Does anyone actually use Piety?

[capperz412]

In my opinion Piety is crap compared to Rationalism, I mean religion is useful but you need Rationalism to get new tech for science victory or for new units...

[eXistenZ]

if you go for a cultural victory, you need the piety policies: excess happines gets added to your culture, cities with a world wonder produce 33% more, and the future cost is reduced with 10%

Ethiopia is an example of a civ that benefits a lot from piety.

offcours, wit BNW that might all change

[capperz412]

That is true. How exactly does the cultural victory work in BNW again? You have to get tourism or something lol?

[thedUWUmslayer]

Well, I usually have high enough science, so I go peity for the extra culture. Also, having that extra faith means I can purchase more great people too. And I think the cultural victory in BNW has you getting your culture dominant over every other country or something.

[Reaper]

It's great if you plan to use the 'Holy Warriors' (buy pre-industrial units with faith) option in your religion. Piety gives bonus faith from shrines and temples early and, when complete, give's -20% to faith purchaces, meaning cheap holy warriors.

[Zuneda]

In my opinion, the 'extra culture' you get from piety really isn't worth it cosidering the costs/opportunities in other ways. For instance, that one policy of piety where you get x culture from excess of hapiness, has not really an added value given the fact that you need to acquire x luxury goods, x hapiness buildings (with maintenance to pay) etc etc. But the 10% gold and the extra faith can come in handy.

[Twelvefield]

That depends how you go about collecting lux goods. If you are Siam, you get crazy bonuses for befriending city-states. After you get a few of those on your side, Siam swims in lux goods and dives into the deep end of happiness. Then Piety starts looking really sweet.

As has been mentioned, some Civs do better with Piety than others. Like Rationalism, it's situational.

[Staryn]

I'm more likely to use piety than rationalism. The gold boost and extra culture come in handy early on.

[Hostile Alpaca]

I use it a little since I usually try to get a religion

[Clover]

I generally ignore it but I can see how it could be useful in certain situations.

[Nius Atreides]

It depends on what civ you're playing and what victory condition you're chasing. Piety helps with cultural victories - steer your religion towards culture and use Piety to boost it, and the final 10% reduction to policy costs is a nice perk as well.
Rationalism is better for millitaristic and scientific civs, which appeals to you I see. I personally tend to leave rationalism alone unless I'm using policy saving; I play more domestically and culturally.

[eXistenZ]

Originally posted by Roxyrn Shadorne:

In my opinion, the 'extra culture' you get from piety really isn't worth it cosidering the costs/opportunities in other ways. For instance, that one policy of piety where you get x culture from excess of hapiness, has not really an added value given the fact that you need to acquire x luxury goods, x hapiness buildings (with maintenance to pay) etc etc. But the 10% gold and the extra faith can come in handy.

You've got to trade your goods and befriend the right CS, and the pick the right beliefs. And then combine it with the right wonders like the eiffel tower.

Also, by completing piety, you'll be able to purchase missionaries at a lower cost, and spreading your religion faster and further. And more faith means more great persons.

[guys]

In BNW the policy system is being overhauled, and now you will be able to have both Piety (which is being buffed) and Rationalism (which is being nerfed) active at the same time.

[ohimark]

I have to agree. I mean culture helps and all but u need tec just to stay alive.

[The Goshdarn Robin]

I was recently playing a game as Suleimon, and had intended to go for a very militaristic science victory, until I discovered that I was on a small island by myself. I immediately decided to dump all of my culture into Tradition, Liberty, Piety, and Freedom. If you max out Piety and Freedom, you start getting a ludicrous ammount of great artists and profits, and all of your holy sites/landmarks get double faith/culture respectively. I didn't lack in science either, until the very end of the game, since I got to dump all of my production into libraries and the like. Siam surpassed me in tech sometime around 1850, but I had already pretty much secured my cultural victory by then, and I had some pretty decent spies lurking in his cities.

TL;DNR: Piety is very useful if you're on your own continent or neighboring a weak empire which you plan on destroying before rationalism.

[OrionHunter88]

I use piety quite a bit - depending on civ. There's alot of really powerful relgious choices like Defender of the Faith, Tithe, and the buildings bought with religion are really good sources of happiness and culture. Besides I really like sending out messionaries haha