Is there a way to promote the spread of religion to your continent? I tried everything I could think of, signing open borders with Civs on the other continent, trading with many of them,--I even gifted a Caravel to Bismark. Eventually religions did appear but it took really long time. Any ideas on how to do this?

If you are wondering how I possibly let this happen, I was on a continent with 2 spiritual Civs, Monty and Saladin- who would have thought neither would found any religions? By the time I realized what was hapenning, and beelined for Islam, it was too late.

It requires a trade route. So, in the case of a distant continent, you're going to need Astronomy. After that, all you can do is wait.

It requires a trade route. So, in the case of a distant continent, you're going to need Astronomy. After that, all you can do is wait.

Not necessarily. Caravels can transport missionaries, one at a time. However, the AI just doesn't seem very intent on spreading religion in my games. Of course, Isabella goes crazy converting everyone to Buddhism, but she doesn't often send those missionaries to me.

I've spread religion this way in the past, but it requires too much micromanagement for me to really get into it. One missionary per caravel is fairly slow going.

Not necessarily. Caravels can transport missionaries, one at a time. However, the AI just doesn't seem very intent on spreading religion in my games. Of course, Isabella goes crazy converting everyone to Buddhism, but she doesn't often send those missionaries to me.


Trust me, you'll have religion spread to you via trade routes long before any AI ever sends a trans-oceanic missionary. There's no way I've ever found to influence the likelihood of an AI actually sending a missionary to one of your cities. As such, the only pro-active thing that can be done is to exapnd your trade network.

You don't really need a religion, Agustus, Hannibal, and Me(Ragnar), are stuck on a godless continent. That's the first time that I got an all new leader start. Does anyone know if Hannibal has an aggressive personality? I declared war on him too early to find out. Agustus seems like more of a peaceful techer...

Although the AI doesn't likes to send his missionaries oversea, it works brilliantly if they have no religion and you send one missionairy in a caravel. Watch it spread like a virus! :)

Welcome to the forum.

If you are the one spreading the religion, shrine, a trade route :traderoute: and selective use of open borders will get your religion moved over. I like to win the race to Liberalism and pick Astronomy as the free tech to open up the ocean trade routes.

If you really need a religion and your continent has none, capture a city with a religion (you would need Astronomy for that anyway) to speed it up, since it spreads within your lands faster than across a border with open borders.

Long story short... spreading religions across continents really requires Astronomy, unless you are the one doing the spreading, since the Caravel only works well from your side.

You'll need three caravels if you really want to convert the other civ in the other continent, especially if going for diplomacy win. Often, you can't wait until Astronomy because chances are another religion will be there by then and if they cancel open borders it will be impossible to land a missionary without declaring war.

Options are Active and Passive

Active
1. one of the Civs on the other Continents has Optics and wants to spread a religion to you with Missionaries (you need Open Borders with that Civ)

Passive requires
1. that Either you or one of the Holy City owning Civs has Astronomy
2. You are at peace with one of the Holy City owning Civs

I've always wished I could talk to someone and then choose to convert myself - getting one of my cities turned.... but alas, impossible.

I just go crazy on open borders - even try building a stupid little city on their side of the world to get religion spreadhing there, then bring it back to me. :D

But its a lot of fun going the other way - bringing wildfire religion to a godless continent. :D

I've always wished I could talk to someone and then choose to convert myself - getting one of my cities turned.... but alas, impossible.

I just go crazy on open borders - even try building a stupid little city on their side of the world to get religion spreadhing there, then bring it back to me. :D

But its a lot of fun going the other way - bringing wildfire religion to a godless continent. :D

Has anyone ever seen Mansa Musa founding a religion? He and Ghandi/Asoka are the two civs that I most often see isolated, and poor Mansa is always a godless heathen. he's so nice too, it almost makes me feel bad killing him...

Has anyone ever seen Mansa Musa founding a religion? He and Ghandi/Asoka are the two civs that I most often see isolated, and poor Mansa is always a godless heathen. he's so nice too, it almost makes me feel bad killing him...

mansa musa founds religions quite often, but he really targets "science", so the religions he founds are mostly
- taoism
- confucianism.

Since those 2 are associated to high priority techs (for me), it's usually me who founds those 2, but if someone beats me to one of those 2, it's usually MM.
+ he opens borders very easily, so if he's not isolated or dead (monte was here ;)), he often is a convert to one of his neighbours' religion.

MM is really showing strength only when on a crowded, peaceful continent.

Trust me, you'll have religion spread to you via trade routes long before any AI ever sends a trans-oceanic missionary. There's no way I've ever found to influence the likelihood of an AI actually sending a missionary to one of your cities. As such, the only pro-active thing that can be done is to exapnd your trade network.

This is definitely true. I've had my religion spread to an AI's city when I hadn't even explored that area yet, so that I saw his city surrounded by blackness. I don't remember if we had open borders, but I'm prett sure I didn't have a shrine. It happened a couple of turns after we made contact.