'Civilization 6' Fall Update Improves Religion, Adds Tougher Naval AI

Another seasonal update is coming to Civilization VI. In addition to more UI tweaks and gameplay balances, the update’s main focus is on improving the religion mechanics.

For starters, Firaxis will add two more Pantheons, or religious structures that provide bonuses on different terrain. There will also be new Founder, Follower, Enhancer, and Worship beliefs available. These are multiple traits that you can mix and match to create your own religion in the game. With these new options also comes two additional buildings and the new Warrior Monk unit.

Another major feature of the update will be a “revamped religious combat” model. When exerting your religious influence against a rival faction, you can use a Zone of Control to see the effectiveness of each unit. If you send out multiple units at once, they’ll also receive Flank and Support bonuses if they stick together, and you can further bolster their strength by adding a Guru, who can heal them if they’re facing intense opposition.

Outside of combat and new structures, the developers will also improve on religious information so you can easily discern specific details, such as its overall strength and which units on the map are tied to a specific belief.

Aside from Religion, the update will also improve AI behavior, specifically in ocean combat. Rival civilizations will build more fleets and armadas to attack you from the seas. In addition, they will also send out support ships that can protect and heal the main attack fleet so you’ll need to improve on your overall naval strategy if you want to win.

Additional UI improvements include reduced Gossip messages, a more detailed Diplomacy screen, and the ability to see the capitals of other countries when choosing an Espionage mission. We’ll get the full details in the release notes when the Fall Update comes out sometime in the near future.