There is now no way to change your religion outside of your religious group.

[Tainarra]

I've tried the bankruptcy trick and the Deux vault CB. there is no way to become hindu unless you start off in india or become muslim unless you start off as such and religious rebels don't do anything anymore. I find it really frustrating that I can't convert my country anymore. Does anyone else feel the same? What are your thoughts on ahistorical religious conversions, should it be possible but exceedingly hard to do, or do you think it should be impossible with only the only exception being for pagan countries?

 

[Mikalos]

Anything that breaks the "ignore starting as x nation, become Y nation but with a different paintjob!" strats is good in my eyes

 

[bbqftw]

you need the religion you're changing to be majority religion to change religious groups through rebels. This has always been the case (at least as of 1.4)

I've seen catholic Granada strat in 1.8 so cross-group conversion must still work.

 

[RobRoy3]

I've tried the bankruptcy trick...

The bankruptcy "trick" requires you to be a one province minor. Does that not work anymore?

 

[henzington]

Yeah you can for example become Christian as the ottomans through revolt.

 

[nalfz]

you need the religion you're changing to be majority religion to change religious groups through rebels. This has always been the case (at least as of 1.4)

I've seen catholic Granada strat in 1.8 so cross-group conversion must still work.

To be fair that could very likely be because they got conquered by castille, had their provinces converted and either were released by war or by patriot/nationalist rebels

 

[Schmoekoeksklok]

To be fair that could very likely be because they got conquered by castille, had their provinces converted and either were released by war or by patriot/nationalist rebels

I don't think getting conquered by Castile is much of a strategy.

Rebels can definitely still convert you across religious groups if they are of the dominant religion. There are definitely changes to the system. You don't take a stab hit when accepting demands anymore, you don't need to wait for rebels to actually revolt, and the dominant requirement also applies when converting in the same group. But it does still work.

Bankruptcy also still works, but as stated before, it does still require you to be an OPM.

 

[nalfz]

I don't think getting conquered by Castile is much of a strategy.

Rebels can definitely still convert you across religious groups if they are of the dominant religion. There are definitely changes to the system. You don't take a stab hit when accepting demands anymore, you don't need to wait for rebels to actually revolt, and the dominant requirement also applies when converting in the same group. But it does still work.

Bankruptcy also still works, but as stated before, it does still require you to be an OPM.

Well yeah but my point was the fact that a catholic granada isn't necessarily evidence of a strategy to convert across religious groups

 

[bbqftw]

To be fair that could very likely be because they got conquered by castille, had their provinces converted and either were released by war or by patriot/nationalist rebels

I saw it in a player re-reconquista AAR

 

[Ultrix Prime]

I have not rechecked in 1.8, but the requirement isn't "majority religion" as in the total number of provinces (wiki or somewhere says this, but it is inaccurate). It is that the religion must have as many provinces as the next highest religion. Thus, up until 1.7 anyway, 10 Sunni versus 10 Orthodox(I usually convert Constantinople, vassalize byzantium, sell them athens, sell a bunch of provinces to Dulkadir, and next convert my culture to Greek, all for the luls), was sufficient to switch to Orthodox. In fact, I have only played Otto's 1 time without switching to Orthodox and I converted Sweden to Orthodox using Russian lands and the math was the same. That was in 1.7 though and it could have changed in 1.8.

 

[TheMeInTeam]

I went to Hindu as Mewat and to Shinto as Ainu and another of the Siberian clan councils. The challenge is actually just getting the rebel type in the first place rather than nationalists, patriots, peasants, etc. The priority rules are definitely different as the types don't change so easily. I got it as Mewat by accepting rebel demands early (peasants) while leaving a missionary there active, swapping the typing over in that province. I got it as Ainu by getting rebels in Japan while trying to convert, and leaving the missionary on as/during/after that rebellion (on 0 maintenance) so that in that one province only, the revolt type was Shinto zealots and not Japanese patriots or some Daimyo nationalist, since accepting the patriot demands would kind of ruin your opportunity to get religious rebels lol.

If anything, while different I'd say it's easier now than in 1.7, since you don't need the rebellion to actually happen, or wait for them to siege you out. Usually, however, switching isn't worth your time unless you begin the game with provinces not in your faith or all of your surrounding provinces are a different faith. Nations like Indian Sultanates, Champa, Ceylon, Knights, Cyprus, pagans in Siberia + Indies, and pagans in Africa come to mind (it's much easier to swap into Sunni pre-westernization than it is to go Christian during it while sitting on Sunni land as an animist so long, so you'd only do the latter for a change-up or as part of an odd goal. Yes, even Kongo I think is better as Sunni because it takes pressure off going religious ideas early so you can go expansion or economic).

