Best type of Christianity in the game currently?

[TheMeInTeam]

Definitely not anymore if you have 100 absolutism from 162-30.
I now find myself with excessive amounts of monarch points even when I WC.

Points are still more pressure than unrest, unless you're talking IRL sanity.

I'd still take RCC over most other stuff, even in the end game where anybody can get 1 ADM/dev costs there is a big difference between 100% OE cored every 27 months vs faster. Even a 10% modifier buys you 3.6 months shorter core cycles. Across 30 coring cycles of 100% OE you're at ~9 years. Doable without it, but for WC what are we getting that actually helps more?

 

[Zwirbaum]

+stab events from combination of corruption and level 3 advisers put you to 3 stab pretty often in the end game. You'd generally not boost it past 1 yourself.

WC runs will almost always feature either religious or humanist, so it's more relevant to assume one of these when comparing between faiths.

IIRC corruption events boosting stab were removed.

 

[bly08]

If you push blobbing pace to the limits of siege rolls then adm points will be a far bigger bottleneck than unrest, especially after getting Humanist.

In mid-late game stages it's common to get to 100 WS quickly vs. 4-5 weak targets that you can't peace out due to lack of points. -1 unrest = 20% more overextension, a -4 unrest tradeoff between something like Orthodox and Coptic 10 CCR means the extra unrest reduction is essentially wasted.

 

[Badesumofu]

IIRC corruption events boosting stab were removed.

I believe the good events from 0 corruption now require being at 3 stab, so yes, effectively. I still frequently find myself at 3 stab in WC games, from advisor events mostly. Usually one of the first things I do when I want to trigger either C&C or the Revolution is no-CB someone or several someones to tank my stab. The WE helps with C&C, too.

That's another minor benefit of Catholic as well - a convenient way to raise stab back up once C&C starts. You can also dump all the PI you're about to lose to being revolutionary into getting some stab back after the Revolution hits you with -3 stab.

 

[Bibor]

After trying all of them out, I'd stay Orthodox is the best. It shares most of these features with other religions, but IMO Orthodoxy is the best mix of them all:

1) I guess it's often overlooked, but Ortho is the fastest Absolutism generator of all religions. Get the -50% harsh treatment from splendor, and the icon for additional -25% and let the harsh treatment crazyness begin.
2) The highest unrest reduction in the game. -8 unrest with Religious and icon is crazy! (-3 icon, -1 religious, -3 max authority, -1 default).
3) its benefits are reliable. You know what you're getting and how you're getting it.
4) it scales well for small and big empires, that is, its effects are always valuable. If you don't want/need partriarch authority, the rewards for declining are often quite huge.
5) Orthodoxy, like Coptic, makes for a really good Defender of Faith and/or Deus Vult.
6) Religious icons are easy to understand, are really powerful and areeasy to time/interchange.

 

[wizteddy13]

Coptic has the best map color and decent mechanic but low accessibility. orthodox has the best colored cross and pretty decent mechanics. Protestant has second best map color and best passive modifiers and good mechanics as well. Catholic is gross looking and par mechanics and crap passive modifiers. Reformed is tradenation.tag

Of course, how could I forget the most important factor, how good the religion color looks on the map!

In that regard, catholic is dead last, the yellow makes me want to throw up.

 

[JKiller96]

Reformed I believe is the best. You can keep one on at all times and when you're at war you can flip on the war benefit for when you need it. It's bonuses are few but are stronger than the others.

 

[Bibor]

It's bonuses are few but are stronger than the others.

Reformed has nothing on Orthodox.

Reformed maxed:
+2 tolerance of heretics
+1 advisors

pick one:
-2 unrest +1 diprep
+10% army+navy morale
10% trade power+efficiency


Orthodox maxed:
-10% stab cost
-4 unrest (+1 TTF + 3 local)
halved diplo penalty (compared to reformed)
+2% missionary strength
+33% manpower

pick one:
+10% manpower recovery & +5% discipline
-3 unrest -25% harsh treatment cost
-10% construction & development cost
+25% improve relations -10% aggressive expansion
-20% institution embrace cost, +25% inst. spread

 

[Siu-King**]

Overall verdict:

Catholic > Coptic > Orthodox > Reformed > Protestant

Orthodox > Catholic > Coptic > Reformed > Protestant

I put orthodox as the first due to:
1) Crusade CB everything
2) Strongest conversion (7 missioanry vs 5 for cath)
3) Unrest reduction -> less rebels in age of absolutism when you jumpstart

 

[Horn and Ivory]

Maxing orthodox is something you have to put a fair bit of effort into. Max reformed you get straight away. (Which is also not true of Protestant.) It's also usually possible to run one fervour ability constantly while gaining points, allowing you to run a second for periods of time.

