CIVs for Speediest Faith Triumphs Revealed in Civilization VI

Civ 6's Fastest Religious Victory Paths: Top Faith Civs

Achieving a Religious Victory in Civilization 6 can be surprisingly swift, especially if you're the only one pursuing a religious path. While many civilizations prioritize Faith, some excel at achieving this victory faster than others. This guide highlights the Civ 6 leaders best suited for a rapid Religious Victory, focusing on strategies that maximize Faith generation and Holy Site control. Note that while other civs can win religiously, these leaders offer the potential for exceptionally fast victories under the right conditions.

Theodora - Byzantine: Conquer and Convert

Leader Ability: Metanoia – Holy Sites gain Culture equal to their adjacency bonus. Farms gain +1 Faith from Hippodromes and Holy Sites.

Civilization Ability: Taxis – +3 Combat and Religious Strength per converted Holy City. Killing a unit spreads your religion to its owner.

Unique Units: Dromon (Classical ranged), Hippodrome (replaces Entertainment Complex, grants Amenities and a free Heavy Cavalry).

Theodora's strategy centers on religious warfare. Byzantium's ability boosts combat and religious strength for each converted Holy City, and killing enemy units spreads your faith. The Hippodrome provides free Heavy Cavalry, facilitating rapid conquest. Her Holy Site bonus to Culture accelerates Civic progression. Prioritize Theology and Monarchy for extra Policy slots.

Winning Strategy: Combine Domination and Religious strategies. Focus on battles to spread your religion, utilizing the Crusades founding belief for extra combat strength against units of your religion. Convert cities before invasion; your religious influence will aid conquest. Combine military pressure with Missionaries/Apostles for swift Holy City conversions.

Menelik II - Ethiopia: Hilltop Faith

Leader Ability: Council of Ministers – Cities founded on Hills gain Science and Culture equal to 15% of their Faith output. +4 Combat Strength for units on Hills.

Civilization Ability: Aksumite Legacy – Resource improvements gain +1 Faith per copy. International Trade Routes gain +0.5 Faith per resource in the origin city. Archaeologists and Museums can be purchased with Faith.

Unique Units: Oromo Cavalry (Medieval Light Cavalry), Rock-Hewn Church (+1 Faith per adjacent Mountain/Hill, provides Tourism from Faith after Flight, spreads +1 Appeal).

Menelik II's strength lies in efficient Faith generation. Found cities on Hills to leverage his Leader ability, gaining Science and Culture alongside Faith. Maximize Faith from multiple resource copies and Trade Routes.

Winning Strategy: Settle on Hills. Build Rock-Hewn Churches near mountains and hills for maximum Faith. Focus on acquiring and trading Bonus and Luxury Resources. Prioritize Faith buildings early, but balance with Culture to accelerate Civic progression.

Jayavarman VII - Khmer: Riverine Faith Boom

Leader Ability: Monasteries of the King – Holy Sites gain Food equal to their adjacency bonus, +2 adjacency from Rivers, +2 Housing near Rivers, and trigger a Culture Bomb.

Civilization Ability: Grand Barays – Aqueducts provide +1 Amenity and +1 Faith per citizen. Farms gain +2 Food near Aqueducts, +1 Faith near Holy Sites.

Unique Units: Domrey (Medieval Siege unit), Prasat (+6 Faith, Relic slot, extra Housing, Culture, and Food with certain beliefs). +0.5 Culture per citizen.

Jayavarman VII excels at rapid Faith generation and city growth. His Leader ability makes Holy Sites near rivers incredibly powerful. Khmer's ability boosts Amenity and Faith from Aqueducts.

Winning Strategy: Place Holy Sites next to rivers. Build Aqueducts to maximize Faith and Amenities. Utilize Wonders like the Great Bath and Hanging Gardens to boost growth. Produce Apostles (and Missionaries) to quickly convert Holy Cities.

Peter - Russia: Tundra Triumph

Leader Ability: The Grand Embassy – Trade Routes with advanced civilizations grant +1 Science and +1 Culture per 3 Technologies/Civics they are ahead of Russia.

Civilization Ability: Mother Russia – +5 city tiles on founding. Tundra tiles grant +1 Faith and +1 Production. Units are immune to Blizzard; enemies suffer double penalties in Russian territory.

Unique Units: Cossack (Industrial Era), Lavra (replaces Holy Site, expands by 2 tiles when a Great Person is spent there).

Russia's strength lies in its ability to dominate the map and generate massive Faith from Tundra tiles. Peter's Leader ability helps in other areas.

Winning Strategy: Utilize the Tundra bonus to Faith and Production. Rush the Dance of the Aurora pantheon for even greater yields. Expand widely using Settlers with the Magnus promotion. Lavras allow rapid expansion and Faith generation. Build St. Basil's Cathedral for further Tundra bonuses.

These strategies offer pathways to incredibly fast Religious Victories. Remember that success depends on map generation, opponent actions, and effective game management.