How do you spend your faith?

[Kurtbob]

I was curious how other players spend their faith. I personally like to accumulate a great deal to buy Great People. Players use faith for multiple applications, but what is your favorite / most used application? Buildings, units, GPs etc?

 

[StormEye]

Great People myself as well. Mostly Engineers to spam wonders.

 

[Kurtbob]

Great People myself as well. Mostly Engineers to spam wonders.

Indeed. I find myself purchasing whatever is needed in a particular game. Engineers are always useful, but I do like purchasing Artists for the Golden Ages. Merchants are nice to bring in some funds after completing the Commerce policy tree.

 

[MarauderCH]

Mostly on great people to get engineers of scientists. The GS go to tile improvements and the GEs go towards wonder rushing. I occasionally do the buildings but will have those purchased before I can buy great people. I'll also buy Missionaries / Inquisitors as needed...

 

[Harv72b]

I run Cathedrals in just about every game, but I still have to go with great people; great artists & scientists in particular.

I did experiment a little today with Holy Warriors and have to say that I liked it, but it seems very situational.

 

[Tokira]

I spend my faith to get great people. At first I purchase great prophets, but later I'll also buy great scientists and possibly great engineers. The prophets simply become too expensive so I only buy them if I'm very low in happiness in the modern eras.

 

[Peacemongerer]

Depends on my follower belief. I always go tithe with my founder belief, so early faith goes to missionaries so I can bombard cities and start building-up inescapable pressure (I've had situations where cities were under 60+ pressure from my religion before anyone else had even enhanced theirs) plus Great Mosque and that extra spread action works wonders.

After the cost goes up in the Renaissance, I seldom buy missionaries with faith... I almost always beeline to the Industrial era (In part so I can get that extra spy) but also so I can buy Great People. I usually don't have buildings as a follower belief.

 

[Kurtbob]

Perhaps I should have ommitted Great People from the Poll as they are the most powerful faith purchase by far.

 

[GAGA Extrem]

Great People.
Ever since I figured out how to use religion, I finish my culture games with 30+ turns of golden age left...

 

[Louis8k8]

GP, absolutely delicious.

 

[Miravlix]

Maybe the poll is a bit to simple in it's design.

I get two Greater Prophets from faith first to form the religion.
Then I spread my religion and buy pagodas.
Last we switch to GP from Industrial and forward.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I spend a lot on Missionaries only because I have to. What I do like spending them on are the special buildings and Great People.

 

[IgnatiusTBarfat]

I spend on the other things in the early game so I can buy the greats in the late game. I also find myself opening rationalism and order just for the great people.

 

[Mesix]

I spend a lot on Missionaries only because I have to. What I do like spending them on are the special buildings and Great People.

If you select Religious Texts belief you will not need to buy so many missionaries.

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

Had I known I'd be playing more peacefully, I would have selected that (IIRC) Enhancer Belief.

 

[GIO888]

GP all the way.

Usually Artists, cos the GA's then give you endless other GP, and its 15 turns now isn't it? Have your three largest cities with Gardens - well, I've had 45 turn GA's pretty much since I discovered this little scam.

 

[Lexicus]

I build everything on the list under different circumstances and at different times. When I first found the religion, I build missionaries for a while with the occasional religious building thrown in, then I'll get a Prophet to enhance the religion, and much later I'll get solely Great People from the Policy openers.

 

[seasnake]

I love the Holy Warriors to really crank up my army if I'm Germany, you can buy Landsknecht for dirt cheap and field a ton as your front-line and then follow with Combosite/Crossbow and siege.

Honor + Piety + Germany + Holy Warriors = Domination. It's ludicrous how great the Landsknecht is now how easy it is to build and maintain a large pile at a time.

 

[TallNSturdy]

If you select Religious Texts belief you will not need to buy so many missionaries.

Religious Text and missionaries combined can force all on your land mass to your religion, even when they start their own. Tried it a couple games and my religion spread like wildfire with the pruchase of 2 missionaries early game.

 

[TPQ]

The poll should of been one of those multi-choice polls and the question should of been about which choices are taken most often, as faith expenditure is dependant on if you got a religion, what options where available when you configured your religion, what victory condition you're aiming for and other aspects of your particular game.

Having said that, I picked missionaries/inquisitors as I buy more of them than anything else. My second most frequent faith purchase is great people and third is religious buildings such as cathedrals and mosques.