The Religion game is impossible now

just DOW and kill their missionaries and prophets. The diplo modifiers for wars where you don't actually conquer any cities has been dramatically reduced.

No, I'm sorry to say it, but you just aren't very good at the game. You need to choose a faith boosting pantheon, their is one for every start (including the faith for battles one). Build a shrine, build a temple. Expand and build more shrines and temples. It's not too difficult. And if you're trying for a heavy religion, why not build Stonehenge?

I disagree. In my first game, as Poland, I have the larger religion in the world, the "gremismo", with 27 cities adept.

I think that this varies and depend of the civs in the game. In my game, not had the civ celtic. When the boudica is in the game, generally, she found the first religion and your religion dominate the world.

MadHaxxor said:

No, I'm sorry to say it, but you just aren't very good at the game. You need to choose a faith boosting pantheon, their is one for every start (including the faith for battles one). Build a shrine, build a temple. Expand and build more shrines and temples. It's not too difficult. And if you're trying for a heavy religion, why not build Stonehenge?

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Yep,
And pick Pagodas or one of the faith based buildings as a Belief and ally a religious city state.

+2 here +4 there all add up. Religion is more interesting now as the AI is more competent at it and they actually respect your borders when it comes to conversion, but it's still hardcoded to leave the most powerful beliefs for the human player to pick as long as you don't unlock your religion too too late.

Finally read it properly.

Hey OP, what beliefs did you choose?

JustinianIV said:

So, you played one game where things didn't go your way then make a blanket statement about something being impossible outright? I appreciate your frustration, but don't tarnish the games reputation over just one experience.

Well, I just finished my first BNW game with your same settings, but using Shoshone. My religion became the dominant religion with about half the cities following it and (now here's the kicker) I didn't even touch Piety!

Using my single game as my sample, I could conclude that the religion game is too easy now, but I won't

Click to expand...

I second that. I am just playing as Greece, which is really not focused on religion. My neighbor was Spain, which went heavily into piety and grabbed a reformation belief. before I even enhanced my religion.

Now thats history, I killed Spain, finished HS and Borobodur, enacted my religion to be the World religion and now 70% of all cities are following my religion.

One and a half continents of 2 continents. Continiously sending prophets to the other one, where two minor religions are still alive.

That was on emperor.

Of course you have to choose the right beliefs. The only reason why spain was so powerful, is, that they had Sri Prada with double yield and also built stonehenge.
I selected +4 faith from natural wonders myself and had three of them since medieval era. + Do not forget the wonder yields and everything will add up easily to 30+ faith per turn. I have only built a single shrine during that game.

Also consider if you conquer Venice, and Enrico is left with Puppet States, he is very much screwed, because unless he can make money to finance the army to take back his capital, he's helpless.

I feel your pain though, I had a game where he was CONSTANTLY spreading his religion in my cities. I took advantage of the fact he chose the Jesuit Education reform to faith buy universities until I purified my cities. Unless this is just a coincidence, then I daresay Enrico, like certain leaders, will definitely take full advantage of religion.

I agree though with other posters, the only surefire way to get him to leave you alone is to take Venice, leave him with what little he can work with so that you would not be declared a warmonger too seriously by neighbors.

I actually just had a though religion game on Prince/Continents/Marathon as Arabia. I started next to Byzantium, who weirdly didn't start a religion, but on her other side was Ethiopia, who even with the cities and no wonders was sending three missionaries at a time to take back Consantinople as I pumped 30+ pressure in there with trade routes. Eventually I gave up on owning his cities and kept content dropping the handful of followers in as many cities as possible, to take advantage of Tithe.

On top of that, England and The Celts split the religious wonders, leaving me pretty far behind in the faith race. Probably part of the reason I lost that game to the only other human player.

Like the real world.. if someones religion is hampering your own, declare Jihad and take 'em down.

I really really like how Piety is no longer mutually exclusive with Rationalism. The +3 gold being separated from the finisher also has a lot of potential considering the overall gold situation.

AIs do defend their own religion with a good amount of power though, I'm fine with that for the most part.

Out of my first four games, I managed to get a religion three time: once on King, once on Emperor, and once on Immortal. It is no more difficult that it was before BNW period.