10 Best Civ 6 Leaders For A Religious Victory

A Religious Victory in Sid Meier's Civilization 6 is one of the many victory types in the game, such as achieving a Cultural Victory or going for a Scientific Victory. It requires players to become the primary Religion for every civilization in the campaign by spreading it through Missionaries, Apostles, Religious Influence, and more. Players will first unlock a Pantheon, then use a Great Prophet to found a Religion, and finally, establish a variety of different types of Beliefs that fall into categories such as Founder Beliefs or Enhancer Beliefs.

Some leaders are much more equipped for the job than others and will have specialized Religious- or Faith-boosting abilities, and their respective civilizations will offer similar bonuses. Here's a look at the 10 best leaders for a Religious Victory in Civilization 6 and some of their unique Faith-based features.

10 Gitarja: The Indonesian Empire

Exalted Goddess Of The Three Worlds

Gitarja's unique ability, Exalted Goddess of the Three Worlds, allows the purchasing of Naval units with Faith, lets Religious units embark and disembark without paying a movement cost, and provides +2 Faith to City Centers with adjacent Coast or Lake tiles. Combined with Indonesia's Great Nusantara feature, which gives a further adjacency bonus to Holy Sites on a Coast or Lake, Gitarja can send out Religious units to spread the word earlier and more easily than most empires.

Gitarja is able to produce Faith from the very first turn, which will likely give her the first choice of Pantheons. The Religious Settlements or God of the Sea Pantheons are great choices for Indonesia and Gitarja. However, it's critical that Gitarja's Capital City is located next to a Coast or Lake to take full advantage of the Faith bonuses from Gitarja's ability.

9 Mansa Musa: The Malian Empire

Sahel Merchants & Songs Of The Jeli

The Malian Songs of the Jeli feature, its unique Suguba Commercial District, and leader Mansa Musa's Sahel Merchants ability all give Mali a major competitive edge when it comes to purchasing power, and set Mansa Musa up for a surefire Religious Victory. Mansa Musa will be able to purchase units, buildings, and districts at a major discount after constructing the Suguba in each of their cities. By taking advantage of Desert tiles, Mansa Musa will start the campaign with a serious boost to Faith and Food.

Mali will thrive in the Medieval Era, especially due to its Mandekalu Cavalry units, but ultimately will generate enough Faith to purchase many Religious units at a serious discount and spread Mansa Musa's chosen Religion. Because a Religious Victory does not rely on Production, Mali's low productivity is balanced by Faith and Gold.

8 Menelik II: The Ethiopian Empire

Aksumite Legacy & The Rock-Hewn Church

Menelik II's Council of Ministers ability ties Ethiopia's Culture and Science yields to its Faith generation in cities founded on Hills, and the Rock-Hewn Church provides +1 Faith for each adjacent Mountain or Hill tile, making Hills and Mountains a strategic must for a Religious Victory. Menelik II can utilize the Rock-Hewn Church early in the game to try to maximize Faith output and purchase as many Religious units as possible to start spreading his Religion.

Further, Ethiopia's Aksumite Legacy feature provides a Faith bonus for Trade Routes, improved resources, and allows the purchasing of Archaeologists and Archaeological Museums with Faith. If he is unable to secure a Religious Victory early in the game, Menelik II can pivot to a Cultural Victory very easily due to the Tourism yields from the Rock-Hewn Church and the effects of the Council of Ministers.

7 Basil II: The Byzantine Empire

Porphyrogénnētos & Hippodrome

Under Basil II, a Religious Victory and Domination Victory are both well within reason. His unique skill and Byzantium's Taxis ability make this Empire a Religious powerhouse. Taxis award extra Great Prophet points from cities with a Holy Site district, so founding the first Religion is likely under Basil II's rule. Once founded, the Crusade and Tithe Beliefs synergize very well with Basil II's Porphyrogénnētos ability, which allows units to do full damage against opposing Religion's city walls.

Basil II can wage a Holy War and spread his Religion with each defeated enemy unit. Converting cities to Byzantium's Religion also boosts units' Combat and Religious Strength. Further, the Hippodrome district will provide a free Heavy Cavalry unit when constructed, which doesn't have a resource maintenance cost, and the Tagma and Dromon units are powerful replacement units.

6 Peter: The Russian Empire

Mother Russia & The Lavra

Because of the Mother Russia ability, the Russian Empire's Peter will be a top candidate for a Religious Victory, especially on a map with a lot of Tundra. Mother Russia provides extra territory when founding cities, and a +1 boost to Faith and Production from Tundra tiles. When establishing a Pantheon, Peter should choose the Dance of the Aurora, which awards even more Faith from Tundra.

