Converting holy cities in Civilization V is a nuanced process, as these cities possess a unique resilience to religious influence. While temporary religious shifts are possible, permanently altering a holy city's original religious identity requires specific, often aggressive, actions.
Understanding Holy City Religious Dynamics
Holy cities are the birthplace of a religion and act as its stronghold. They are inherently resistant to foreign religious pressure and will naturally gravitate back towards their founding faith if influenced by external means. This makes true "conversion" a complex endeavor.
Temporary Religious Influence
You can temporarily spread your religion to an enemy holy city using a Great Prophet.
- Great Prophet: A Great Prophet can be used to perform a "Prophet Charge" or "Spread Religion" action on a holy city, converting some of its population to your faith. This will increase the presence of your religion within that city and can temporarily flip its dominant religion.
However, it's crucial to understand the limitations of this method:
- Temporary Effect: The influence of a Great Prophet is not permanent for a holy city. Over time, the holy city's original religion will naturally regain dominance and reassert itself within the city. This means you cannot permanently "convert" a holy city to your religion solely by using Great Prophets.
Permanent Removal of a Holy City's Original Religion
The only way to permanently dismantle a holy city's original religious identity and prevent its founding religion from re-establishing itself is through military conquest and a specific religious purge. This process effectively "destroys" its status as the holy city for that particular religion.
Here's the step-by-step process for achieving this permanent change:
- Capture the City: You must first wage war and militarily capture the holy city from its original owner. This brings the city under your control.
- Utilize an Inquisitor: Once the holy city is captured, train or move an Inquisitor into the city. Use the Inquisitor's "Remove Heresy" ability within the city limits. This action targets and eliminates all foreign religious presence, including the holy city's original religion.
Outcome: Performing this Inquisitor action within a captured holy city completely and permanently removes the enemy's founding religion from that specific city. This effectively "destroys" its original holy city status, meaning that religion no longer has a base in its city of origin. You can then spread your own religion to the city without its former faith naturally reasserting itself.
Comparison of Methods
To clarify the difference between temporary influence and permanent change, consider the following:
| Method | Effect on Holy City | Permanence | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Prophet | Spreads your religion, temporarily shifts dominance | Temporary | Great Prophet unit, Prophet Charge available |
| Conquest + Inquisitor | Permanently removes original religion and its holy status | Permanent | Military conquest, Inquisitor unit, faith cost |
Practical Considerations
- Warfare is Necessary: The permanent method requires military action, as you must capture the holy city before you can purge its original religion.
- Inquisitor's Role: The Inquisitor is an essential unit for this permanent removal. Without it, even capturing the city will not prevent the original religion from lingering and potentially resurging.
In summary, while Great Prophets offer temporary religious influence, true and lasting "conversion" of a holy city in Civ 5 means conquering it and then using an Inquisitor to entirely eradicate its founding religion.