 

[bbqftw]

I went to Hindu as Mewat and to Shinto as Ainu and another of the Siberian clan councils. The challenge is actually just getting the rebel type in the first place rather than nationalists, patriots, peasants, etc. The priority rules are definitely different as the types don't change so easily. I got it as Mewat by accepting rebel demands early (peasants) while leaving a missionary there active, swapping the typing over in that province. I got it as Ainu by getting rebels in Japan while trying to convert, and leaving the missionary on as/during/after that rebellion (on 0 maintenance) so that in that one province only, the revolt type was Shinto zealots and not Japanese patriots or some Daimyo nationalist, since accepting the patriot demands would kind of ruin your opportunity to get religious rebels lol.

If anything, while different I'd say it's easier now than in 1.7, since you don't need the rebellion to actually happen, or wait for them to siege you out. Usually, however, switching isn't worth your time unless you begin the game with provinces not in your faith or all of your surrounding provinces are a different faith. Nations like Indian Sultanates, Champa, Ceylon, Knights, Cyprus, pagans in Siberia + Indies, and pagans in Africa come to mind (it's much easier to swap into Sunni pre-westernization than it is to go Christian during it while sitting on Sunni land as an animist so long, so you'd only do the latter for a change-up or as part of an odd goal. Yes, even Kongo I think is better as Sunni because it takes pressure off going religious ideas early so you can go expansion or economic).

somewhat unrelated question with Hindu - now that you can't cheese the Sikh missionary decisions as easily (I don't even know whether intra-Dharmic conversions remove decisions now like Christian conversions do), do you find you need religious ideas to convert stuff? Alternative is releasing heathen provinces as vassals, but I can't recall off-hand which countries in India take religious early, besides Vijay which is not useful for Hindu conversion (vassals won't have accepted culture problem but overcoming Sunni malus is still a pain without religious).

 

[matk]

Rebels can still flip you -> my Bahmanis campaign (who I picked for fabulous colour & Shia religion) became a Hindu Bahmanis campaign after a long, lost war vs. Vijayanagar + Gujurat. Rebels flipped the country to Hindu.

 

[Camtheman]

I find it funny that Islam and Christianity are even separate groups, they are both Abrahamic ffs.

And where are the poor Jews? Excluded again?

 

[hashinshin]

I find it funny that Islam and Christianity are even separate groups, they are both Abrahamic ffs.

And where are the poor Jews? Excluded again?

I don't find that funny, considering the Christians and Muslims have been going at it for like 1300 years now.

 

[lizardo]

It would be nice if you could send religious converters to provinces outside your nation. This was done historically. Of course if found the option to burn them at the stake would be nice too.

 

[atwix]

people forget that religious rebels ONLY spawn in provinces of YOUR culture group, usually on provinces you are trying to convert.

If you convert a non culture province, it just increases nationalism rebel chance.

So, how to convert? Go to -3 stability, Set missionaries at 0 maintenance and let them convert same culture group provinces. Preferebaly do this with the provinces nearest to your capital that are eglible, and that are close to your own religion provinces.

After that, set all vassals to support and go do a war, while the rebels force convert all your provinces. In the end you can accept their demands (once 50+% of your provinces are of the rebel religion) and poooof new religion.

Hope i didn't make mistakes in the explanation, but this should (more or less) be how it works.

 

[Illianor123]

I find it funny that Islam and Christianity are even separate groups, they are both Abrahamic ffs.

And where are the poor Jews? Excluded again?

Why isn't Portuguese in the same culture group as Polish, they're both European. /sarcasm

I don't think Jewish was a majority religion in any province during the game's timeframe.

 

[bbqftw]

people forget that religious rebels ONLY spawn in provinces of YOUR culture group, usually on provinces you are trying to convert.

that's a big change from 1.7, where I recall any patriot rebels would flip to religious upon active missionary. Good thing to know. Will religious rebels siege / force-convert provinces not of your culture group?

 

[atwix]

that's a big change from 1.7, where I recall any patriot rebels would flip to religious upon active missionary. Good thing to know. Will religious rebels siege / force-convert provinces not of your culture group?

i didn't say they only spawn there

And afaik if religious rebels occupy a province, they force convert the province.