The Lavra district is just as important for Peter's Religious Victory and will help grow Russia's borders faster than any opposing civilization is capable of. Each time a Great Person is expended in a city with a Lavra, the city border grows by one tile. The Lavra also awards a variety of Great People points for each level of Holy building to further boost the effect.

5 Gandhi: The Indian Empire

Dharma & Satyagraha

India under Gandhi's rule is a peaceful Empire that thrives on pacifism and spreads Religion without violence (if possible). Gandhi's Satyagraha ability awards +5 Faith for each civilization he meets that has founded a Religion and is not at war, and penalizes opponent civilizations that dare wage war against him with double the war weariness. If war becomes inevitable, the Varu elephant units reduce nearby enemy Combat Strength.

India's Dharma feature will secure the Religious Victory, however, as it allows India to benefit from all the Follower Beliefs of any Religion present in a city, meaning Gandhi benefits even further from non-violence on the Religious combat side as well. Dharma also awards extra Amenities, gives Missionaries two extra spreads, and exerts +100% Religious pressure from Trade Routes. Further, the unique Stepwell building boosts Faith considerably.

4 Philip II: The Spanish Empire

El Escorial & The Conquistador

Philip II will secure a Religious Victory by force using the Conquistador unit and his unique El Escorial ability to conquer opponent cities and convert them one at a time. Spain's Conquistador unit automatically converts captured cities to Philip's Religion, even if it is only adjacent to the city. Conquistadors get +10 Combat Strength when next to a Religious unit, and El Escorial gives them another +5 Combat Boost against opposing Religions.

For any lingering heretics, Philip II's El Escorial ability allows Inquisitors an extra Remove Heresy charge and allows them to eliminate 100% of opposing Religions. While waging a Holy War, Philip II can build his Missions on the home front to massively boost Faith and Production output, as well as Science and Loyalty. Spain's Treasure Fleet ability further supplies Faith and Production bonuses from Trade Routes.

3 Jadwiga: The Polish Empire

Lithuanian Union & Golden Liberty

Jadwiga's Lithuanian Union ability allows Poland to become the dominant Religion in cities that lose a tile to a Polish Culture Bomb. It also allows Holy Sites to gain a Faith adjacency bonus from all adjacent Districts, and awards Faith, Culture, and Gold bonuses for all Relics. However, the Culture Bomb mechanic is crucial and will require taking advantage of Poland's unique Golden Liberty feature.

Golden Liberty revives a lost Civ 5 feature that allows players to essentially steal territory from opponents. When a Polish Encampment or Fort is built inside friendly territory, a Culture Bomb hits adjacent tiles, ceding them to Poland. If used strategically, this feature will allow Jadwiga to become the dominant Religion by simply building a Fort or Encampment adjacent to a bordering city for an eventual Religious win.

2 Saladin (Vizier): The Arabian Empire

Righteousness Of The Faith & The Last Prophet

Arabia brings together Faith and Science with Saladin (Vizier) at the helm. His Righteousness of the Faith ability incentivizes the adoption of his Religion, allowing other players to purchase Saladin's worship building at a discount and boosting Science, Faith, and Culture output from Arabian cities. To further boost Faith, the Madrasa building gives a Faith bonus equal to the adjacency bonus of the Campus district.

The Last Prophet feature for Arabia guarantees Saladin a Religion, automatically claiming the final Great Prophet when the next-to-last one is claimed. This feature also provides +1 Science for each foreign city following Arabia's Religion, further synergizing Science and Faith for Saladin. If Saladin fails to spread his Religion early and secure a Religious Victory, a Scientific Victory is well within reach and will not require much of a shift in strategy.

1 Tamar: The Georgian Empire

Glory Of The World, Kingdom And Faith

Tamar of Georgia has a powerful Religious advantage thanks to her Glory of the World, Kingdom and Faith ability, which provides Faith from combat victories and provides additional Envoys to city-states following her Religion. Combined with Georgia's Tsikhe building that provides +4 Faith, Tamar will have no problem securing a Religious Victory.

The Tsikhe building also lowers Production costs for Renaissance Walls and raises their defenses, provides additional Tourism after advancing the Conservation Civic, but most importantly, gives +100% Faith and Tourism when in a Golden Age. The Strength in Unity feature for Georgia will ensure that Golden Ages are common and subsequent, providing additional Era Score bonuses and giving Tamar the potential to produce more Faith than any other leader in Civilization 6 in pursuit of a Religious Victory.