Civ 6 Arabia Guide: Saladin Strategy (Religion & Science)

The Arabian Advantage: A Symphony of Faith and Reason

Understanding Arabia’s core mechanics is fundamental to executing a successful strategy. Analysis on competitive forums consistently highlights the powerful interplay of their unique abilities, which sets the stage for a dominant religion and science game.

• The Last Prophet (Civilization Ability): This is arguably one of the most powerful religious abilities in the game. Arabia is guaranteed to found a religion. You automatically receive the last Great Prophet when the second-to-last one is claimed by a rival civilization. This removes the immense early-game pressure of racing to build Holy Sites and generate Great Prophet points, freeing up precious production for expansion and infrastructure.
• Righteousness of the Faith (Saladin’s Leader Ability): This ability is the linchpin of the religion-science strategy. The worship building of your religion is a staggering 90% cheaper to purchase with Faith. More importantly, this building provides a 10% boost to Science, Faith, and Culture output in that city. This creates a powerful feedback loop where faith directly enhances scientific and cultural progress.
• Madrasa (Unique Building): Replacing the University, the Madrasa is a scientific powerhouse. It provides a base of +5 Science (compared to the University’s +4) and, crucially, generates additional Faith equal to the Campus district’s adjacency bonus. This further intertwines your scientific and religious districts, making high-adjacency Campuses even more valuable.
• Mamluk (Unique Unit): The Mamluk, a Knight replacement, is a formidable medieval-era heavy cavalry unit. Its unique ability to heal every turn, even after moving or attacking, makes it incredibly resilient. While not a direct bonus to science, the Mamluk provides unparalleled defense and the option for strategic offensive pushes to protect your burgeoning scientific empire.

Phase 1: The Ancient and Classical Eras – Laying a Foundation of Inevitability

The early game for Arabia is a patient and deliberate affair. While other civilizations are frantically competing for a Great Prophet, you can afford to be methodical, focusing on building a wide and robust empire.

Initial Priorities: Science, Expansion, and a Little Bit of Faith

Your primary objective is to establish a strong foundation for your empire while patiently waiting for your guaranteed prophet.

1. Prioritize Science and Expansion: Your first research priority should be Writing to unlock the Campus district. Many professional gamers suggest focusing on settling at least three to four cities in the early game. Look for locations with high-adjacency potential for Campuses (mountains, geothermal fissures) and, to a lesser extent, Holy Sites (natural wonders, mountains).
2. Founding Your Religion: Once the second-to-last Great Prophet is taken, you will automatically receive the last one. There is no need to rush Astrology or build a Holy Site in your first few cities. Instead, focus on building a strong economy and military. When your prophet arrives, you can then build a Holy Site and found your religion.
3. Pantheon Selection: Your choice of Pantheon should complement your long-term goals. A popular strategy is to select a Pantheon that provides a bonus to either faith or science generation.
   • Divine Spark: This Pantheon provides +1 Great Scientist point from Campus districts, accelerating your acquisition of key Great Scientists.
   • Religious Settlements: A free Settler is always a powerful start, allowing you to expand more rapidly.
   • Lady of the Reeds and Marshes: If your starting location is blessed with desert floodplains, this Pantheon can provide a significant production boost.

Choosing Your Beliefs: The Blueprint for a Theocratic Technocracy

Your choice of religious beliefs is critical and should be tailored to your science-focused strategy.

• Worship Belief: You must select a belief that provides a worship building to leverage Saladin’s “Righteousness of the Faith” ability. The specific building is less important than the fact that you have one. The Wat is a strong choice as it provides an additional +2 Science.
• Follower Belief: Jesuit Education is the undisputed top-tier choice for this strategy. It allows you to purchase Campus and Theater Square district buildings with Faith. This is an incredibly powerful ability that will allow you to rapidly develop your scientific infrastructure in the mid to late game.
• Founder Belief: Cross-Cultural Dialogue is an excellent choice, providing +1 Science for every 5 followers of your religion in other civilizations. This provides a direct scientific benefit for spreading your faith.

Phase 2: The Medieval and Renaissance Eras – The Engine of Progress

This is the era where your strategy truly comes online. Your early-game patience will be rewarded as you begin to build an unstoppable engine of faith and science.

Building the Madrasa and Worship Building Network

As soon as you unlock the Theology civic, you should begin building Madrasas in all of your Campuses. The Madrasa’s earlier availability compared to the University gives you a significant scientific advantage. In your cities with Holy Sites, build Temples and then immediately purchase your worship building for a pittance of Faith. This will activate the 10% science, faith, and culture bonus in those cities.

The Power of Proselytization: Spreading Your Scientific Gospel

With your faith generation ramping up, it’s time to start spreading your religion. Use your Faith to purchase Missionaries and Apostles and begin converting foreign cities. Every city that follows your religion will provide you with a small but significant science boost. On larger maps, this can add up to a substantial amount of science per turn.

The Versatility of Faith: Your Ultimate Currency

Your high Faith output is not just for spreading your religion. It is a versatile currency that can be used to accelerate your progress in numerous ways.

• Patronage of Great People: Use your Faith to purchase Great Scientists and Great Engineers. This will allow you to secure key individuals like Isaac Newton and James of St. George, who can provide game-changing bonuses.
• Jesuit Education in Action: With Jesuit Education, you can use your Faith to instantly purchase Libraries, Madrasas, and Research Labs in your Campus districts. This is a massive advantage that will allow you to keep pace with, and eventually surpass, even the most dedicated science civilizations.
• The Mamluk Deterrent: Your Mamluk corps should be used to defend your empire and deter potential aggressors. Their incredible survivability makes them a formidable defensive force, allowing you to focus on your scientific pursuits without fear of being overrun.

Phase 3: The Industrial Era to the Information Era – Reaching for the Stars

By the time you reach the late game, your empire should be a scientific and religious juggernaut. Your high science output will allow you to rapidly progress through the tech tree, while your immense faith generation will provide you with the means to overcome any obstacle.

The Final Frontier: The Space Race

Your primary focus in the late game is the space race. Prioritize the technologies needed to unlock the Spaceport district and the subsequent space race projects.

Leveraging Your Unholy Alliance of Faith and Science

• Global Conversion: Continue to spread your religion to every corner of the globe. The science bonus from foreign cities following your religion will become even more significant as you approach the end of the game.
• Faith-Fueled Science: Use your massive Faith reserves to purchase the remaining Great Scientists and Great Engineers. A well-timed Great Engineer can be used to rush a critical space race project, saving you dozens of turns.
• Wonders of the Scientific World: Consider building science-boosting wonders like the Oxford University and the Amundsen-Scott Research Station. These wonders will provide a significant boost to your science output, further accelerating your progress towards a science victory.

The Inevitable Ascent

The path to a religion and science victory with Arabia is not one of brute force, but of elegant synergy. By patiently laying the groundwork in the early game, you can build an unstoppable engine of progress in the mid and late game. The community of expert players agrees that Saladin’s Arabia is a top-tier civilization for a reason. Their unique abilities allow for a flexible and powerful strategy that is both enjoyable to play and incredibly effective. By embracing the symbiotic relationship between faith and reason, you can lead Arabia to its rightful place amongst the stars, proving that the path to the heavens is paved with both piety and progress.