Summary
In the early game ofCivilization 6, many players will be given an opportunity to choose a pantheon for their civilization to worship in the Ancient Era, or until at least, they can have a religion of their own via earning a Great Prophet or the spread of religion from other civilizations. Choosing the right pantheon will be crucial for the progress of a civilization.
Moreover, these pantheons will each have their combination with a civilization’s strength to create a huge advantage in the early game. For example, a civilization with the tendency to settle on Tundra tiles will prioritize a pantheon with a modifier to those tiles, while others with no specific preference will try to rush practical pantheons that can give them civilian units.
Updated Jul 21, 2025 by Evan Arnoldi:Pantheons are always a crucial mechanic to master, as it can mean whether a player can boost their strategies in the early game, or even plan for the late game as some of the Pantheons can bestow bonuses in that stage of the game.
Although some might be very situational depending on the player’s start and the resources that surround their starting city, some are more than precious to rush than others thanks to their flexibility and reliability. Therefore, it is always important to know which Pantheons need to be rushed during the early game before other civilizations manage to get their hands on them.
9City Patron Goddess
Rush Districts Without Any Hassle
In the early stages of the game, having a district in a city is always crucial, especially for civilizations that aim to achieve a certain victory type, such asa Science Victoryor Culture Victory. Districts such as a Campus or Theater Square will go a long way for them to gain an advantage over other civilizations in the game. The City Patron Goddess can easily enable a civilization to rush their desired district in no time, especially when complemented with other bonuses.
Certain civilizations, such as the Japanese under Hojo Tokimune, will be able to combine this pantheon with their unique leader bonus. For example, they can build a Holy Site in 25% of the time when compared to other civilizations, making them able to snowball into an early Religion adoption for better choices of religious beliefs. All in all, it is always beneficial for a civilization to try rushing the City Patron Goddess, as they will be able to build up their cities faster than the others via district building.
8God Of The Forge
Enable Early And Rapid Warmongering
In a typical game ofCivilization 6, especially in multiplayer games, a civilization adopting the God of the Forge pantheon should cause an early alarm to other civilizations in the game, as it signals their intention to makea warmongering effortearly. The pantheon enables them to do so by granting a production bonus to Ancient and Classical military units, which can be deadly for some civilizations specialized in early warmongering.
Civilizations that specialized in having unique military units in that era, such as the Scythia with their Saka Horse Archer and the Romans with their Legions, will benefit greatly from this pantheon. It will enable them to rampage across the world with the rapid development of their army, entering a critical stage of warmongering to gain an early Domination Victory if left unchecked by other civilizations in the game. However, for players who aspire to gain a quick Domination victory either in a single-player game or in a multiplayer lobby, God of the Forge Pantheon is something to be considered a priority.
7Dance Of The Aurora
Gain Advantage Of The Less Desired Tundra Tiles
At first glance, Dance of the Aurora might not be as powerful as one may think, as it needs the player to settle on Tundra tiles that are quite undesirable due to their limited yield. However, when paired with other bonuses, this pantheon becomes a game-changer for certain civilizations to achieve an advantage infinding the first religion.
Moreover, it is also viable for other players who did not need the pantheon to take it, simply to block it from other players. Since this pantheon has become a necessity for certain civilizations such as Russia, taking it away from them becomes a viable strategy just to stop them from snowballing their advantage.
6God Of The Sea
Use The Vast Water For An Advantage
Production is one of the key components inCivilizationgames, as it is used to build several things,including unique unitsand districts, and valuable world wonders as well. By amassing production in the early game, a player can establish a strong foundation for their civilization to win the game.
By having extra production on the fishing boats, players who prefer to play near the coastline or lakes such as Indonesia and Portugal will benefit immensely from this pantheon as it allows them to rapidly increase their cities' production. With this pantheon, the fishing boats will become twice as powerful, granting both food and gold in the process.
5Goddess Of Festivals
Elevate Luxury Resources Plantations To A Greater Height
With the plethora of variety in the game, luxury resources are quite integral to earn by civilizations as they allow the players to rapidly expand their cities without the problem of overcrowding and having the citizens rebel. Moreover, theseluxury resources also produce great yieldswhen improved, such as Wine.
By having Goddess of Festivals as a pantheon, these plantations will become stronger than before as it allows the player to obtain both extra food and culture. These can enable them to gain an advantage early in the game, especially if the territory has an abundance of luxury resources that can be improved by plantations.
4Divine Spark
Earn Great People Faster Than Everyone Else
Numerous things can be obtained to gain an advantage over the rivaling civilizations during a game ofCivilization 6, such as earning relics from tribal villages orgaining Great Peoplethat can be generated after reaching a certain threshold of Great Person Points. These Great People can help in almost every aspect of the game.
With the help of the Divine Spark pantheon, a player can gain easy access to the Great People without having to spend a lot of gold or faith to acquire them. Moreover, this will allow a player who has already built a Holy Site to gain a Great Prophet quicker than everyone else.
3River Goddess
Embrace The River To Create A Metropolis
Traditionally, settling near rivers has been almost a necessity in every game ofCivilization 6as it gives numerous advantages to the city, such as access to fresh water that can boost the housing of a city and various adjacency bonuses to certain districts. With the River Goddess pantheon, a player can be sure to see their city’spopulation growing even higherthan before.
By encouraging growth, a player can expect the city to be massively productive in terms of yields as well, heavily benefitting themselves when facing other civilizations.
2Fertility Rites
Grants A Crucial Builder For Free In The Early Game
A city can’t grow to its full potential if the surrounding tiles are not improved to their full advantage, such asbuilding farm trianglesand improving luxury resources. This becomes extremely relevant in the early game when obtaining civilian units such as a Builder is quite expensive and tricky to do.
With the help of a free Builder from Fertility Rites' pantheon, a player can get an early advantage in developing their cities, strengthening their civilization in the process. However, against other players and the AI on higher difficulty, the pantheon can be quite difficult to get.
1Religious Settlements
Practically Establish A City For Free, Without Any Repercussions
Building a settler in the early game to gainanother city and expandcan be quite troublesome, especially if the developing city does not have an adequate amount of both production and food to alleviate the Settler’s cost of a population. With the help of Religious Settlements Pantheon, a civilization will be able to build another city practically out of nothing.
Moreover, there is also the bonus of border expansion to ensure the cities can gain tiles without spending a huge amount of money. With both the free city and massive tiles acquisition, Religious Settlements becomes one of the most important pantheons to rush in the game.
