Religious Settlement or Earth Goddess?

[Planktonic]

On a recent playthrough as Cyrus (deity/standard) I had determined that I would try for a cultural victory. I usually aim for a religion when I'm going for CV, and got lucky: discovered a natural wonder very quickly and got a relic from the first goodie hut and had the first pantheon.

I reflexly opted for Religious Settlements, but managed to get to a golden classical (lots of things fell just right) and then realized that I would have been able to do a lot more along the whole length of the game if I had chosen Earth Goddess.

Is the near-term boost of Religious Settlements still better overall than the longer term boost from Earth Goddess in your experience? Which would you choose in this kind of a circumstance?

 

[enKage]

Persia + paridaeza = earth goddess, especially with relic and classical golden era. Faithbuy in classical would speed you up more and faith from earth goddes would be needed

 

[KayAU]

It depends, really. The early Settler is quite strong for most civs in most instances (especially when you play with the mod where Settlers unlock at Early Empire, as I do). Early advantage is important. However, if you are in a position to work a large number of breathtaking tiles, the long term benefit of high faith generation might outweigh it. Faith is a very useful currency in Civ 6. If you are also headed towards a Classical Golden Age, I think it's a pretty easy call.

I always pick Earth Goddess when playing as the Inca, as they usually have both a large number of breathtaking tiles to work and an easy Classical Golden Age. Persia seems to be another great fit.

 

[Abaxial]

These days you are lucky to get Religious Settlements, as it's the first one the AI picks. Earth Goddess is not always the second best, depending on what you have around you (desert? tundra? marshes?).

 

[Deadly Dog]

With the introduction of many mechanisms for increasing appeal this year Earth Goddess is really powerful. I almost always pick this if I'm not going for a religion, I usually don't even look for Religious Settlements.

I don't think I underrate the free settler - I will happily declare a surprise war if I catch an AI settler in a vulnerable spot in the early game. But this is so rare - as is having Religious Settlements as a choice - that I really don't remember last time I started a game with an extra settler whatever the source.

No one mentions the 15% border expansion from Religious Settlements, though certainly that makes a big difference over the course of a game. But its less noticeable and interesting than having a large pool of faith to play with I'm sure.

 

[iammaxhailme]

Honestly I rarely go for religious settlements, I feel like a one-time big thing is not nearly as fun as something that stays relevant the whole game

 

[Mahi]

It really does depend. If you capital location isn't that great then definitely go for the extra settler. If your start location is good and you don't need to forward settle an opponent to ensure land then I think earth goddess will be a better choice. Especially when you get the golden age that allows you to buy civilians for faith.
Personally I think religious settlement is a bit overrated.. At least in various scenarios.