Civilization 6 allows you to lead a nation through history, dictating its direction and rate of progress. On the base of that development lie the beliefs which your people have. Before you found a religion and build churches, in the ancient era your nation will look for a pantheon, in order to explain the world around them and why certain blessings and disasters happen. That may unite your tribe in worshiping a Goddess of fertility or maybe a God of war?
If you’ve just started your new game and a few turns in, you get to choose your pantheon, the 24 different pantheons in game can make choosing one feel overwhelming. This article is going to help you figure out which is right for you. We've listed the 5 most powerful pantheons, one of which you should take if it’s still available, as well as strategies to help best exploit their benefits.
5-Divine Spark
Helping you secure a religion
In case you are struggling to secure a religion, which can be a great threat at higher difficulties, this pantheon is the right one for you. Along with helping you found a religion, Divine Spark will allow you to get great scientists and writers faster. This pantheon is superior to most as its bonuses don’t require much, yet are strong and impactful, throughout the whole game, as you are going to build many campuses and theater squares.
Why Divine Spark is great:
- Helps secure a great prophet
- Useful for science and culture victories also
- Consistent bonus
Pantheon details:
- +1 great person points from holy sites
- +1 great person points from campuses with a library
- +1 great person points from theater squares with an amphitheater
4-Goddess of Festivals
Solid culture bonus
Accumulating culture in the early game can be tricky, unless you’ve been lucky and settled near a natural wonder. Goddess of Festivals will help you advance through the civic tree faster, which can help you get to a power spike, such as researching political philosophy earlier, gaining an advantage over your enemies. Getting that bonus in culture is also not that hard to get as it’s very likely you’ll have at least one or two plantations in your borders. In case you don't, however, choosing a different pantheon is going to be wiser.
Why Goddess of Festivals is great:
- Culture is hard to get to early on
- Provides a consistent bonus
- Can help you reach a power spike faster
Pantheon details:
- +1 culture from plantations
3-God of the Forge
The name says it all
If you are looking for a mix of domination and religion game, have an opponent to deal with or simply want to raise an army quickly, then this is the right pantheon for you as it gives +25% production towards all Ancient and Classical era military units. This bonus can help fuel an early war as you can train a couple of units in just a few turns. Taking God of the Forge is especially useful on civs centered on early war, such as Alexander the great, Montezuma, Scythia as it helps create an even bigger advantage.
Why God of the Forge is great:
- Big boost to early wars
- A must take for certain civs
- Stacks with other bonuses
Pantheon details:
- +25% production towards all ancient and classical era military units
2 – Earth Goddess
Best for religion
If you are pursuing a religious victory this pantheon is always going to be useful. Earth Goddess is one of the strongest pantheons as it provides a lot of faith throughout the whole game. Early on in the game any civ settled near woods, mountains, and rainforests or near the coast will benefit greatly from choosing this pantheon. In the latter stages of the game keeping rainforests, or building certain tile improvements can further increase the bonus faith. Constructing the Eiffel tower will be a big bonus in combination with this pantheon. Picking Earth Goddess is almost a must on Civs like Bull Moose Teddy Roosevelt, Egypt and the Maori.
Why Earth Goddess is great:
- Generates a ton of faith
- Great for Culture victory
- Consistently useful
Pantheon details:
- +1 faith from tiles with Breathtaking appeal
1 - Religious settlement
The must take pantheon
In Civ 6, expanding your empire is key to your success, and doing so early is pivotal to gaining an advantage over your opponents. The pantheon Religious settlement provides you with a free settler upon being chosen, and +15 % border expansion rate for all of your cities.
These bonuses make it an excellent choice for all civilizations and is going to help you achieve any victory type, that’s why it’s the strongest pantheon in the game. It’ll greatly boost your development on any civ in any game, so taking this pantheon is always a wise choice.
Why Religious Settlement is great:
- Free settler is massive in the early game
- Suitable to all leaders and victory types
- No requirements
Pantheon details:
- Free settler when chosen
- +15 % border expansion rate for all cities
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