THE 15 BEST Pantheons In Civ 6

Whether it's a religion or general playstyle that you want, having the best pantheons in hand can assure a smooth settlement!

Civ 6 offers players more than 20 pantheons to choose from, which are mainly used to establish a religion. Pantheons themselves are essentially bonuses that are based on land, and pantheons are crucial for progression. Players might need assistance with figuring out what the Civ 6 Best Pantheons might be and how it can account for their progression in the game!

Note: These pantheons are not listed nor ranked in any particular order since pantheons can suit different players and their different preferences. Hence, the listed pantheons are generally good all-rounders, with some specific ones.

Pantheons In Civ 6

There are 20+ pantheons that players can choose from, but only a select few can prove to be worthy. Each Pantheon provides a unique buff for your civilization. Here are the best Pantheons in Civ 6:

Best Pantheons Effects
River Goddess"+2 amenities" and "+2 Housing" to cities if they have a Holy Site district adjacent to a River.
Monument to the Gods"+15% Production" towards Ancient and Classical era Wonders.
Divine Spark"+1 Great Person" Point from Holy Sites (Prophet), Campuses with a Library (Scientist), and Theater Squares with an Amphitheater (Writer).
Lady of the Reeds and MarshesIn gathering storm "+1 Production"" from Marsh, Oasis, and Desert Floodplains.
God of the Sea"+1 Production" from Fishing Boats.
God of the Open Sky"+1 Culture" from Pastures.
Goddess of the HuntIn Gathering Storm "+1 Food and +1 Production" from Camps.
God of CraftsmanIn Gathering Storm "+1 Production and +1 Faith" from improved Strategic resources.
God of the Forge"+25% Production" toward Ancient and Classical military units.
Fertility RitesIn Gathering Storm when chosen receive a Builder in your capital. City growth rate is 10% higher.
Religious SettlementsIn Gathering Storm when chosen receive a Settler in your capital. Border expansion rate is 15% faster.
City Patron Goddes"+25% Production" toward districts in cities without a specialty district.
Earth GoddessIn Gathering Storm "+1 Faith" from tiles with Breathtaking Appeal.
Fire Goddess"+2 Faith" from Geothermal Fissures and Volcanic Soil.
Goddess of FestivalsIn Gathering Storm "+1 Culture" from Plantations.

River Goddess

River Goddess
River Goddess (Image Credits Exputer)

Kicking things off, the first of the Civ 6 Best Pantheons on our list is River Goddess. In essence, the river goddess grants players +2 amenities as well as +2 increase in housing to cities if they have a holy site district that is present adjacent to any river. 

  • The +2 increase to the housing bonus can seem pretty good; however, it isn’t the victory reason to choose the river goddess since players can gain housing from other aspects of the game. 

Why Is It Good? 

River Goddess Why Is It Good
River Goddess Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

One of the main reasons why players would want to pick river goddess is simply because of the +2 amenities bonus. With a bonus to your amenities, it can boost the player up during their early game. 

  • If you happen to have luxury resources, then it ends up bumping your city from happy to ecstatic, which allows progression to be a lot faster. 

What Civs Does It Suit? 

Any civilizations that are religion-based that also happen to be placed near a river site can gain an advantage from this pantheon. 

Monument To The Gods 

Monument To The Gods
Monument To The Gods (Image Credits Exputer)

Moving on, the next pantheon in Civ 6 that players might want to try out is Monument To The Gods, which can increase production by a total of 15% and is catered towards both classical as well as ancient-era wonders

Why Is It Good? 

Monument To The Gods Why Is It Good
Monument To The Gods Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

The monument to the gods is one of the first pantheons that serves a “general purpose.” It can be extremely worth it to choose it if you’re trying to get your hands on a specific wonder

  • Wonders like the pyramids that are fruitful in the early game can benefit from monuments to the gods. 
  • The pantheon essentially gives the same effect as the policy card, but if players manage to combine it with the policy card, then it can be even more fruitful. 

Divine Spark 

Divine Spark
Divine Spark (Image Credits Exputer)

Next up, we have Divine Spark, which can grant players +1 great person points from holy sites (prophets), as well as campuses with a library (scientist), as well as theatre squares with an amphitheater (writer). 

Why Is It Good? 

Divine Spark Why Is It Good
Divine Spark Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

Divine Spark is insanely underrated since it works especially well if you’re starting in the game and don’t have a lot of land.

  • The +1 great person points from holy sites is an insanely good bonus for players, specifically because as the difficulty of the game starts to increase, players find out that AI can essentially spread religion everywhere, and having an enhancement here can serve well in higher difficulties. 
  • With that, since players come to know how competitive the scientists, writers, and prophets can get, it helps to have a bonus here too. 

This pantheon is a general all-rounder and helps with general buffs. 

Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes 

Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes
Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes (Image Credits Exputer)

Another solid pick that players can go for is the Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes, which grants players a +2 bonus in production from floodplain types that include deserts, marshes as well as oases. 

