Which Do You Think Is Better Overall, Voidsingers or Owls of Minerva?

[Çylladora Vanyamar]

I am interested to know what folks think. These two seem to be my favorites. The leylines and vampires are only so so for me.

[ashvandam_uk]

I tend to be drawn to the owls. The laylines didnt do to much for me, when i tried them.

but i have not really given the other 2 a chance yet.

[kaiserp]

Well.... Have you ever tried Voidsingers with Elenor of Aquitaine?

[Drenus]

Overall, Owls just seems so much more usefull imo, more trade routes, more money, more policy slots, just overall better at supporting whatever strategy you want

i tried Voids once, and to get any benefits, you are forced into Faith, meh

[haludansavarte]

Voidsingers are far and away the best secret society, completely broken. With the right religion? I have had thousands of gold, science, culture, per round, mainly due to the faith translation/relic yields.

[PhailRaptor]

Voidsingers has a very specific focus and intent, and that being to use your Faith to augment your play towards a Culture Victory or Religious Victory. All of it's bonuses revolve around these 2 victory types, from the extra Great Work slot available via the Old God Obelisk, to the ability to create Relics from use of Cultists. There's even an offensive capability with the capstone, letting Cultists attack City Loyalty directly.

Owls of Minerva is much more broad and generalist in nature. You are encouraged to focus on City States, from the ability to place extra Envoys via Trade Routes, which can in turn pave the way towards (but not getting over the "hump" of) a Diplomatic Victory. You also will earn a literal boatload of gold from the combination of Gilded Vaults, extra Trade Routes, and the capstone providing % of treasury as income every turn. This can be turned to most any purpose, given you can purchase any unit and most buildings with Gold.

The 2 Societies are very different and have different use cases. Both are absolutely bonkers in the correct situation, as is the Hermetic Order. Vampires are definitely powerful, but I don't feel they are of the same magnitude.

[Lemurian1972]

Originally posted by PhailRaptor:

Vampires are definitely powerful, but I don't feel they are of the same magnitude.

The units themselves take a certain mindset and gameplan to use properly, but the real power comes from the Vampire Castles, which lead to a ridiculously powerful capital city. They're truly excellent in Tall games, especially with a civ or city state that grants Unique Improvements.

[Cryten]

Owls are generalist but also suit any economic game so science, culture, military, diplomatic.

Voidsingers are religious hands down so very good at Religion which also feeds into a culture game.

Vampires are purely an offencive game secret society. Most of their bonus is in the vampires so they suit most a domination game. Remember though that a domination game can transition into a science or culture game easily.

Alchemical society is a science game or sim city society. Providing strong science bonuses and adjacency for districts but they are also extremely weak. Their leylines are randomly placed which kind of forces you into a domination game if you want to get them. Which unfortunately runs counter to your sim city game plan by draining resources for 30-60 turns for military conquest. Unless you get very lucky. They do make a desert map decently better though.

[brooklyncontrivance]

Voidsingers are hands down, far and away, the most stupidly brokenly powerful secret society. A few hundred free science and culture every turn, a virtually unlimited source of relics on demand, incredible early game faith generation to guarantee an early pantheon and maximizing classical era monumentality golden ages - and a loyalty flipping mechanic which can be useless to game defining, depending on your game and civ.

Vampires and Hermetic Order tie for second place. Both offer incredible tile yields, but the usefulness of the Hermetic order depends both on how strong your great person game is and random leyline placement.

Owls are for Mali and Victoria, a couple others. Consistent benefits, but boring and underpowered compared to the others.

[yeknod]

Void is a fast track to faith which aids and begets a religion. A religion will supply up to five (5) enhancements, e.g. +1 production on all fish tiles. Owls gives one (1) extra slot plus extra delegates to city states IF you send a trade route. I find the city states far from my capital in the early game. Also the sharing of production and food between sister cities is essential to keeping up with map wide progress. So, I will choose Void over Owls every time. Religion is a huge advantage. Particularly when a little less than half of the other players have none. Just the recon value of a missionary in a foreign land is priceless. Go Void. Go religion.