I like starts where the two lux can be combined in some way together and perhaps with other resources. So a forest start with furs and truffles is a very strong one since they require the same tech to improve. And every time I have played there have always been deer around these luxuries so picking goddess of the hunt for that extra food is an easy choice. With a granary those deer hexes produce even more food. And if your 2nd or 3rd city is settled near Ivory you still get that food boost from your early choice.
Or perhaps wine and incense to get Goddess of festivals for 1
and 1
for each plantation. And if you can get it, monasteries for another 1
and 1
for each plantation.
Gold and silver combined is also a good one with a market place a mint and the religious idols pantheon for 1
and 1
for each gold or silver mine.
Or a sea start with two sea luxuries and a fish or two is very strong once you get fishing boats and a light house. Even better later on with the seaport even do that one comes rather late. With God of the sea as a pantheon every fishing boat gets an extra
.
Favorite is however salt and marble. And I have always had 1 or 2 stones around in these starts as well. Getting stone circles as a pantheon gets 2
for every quarry and as long as you did not settle on plains you can get stone works for an extra
in the city and then another
for every quarry worked by the city. It also adds 1
. And with that production, getting MoH for that 2
for every worked quarry is not hard and very rewarding.
Getting a good start for combos sometimes make me settle new cities at places where I dont even get a new unique luxury but that have the same ones my capital have. I then trade those extra luxuries for new ones that I dont have and gets the benefits from what ever pantheon/religious choices I made early on. Makes finding new land a bit funnier then just looking for new luxuries.
