Are any pantheons good?

[planetfall]

When I first started with civ6, pantheons seemed like a great idea. pan=all theon=theology/religions. So I expected when players selected a pantheon, this choice would eventually pan out in the middle/late game with a powerful snowball effect. Instead what I see is that almost all are designed to fail in middle/late game. Many are designed for an early game boost, depending on victory choices and game focus. Now I think it really doesn't matter at all, just select one and get on with the game.

But I could be missing something. Is there any pantheon that you find greatly useful?

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

Most of them are imo trash, while a few of them stand out a lot.
The adjacency pantheons are broken due to how broken work ethic is, and a lot of people like the free settler (I'm not the biggest fan personally because that settler is not truly free, and may mess up production timings in the capital).
Personally I like lady of the reeds and marshes a lot because it frontloads production, and depending on landscape I might pick that and also try to rush out Etemenanki.
Such a start can become immensely powerful and nearly as strong as a start that abuses adjacency pantheons and work ethic, but it does carry a risk of losing the race for the wonder, which can be pretty devastating on deity.

 

[Snowygerry]

I like the Fertility Rites if my start position doesn't immediately suggest something else...free builder and +10 % growth.

And works even without Holy Site.

 

[Shirotora Kenshin]

When starting around a lot of coast, „God of the Sea“ i choose always. +1 Production per fishing boat helps a lot for the way i‘m playing the game

 

[Pengwin7]

[TLDR version - Read bottom paragraph. To experience the highest value of a pantheon choice... at least ONCE play a game w/Russia and Russia/Lavras in Tundra/Pantheon-DanceOfAurora/GetReligion-->Work Ethic. Everybody with 'pantheon' questions should do this game-style once... at very least... and they should 'get it' regarding pantheon potential towards gameplay.]


I agree w/Oberin that the adjacency pantheons for holy sites are best option.
Faith is such an underrated currency in Civ6.

As an example, I'm at about turn100 in current game, buying settlers - had the option for one at 300 faith vs 600 gold.
And I look at my income from 4 holy sites vs 4 comm-hubs and I'm pulling in 100+ faith per turn vs 100+ gold per turn.
So... faith is great for early/mid-game faith buying of settlers IFF (important IF)... you can buy them with monumentality**.
[Probably one of the downfalls of a lot of Civ6 casual players is... they don't like Religion/Faith... so they absolutely miss out on learning about this much cheaper way to get builders/settlers/traders.)

There are some good CIV-specific pantheons.

I spent a month playing Babylon recently - and City Patron Goddess is a really nice pantheon for them.
It's 25% discount/extra - (betterment) - towards your first of a district.

With Babylon, the FIRST of any district you build... you get the next specialty with it.
Build a holy-site, get the shrine (immediately and FREE)...
Build a campus, get the library (immediately and FREE)...
Build a theatre square, get the amp (immediately and FREE)...

So knowing this - the City Patron Goddess gets that first district AND specialty district and a blazing fast rate.
If it normally takes a CIV 12 turns to build a HolySite and 8 to build a shrine...
Babylon will do both in like 9 turns! Amazing - especially for securing a religion early.

If you are somebody that likes the Babylon boost-quirkiness... the district bonus w/City Patron is pretty fun way to open a game.
[I'm not sure it's better than adjacency pantheons... but Babylon starts were only about a 1/3 shot of being desert/tundra/rainforest - from my memory)

The key (with this Babylon example) - is to think about each city and say "What's my new first district that works well for this city location?"

[***This said - generally I don't like or pick 'City Patron Goddess' with ANY other CIV... just Babylon.***]


I think a lot of pantheons are more CIV/location specific.
So it can be hard to talk about them generically.
If I was to ballpark their effect... I'd say it's pretty 'fair':
*Elite CIV player... they may choose a pantheon that helps them 5%-10%
*New CIV player... their pantheon choice may only be helping them 0%-1%

Mathematically - say this rate applies every 10 turns (at standard speed).

Picking random/IDK-which Pantheon = 1.01^n (where n = every 10turns... so n=5 at 50 turns, 8@80 turns, etc.). Maybe your pantheon is helping your overall game by 110.5% (1.105x) by turn100. It's not going to feel noticeable.
Ideal Pantheon = 1.10^n (where n = each 10 turns). If you are Russia, in the Tundra, going DanceAurora + Work Ethic (WE) on your holy sites... and then slotting in the 100% holy site policy... your game might be 250% (2.5x) further along at turn100 than (a NOOB/) somebody who is just playing it 'regular style' without Aurora+WE. Some people will reference the 'snowball' effect - which is taking that faith - creating settlers/districts - at this 'exponential' rate.

