How to defend against other religions?

[Valar Morghulis]

I really don't know how you're supposed to defend against other religions. The AI seems to have about 100 missionaries, who run across my land and cleanse it from my own religion. And I can't stop them.

[Steven]

Apostles. You need a temple. They can fight other religious units, or start inquisitions to get rid of other religions in your cities.

[Valar Morghulis]

Well but Germany came with 10 missonaries and before I could get my apostle out my cities were already converted.

[fmalfeas]

Once you get access to an apostle, use him to start an inquisition. Then you can hire Inquisitors for about as much as missionaries, and within your borders, they have combat strength like an Apostle, and will heal when sleeping. So you can use them to defend.

Additionally, if you're Spain, you can stack them with Conquistadors to give the Conquistadors +10 strength.

[Kotli]

Buy your guys with Faith BTW use an Apostle to start an inquisitions and unlock inquisitiors these are the anti-religion unit. They are cheaper than Apostles to make (think are slightly better at killing regilous units as well) and can remove all heritics from your cities.

[Valar Morghulis]

I cant remove heretics now because my Apostles and Inquisitors are from the other religion. And everytime I found a new city, good old Germany marches up with 20 new missionaries converting my new city.

[fmalfeas]

Ouch. Guess that means that's your new religion for the time being. Think you have the military power to hit Germany? If you go to war with them, you can slaughter the missionaries like they were workers you were capturing, and if you do it near your cities, it will strip pressure of their religion off the city.

[epraxes]

next time dont use the Apostle´s last charge and guard your front lines.

[mangopurple]

if they bring the million missionaries, declare war and move your units onto the missionaries to destroy them...

[Mansen]

Originally posted by mangopurple:

if they bring the million missionaries, declare war and move your units onto the missionaries to destroy them...

This has a very real chance of blowing up in your face depending on your CB and existing warmongering levels though. Suddenly everyone might wardec you taking turns.

[Valar Morghulis]

But Germany is my friend. :( I have the force to wipe them out. But I really wanted to play a peaceful game instead of just crushing the stupid AI all the time. That's so boring..^^ I never reach the modern age because of that.

[Mansen]

Germany can never be your longterm friend, if you're both fighting for a religious victory. You either let him convert your lands, and they will be happy. Or you fight back and they will hate you for trying to prevent them from wining the game their way.

[brgmns1]

I realized religion is as useless to try to fight as spies in this game. Unless you want to spend your entire game micromanaging them to aspects of the game. The AI can spam so many missionaries it's basically impossible to deal with unless you want to do nothing but that. I had zero issues getting enough faith per turn to make enough apostles to fight them, but who the hell wants to run around chasing missionaries all across there entire continent every turn?

[Mansen]

It IS a victory condition - You also need a lot of planning and babysitting for cultural and science victories.

Don't chase - Just keep them out.

[brgmns1]

How do you "just keep them out"? When they land 20 on your coast you can't do much, if you go to war you screw yourself with every other civ so you have to just do the religious war and even if you have 20 apostles (and you won't) you can't one hit each missionary so they just run around like cockroaches.

[fmalfeas]

I'm not sure it's permanant, but I think you can cripple their religious victory and force them to change tactics. It's gonna piss em off, but in time, they may calm down.

Get an Apostle with the promotion that purges other religions when they do their spread. Hook it up with an Apostle with the religious combat strength bonus (because he's gonna need a bodyguard once the AI realizes what you're doing. March them to his religion's Holy City...and convert it. That should snuff his chances of religious victory, as the holy city is no longer holy.