Also going Reformed gives you a centre of reformation. Those things can cause chaos. One Knox or Calvin is worth 50,000 men in the field imho. (Ever seen the French Wars of Religion trigger? I have!)

I admit Orthodox is still probably better overall, but Reformed is lovely and entertaining and readily available to most of Europe once it spawns.Orthodox is unlikely to replace it in my heart.

 

[Mr. G]

Reformed is very good as Poland since its tolerance bonus stacks with the Polish NI:s.

 

[raikaria]

Catholic is powerful if you fulfill these conditions:

1: You can generate a large amount of Papal Points. This includes having rich land thus more cardinals; or a lot of conversion opportunity
2: As it gets later in the game; as more countries stop competing for cardinal slots
3: If Catholic Empire.

If you can't fulfill these; Catholic is arguably the worst religion in the entire game; as it's inherent bonuses as a strictly worse Pagan or Hindu.

Protestant's strength is flexibility. In terms of a quality-based land army; it's arguably the best due to the discipline. Development discount is also nice. It's a jack of all trades.

Reformed blows away all other denominations for trade and naval combat. It's not bad at land warfare; and the +advisor built in can e surprisingly useful. It's under-rated.

Orthodox is in this weird spot where the only viable country that dosen't have to force-convert to it is Muscovy. I don't have Third Rome; so I can't talk too much about Icons; but the built-in manpower just makes it scream Muscovy even more.

Coptic is isolated and really shouldn't be compared to other Christans for that reason. It's also similar to Orthodox in the whole 'Only 1 country really gets to use it'. Which is ironic considering Coptic can benefit from other Copts. Still; Coptic is the best for blobbing and holding rough terrain due to it's +Fort Defense. Both things you would want to do since if you're playing in the Coptic regions; there's Ottomans.

 

[schondetta]

Of course, how could I forget the most important factor, how good the religion color looks on the map!

In that regard, catholic is dead last, the yellow makes me want to throw up.

right there with you man

 

[JKiller96]

Reformed has nothing on Orthodox.

Reformed maxed:
+2 tolerance of heretics
+1 advisors

pick one:
-2 unrest +1 diprep
+10% army+navy morale
10% trade power+efficiency


Orthodox maxed:
-10% stab cost
-4 unrest (+1 TTF + 3 local)
halved diplo penalty (compared to reformed)
+2% missionary strength
+33% manpower

pick one:
+10% manpower recovery & +5% discipline
-3 unrest -25% harsh treatment cost
-10% construction & development cost
+25% improve relations -10% aggressive expansion
-20% institution embrace cost, +25% inst. spread

It's possible to have two up at all times

 

[Sfan]

The real deciding factor for Orthodox is whether or not you want to convert land, such as catholic.
Stab cost is irrelevant, TTF and local unrest is about converting, so is local manpower and missionary strength. If you don't convert you only get the icons and the events.
If you convert everything Orthodox is insanely good. And it's the best at converting everything so that's a clear strong option. And among the converting ones, we would almost all agree that it's usually better than Catholic.

If you don't convert, I rate Reformed over it, even if some people seem to underestimate it.

 

[rattatta]

Orthodox, Protestant are my favorites. The rest are decent.

 

[alozz]

I think people underestimate the strength of catholics.

I would say Orthodox (-3 unrest in 100 patriarch authority), Coptic with the blessings and then Catholic if you are conquering lands from other religions (you can sit on 3 stability basically the whole game)

 

[Steve711]

Like everything in this game, it's all relative. Catholic is definitely the weakest, unless the reformation spawns in away that limits Protestantism and Reformed to the smallest countries which is rare. Speaking of which, both of those are pretty well matched, if your a mid-to late colonizer 's also great because you ignore the treaty of tordasies. Catholic is also the strongest for Portugal and Castile because it gives them major early game colony bonuses. To answer your question, the definite toss up is between Orthodox and Coptic. Coptic can be very difficult to secure all five holy sites, orthodox is probably the best because it allows for faster conversion which is best for small countries in Muslim lands and can allow for quicker growth. This may be out of the discussion, Christian (Usually Orthodox, Coptic with Armenia) Eastern Tech Nations with Steppes terrain get access to the Cossack Estate which is something to consider I think.

 

[Sfan]

Catholic is definitely the weakest, unless the reformation spawns in away that limits Protestantism and Reformed to the smallest countries which is rare.

Isn't it like the exact opposite? Catholic truly shines if you always are the Papal controller, so if no big country is catholic.

 

[wizteddy13]

It's possible to have two up at all times

How? I've tried, and with both up, you still lose around 1.5 (with all viable good conditions).
Granted, you can always run 1, and run another for a good chunk of time, but not always.

Bonuses are still nice though.