Fire goddess to god of war, which pantheon would you have followed?

From the Greek roots "pan" and "theos" (meaning “all gods”), choosing the right pantheon can jumpstart your civilization.
Pantheons range from all types of worship, granting different bonuses for each type.
With more than 20 pantheons to choose from, I’ll discuss my list for the 5 least and most righteous of paths.

Five Worst Civ 6 Pantheons

5. Fire GoddessUnsurprisingly, this pantheon rewards those who play with fire

From Ra the Egyption sun god, to Lalahon, the Philippine god of volcanoes: every culture has a god of fire.
With the addition of Gathering Storm, geothermal vents and volcanoes are aplenty.
So if you’re willing to play with fire, prepare to get burned.

Pantheon details

• +2 faith from Geothermal Fissures and Volcanic Soil

Why Fire Goddess Isn’t So Hot

• +2 faith is decent, but geothermal fissures cannot be improved until the atomic era.
• Both of the required tiles tend to be near mountainous, unwelcoming terrain.
• Volcanic soil is only near, you know, volcanoes; if you want faith, you might have to go Pompeii with it.

4. God of War (not you, Kratos.)Killing units close to holy sites will net this swordsman faith... geez what does he worship Satan?

Bet you’d never see the words “God of War” and “mediocre” in the same sentence, huh?
Well here’s one exception: This war-like pantheon provides faith per enemy killed, which is great if you’re ready to wage constant holy war. 

Pantheon details

• Aquire bonus faith equal to 50% of the base strength of each enemy unit killed within 8 tiles of any of your holy sites.

Why God of War is Mediocre

• To make maximum use of this pantheon, holy sites must be continuously built.
• A religious/war-like play style is best benefited, which requires a lot of micromanaging.
• Being constantly at war presents its issues such as accruing grievances and revolt.

3. Initiation RitesWhether it's streaking through campus or killing your first wild boar, initiation rites have always separated the men from the boys

There’s nothing quite as satisfying as watching your warrior take that barbarian encampment.
With bonus gold, era score, and the sweet, sweet peace of mind it brings, those bastions of barbarism are good for nothing but razing. 
Extra faith here is a welcome, but a short-lived bonus to this pantheon.

Initiation Rites Details

• Gives a bonus +50 faith for each barbarian outpost cleared.
• Whichever unit clears a barbarian outpost fully heals.

Why Initiation Rites Should Be Avoided

• High level of diminishing returns and one unit getting a full heal isn’t very impactful.
• Farming barbarian camps is time-consuming and occupies resources.
• +50 faith is decent in the early game, but barbarians are less common over time.

2. Sacred PathYour holy sites near rainforests will net you bonus faith... just protect them from Hexxus!

Like the worshippers of Chichen Itza, this pantheon thrives within rainforests. 
Sacred Path gives rainforests bonus faith to holy sites in exchange for holding back your wood-chopping hand. But is it worth it to stay in the trees?
“Gimli! Lower your ax!”

Sacred Path Details

• Holy site districts receive +1 bonus faith from adjacent rainforests.

Why Sacred Path Leads You Astray

• Every rainforest adjacent to the holy site sacrifices other potential district adjacency bonuses.
• Rainforests are often better if harvested since they will not provide science until much later. 
• Like Initiation Rites, this pantheon requires the constant building of holy sites. 

1. Stone CirclesFrom stoners to stone-worshippers, this pantheon is truly down to earth

From the neolithic monoliths of Stonehenge to the Black Marker of Dead Space, giant rocks have never been hotter.
What’s the one thing better than giant rocks you ask? You guessed it: giant rocks in a circle.
The imaginatively named “stone circles” provides faith for, you guessed it, rocks, as well as other quarries.

Stone Circles Details

• +2 faith from quarries.

