Imagine a world where every minor civilization, from the most isolated mountain hamlet to the busiest coastal port, is singularly devoted to the divine. In this alternate reality of Civilization 6, the familiar landscape of scientific, cultural, militaristic, and economic city-states is gone, replaced by a world united in its quest for spiritual enlightenment. This isn’t just a minor tweak to the game’s mechanics; it’s a fundamental reimagining of its strategic core. A scenario where all city-states are religious would dramatically accelerate the pace of the game, elevate Faith to the status of a primary resource, and force a complete re-evaluation of every victory condition. This guide offers a comprehensive analysis of the strategies, civilizations, and counter-plays that would dominate in such a faith-saturated world.
The New World Order: A Faith-Saturated Globe
The most immediate and profound impact of an all-religious city-state world is the sheer, unadulterated flood of Faith available to every civilization. According to the player community, the early game would transform into a frantic race for envoys, as even a single envoy in a handful of city-states would provide a substantial boost to Faith generation.
Let’s break down the numbers. A single envoy in a religious city-state grants +2 Faith in your capital. With a dozen city-states on a standard map, a player who is the first to meet them all could easily be generating an extra 24 Faith per turn before the classical era even begins. This alone is enough to secure a pantheon in the first few turns of the game.
As the game progresses, these bonuses stack to an absurd degree. With three envoys, each city-state grants an additional +2 Faith in every Holy Site district. At six envoys, this bonus is applied again. A player with suzerainty over several city-states and a handful of well-placed Holy Sites would be generating hundreds of Faith per turn, a figure usually only achievable in the late game by the most dedicated religious civilizations. Analysis on forums shows that this “Faith inflation” would devalue Faith as a victory-specific resource and elevate it to a universal currency, impacting every aspect of gameplay.
Suzerainty as the Ultimate Religious Weapon
In a world brimming with Faith, the true power lies not just in raw generation, but in the unique suzerain bonuses offered by each religious city-state. The competition for suzerainty would be fierce, as these bonuses become the key to unlocking truly game-breaking strategies. Many professional gamers suggest that the entire diplomatic game would revolve around securing and maintaining control of a select few “god-tier” city-states.
Here is a strategic breakdown of the most critical religious city-states in this new world order:
Tier S: The Untouchables
- Yerevan: In a normal game, Yerevan is considered one of the most powerful city-states for a religious victory. In this scenario, it becomes the single most important city-state on the map, period. Its suzerain bonus, which allows Apostles to choose any promotion, is nothing short of game-breaking. Instead of relying on the luck of the draw, a player with Yerevan’s suzerainty can custom-build an army of “super apostles.” Imagine an endless stream of apostles with the “Debater” promotion (+20 Religious Strength in Theological Combat), the “Proselytizer” promotion (removes 75% of other religions’ pressure), and the “Translator” promotion (triples strength in foreign cities). This combination creates an unstoppable religious wave that can convert entire civilizations in a matter of turns.
Tier A: The Kingmakers
- Kandy: With relics becoming a more reliable source of both Faith and Tourism, Kandy’s bonus (+50% Faith from all Relics, and a free Relic for each new natural wonder discovered) becomes a cornerstone of a powerful Culture/Faith hybrid strategy. A player who can secure Kandy and build the Mont St. Michel wonder would be able to generate a massive amount of both Faith and Tourism from martyred apostles.
- Chinguetti: This city-state’s bonus (+1 Faith for every follower in the origin city on trade routes) is a slow burn that can become incredibly powerful in the mid to late game. For civilizations with a strong trade game, like Mali or Egypt, Chinguetti can provide a steady and substantial income of Faith, fueling everything from apostle spam to the purchase of Great People.
- Vatican City: The ability to spread religious pressure upon activating a Great Person is highly situational, but in a Faith-heavy game, it can be a powerful tool for both offense and defense. A player generating a large number of Great People can use Vatican City’s bonus to soften up rival cities before a religious push, or to reinforce their own religious dominance at home.
Tier B: The Supporting Cast
- Jerusalem: While its bonus of making Holy Sites exert pressure as if they were Holy Cities is useful, it is ultimately a passive ability in a game that would be defined by aggressive religious conversion. It’s a “nice to have,” but not a game-changer on the level of Yerevan or Kandy.
- Armagh: The Monastery improvement is a solid addition to any empire, providing Faith, Housing, and a defensive bonus for religious units. However, it lacks the raw power of the higher-tier city-states.
