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, aiming for a Religious Victory can be one of the quickest paths to victory, especially when fewer players are competing in the religious arena. Some civilizations are particularly adept at generating Faith, quickly dominating Holy Sites, and achieving a swift Religious Victory. While other civilizations might secure a Religious Victory more consistently, these leaders can do so rapidly under the right conditions and with a focus on Faith 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 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, leading the Byzantine civilization, focuses heavily on religious warfare to spread her religion. The Byzantine civilization ability grants extra Combat and Religious Strength for each Holy City converted (including your own), and your Religion spreads to other civilizations or city-states whenever you defeat their units.

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

Theodora excels at a combined Domination and Religious strategy. You don't need to conquer every civilization; engaging in combat and defeating their units is enough to spread your religion effectively.

Choose the Crusades founding belief for added combat strength against units following your religion, and convert outlying cities before invading them. This strategy will amplify your religious influence, increase damage to units following your religion, and spread your religion upon their defeat. By combining regular Missionaries and Apostles with military action, you can convert Holy Cities 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, leading Ethiopia, is more straightforward than he might initially seem. His civilization gains extra Faith for additional copies of non-strategic resources and from trading with cities rich in Luxury Resources.

However, his Leader ability truly accelerates Ethiopia's path to a Religious Victory. By founding cities on Hills, you gain 15% of your Faith output as Science and Culture in each city, allowing you to prioritize Faith without compromising on other yields. This makes it easier to secure the first Pantheon and Religion as you focus on constructing Faith-generating buildings.

To maximize Faith, build Rock-Hewn Churches next to mountains, ideally surrounded by Hills or Mountain tiles. Focus on accumulating as many copies of Bonus and Luxury Resources as possible, trade with other civilizations to leverage these resources, and settle on Hills to balance your outputs effectively. Prioritizing Culture alongside Faith will help you progress quickly through the Civic tree and unlock policies that enhance your Religious influence sooner 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, leading the Khmer civilization, is adept at both Cultural and Religious victories, particularly when focused on accumulating Relics. However, his true strength lies in achieving rapid Religious victories.

The power of Jayavarman VII's Leader ability is often underestimated. By placing Holy Sites next to Rivers (which the Khmer are naturally inclined to start near), you can generate substantial amounts of Faith, gain additional Housing, and expand your territory with a Culture Bomb. As the Khmer, you benefit from extra Amenities from Aqueducts and a point of Faith for every citizen in the city. The Prasat unique building enhances Culture based on population and provides a significant +6 Faith per turn.

To leverage these abilities for a fast Religious Victory, place all your Holy Sites next to rivers, prioritize building Aqueducts, and construct Wonders like the Great Bath and The Hanging Gardens to boost your Growth and mitigate the effects of river adjacency.

Throughout the game, continue developing your Holy Sites and produce an Apostle (or multiple Missionaries) each turn to convert other Holy Cities quickly 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 incredibly versatile and capable of achieving any victory type. However, Peter excels at Religious Victories more than any other leader.

Peter's ability to gain extra Science and Culture from Trade Routes with civilizations ahead in Tech or Civics helps bolster these yields. Yet, the true strength of Russia lies in its civilization ability.

When playing as Russia, you start with a bias towards Tundra zones, which provide extra Faith and Production. Rush the Dance of the Aurora pantheon to further enhance the yields from Tundra tiles, then expand across the Tundra with Settlers (using the Magnus promotion to prevent Population loss).

By the time you establish your fourth City with a Lavra, your Faith output should far surpass that of other civilizations. Continue to develop your Holy Sites, acquire St Basil's Cathedral for additional Tundra bonuses, and build numerous Builders to exploit the resources your Great People will uncover as your cities expand.

Peter can achieve some of the fastest Religious victories in Civilization VI by maximizing Tundra improvements and leveraging the power of Lavras, ensuring your Faith output leads to an early win.