[These are just ballparked numbers - but some people can really get moving FAST with the right pantheon. FWIW - the first CIV I really learned "Pantheon Power" was Russia, on Deity. When you finally get that spawn on fringe of tundra/grass, put your first holy site two-tiles deep & surrounded by Tundra... it can be HUGE. HUGE. Ideal start w/Russia you start researching Astrology and magically find a Natural Wonder to boost it. If this happens, Scout then Lavra is how I'll open - and SO FUN. Start building it... (ideally) declare your pantheon before finishing holy site. Try to get out a 2nd city on fringe grass(for food) and tundra (for the holy site)... repeat w/Lavra(Holy Site)... get your religion, select WorkEthic - everything absolutely TAKES OFF. Lavra w/Work Ethic is essentially an early-game super-charged Industrial Zone (for real). In absolutely perfect, perfect start world (prob 1/20 starts) Russia settles on/near FaithLuxury or finds Religious CS so that they have that pantheon in place before the HolySite is built. If the Dance of Aurora pantheon is picked - and you check a Holy Site locations in the tundra, you'll see them at +5, +6, +7... sometimes higher with natural wonder or woods. Those +3 or more locations also get you Era Score - which is key towards Golden Age. So all this stuff fits really nicely together for Ancient Era start-up. Their Lavra is their unique building too, which gets you Era Score. Sometimes I could get pantheon and finished HolySite on turn 20-25(/500)... and religion in the 30s or 40s w/Russia - and getting a religion before end of Ancient Era also provides a lot of Era Score. This Russia-example, I think, is THE 'teaching example' towards pantheons and choosing. Once you do this, properly, for the first time - Pantheon choice starts to feel more like an "I get it now" thing.]

 

[Canadian Bluebeer]

When starting around a lot of coast, „God of the Sea“ i choose always. +1 Production per fishing boat helps a lot for the way i‘m playing the game

Me too. Coupled with Auckland, you can get some very nice production cities.

(want some fun? Use firetuner to drop some resources in to fill up the coast area of your cities.
A harbor with 30? (need a governor for that) hee-hee)

 

[SemiLazyGamer]

Let's start out nerdy technical: out of the 22 pantheons in the main game, only two are useless outside of the Ancient and Classical Era because that's a part of their ability (Monument to the Gods and God of the Forge).

Some are very situational (Initiation Rights, God of War, God of Healing)

A few are very useful early on, but can be replaced in the late game (Lady of Reeds and Marshes, Goddess of the Hunt)

Some are nice bonuses all game (City Patron Goddess, God of Craftsman, Divine Spark)

Some are nice bonuses, but usually don't come onto their own until late (Earth Goddess)

Some can be broken with the right RNG (Dance of the Aurora, Sacred Path, Desert Folklore)

And then there's Religious Settlements and Fertility Rights, which are broken because of the unit they give, but give a small, but nice little bonus all game as extra.

 

[Oberinspektor Derrick]

And then there's Religious Settlements and Fertility Rights, which are broken because of the unit they give, but give a small, but nice little bonus all game as extra.

They're not though, especially not the builder.
The settler one is good, but it doesnt have what it takes to qualify as "broken" imo.
I'd define a "broken" pantheon as something that makes the game tremendously easier to play depending on whether you get it or not.
Not a bit easier, but tremendously easier
The settler imo does not qualify because its not an actually free settler, it increases the price for the next one, and adds the cost to one that you are currently producing, which can mess up construction timings.
With my particular opener I hardbuild two settlers anyway, and by the time I usually get my pantheon I am working on the second one and often close to finishing it before focusing on other things (usually setting up religion or invading the AI).
Now the adjacency pantheons, those are a different beast, because they frontload a huge benefit (assuming you get work ethic) for no real downside.
And the synergy you get with early war (crusade) yields a combo that is so strong that it can carry the entire game from the snowball it sets up, something a "free" settler doesnt do.

