The Celts in BNW

Even before BNW I never really understood how to play them. I mean I get their suppossed to be able to jump start a religion, but beyond that they seem useless to me. I realize I may be underestimating them so I figured I'd ask you guys how to play them. They're the only Civ I haven't played because their UU and UB seem meh and their UA isn't worth anything beyond Construction.

Go wide.

Pick up a Happiness component to the religion you're guaranteed to get (Ceremonial Burial + Pagodas) and combine that with the extra happiness from your UB. Their UA still helps after construction because more then likely you're not going to be working those unimproved forests immediately with lumber mills, and even if you do you've probably already nabbed your religion with your pick of a faith-producing pantheon and are close to enhancing it at that point anyway.

UU is very good, but on a bad upgrade path (they become Pikeman, which turns into Lancer. Pikemancer path is bad)

UB is still great, but not as much since Opera Houses, Amphitheaters and other stuff all became bad.

UA is nice. Great if your capital starts by 3 forests, because it pretty much guarantees first pantheon and a good headstart into religion battle. Erect another city or two by 3 forests and get the religion first and strongest without much effort. Even better if you took a religious pantheon, but +2 science per city connection is also fine.

What policy tree is best to take first with them?

Liberty. You want to go wide so Tradition is out, and you really don't need any help with religion so there's no reason to go Piety.

Arachnofiend said:

Liberty. You want to go wide so Tradition is out, and you really don't need any help with religion so there's no reason to go Piety.

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Reformation isn't bad. Also you could get that "buy pre-industrial land units for faith" thing and use the extra income of faith for warfare. Generally not a fan of Celts myself.

The UU is a very useful ancient era unit. (excluding its upgrade path) Its purpose in life, with the Foreign Lands bonus, free pillage, and faith on kills, is early game warfare. Use it to kill barbs, use it to kill enemy units, use it to pillage their countryside. Just use it. Use your religious head-start to get your favorite pantheon. (I prefer +1 production in cities of size 3+ for the early production lead, but it's not the only viable pantheon) Have an early war. If you wanna be a warmonger, just wipe your neighbor off of the planet. Otherwise, just get a lot of kills and use your superior army size to get a good peace deal. You can have another war when your Pictish upgrade to Pikemen, but keep in mind you lose the faith-on-kill upon upgrade.

The strength of the Celts is that they always found a religion and start strong if they start aggressively.

I use celts as early dominators. Mainly to take lux cities to fun my empire, then I chill out till I can obliterate everyone.

Whish I had my old saves from my dead HDD.. had a diety celt start that was disgusting for faith. Desert start, bordering a grassland forest area, had 4 forest, the rest was all floodplains, 4 wheat, 1 marble and 3 dye, and some other crap like stone and sheep. I enhanced my relig just as Spain was founding the 2nd one.

pozz said:

Reformation isn't bad. Also you could get that "buy pre-industrial land units for faith" thing and use the extra income of faith for warfare. Generally not a fan of Celts myself.

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Reformation beliefs are very good but I don't think they're worth taking an entire tree of social policies that are only mildly related to your interests to get. Especially if you're stalling finishing Liberty to do it.

At most I'd dip into Piety for cheaper Pagodas.

Arachnofiend said:

Reformation beliefs are very good but I don't think they're worth taking an entire tree of social policies that are only mildly related to your interests to get. Especially if you're stalling finishing Liberty to do it.

At most I'd dip into Piety for cheaper Pagodas.

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Check the rest of my sentence Buy units with faith thing (can't remember what it is called). The prophet gained from completing the tree can either help you enhance your religion, or create a tile that'll help you produce both gold and faith to rushbuy more units.

I take it mandate of heaven works with the 'buy pre-industrial units with faith' thing (too tired to remember words atm )

You can then make up for not taking liberty by producing settlers while rush-faith building units.

*edit* Holy warriors was what it was called.