  • The main thing with this pantheon is that it is highly situational. Based on the player’s needs, it can either end up being one of the best ones available or one of the worst ones. 
  • For example, if there is a marsh tile that has three food, it would bump it up to three food and two productions, which can help players a lot in early games. 

Why Is It Good? 

Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes Why Is It Good
Lady Of The Reeds And Marshes Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

If players can get the wonder etemenanki, then if there is a marsh tile with three food, it would end up bumping it up to 3 food, two productions, and make it a two science tiles too. This effect goes on to spread to all of your marshes and floodplains. 

What Does It Suit?

This pantheon will typically suit marsh tiles a lot more; however, if this is carried out in multiplayer, then the player is at a disadvantage

God Of The Sea 

God Of The Sea
God Of The Sea (Image Credits Exputer)

Now, a pantheon that is rather simple to comprehend is known as God Of The Sea, which is able to offer up a +1 production bonus from fishing boat tiles. The pantheon is extremely centric toward land-based tiles.

Why Is It Good? 

God Of The Sea Why Is It Good
God Of The Sea Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

Since the pantheon is so land-based, if a lot of water surrounds players and there are tons of fishing boats, it can bump up your overall production quite a lot. 

  • It works especially well for players that combine it with Auckland; it ends up making the fishing boat tiles even more broken due to the buff in production. 

What Does It Suit? 

When it comes to the God Of The Sea, it will typically suit civs that are more land-based than anything else. If players have chosen lands like England or Indonesia, then they can gain ample benefits from it. 

God Of The Open Sky 

God Of The Open Sky
God Of The Open Sky (Image Credits Exputer)

Moving on, the next pantheon that we would like to focus on is known as the God Of The Open Sky, and the main aim of the pantheon is to increase player’s culture by +1 from pastures. This is yet another land-based pantheon, and it focuses more on tiles that are pastures or sheep tiles. 

Why Is It Good? 

God Of The Open Sky Why Is It Good
God Of The Open Sky Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

For tiles that are primarily land-based, if players end up having pastures, then they can greatly benefit from it as it ends up buffing their culture

  • It can even benefit civs that have a higher number of horses
  • Since most of the player’s game progression ends up having some form of horse or pasture, players can benefit from the extra culture that they can accumulate. 

What Civ Does It Suit? 

For civs like Mongolia, the God Of The Open Sky can work incredibly well, and any civs that are centric towards horses. 

Goddess Of The Hunt 

Goddess Of The Hunt
Goddess Of The Hunt (Image Credits Exputer)

Another of the Best Pantheons that players might be sleeping on is Goddess Of The Hunt, which mainly focuses on granting players with two buffs, +1 food, as well as +1 production from camps. 

  • Yet again, this pantheon is land-based, but if players do end up having the land for it, then it can be quite beneficial. 

Why Is It Good? 

Goddess Of The Hunt Why Is It Good
Goddess Of The Hunt Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

For players that don’t lack land, the Goddess Of The Hunt is insanely strong. In the early game, having camps around that provide a bonus in production and food can help boost players up by quite a lot. 

  • If players pair this pantheon with a temple of Artemis since it already grants players extra food for every camp that the player has, when paired together, it can make your city broken. 

God of Craftsmen 

God Of Craftsmen
God Of Craftsmen (Image Credits Exputer)

Moving on, the next pantheon that players can choose is known as God of Craftsmen, which primarily places its focus on increasing the player’s overall production by +1 and also bumping up the faith from improved strategic resources by +1

  • God of Craftsmen has to be one of the strongest pantheons in Civ 6

Why Is It Good? 

God Of Craftsmen Why Is It Good
God Of Craftsmen Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

Now, the God of Craftsmen pantheon is so good that the AI that the player is running against will also always want to choose it. Therefore, if players end up being late to the game, then they might not get the pantheon. 

  • The pantheon is incredibly good as an all-rounder and is amazing for your horses, iron, uranium, and more. 
  • In early-game, the pantheon is especially helpful since a boost to your production and faith can benefit you a lot. 
  • If you’re going for more military units, then the pantheon works spectacularly, and players gain free faith while they’re at it, which is just a bonus. 

God Of The Forge 

God Of The Forge
God Of The Forge (Image Credits Exputer)

Another pantheon that players shouldn’t sleep on is God Of The Forge, which focuses mostly on military units. It increases production by 25% towards both classical as well as ancient military units. 

  • The God Of The Forge is a situational pantheon that players should adapt at their own risk. 

Is It Good? 

God Of The Forge Why Is It Good
God Of The Forge Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

Now, the God of the Forge pantheon is yet again pretty situational. It mostly won’t suit players in the early game, but if players manage to gain bonuses when they’re in the early game, such as extra production towards horses, then the pantheon will be broken. 

  • If players are willing to play risky by going into war when they’re first starting and they win the war, then they’re set for the rest of the game, which is where God Of The Forge can help streamline production a bit. However, if you lose, then you lost it all. 