- La Venta: The Colossal Heads are a decent source of early Faith, but their value diminishes as the game progresses. They are most useful for civilizations that can leverage their tourism output in the late game.
The Accelerated Path to Religious Victory
A popular strategy is to leverage the abundance of Faith to achieve a religious victory at a pace that would be unthinkable in a standard game. The early game would be a mad dash to found a religion and secure the suzerainty of Yerevan. Once this is achieved, the path to victory is clear.
The core of the strategy is to build a “death stack” of apostles, each with a carefully selected set of promotions. A typical offensive apostle would have the “Debater” and “Proselytizer” promotions, making them incredibly effective at both converting cities and destroying enemy religious units. Defensive apostles, with promotions like “Chaplain” (heals all adjacent religious units) and “Indefatigable” (does not lose religious strength after moving), would be used to protect your borders and heal your offensive units.
Theological combat would become a central feature of the game, with massive battles between armies of apostles taking place on the borders of rival civilizations. The “condemn unit” action, where a military unit can destroy a religious unit, would also become a much more important strategic consideration.
Beyond Divine Mandate: Faith’s Role in Other Victories
While the Religious Victory is the most obvious path in this scenario, the sheer abundance of Faith makes it a powerful tool for every other victory type as well.
- Science Victory: A popular strategy is to adopt the “Jesuit Education” belief, which allows the purchase of Campus and Theater Square district buildings with Faith. In a world where Faith is plentiful, this belief becomes incredibly powerful, allowing a player to essentially “buy” their way up the tech tree. Faith can also be used to purchase Great Scientists and Engineers, further accelerating scientific progress.
- Culture Victory: The synergy between Faith and Culture is undeniable. Rock Bands, one of the most powerful tools for a Culture Victory, are purchased with Faith. National Parks, another key source of tourism, are also created by Naturalists, which are purchased with Faith. With Kandy’s suzerain bonus, a player can also generate a significant amount of tourism from relics.
- Domination Victory: The Grand Master’s Chapel allows the purchase of land units with Faith. This, combined with the “Holy War” casus belli (which provides a justification for war against civilizations of a different religion), makes a religious-military hybrid strategy incredibly viable. A player could use their massive Faith generation to build a large army and then use that army to conquer their rivals under the guise of a holy war.
Civilization Strategies: Who Reigns Supreme?
In this faith-drenched world, certain civilizations are naturally better equipped to thrive than others. Analysis on forums shows that the following civilizations would be at the top of the power rankings:
Top-Tier Civs
- Russia: With their Lavra district providing a cheap and powerful source of early Faith and Great Prophet points, Russia is perfectly positioned to dominate the early religious game. Their ability to generate Faith from tundra tiles also gives them a significant advantage on certain maps.
- Mali: Mansa Musa’s ability to generate massive amounts of both Gold and Faith makes him a powerhouse in this scenario. He can use his wealth to buy his way to suzerainty over key city-states, and then use his Faith to purchase an endless stream of apostles.
- Byzantium: Basil II’s unique ability to spread his religion upon defeating enemy units makes him a natural fit for a “crusader” playstyle. In a world where theological combat is constant, Byzantium’s bonus would be a powerful tool for both religious and military expansion.
- Ethiopia: Menelik II’s ability to generate Science and Culture from Faith makes him a versatile and powerful leader in this scenario. He can easily pivot between a Religious, Science, or Culture victory, depending on the needs of the game.
Counter-Strategies: Stemming the Tide of Faith
For players who find themselves on the defensive against a religious onslaught, all is not lost. A popular strategy is to focus on a strong military and use it to “condemn” enemy apostles. This not only removes the immediate threat, but also provides a significant boost to your own religious pressure.
Inquisitors are another powerful defensive tool. They are cheap to produce and are incredibly effective at removing rival religions from your territory. A well-placed inquisitor can hold the line against even the most determined religious assault.
Finally, there is the “heresy” option: to ignore religion altogether and focus on a different victory condition. While this is a risky strategy, it can be effective if you are able to build a strong enough military to defend yourself from the inevitable crusades that will be launched against you.
A New Age of Faith
A world where all city-states are religious would be a world transformed. The game would be faster, more aggressive, and more focused on the generation and expenditure of Faith than ever before. The Religious Victory would become a constant threat, forcing every player to engage with the religious game on some level. But the true beauty of this scenario lies in the unexpected ways that Faith would bleed into every other aspect of the game, creating new and exciting strategic possibilities. In this world, Faith is not just a path to victory; it is the very air that civilizations breathe, the currency of power, and the ultimate measure of a ruler’s worth.