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• Theodora - Byzantine

• Menelik II - Ethiopia

• Jayavarman VII - Khmer

• Peter - Russia

Achieving a Religious Victory in Civilization 6 is often one of the quickest paths to victory, especially if you're in a game where other players aren't focusing heavily on religion. Certain civilizations in Civ 6 are designed to prioritize Faith over other yields, and some of them can secure a Religious Victory faster than others.

The civilizations highlighted here are the best at generating Faith quickly, efficiently taking over other Holy Sites, and achieving a swift Religious Victory in Civilization 6. While other civilizations might offer more consistent Religious Victories, these leaders can achieve them rapidly under the right conditions and with the right strategies.

Theodora - Byzantine

Easily Convert Cities While Conquering Them

Theodora Leader Ability: Metanoia

Holy Sites also grant Culture equal to their Adjacency Bonus. Farms gain +1 Faith from Hippodromes and Holy Sites.

Byzantine Civ Ability: Taxis

+3 Combat and Religious Strength for all units for every Holy City you have converted, including Byzantium. Whenever you kill a unit, your Religion spreads to its controlling Civilization or City-State.

Unique Units

Dromon (Classical Ranged unit), Hippodrome (replaces Entertainment Complex, grants Amenities and a free Heavy Cavalry unit on completion and for every building in this district).

Theodora, the leader of the Byzantine civilization, emphasizes religious warfare to spread her religion. The Byzantine civ ability provides extra Combat and Religious Strength for every Holy City converted (including your own), and spreading your Religion to other civilizations or city-states whenever you kill their units.

The Hippodrome facilitates quick conquests across all ages by providing free Heavy Cavalry units as you build and expand this district. Theodora's bonus to Culture generation from Holy Sites speeds up your progression through the Civics tree, allowing you to rush Theology and Monarchy civics for more Policy Slots quickly.

Theodora excels in a combined Domination and Religious strategy. You don't need to conquer every civilization; engaging in combat and defeating their units will easily spread your religion. Select the Crusades founding belief for extra combat strength against units following your religion, and convert outlying cities before invading them. This strategy will ensure your religious influence spreads from the city, units following your religion will take more damage, and they will spread your religion upon death. By killing enemy units and sending Missionaries and Apostles to the target Holy City, you can convert it rapidly.

Menelik II - Ethiopia

Settle On Hills To Harvest Faith Without Sacrificing Culture or Science

Menelik II Leader Ability: Council of Ministers

Cities founded on Hills gain Science and Culture output equal to 15% of their Faith output. +4 Combat Strength for all units on Hills.

Ethiopia Civ Ability: Aksumite Legacy

All Resource improvements receive +1 Faith for every copy. International Trade Routes grant +0.5 Faith for every resource in the origin city. Archaeologists and Museums can be purchased with Faith.

Unique Units

Oromo Cavalry (Medieval Light Cavalry unit), Rock-Hewn Church (extra +1 Faith for every adjacent Mountain or Hills tile, provides Tourism from Faith after getting to Flight, spreads +1 Appeal to surroundings).

Menelik II might seem complex, but as the leader of Ethiopia, he simplifies Faith generation with bonuses for extra copies of non-strategic resources and Faith from trading with cities rich in Luxury Resources.

His Leader ability is the key to quickly achieving Religious Victories. By founding all your cities on Hills, you'll gain 15% of your Faith output as Science and Culture, allowing you to focus on Faith without falling behind in other areas. This strategy helps you secure the first Pantheon and Religion quickly by prioritizing Faith buildings.

To maximize Faith output, build Rock-Hewn Churches next to mountains and surrounded by Hills or Mountain tiles. Focus on acquiring as many copies of Bonus and Luxury Resources as possible, trade with other civilizations that have plenty of these resources, and settle on Hills to balance your development. By prioritizing Faith and supplementing it with Culture, you'll progress through the Civic tree faster and unlock policies that boost your Religious influence earlier than other civilizations.

Jayavarman VII - Khmer

Place Holy Sites Next To Rivers For Enormous Faith Gains

Jayavarman VII Leader Ability: Monasteries of the King

Holy Sites grant Food equal to their Adjacency Bonus, gain +2 Adjacency from Rivers, +2 Housing if built next to a River, and trigger a Culture Bomb.

Khmer Civ Ability: Grand Barays

Aqueducts provide +1 Amenity, and +1 Faith for each Citizen in the city. Farms get +2 Food if placed next to an Aqueduct, and +1 Faith next to a Holy Site.

Unique Units

Domrey (Medieval Siege unit), Prasat (+6 Faith, Relic slot, extra Housing, Culture, and Food with certain beliefs). +0.5 Culture for every Citizen.

As the leader of the Khmer civilization, Jayavarman VII is excellent for fast Cultural victories, especially if you focus on collecting Relics. However, he truly shines in achieving quick Religious Victories.

Players often underestimate the power of his Leader ability. Placing a Holy Site next to a River (which Khmer are biased towards) will generate a substantial amount of Faith, provide additional Housing, and trigger a Culture Bomb to claim adjacent tiles. The Khmer also benefit from an extra Amenity from Aqueducts and +1 Faith for every citizen in the city. The Prasat unique building further enhances Culture based on population and provides a significant +6 Faith per turn.

To leverage these advantages, place all your Holy Sites next to rivers, prioritize building Aqueducts, and aim for Wonders like the Great Bath and The Hanging Gardens to boost your city's growth and mitigate the effects of living near rivers. Throughout the game, continue to develop your Holy Sites and produce Apostles (or several Missionaries) every turn to rapidly and peacefully convert other Holy Cities.

Peter - Russia

Bonus Faith On Tundra + Dance Of The Aurora = Game Over

Peter Leader Ability: The Grand Embassy

Trade Routes with other Civilizations grant +1 Science and +1 Culture for every 3 Technologies or Civics they are ahead of Russia.

Russia Civ Ability: Mother Russia

Gain 5 extra tiles on founding a city, Tundra tiles grant +1 Faith and +1 Production. Units are immune to Blizzard, but civilizations at war with Russia suffer double penalties inside Russian territory.

Unique Units

Cossack (Industrial Era), Lavra (Replaces Holy District, expand by 2 tiles in the nearest city whenever you spend a Great Person there).

Russia is a versatile civilization in Civ VI, capable of winning any victory type. However, Peter stands out as the premier leader for Religious Victories by a significant margin.

As the leader of Russia, Peter benefits from extra Science and Culture when establishing Trade Routes with civilizations that are ahead in Tech or Civics. This is useful for bolstering these yields, but Russia's true strength lies in its civilization ability.

When playing as Russia, you receive more tiles upon founding a city and access the Lavra, which replaces the Holy Site. Expending a Great Person in a city with a Lavra extends your borders by two tiles. Additionally, Tundra tiles provide extra Faith and Production.

Starting with a bias towards Tundra zones, you can immediately leverage the Faith and Production bonuses these tiles offer. Rush the Dance of the Aurora pantheon to further enhance yields from Tundra tiles, then produce Settlers (with the Magnus promotion to prevent Population loss) to expand widely across the Tundra.

By the time you establish your fourth city with a Lavra, your Faith output will likely surpass other civilizations significantly. Continue to develop these Holy Sites, acquire St Basil's Cathedral for additional Tundra bonuses, and use Builders to harvest new resources as your Great People expand your cities.

Peter can achieve some of the fastest Religious Victories in Civ VI. By maximizing the potential of Tundra tiles and leveraging your Lavras, your Faith output can secure an early win.