Religious Revolts (Civ7)

For the Revolts Crisis in the Antiquity Age, see Revolts (Civ7).

Religious Revolts is one of the possible Crises that can occur during the Exploration Age in Civilization VII and its expansions. Its theme centers on the religious upheavals of the Reformation era — a period marked by deep theological division, civil unrest, and violent conflict as nations struggled between enforcing religious unity and embracing pluralism.

Theme[]

The Revolts Crisis centers around growing religious division within Settlements. Citizens become discontent when their Settlement adopts a religion different from the one originally founded by the player.

At the start of the Crisis, players must make a pivotal choice: either accept religious diversity or remain faithful to their founding religion, with both paths introducing penalties. Regardless of the choice, the Crisis will begin to lower Happiness across all Settlements, pushing them toward Unrest if two conditions are met:

The Settlement has negative Happiness.
The Settlement follows a different religion than the founder's.

Each turn, up to four Settlements can fall into Unrest under these conditions. These Settlements will recover automatically once their Happiness rises above zero or if they reconvert to the founding religion.

In short, there are two ways to prevent Unrest during this Crisis:

Maintain positive Happiness in each Settlement.
Ensure Settlements retain the founding religion.

Other civilizations will typically begin spreading their religions aggressively with Missionaries, making it difficult to reconvert lost Settlements. As such, maintaining high Happiness is generally the most reliable strategy, especially since negative Happiness carries its own penalties regardless of religion.

As the Crisis progresses into later phases, the consequences escalate: Settlements with negative Happiness and a foreign religion will immediately enter a Revolt state instead of Unrest, triggering the 10-turn countdown to potential loss. While a Settlement can recover from this state if Happiness improves or the religion is corrected, the countdown does not reset. If either condition fails again, the revolt resumes with the remaining turns.

Crisis flow[]

Revolts
Phase 1 — Sacred and Profane
Beyond this mortal realm lies another — so citizen of the world believe. Through prayer and rites, sacred books and holy places, they venerate the divine in their own ways, seeking guidance in this life and the next. These diverse practices enrich our society with inventive perspective; but disagreements between sects create deep rifts that threaten chaos. As conversations spiral into arguments, a decision faces the empire: to tolerate multiple religions or to unify under a single creed?
All faiths must be accepted.	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks Religious Tolerance Crisis Policy. Unhappy Settlements following another player's religion can go into Unrest.
Unity is possible only under one dogma.	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unlocks Religious zeal Crisis Policy. Unhappy Settlements following another player's religion can go into Unrest.
Crisis Policies
Religious Tolerance	+8 Happiness in Settlements that do not follow your religion. -2 charges on new Missionaries.
Religious Zeal	-8 Happiness in Settlements that do not follow your religion. +2 charges on new Missionaries.
Phase 2 — Darkening Skies
Where customs and authority once fastened settlements together, now religious tensions tear them apart as private beliefs become public politics. The reins of power snap and no force, sacred or secular, can halt the discord that runs rampant. The world rages, and as angry hands reach for weapons, people seek support from abroad, finding community in shared beliefs rather than sacred customs.
Continue the crisis	+1 Crisis Policy slot. Unhappy Settlements following another player's religion can go into Revolt. Unlocks 2 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Jizya	+4 Gold in Settlements not following your religion. -4 Happiness in distant land Settlements.
Schism	+50% Influence towards Convert Population Espionage Actions. -4 Happiness in homeland Settlements.
Phase 3 — Cataclysm
The fires of Heaven have become fires on earth. Religious beliefs clash at home and abroad — missionaries spread their word by mouth, and soldiers by sword and musket. Civilizations crack and bleed as settlements exchange old banners for new in the name of the divine. In the midst of conflict, communities grow ever closer, clinging to one another as the storm peaks overhead.
Continue the crisis	+2 Crisis Policy slots. Unlocks 3 Crisis Policies.
Crisis Policies
Bhanaka	All Missionaries in your territory gain +1 Movement.
Ius Reformandi	When you convert a Settlement you own, gain a Migrant and damage 3 Buildings in that Settlement.
Liturgical Disputes	-4 Happiness in all Settlements following your religion.
The end — TBA
The dark clouds dissipate, and light illuminates the world once more. It shines on a changed landscape of new allegiances, of realignment both spiritual and political. The old religious rivalries have quieted as nations establish fresh authority, and leave heir neighbors to their own affairs.
The Age of Exploration is ending.	Who will carry our legacy?

Legacies[]

Legacy Bonus	Requirement	Legacy point cost	Effect
Religous Tolerance	Have at least 3 unique religions in your empire.	2	+4 Happiness in Settlements not following your religion.
Westphalian Sovereignty	Have a War declared against you.	2	+3 War Support in all Wars declared against you.