I'm poking around at each of the religious beliefs, playing a game that features each one. I'm especially interested in war stories of religion combos, which worked, which tanked. I'll start with the past few Byzantine games I've played.
Game 1:
Just war (+20% combat bonus near enemy cities following your religion) / Messiah (Great prophet 25% stronger and earned with 25% less Faith).
Intent: Prophet leads the army, religious nukes on the leading city and any later city that will be trouble for a massive combat bonus. Win a great holy war.
Experience: Amazing in my opening war, but my religion didn't spread well other than in those 2-3 of holy wars you get to have. Religion and science don't mix, and science is crucial for domination. I ended up with lots of territory and puppets, massive happy/infrastructure problems, and behind on tech. Almost lost the game, but pulled myself together enough to build a fleet to visit the space-bound arab's capital.
Thoughts: If you can get a neighbor or two with your religion before they get a pantheon, I can see this belief having decent value. Seems Messiah would be weak on its own without the combo, but was invaluable in this game as both neighbors had religions.
Game 2:
Great mosque (Missionaries spread 3 times, up from 2), Missionary Zeal (Mission conversion strength +25%), Holy Order (Missionaries and Inquisitors cost 30% less Faith)
Intent: Super missionaries! Get your religion out quickly, exactly when and where you want it to go.
Experience: Doesn't work. You can please a lot of civs and city states, but once religions are established missionaries don't have the punch to knock other religions out of an area. Plus you spend all your faith to do it. Sounds great on paper, and in the right circumstance you can flood a civ with missionaries and convert everything, but the combo is flimsy. Paper thin. And I couldn't recommend it less. There are much better combos for a diplo win, and you want to tech hard which makes the missionaries even more costly.
Game 3:
Itinerant Preachers (13 tile religious spread) & Religious Texts (34%/68% bonus pressure) combo with an ICS/REX and a fast tech to printing press.
Intent: Your religion takes over the world.
Experience: This is borderline overpowered, especially on a pangea. My religion took over the whole Pangea with maybe a half dozen missionaries. I looked up and saw 54 happy in an ICS: 90 happiness from religion. Jeez. The pressure combo sustains itself once it hits critical mass, and costs no faith, leaving you free to buy all faith buildings and great people. So good. Give it a try, seriously.
Those are the more interesting experiments I've had with religion so far. I want to hear yours. I was blown away by the itinerant preacher/religious text combo, I hope there are more out there that you guys have found and will now share.
Game 1:
Just war (+20% combat bonus near enemy cities following your religion) / Messiah (Great prophet 25% stronger and earned with 25% less Faith).
Intent: Prophet leads the army, religious nukes on the leading city and any later city that will be trouble for a massive combat bonus. Win a great holy war.
Experience: Amazing in my opening war, but my religion didn't spread well other than in those 2-3 of holy wars you get to have. Religion and science don't mix, and science is crucial for domination. I ended up with lots of territory and puppets, massive happy/infrastructure problems, and behind on tech. Almost lost the game, but pulled myself together enough to build a fleet to visit the space-bound arab's capital.
Thoughts: If you can get a neighbor or two with your religion before they get a pantheon, I can see this belief having decent value. Seems Messiah would be weak on its own without the combo, but was invaluable in this game as both neighbors had religions.
Game 2:
Great mosque (Missionaries spread 3 times, up from 2), Missionary Zeal (Mission conversion strength +25%), Holy Order (Missionaries and Inquisitors cost 30% less Faith)
Intent: Super missionaries! Get your religion out quickly, exactly when and where you want it to go.
Experience: Doesn't work. You can please a lot of civs and city states, but once religions are established missionaries don't have the punch to knock other religions out of an area. Plus you spend all your faith to do it. Sounds great on paper, and in the right circumstance you can flood a civ with missionaries and convert everything, but the combo is flimsy. Paper thin. And I couldn't recommend it less. There are much better combos for a diplo win, and you want to tech hard which makes the missionaries even more costly.
Game 3:
Itinerant Preachers (13 tile religious spread) & Religious Texts (34%/68% bonus pressure) combo with an ICS/REX and a fast tech to printing press.
Intent: Your religion takes over the world.
Experience: This is borderline overpowered, especially on a pangea. My religion took over the whole Pangea with maybe a half dozen missionaries. I looked up and saw 54 happy in an ICS: 90 happiness from religion. Jeez. The pressure combo sustains itself once it hits critical mass, and costs no faith, leaving you free to buy all faith buildings and great people. So good. Give it a try, seriously.
Those are the more interesting experiments I've had with religion so far. I want to hear yours. I was blown away by the itinerant preacher/religious text combo, I hope there are more out there that you guys have found and will now share.