Best advice on Stonehenge: Dont. [pre fall patch]

[DrJones87]

I think it's partially because the wonder is underwhelming and partially because the AI goes nuts about religion, but don't attempt this wonder. Even if you get it, you haven't been producing other stuff that is vital early game (workers, troops, settlers) and you can get a religion even on Diety by going God King -> Holy Site -> Divine Spark.

I think until the AI gets patched and actually tries for other victories beside religion, it's just best to avoid this wonder.

 

[Onii-chan]

Plus you still need a holy site afterwards anyway to a) get missionaries to spread your religion to other cities, including your own, b) evangelize more beliefs, and c) get any faith generation rolling

Combined with how much of an investment it is to build the Stonehenge to begin with, not to mention the overwhelming risk of being beaten to it... yeah don't build it, it's so not worth it. Definitely one of the worst wonders in the game in my opinion

 

[rrrwww]

if you get a good production start and are safe early game and assuming you finish this wonder, i think its the best wonder on diety assuming you want to play with religion

 

[Furycrab]

Getting the first religion means you can get Food from faith or Jesuit education reliably. However to get Stonehenge reliably you need a specific start so you can get Stonehenge sub turn 30, 35 at the latest. Not sure I've written that off yet when the conditions are right.

 

[joncnunn]

And unless here's a faith source (preferably including another city building a Holy Site), it's all too easy for a Stonehenge induced religion to be squashed early by religious pressure from the AI.

 

[CaiusDrewart]

The bonuses for religion are so inconsequential in this game that it would be a pretty weak opening to forgo builders, settlers, and archers in order to build stonehenge.

Religion was often ignorable in Civ V and I think it's even weaker this time around. Religion just does not do very much to help you win any non-religious victory.

 

[DrJones87]

The strengths of religion:
-Getting reliquaries
-Adopting Theocracy and waging domination in the Renaissance
-Jesuit education

Short of that it's pretty underwhelming.

 

[Karoq]

I'm still new to civ vi, just picked it up a few days ago. I've been running some test games, and saw that the AI send tons of missionaries in an attempt to secure a religious victory. So, on my next game I decided to at least have my own religion to stave off a fast AI religion win. I was able to drop my second city, place some farms and mines, and still build stone hedge before I even founded a pantheon. I even took god King too, so I was producing faith early on. My poor great prophet was sitting around for three turns waiting to be able to found a religion. lol.

for full disclosure: I am playing on King.

 

[TomKQT]

Yea, I also was in the same situation as Karoq. I built Stonehedge, thinking I would be able to get my religion immediately. But I had to wait few turns until I cleared the Stonehedge of enemy units only to realize that I have to get pantheon first I think it's a little bit counter-intuitive, you have a great prophet capable of making a religion, but he cannot do anything until the people create a pantheon.

 

[ansa]

The one and only game I went for it, I got it, on Deity.
It's simple - if it is not up by turn 20-30, it means AIs don't have stones next to their capitals, so you are safe to snatch it.
Having a worker chopping for it nonstop also helps.

And yes, another issue is that you actually need a pantheon first, and no yahoos running amok in your territory so the old boy can go to the Stonehedge to set up a religion.

 

[joncnunn]

Moderator Action: Two posts moved to https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/proposed-change-to-stonehenge.605344/ in Ideas & Suggestions

 

[Redaxe]

And unless here's a faith source (preferably including another city building a Holy Site), it's all too easy for a Stonehenge induced religion to be squashed early by religious pressure from the AI.

Interesting - this in a way represents what happened to Celtic religion anyway - it got squashed by Roman invaders.

I don't think you should have missionaries and religious pressure around in the ancient era - it feel completely wrong.
The other things is looking at the Religious beliefs in Civ 6 well of souls (I haven't played civ 6 yet) they ALL represent the beliefs of religious institutions from the middle ages. This emphasis on religious institutions is much stronger than the beliefs in Civ 5 which were a lot more generic - i.e. you at least had beliefs like Ceremonial Burial, Asceticism, Choral Music etc.. that weren't tied to a religious institution (I.e. I could have an ancient era religion with those beliefs and it would be far more fitting). It wasn't until you got to the Enhancer beliefs in Civ 5 that the beliefs started to look more medieval in flavor.

That is ok but that you can choose Tithe or Papal Primacy in the ancient era is stupid.
The wonder should be overhauled and just let you choose a pantheon in each city you found or something unique. I liked the BNW scenario 'Conquest of the New World Deluxe' and how the American civilisations each got a minor religion (sort of like a boosted pantheon). That is how I would envisage Stonehenge being.
In other words there's no real emphasis on pagan religions or pagan beliefs outside of the base pantheon.

 

[joncnunn]

Moderator Action: With significant changes made to when a religion is founded by the fall patch, this thread is now closed.