Top Civs for Quickest Religious Victory in Civilization VI

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• Theodora - Byzantine

• Menelik II - Ethiopia

• Jayavarman VII - Khmer

• Peter - Russia

In Civilization 6, pursuing a Religious Victory can be one of the swiftest paths to triumph, especially when fewer competitors are vying for religious dominance. Certain civilizations in Civ 6 are particularly adept at generating Faith, swiftly capturing other Holy Sites, and achieving a rapid Religious Victory. While other civilizations may offer more consistent paths to a Religious Victory, the leaders highlighted here can secure it quickly under the right conditions and with a focus on Faith-centric strategies.

Theodora - Byzantine

Easily Convert Cities While Conquering Them

Theodora Leader Ability: Metanoia

Holy Sites also grant Culture equal to their Adjacency Bonus. Farms gain +1 Faith from Hippodromes and Holy Sites.

Byzantine Civ Ability: Taxis

+3 Combat and Religious Strength for all units for every Holy City you have converted, including Byzantium. Whenever you kill a unit, your Religion spreads to its controlling Civilization or City-State.

Unique Units

• Dromon (Classical Ranged unit)
• Hippodrome (replaces Entertainment Complex, grants Amenities and a free Heavy Cavalry unit on completion and for every building in this district)

Theodora, the leader of the Byzantine civilization, excels in religious warfare, using it as a tool to spread her religion. The Byzantine civilization's ability grants extra Combat and Religious Strength for every Holy City converted, including their own, and spreads their religion upon defeating enemy units.

The Hippodrome facilitates quick conquests across all ages by providing free Heavy Cavalry units as you expand and build within this district. Theodora's bonus to Culture generation from Holy Sites accelerates your progress through the Civics tree, allowing you to quickly unlock Theology and Monarchy civics for more Policy Slots.

Theodora is ideal for a combined Domination and Religious strategy. You don't need to conquer every civilization; simply engage in combat and defeat their units to spread your religion effortlessly.

To maximize effectiveness, choose the Crusades founding belief for additional combat strength against units following your religion, and convert outlying cities before invading them. This strategy ensures your religious influence spreads from the city, units following your religion take more damage, and they spread your religion upon death. By killing enemy units and sending regular Missionaries and Apostles to the target Holy City, you can convert it extremely quickly.

Menelik II - Ethiopia

Settle On Hills To Harvest Faith Without Sacrificing Culture or Science

Menelik II Leader Ability: Council of Ministers

Cities founded on Hills gain Science and Culture output equal to 15% of their Faith output. +4 Combat Strength for all units on Hills.

Ethiopia Civ Ability: Aksumite Legacy

All Resource improvements receive +1 Faith for every copy. International Trade Routes grant +0.5 Faith for every resource in the origin city. Archaeologists and Museums can be purchased with Faith.

Unique Units

• Oromo Cavalry (Medieval Light Cavalry unit)
• Rock-Hewn Church (extra +1 Faith for every adjacent Mountain or Hills tile, provides Tourism from Faith after getting to Flight, spreads +1 Appeal to surroundings)

Menelik II, the leader of Ethiopia, may seem complex but is straightforward in his approach to Faith. He gains extra Faith from multiple copies of non-strategic resources and from trading with cities rich in Luxury Resources.

His Leader ability is key to achieving quick Religious victories. By founding cities on Hills, you gain 15% of your Faith output as Science and Culture, allowing you to focus on Faith without compromising other yields. This strategy helps you secure the first Pantheon and Religion by prioritizing Faith buildings.

To maximize Faith, build Rock-Hewn Churches next to mountains, ideally surrounded by Hills or Mountain tiles. Focus on acquiring as many copies of Bonus and Luxury Resources as possible, trade with other civilizations that have these resources, and settle on Hills to balance your outputs. By prioritizing Faith and Culture, you can quickly progress through the Civic tree and unlock policies that enhance your Religious influence earlier than other civilizations.

Jayavarman VII - Khmer

Place Holy Sites Next To Rivers For Enormous Faith Gains

Jayavarman VII Leader Ability: Monasteries of the King

Holy Sites grant Food equal to their Adjacency Bonus, gain +2 Adjacency from Rivers, +2 Housing if built next to a River, and trigger a Culture Bomb.

Khmer Civ Ability: Grand Barays

Aqueducts provide +1 Amenity, and +1 Faith for each Citizen in the city. Farms get +2 Food if placed next to an Aqueduct, and +1 Faith next to a Holy Site.

Unique Units

• Domrey (Medieval Siege unit)
• Prasat (+6 Faith, Relic slot, extra Housing, Culture, and Food with certain beliefs). +0.5 Culture for every Citizen.

Jayavarman VII, the leader of the Khmer civilization, is renowned for his ability to achieve fast Cultural victories, particularly when focused on collecting Relics. However, he is exceptionally effective at securing quick Religious victories.

His Leader ability is often underestimated, but placing a Holy Site next to a River (which the Khmer are naturally inclined to start near) results in significant Faith generation, additional Housing, and a Culture Bomb that absorbs adjacent tiles. As the Khmer, you also gain an extra Amenity from Aqueducts and a full point of Faith for every citizen in the city. The Prasat unique building boosts Culture based on citizens and provides a substantial +6 Faith per turn.

To leverage these advantages, place all your Holy Sites next to rivers, prioritize building Aqueducts, and construct Wonders like the Great Bath and The Hanging Gardens to enhance Growth and mitigate the effects of living near rivers. Throughout the game, continue developing your Holy Sites and produce an Apostle (or several Missionaries) every turn to convert other Holy Cities rapidly and peacefully.

Peter - Russia

Bonus Faith On Tundra + Dance Of The Aurora = Game Over

Peter Leader Ability: The Grand Embassy

Trade Routes with other Civilizations grant +1 Science and +1 Culture for every 3 Technologies or Civics they are ahead of Russia.

Russia Civ Ability: Mother Russia

Gain 5 extra tiles on founding a city, Tundra tiles grant +1 Faith and +1 Production. Units are immune to Blizzard, but civilizations at war with Russia suffer double penalties inside Russian territory.

Unique Units

• Cossack (Industrial Era)
• Lavra (Replaces Holy District, expand by 2 tiles in the nearest city whenever you spend a Great Person there)

Russia, under Peter's leadership, is a versatile civilization capable of achieving any victory type. However, Peter is particularly dominant in securing Religious Victories.

Peter's ability to gain extra Science and Culture from Trade Routes with civilizations ahead of Russia in Tech or Civics is beneficial, but the true strength lies in Russia's civilization ability. When playing as Russia, you receive more tiles upon founding a city and can build the Lavra, which replaces the Holy Site. Expending a Great Person in a city with a Lavra extends your borders by two tiles. Additionally, Tundra tiles provide extra Faith and Production.

Starting with a bias towards Tundra zones, you can immediately capitalize on the Faith and Production bonuses these tiles offer. Rush the Dance of the Aurora pantheon to further enhance yields from Tundra tiles, then expand widely across the Tundra using Settlers (with the Magnus promotion to prevent Population loss).

By the time you establish a Lavra in your fourth city, your Faith output should significantly surpass that of other civilizations. Continue developing these Holy Sites, acquire St Basil's Cathedral for additional Tundra bonuses, and use Builders to harvest new resources as your Great People expand your cities.

Peter's strategy can lead to some of the fastest Religious victories in Civ VI, provided you maximize Tundra tile improvements and leverage your Lavras effectively.