Religion

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Religion has been a factor in most Total War games so far. However, its importance has changed over time. Whereas it seriously affects the gameplay in some games of the series, it's a minor factor which barely matters in others.

Rome: Total War

In Rome: Total War religion plays a rather minor role. The factions can build various temples or shrines to different gods. These temples grant bonuses which are in accordance with the role of the respective god. Whereas gods of war tend to give military based bonuses, other gods or goddesses can for example make a region's farms more effective or will improve the health and happiness of the local citizens.

Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion

In Rome: Total War, all factions all can build monuments to their gods which only affect the happiness of a settlement. However, in the Barbarian Invasion expansion religion has been reworked entirely.

Religion has become extremely important in people's lives. In the early days of the Empire, religions could quite easily co-exist peacefully but times have changed and religious unrest is now very common.

Religion affects a settlement's happiness considerably. Building a Christian church in a mainly Pagan province will result in considerable unrest and possibly even rebellion. Placing a Pagan temple in a Christian town can cause the same problems. In order to appease their subjects, factions can also decide to build religious buildings of the same religion which is prevalent in a region - even if the faction's main religion is a different one.

Medieval II: Total War

See Religion in Medieval 2.

Empire: Total War

Religion plays a rather minor role in Empire: Total War. Regions that are of a different religion to the faction that controls them will experience happiness penalties due to religious unrest. Factions may choose to build religious centres in regions, which gradually begin to convert the local populace to the faction's religion. Religious centres grant a moderate happiness boost to a region that is predominantly the same religion as the owning faction; however, the happiness bonus is minor compared to dedicated entertainment centres. These same centres can also spawn missionaries, who can travel into other regions to begin converting the populace to their religion. This can be used to either cause unrest in other factions' lands or to help stabilize religious unrest in owned regions. The late-game enlightenment technology "Human Secularism" cuts the effects of both religious unrest and happiness by half, making religion a very minor point in the late-game.

Napoleon: Total War

Religion plays a similar but even smaller role than in Empire: Total War. Regions that are of a different religion to the faction that controls them will experience happiness penalties due to religious unrest, but these penalties are usually small. There is no way to convert regions or to change your own religion, meaning that religious unrest will simply have to be countered in other ways, either through government or happiness buildings, ministers or garrisons.

Additionally there are small diplomatic bonuses between factions of the same religion, and small penalties between factions of different religions, but these bonuses usually are dwarfed by other factors.

Shogun II: Total War

Christianity can play a major role in the late-game should factions decide to convert to Christianity in order to access European gunpowder weapons. Christianity will cause severe religious unrest throughout the regions the faction controls due to its unpopularity in feudal Japan.