When starting around a lot of coast, „God of the Sea“ i choose always. +1 Production per fishing boat helps a lot for the way i‘m playing the game

That one I think is very bad.
I like it (for fun) on sea heavy maps, but its honestly a really bad pantheon in almost all cases.
The reason is that sea tiles early on are usually trash to work, even with a lighthouse active.
The bonus also requires a builder charge just for a single production boost, on a tile that usually doesnt get worthwhile to work until the mid to late game.
Heck, even if it frontloaded +1 production without requiring a fishing boat, I'd still rate it as rather bad, because that would take it up to a 2f/1p/1g tile, whereas what you really want is 2f/2p tiles or better (which you can usually settle and work for free).

 

[DeckerdJames]

When I first started with civ6, pantheons seemed like a great idea. pan=all theon=theology/religions. So I expected when players selected a pantheon, this choice would eventually pan out in the middle/late game with a powerful snowball effect. Instead what I see is that almost all are designed to fail in middle/late game. Many are designed for an early game boost, depending on victory choices and game focus. Now I think it really doesn't matter at all, just select one and get on with the game.

But I could be missing something. Is there any pantheon that you find greatly useful?

[td][/td]
You can get that pantheon pretty early in the game. If you stumble across the tribal village and get the +20 faith, and you happen to have a plus one faith in your settling location that you’re working, you could have it within five or six turns. Most of the bonuses that are +1 or +2 are small because you get it early. So think of them as an ancient era in classical era boost. Try to pick one that maximizes the kind of goal you have for yourself in the first couple of eras.

There are some that essentially give you a lump sum of production all at once in the form of a settler or builder. So instead of having to accumulate all of that at a rate of +1 or +2 per turn, you get it at once. That can be a big boost to your early game tempo.


I think it’s called city patron goddess, that one gives you a +25% off of every cities first district. That one, if you’re planning to build your first district in the cities and late game cities, then that one can be useful for the whole game because districts get more expensive, so it becomes worth more and more production. There’s a little bit of scaling there.

I like the one that gives plus one culture on plantations. Sometimes you can start in places with a lot of plantations. That helps you advance your government quicker. But it also helps your cities grow their borders. Cities without any culture grow their borders in 30 terms. So if you have a place with a bunch of plantations, then you can focus on trying to settle all those plantations and get builders and some warriors to protect it all.

I’ll come back and add some more strategies.

The early game is the most important time to try to get everything of an advantage that you can find from the geography. That’s when the plus one science on turtles matters the most.

Suppose you get a tundra start, dance of the aurora could give you up to a +6 holy site.

 

[vorlon_mi]

I tend to choose my pantheon based on the map, which I think is what they intended.
Lots of camps? Goddess of the Hunt
Lots of pasture potential? God of the Open Sky
Lots of quarry potential? Stone Circles
Lots of plantations? Goddess of Festivals or Oral Tradition
Lots of geothermal or volcanos? Fire Goddess
River Goddess and Sacred Path require just the right terrain NEXT to your Holy Site... not ideal for a lot of maps.
Dance of the Aurora or Desert Folklore are similar; you need just the right terrain.

God of Healing and God of War are less valuable to me, since I prefer to attack rather than defend.

Yes, I tend to improve my bonus resources rather than chop/harvest them, which is probably not optimal play.
Yes, there's a case strong case to be made for the pantheons that build faith, since purchasing units with faith (Grand Master's Chapel) is very powerful.
Earth Goddess is situational, requiring tiles w/ Breathtaking Appeal.
Religious Idols is good for mines on resources, which I builld often
Initiation Rites can be good early, for clearing Barb camps
Since I rarely go for Domination victories, I like Divine Spark to boost my GP points all through the game. I will build a lot of Holy Sites, especially if I do get Work Ethic for my religion. I like Fertility Rites, too, since city growth helps through the whole game. Based on the comments here, I'm warming up to City Patron Goddess snce every city will get a district.

 

[Ordnael]

Being able to choose to get getting Religious Settlements ahead of the AI is normally a rare feat for me. Your first settler must be lucky enough to have adjacent tiles with natural(no improvements) faith output right out the bat.
In the beginning of my journey as a CIV VI player I would go for Religious Settlements if I had that luck or Fertility Rites. Nowadays I truly prefer something as Lady of the Reeds and Marshes as @Oberinspektor Derrick so passionately defended If you pair that with an Etemenanki, you are "settled" for the rest of the game. I may still lose but I am a happy camper
Otherwise I look what type of resources my first and second city have in more abundance and pick another pantheon accordingly.