holy Sites can provide a big enough boost that they may technically be able to ignore Religion for a while and reap the benefits of increased economic efficiency. It’s also for this reason that using Russia with Work Ethic on a Tundra is a favored combination for players.