Why Stone Circles Doesn’t Rock

• Quarries can only be built over 3 types of resources in the game. 
• Stone, the most common type of quarriable resources, gives a high production boost when harvested instead of worked.
• Quarries do not reach their full production potential until very late in the game.

Five Best Civ 6 Pantheons

5. City Patron GoddessWith a different patron for every city, polytheists need not worry about getting tied down in a monotheistic relationship

With Athena in Athens and Artemis in Sparta, ancient Greece was especially fond of patron gods. 
With the Parthenon wonder missing from Civ VI, City Patron Goddess now fills this ancient temple’s holy role.
Providing bonus production to any first district, this pantheon gives the player a flexible and consistent advantage.

City Patron Goddess Details:

• Provides bonus +25% production toward districts in cities without a specialty district. 

Why City Patron Goddess is a Solid Choice:

• The bonus can be applied to any type of yield generator (districts of culture, science, etc.)
• Does not require prerequisites such as specific tile improvements.
• New cities are more vulnerable, and getting a district up quick can be crucial to their survival. 

4. Earth GoddessThis pantheon will have you worshiping the ground you walk on

The addition of Gathering Storm shows the consequences of how we treat the planet.
Rising sea levels can wreck our districts, but hey, that’s new beachfront property!
The Earth Goddess pantheon grants faith for your most beautiful land, making the most out of national parks and forests.

Earth Goddess Details

• Causes all tiles with a breathtaking appeal to yield +2 bonus faith.

Why it’s Good to be a Tree-hugger

• Holy sites or improvements are not needed to get bonus faith. 
• Breathtaking tiles are not too uncommon, especially around forests and natural wonders.
• There are many ways to improve tile appeal, making this pantheon useful throughout the game.

3. God of Craftsmen"Idle hands are the devil's workshop"  and this pantheon lets you worship while you work

While it may be a bit much to call coffee at the local hipster cafe “artisan”, craftsmen have been a staple of civilization for 1000s of years. 
From blacksmiths to bakers, whatever your craft, better believe there’s a god of it. 
God of Craftsmen delivers on its description, yielding faith and production accordingly.

God of Craftsmen Details

• +1 bonus production from improved strategic resources.
• +1 bonus faith from improved strategic resources.

Why God of Craftsmen Puts in Work

• Strategic resources appear early and continue to become available throughout the game.
• Strategic resources are one of the most common types of improvable resources. 
• Most strategic resources are improved by mines, which are amongst the most valuable tile improvements in the game.

2. Goddess of FestivalsWhether it's Saturnalia, Diwali, or Coachella, humans love to cultivate culture

After a much-needed change, the “Oral Traditions” pantheon is gone, and the GoF pantheon finally has a UI that doesn’t induce a minor stroke. 
It’s as if all of Firaxis collectively threw up their arms and said: “f*** it; just combine them and make the bonus all culture.”
Now combined with “Oral Tradition”, GoF has gone from zero to hero (until it’s nerfed again in the next update.)

Goddess of Festivals Details

• +1 Culture from Plantations
• (This is a much-improved version of the previous GoF which gave bonus food only)

Why Goddess of Festivals is Something to Celebrate

• Luxury resources are extremely valuable and unlikely to be removed.
• Plantations account for more than a third of all luxury resources, giving this pantheon lots of potential. 
• Culture is difficult to attain early-game, making this pantheon especially important.

1. Religious SettlementsSay what you will about religion, it's one of the few things that can grow in a desert

Where you can find people, you can find religion. This pantheon not only provides more land for you to settle but helps you do so by providing a free settler. 
Expansion is crucial in Civilization, which is why Religious Settlements is one of my favorites.  

Religious Settlements Details

• Border Expansion rate is 15% faster.
• Receive a settler in your capital. (does not consume a population)

Why Religious Settlements is Awesome

• Border expansion will always be useful, especially early on.
• The settler does not consume a citizen but it does increase production costs for settlers. 
• Acquiring this pantheon after your first settler means skipping additional production cost. 

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