Building a religion in Civilization 7 means starting with picking the best Pantheon possible in the Antiquity Age.
Each Pantheon offers subtle buffs and bonuses that can help take you from a small settlement to a thriving empire if you use them correctly. They’re only relevant in the first third of the game, and most Civs only get one, but they can help you hit the ground running if you pick them mindfully.
Below, we’ve ranked every Pantheon belief in Civ 7 based on how viable they are to help you pick the best options right from the start of your playthrough.
Table of contents
Pantheon beliefs tier list

If you’re new to Civ 7 and haven’t experienced Pantheons yet, they’ll pop up after you unlock the Mysticism Civic in the Antiquity Age. They’re Age-specific buffs tied to the Altar building, and they act as the first set of religious beliefs in the game.
Other than exceptional cases like the Maurya—the Militaristic Scientific Civ that can access an extra Pantheon belief after unlocking Mysticism—you’ll be able to pick one of the Pantheon beliefs to suit your playstyle.
Once a Pantheon belief has been picked by a player in the game, it will be removed from the pool entirely so no one else can use it.
You’ll notice that there are no Civ 7 Pantheon beliefs below a B-tier in our list, except the God of the Sea beginning to sail into the C-tier. The list of Pantheon beliefs on offer in the game is strong, with all being viable to an extent.
As this is an Antiquity Age-exclusive element, we’ve predominantly focused on how well the Pantheon beliefs can help you set up for the late game, how much immediate value they offer, and how well they fit into different types of builds.
S-tier
The Pantheon beliefs in this tier offer the most immediate value and the clearest path forward. If you’re just starting out and want a Pantheon that you can adapt your game plan alongside, we’d suggest opting for one of these.
Monument to the Gods
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives +10 percent Production towards constructing Wonders in Cities with an Altar. |
Getting Wonders onto the board quickly in the Antiquity Age can help you make a lot of progress towards the Culture Legacy Path. Wonders can be time-consuming, though, which is where the Monument to the Gods comes in.
This Pantheon belief boosts Production for Wonders, letting you build them up quicker with a 10 percent buff. The overall aim with the Culture Legacy path in the first Age is to get seven Wonders on the board, and this buff helps to make that a lot more feasible.
God of War
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +15 percent Production towards training up Military Units in Cities with an Altar. |
If you’re a fan of military-focused gameplay in Civ matches, the God of War Pantheon belief is the perfect pick for your next run.
It’s simple yet effective, buffing Military Unit Production by 15 percent in Cities with an Altar. Plenty of the Pantheon beliefs focus on Production and buffs, but this belief arguably offers the most immediate value in the game’s earlier stages.
God of the Sun
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Puts +1 Culture, Food, Happiness, Gold, Science, and Culture on the Altar. |
The God of the Sun belief is the ideal pick for players who prefer to mix and match their objectives, as it provides a nice flat boost to the Altar building for all the crucial resources. If you’re undecided on whether to go for an Economic or Scientific win, for example, this is your best bet.
God of Healing
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +5 healing for units in Rural tiles. |
Following on from the God of War Pantheon belief, God of Healing is a solid pick for both players who want to play offensively and for players who think they’ll be facing a lot of combat early on.
The best thing about this Pantheon belief is that it is not tied to an Altar City in particular, offering wider coverage by simply specifying that the healing tiles must be Rural.
Goddess of the Harvest
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives +1Food on Farms, Plantations, and Pastures in Settlements with an Altar, receiving a Warehouse bonus. |
If you’re hoping to expand your territories quickly and grow your population in the Antiquity Age, having enough Food is crucial. Goddess of the Harvest offers wide coverage with its benefits, affecting three key Food sources in Altar Settlements.
Something that makes this even more beneficial is the note that it receives a Warehouse bonus, meaning the rewards can stack even higher.
Warehouses in Civ 7 are buildings that provide bonuses based on how many similar locations there are in the Settlement—for example, a Granary will give +1 Food based on how many Farms, Pastures, and Plantations there are.
It’s a Rural-focused buff, but powerful nonetheless.
A-tier
The Pantheon beliefs in this tier are powerful and worth experimenting with. They’re more niche than their S-tier counterparts but still work wonderfully when paired with the right structure.
