One of the biggest departures fromSid Meier’s Civilization 7is undoubtedly religion. Coming fromCivilization 6, where religion was a victory type,Civ 7has massively reduced the role of religion, pushing it into a more ancillary mechanic. In the Antiquity Age, religion is present through pantheons and altars, and, unlikeCiv 6, is generally beneficial to every player. The investment required to start a pantheon is also significantly reduced, with its early placement on the civics tree, meaning that every player will, eventually, receive a pantheon.
Successfully completing thefour Antiquity Age legacy paths, though not directly influenced by pantheons, can be achieved more comfortably by usingCiv 7’s religion system. When creating a pantheon, you can choose a belief that will last throughout the entirety of the Antiquity Era. While each of the 16 choices is unique,some beliefs are certainly better than others. Getting the best usage out of pantheons is made easier by knowing which beliefs to prioritize choosing, especially as a belief can only be selected by one player per game.
Best Pantheons In Civ 7
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Many ofCivilization 7’s beliefs draw their inspiration fromCiv 6’s own pantheon system. Fortunately,theoptions forCiv 7do seem more balancedthan those of its predecessor, which had a few egregiously powerful choices. Besides a couple more unique beliefs, almost all potential benefits fall under three categories: increasing altar yields, rural tile yields, and city production. Without further ado, here is a list of the available beliefs.
+3 Influence on the Altar
Earth Goddess
The Altar receives a +1 happiness adjacency for mountains and natural wonders
10% Growth Rate in Cities with an Altar
+1 Culture on Quarters in Settlements with an Altar
+5 Healing on Units in Rural Tiles
Goddess of the Harvest
+1 Food on Farms, Pastures, and Plantations in Settlements with an Altar. Warehouse bonus.
God of the Forest
+1 Gold on Camps and Woodcutters in Settlements with an Altar. Warehouse bonus.
God of the Forge
Effect
God of the Sea
+1 Production on Fishing Boats in Settlements with an Altar. Warehouse bonus.
God of the Sun
+1 Culture, Food, Gold, Happiness, Production, and Science on the Altar
+15% Production towards Military Units in Cities with an Altar
+1 Science on Quarters in Settlements with an Altar
Monuments of the Gods
+10% Production towards constructing Wonders in Cities with an Altar
+10% Production towards training Settlers in Cities with an Altar
Sacred Waters
The Altar receives a +1 Happiness Adjacency for Coasts, Lakes, and Navigable River Tiles
Stone Circles
+1 Production on Clay Pits, Mines, and Quarries in Settlements with an Altar. Warehouse bonus.
Many of these benefits have powerful general or situational uses. However,a few are generally not worth picking up. Beliefs that increase happiness, such as Sacred Waters and Earth Goddess, are simply not needed because of the countless ways to keep cities happy outside of pantheons. Oral Tradition is also one of the worst options;Civ 7’s new soft city cap means that settlers aren’t made all that frequently. The other production percentage beliefs aren’t particularly strong either, largely due to their specificity. Other beliefs can generate more production with no restrictions on the production’s usage.
If choosing one belief is too difficult, try playing as the Maurya civilization. This allows you to select two beliefs.
On the other hand, the suite of beliefs granting extra yields on specific tile improvements can quickly rack up value.Goddess of the Harvest, God of the Forest, God of the Sea, and Stone Circlescan all grant a surprising amount of resources. These bonuses can easily hit the double digits in yields and, with optimization, are difficult beliefs to compete with. If you like a moredomination heavy approach in the Antiquity Age, God of War can be a less intensive alternative, allowing for more focus on warmongering.
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Lastly, if culture and science are goals, I found the God of Wisdom and Goddess of Festivals to be traps. Getting quarters set up across multiple settlements to get value from the belief is a heavy gold investment. When it’s achievable, the four—or five-yield bonus is meaningless. Instead, theGod of the Sun presents a better option, requiring only altars to function and supplying every yield inCiv 7.
How To Unlock A Pantheon
A Far Simpler Process
In a very welcomeimprovement for religion overCiv 6, pantheons are extremely simple to obtain. After the initial civic policy, Chiefdom is researched, and you will have the option of Mysticism and Discipline. Choosing and completing Mysticism will automatically unlock a pantheon. From there, you will be required to choose a belief from the above-listed chart. As a reminder, once a belief is chosen, it can no longer be picked by other leaders.
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Mysticism also unlocks the altar, a rather disappointing building that provides a base yield of two happiness with the upkeep of two gold. This building’s only real purpose is activating pantheon beliefs in settlements and facilitating more town quarters. With pantheons disappearing at the start of the exploration age, the altar is a prime target for anearly overbuild inCiv 7. Overall, if you are moving in a more militaristic direction, you can safely go down the discipline path at first, but with the general power of pantheons inCivilization 7, it’s best to get a pantheon rolling as soon as possible.