Fertility Rites 

Fertility Rites
Fertility Rites (Image Credits Exputer)

As far as Fertility Rites is concerned, if players end up choosing this as their pantheon of choice, then they can instantly gain a Builder in their capital. Alongside that, their overall city growth rate is increased by 10%

  • The second buff where the city growth rate is increased isn’t all that important in Civ 6

Why Is It Good? 

Fertility Rites Why Is It Good
Fertility Rites Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

With fertility rites, the main reason that it is considered to be a good option is simply because of it being an all-rounder. Players can take the pantheon no matter how they’re playing it. 

  • It’s especially good as well since you don’t need to spend time building the builder since it already provides you with one. 
  • If players end up getting lucky and find a builder by themselves, then that renders this pantheon useless, but it’s a pretty good option to have. 

Religious Settlements 

Religious Settlements
Religious Settlements (Image Credits Exputer)

Just like Fertility rites, this offers players two bonuses as well, and with Religious Settlements, whenever it is chosen, players instantly gain a settler in their capital. Alongside that, their border expansion rate is also increased by 15%. 

  • This is hands-down one of the best pantheons that players can get in the game. 
  • Players really won’t be able to get Religious Settlements since it’s so rare unless they are playing a civ like Indonesia. 

Why Is It Good? 

Religious Settlements Why Is It Good
Religious Settlements Why Is It Good (Image Credits Exputer)

Since Civ 6 mainly relies on settlements and building up your cities, mix in a free settler and you have probably one of the most broken pantheons on hand. 

  • One of the main reasons that players might want to go for this pantheon is simply that having a settler in early-game can be extremely beneficial for faster progression. 

City Patron Goddess 

City Patron Goddess
City Patron Goddess (Image Credits Exputer)

If players end up choosing City Patron District, then it bumps up the overall production towards districts that are present without any specialty district by 25%. 

  • In general, any pantheon that provides players with production bonuses is considered to be a plus. 

Why Is It Good? 

Whenever players are in early-game, having a city patron goddess can prove to be important since it can bump up your production bonus anyways, and having a buff this good right from the get-go can put you at an advantage over other pantheons. 

  • If you pair this with Nubia, which already provides a boost or a place that gets a boost near a river, then it can be beneficial since if you’re setting up your very first district at the starting turns of the game, the boost can push players along nicely. 
  • Generally, City Patron Goddess is a solid option if you don’t know which pantheon to choose. 

Earth Goddess 

Earth Goddess
Earth Goddess (Image Credits Exputer)

Moving on, the next pantheon that players can go for is Earth Goddess, which provides players +1 faith from tiles that have breathtaking appeal

  • The breathtaking appeal is represented by the appeal lens in the game, and it is marked by the dark green tiles
  • Earth Goddess works in ways to boost up your faith based on your dark green or “breathtaking” tiles. 

Why Is It Good? 

Players that have breathtaking appeal on their tiles can benefit greatly from it simply because it ends up boosting their faith. 

  • The pantheon itself is pretty land-based; therefore, if the pantheon is available, and players have really good land appeal, then this can be an amazing option. 

Fire Goddess 

Fire Goddess
Fire Goddess (Image Credits Exputer)

Using Fire Goddess, players can expect to gain a boost in their faith by +2 from geothermal fissures as well as volcanoes. Once again, the pantheon itself is pretty land-based; therefore really only preferred if players have volcanoes near them. 

  • This pantheon is also pretty situational, it works well for players that have the land for it, but typically most players won’t have volcanoes near them, so it might not work out as well. 

Why Is It Good? 

Like the Earth Goddess, the pantheon works extremely well if players have loads of volcanoes surrounding them. 

  • The main reason why it might be so good to get it is simple if you do end up having volcanoes near you, then you get free faith for just playing. 

Goddess Of Festivals 

Last but not least, we have Goddess Of Festivals, which grants players +1 culture from plantations. This pantheon is pretty good if players have the land for it since having culture when you’re in early-game can make it a whole lot easier. 

How To Pick A Pantheon 

To find a pantheon, players need to take into account that they need to accumulate 25 faith, which then grants a civilization the ability to find a pantheon. Pantheons essentially offer buffs and bonuses based on the civilizations that they are a part of. Whenever players are selecting a pantheon, they want to take into consideration whether they want to: 

  • Whether you want to focus your gameplay on a religion-based game
  • If you want to have more of a general playstyle, whereby you pick a pantheon that provides players with general bonuses. 
  • If you have a lot of land, then you want to pick a pantheon that will provide bonuses to it and help it further. 

Ending Works

And there we have it! These are some of the best pantheons that players should use, and with that, we will wrap up our Civ 6 Best Pantheons guide! There is also a subreddit post that pertains to what Pantheon players in the community like the best too. Make sure to read up on our Civ 6 Tier List, which focuses on all 53 leaders as well as civilizations and ranks them from best to worst!

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Mina is a Senior Guides Writer and a fanatic who’s obsessed with playing games and writing about them. She’s invested more than 2,500 hours in games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, she loves to write detailed guides for beginners and pros in the Gacha Games world. You can follow Mina's gaming activity on her Steam and PSN Profiles.

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