Is there a benefit to spread your religion? Or downsides to getting other civ's religion?

[Mr. Jizzard The Tentacle Wizard]

I don't really have any religion "bonuses" that focus on stuff like getting gold when new city is converted, stuff like that. Mostly stuff that helps it spread better. Is there any benefit to spreading it to other city states and civs tho? Like culture or something?

[Trentnet]

you can get bonuses to combat, fighting around a city with the same faith etc it all depends on what you choose when you found a pantheon or found a religion or when you choose one to follow. Find out what areas they focus on like war / econ / prod
I try focus on happiness bonuses for faith and use social for mil / econ

but there are many benifits early / mid game late game not so much

[MysticMalevolence]

Shared religion gives a cultural influence modifier.
I also normally choose a founder belief that gives gold for followers.

[D3bs]

If I'm one of the first to get a Religion, great, as I can choose the belief's I want. On the other hand, if I get the last Prophet I will often use it to build a Holy Site rather than take a Religion.

In this scenario other Civ's will flock to give you their Religion and, providing you have built a Temple, you can also buy their chosen religious buildings with faith; the idea being to max faith per turn so you can still use it to also buy Great People.

[cerberusiv]

You need to pick a spread of beliefs to really get a benefit from religion. What to pick is largely situational.

Pantheon - Always something that will get you faith (I picked Earth Mother in my current game as I have several salt resources). That gets you to founding a religion quicker.

Two beliefs from founding a religion - I usually take Ceremonial Burial for happiness and rely on trade routes for income, something that benefits you for having more cities follow your religion anyway. Pick a building belief (pagoda, cathedral, mosque in that order). You won't be buying them for a while but there may be no building belief left by the time you enhance your religion.

Two beliefs from enhancing your religion - take one belief that helps religion spread (I prefer Religious Texts) and one free choice of whatever you like.

That way your religion has benefits early and mid game when it is just your cities and anything nearby. I usually expand through conquest late game and the happiness benefit of converting captured cities to my religion is helpful.

[General Malaise]

Religion is very useful, whether it's your own or someone elses.

As has been said, they can give you useful bonuses for gold/happiness/culture, and much more. I think Tithe is one of the best picks if you can spread your religion, and probably Mosques/Pagodas are about equal after that.

I normallly don't get a religion. I was surprised in my current game that I did make a Great Prophet. I''d have planted it for faith, but Mosques were still there - so founded a religion.

I always go Tradition and Rationalism. That means later in the game, I can buy Great Engineers, and Great Scientists for faith. Very usefull.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by cerberusiv:

You need to pick a spread of beliefs to really get a benefit from religion. What to pick is largely situational.

Pick a building belief (pagoda, cathedral, mosque in that order). .

Do you value Cathedral for the Great Work Slot?

Just curious, cos my pick order would be Mosque, Pagoda Cathedral - although my preference for Mosque over Pagoda is minute.

[cerberusiv]

Originally posted by TheFaithOfLeftismSucks:

Originally posted by cerberusiv:

You need to pick a spread of beliefs to really get a benefit from religion. What to pick is largely situational.

Pick a building belief (pagoda, cathedral, mosque in that order). .

Do you value Cathedral for the Great Work Slot?

Just curious, cos my pick order would be Mosque, Pagoda Cathedral - although my preference for Mosque over Pagoda is minute.

I did pick cathedral for a while but at king I usually get one or both of Sistine and Uffizi so I don't need the slots at that point and pagoda gives more faith and happiness.

As for mosque I don't find I really need the extra faith point and, again, prefer the extra happiness so I can have bigger cities early on.

[[PBS]RustyFork]

You relation with city states decrease slower and you get a +15 relation as a resting point.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by cerberusiv:

Originally posted by TheFaithOfLeftismSucks:

Do you value Cathedral for the Great Work Slot?

Just curious, cos my pick order would be Mosque, Pagoda Cathedral - although my preference for Mosque over Pagoda is minute.

I did pick cathedral for a while but at king I usually get one or both of Sistine and Uffizi so I don't need the slots at that point and pagoda gives more faith and happiness.

As for mosque I don't find I really need the extra faith point and, again, prefer the extra happiness so I can have bigger cities early on.

Experienced player like you, playing on King?

You must never lose!

;)

I can't get enough Faith. There's certain Wonders I love to get, I can't get enough great scientists, but spreading religion etc, the more faith the better for me. I used to pick Pagoda, but now Mosque.

[cerberusiv]

Originally posted by TheFaithOfLeftismSucks:

Experienced player like you, playing on King?

You must never lose!

;)

I play this game for fun and to relax I don't like having to exploit the deficiencies of the AI to the maximum to make up for the bonuses it gets at higher difficulties. Also I like to build wonders which gets tricky above emperor. If I want a challenge I play Panzer Corps at the harder difficulties.

[General Malaise]

Originally posted by cerberusiv:

Originally posted by TheFaithOfLeftismSucks:

Experienced player like you, playing on King?

You must never lose!

;)

I play this game for fun and to relax I don't like having to exploit the deficiencies of the AI to the maximum to make up for the bonuses it gets at higher difficulties. Also I like to build wonders which gets tricky above emperor. If I want a challenge I play Panzer Corps at the harder difficulties.

Fair enough.

Yeah, it would be nice to build early Wonders. I'd love Temple of Artemis, Great Lighthouse, and Notre Dame all the time. Alas.

Late game is OK though. I will try for Brandenburg if I think I have a chance, and manage it quite often. I nearly always get CN Tower, Neushwanstein(don't get why AI doesn't want it), and Hubble.

Obviously there's others I'd like, but I just have to try and capture them.

:)

[Mr. Jizzard The Tentacle Wizard]

Lol it seems I've messed up. I've picked pretty much only bonuses for my own cities and ones that help my religion spread better, so I've really been spreading my religion for nothing. I control the world Congress, so I even forced through my own religion as the world religion, with 12 votes yea against 11 votes no. All I've succeeded in doing is pissing off Indonesia. Probably more because I converted 3 of their cities while they were spreading their own religion. Oh well, whatever. Thanks for the comments.

[ForevaNoob Wonemorturn]

Pagoda is godda
Pagooda is good...