Civilization 5: Gods and Kings Preview: Restoring the Faith

By the time Firaxis had pumped out Civ 4's second expansion, Beyond the Sword, the legendary history-builder was as tight, wide-ranging and complex as it had ever been. No small world wonder, then, that when a trendy, slim-line Civilization 5 scooted in on a pair of wheelies and did a 'Fonzie-point' with thumb and forefinger towards newer players some Civ acolytes elected to stay behind.

For many, systems like Religion and Espionage had become part of the bedrock, as integral to Civ as the desire to crush those bastard Romans. It was seemingly impossible for some to go without the complexity, hexagons or no. With Gods and Kings, then, Firaxis aims to let Civ 5 emit enough cultural significance to retake the allegiance of the players who currently sit beyond its borders.

First on the agenda, then, is the reintroduction of religion. Could this be the point that we can answer the enduring question of 'Which religion is best?' without resorting to the 'Well, my one, obviously' default?

"I don't want that question weighing on my shoulders!" laughs Lead Designer Ed Beach. "It's better to put it on the players. They have to wade through all the beliefs that we're giving them, and try to decide what they need. Say they've got an aggressive leader like Genghis Khan or Napoleon next to them. Do they want to worship a goddess of protection? Or are they in an isolated island kingdom, would it be wise to worship the God of the Sea for bountiful harvests? You look at your situation, you look at what Civilizations you're playing and which victory style you're going for - if you then build all that into your religion then you're good."

Warring religions and cunning spies. Can't we all just get along?

Civilization 4's religion was a good system in terms of its spread and the allegiances it formed, but there was little player agency. Apropos of nothing you'd hear word that the Romans had discovered Buddhism, and you'd later see them running around sticking swords into Mayan followers of Judaism. It added flavour to the game, but also could feel like something of a random factor.

The new system is based on Faith - a value you earn at first through discovering ancient ruins, constructing holy buildings or pandering to the eccentricities of your chosen Civ. Pictish warriors, for example earn Faith through victory in combat - while the whimsical Celts see their faithometer rise through proximity to the faerie-folk of the forests.

Once your Faith reservoir is full enough, you'll then create the Pantheon of the Gods - which is your first opportunity to officially establish your religion, and indeed lock it off from opposing Civilizations. Although it'll likely revolve around the terrain you started your game within every city you later found will bear its mark - and in turn start riling the local infidels left, right and centre.

The real fun begins, however, when your Faith flow earns you a Great Prophet. They'll let you customise your religion to keep it more in keeping with contemporary times (no mention of a gay marriage toggle as yet) and to help propel your way of thinking further across the globe.

When a city has a majority of religious types within its walls then they can stare accusingly across a whole ten tiles, draining the willpower of neighbouring heathens. If more direct