Stone Circles
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +1 Production for Clay Pits, Quarries, and Mines in Settlements with an Altar, receiving a Warehouse bonus. |
Stone Circles is essentially the Production version of the Goddess of the Harvest belief. If you’re hoping to boost Production quickly and you’ve got plenty of Mines built, this is worth picking so you can get through your to-build list quickly.
God of the Forge
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +10 percent Production towards constructing buildings in Cities with an Altar. |
God of the Forge is similar to the God of the Sun belief in that it can be useful for various gameplay styles and win condition targets.
From our research, we found it to be the most widely usable outside of more particular picks, applying a +10 percent Production buff for buildings in Altar Cities.
God of Wisdom
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Applies +1 Science to Quarters in Settlements with an Altar. |
Alongside Production buffs, Quarter buffs are one of the most interesting Pantheon belief perks that you can experiment with.
Quarters are made when two non-Wall buildings or a full-tile building are put on one tile. If it’s two buildings, they must be Civ unique buildings or from the same Age to count as a Quarter.
Quarter buffs are generally powerful, but this one can help make the early Scientific process much easier and set you up nicely for the later stages of the game.
Fertility Rites
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives a +10 percent Growth Rate buff to Cities with an Altar. |
The Antiquity Age is arguably the best time to focus on growing your population and establishing your presence on the map. Fertility Rites offers a simple but powerful buff, boosting Growth Rate in Altar Cities by 10 percent.
God of the Forest
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Applies +1 Gold to Camps and Woodcutters in Settlements with an Altar. |
For players who prefer the Economic route in Civ 7, God of the Forest is worth considering, as Camps and Woodcutters are very easy to pick up in the early game. On top of this, the buff applies to all Altar Settlements instead of just Cities, offering more potential routes to stacking Gold.
Oral Tradition
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +10 percent Production for training Settlers up in Cities with an Altar. |
The Oral Tradition Pantheon belief is the perfect pick if you hope to spread out and claim land early on in the game. This belief effectively jumpstarts the training process with a +10 percent Production boost.
Sacred Waters
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives the Altar a +1 Happiness Adjacency for Lakes, Coasts, and Navigable River Tiles. |
Location-based Pantheon beliefs aren’t always the most useful right out of the gate, but if you’re settled in a water-heavy area, Sacred Waters can be a wonderful Happiness top-up. It provides +1 Happiness Adjacency for bodies of water, so if you have a Coastal Altar City, it can be mighty.
B-tier
The Pantheon beliefs in this tier aren’t bad, but they’re not as impactful as those in the other tiers and feel more niche in their application.
City Patron Goddess
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Adds +3 Influence to the Altar. |
Influence can be hard to pick up and manage in the earlier stages of a Civ 7 match, depending on your opponents and the match style. City Patron Goddess adds +3 Influence to the Altar, making it potentially easier to deal with diplomacy issues down the line.
Earth Goddess
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives the Altar +1 Happiness Adjacency for every Mountain and Natural Wonder. |
If you found Natural Wonders early on in your playthrough, the Earth Goddess belief provides a solid Happiness buff with +1 Happiness Adjacency for the Altar for Mountains and Natural Wonders.
It’s quite specific, but if you’re playing a Civ like the Maurya that can access multiple beliefs, it’s worth picking up and stacking with a Production buff for maximum value.
God of the Sea
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Provides +1 Production for Fishing Boats in Settlements with an Altar, receiving a Warehouse bonus. |
This is another niche pick. If you’ve ended up with many Settlements near the water, it’s a good way to pick up some extra Production via your Fishing Boats. This belief is affected by the Warehouse bonus.
Goddess of Festivals
Icon | Description |
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![]() | Gives +1 Culture on Quarters in Settlements with an Altar. |
If you’re struggling to pick up Culture from your early-game Settlements, the Goddess of Festivals is worth considering. While Wonders may be an easier route for Culture wins, a flat Quarter buff can be helpful for the most part.
The Religion mechanics in Civ 7 feel fresh and lively, and they’re strikingly different from the previous game in the series. Remember to get the Mysticism Civic as quickly as you can if there’s a Pantheon belief you have your heart set on, as another player can snap it up easily.
Published: Feb 3, 2025 09:06 am