Each religion has three tenets in Crusader Kings 3. These three tenets can be changed when you reform an unorganized religion or create a new faith. I bet you’re about to reform or create a new religion but can’t decide on the tenets. Well, I’m about to help you by listing the best CK3 religious tenets below.
Keep in mind though, some tenets are exclusive to certain religions. Like Warmonger, Alexandrian Catechism Adorcism, Armed Pilgrimages, etc. You gotta choose the best ones for your playstyle, and religion. Also, some tenets have two different names for two different religions. Like Ecclesiarchy / The Pentarchy. Both give the same bonuses but named differently for Asatru and Christianity.
CK3 BEST DOCTRINES < Equally important.
Each ruler can create or reform a faith once! So, make sure you got the right tenets and doctrines.
CK3 religious tenets tier list:
1. Communion
Communion is the best tenet in CK3 without competition. It simply allows you to accept indulgences as a Head of Faith. Any member of your faith you have committed a sin will throw money at you for forgiveness. That makes you super rich in no-time.
For communion to work, you need to set yourself as a Temporal head of faith in the main doctrines. That way you become the Pope of your religion, accept indulgences, and start your very own crusades. The head of faith title will be inherited by your primary heir.
There is one downside though. As your progress to the mid-late game, accepting indulgences will become a chore because you’ll be uber-mega rich thanks to your followers. If you get overwhelmed by requests, you can simply give away head of faith title to your heir and let your heir deal with it for the time being.
Here is one trick, set every possible action to criminal in the crime doctrines during reformation. That way your followers will easily be sinners, one way or another, and seek indulgences by throwing gold at your face!
2. Warmonger
Warmonger tenet will allow you to declare war on anyone. Being able to declare war on any country that’s in your diplomatic reach is a huge advantage in Crusader Kings 3.
Another good part of Warmong is the at peace opinion. Because if you don’t have warmonger and declare bunch of wars, your vassal will be angry at you for waging too many offensive wars. Thankfully warmonger replaces offensive war opinion with at peace opinion. Meaning your vassals will be angry at you if you don’t wage wars and will be super happy if you go on wars. Overall, it’s the perfect tenet for aggressive world conquest run.
Of course, you can declare holy wars on your neighbors without Warmonger. But Warmong tenet will allow you to reach far distances and declare holy wars on distant countries.
3. Armed Pilgrimages
You want to conquer everywhere? Then you’ll need to reform your religion and culture to declare bunch of kingdom tier holy wars. To that purpose, Armed Pilgrimages tenet is a must. Because it reduces the piety cost of declaring holy wars and give you piety bonus for pilgrimages.
So, if you’re going to create a new Christian faith with the purpose of conquering world, Armed Pilgrimages is a way to go.
4. Ecclesiarchy
The Pentarchy in Christianity and Ecclesiarchy in Norse are the same. It’s a tenet that’s giving more piety gain via Pilgrimage and +1 yearly fervor per Holy Site held.
Fervor is really important for convert faith in county progress speed. Also, at below 40% Fervor, heresies start appearing, with the chance increasing every 10% below that.
There is one thing you need to keep in mind though. If it’s going to take a lot of time for you to conquer all of the religious holy sites, you might consider going with mendicant preachers. Because Ecclesiarchy / The Pentarchy is not going to help much if you don’t control majority of the holy sites. Whereas Mendicant Preachers help with county conversion a lot by itself.
5. Mendicant Preachers
Once you convert or reform your religion, you want every county in your Kingdom to convert to your new religion. You also want to convert newly conquered provinces as soon as possible. That’s why tenets increasing county conversion speed such as Mendicant Preachers and Ecclesiarchy are considered top tier.
It also makes Temperate which is the best personality trait in CK3 a virtue. That’s great bonus as long as you can train your heirs to be temperate.
6. Megalithic Construction
Megalithic Constructions are really OP especially if you’ve reformed your religion in early game. Because megalithic duchy buildings doesn’t require certain innovations like burhs or manors as opposed to basic duchy buildings. You can even build them as a tribal ruler. So, accessing a strong duchy building like that in early game and getting super bonuses on hills definitely worth taking Megalithic Constructions tenet.
Both Megaliths and Great Megaliths are OP buildings giving super good bonuses. Especially the development and renown boosts are my favorite.
Great Megaliths duchy building bonuses:
Duchy:
+15% Development Growth
+10 Popular Opinion
Holding:
+1.1 Monthly Tax
Realm:
+5% Monthly Renown
+0.2 Monthly Piety
+10% Monthly Learning Lifestyle Experience
+10% Naval Speed
Minor Megalith (can be upgraded 4 times up to level 5) bonuses:
+2% Monthly Development > +20% Monthly Development
+2 Popular Opinion > +6 Popular Opinion
+0.2 Monthly Piety > +0.8 Monthly Piety + +0.25 Monthly Prestige
7. Esotericism
Esotericism tenet allows you to get Wise Man trait easily. Wise Man traits gives +1 learning and unlocks and unlocks Mystical Communion decision.
Mystical Communion is an OP decision for characters with learning focus. Because it will give you +300 learning lifestyle experience, +1 martial, and +1 learning.
Wise Man trait can also be upgraded and give more learning by going on pilgrimages.
If you have no problem converting counties, you can pick Esotericism over Ecclesiarchy or Mendicant Preachers. By the way, you can set the Faith Conversion Speed to faster in game rules if you don’t care about the achievements.
8. Ritual Celebrations
Ritual Celebrations is a perfect religion tenet for realm stability. It makes your vassals more likely to attend to your feasts for quick relation boost and gives piety for hosting feasts.
But more important thing is permanent +5 vassal opinion. Relation bonuses stack over time and literally remove the factions from your game.
All I’m saying is this, if you hate revolts and want a smoother inheritance with no bloodshed, consider getting ritual celebrations tenet.
9. Adorcism
Adorcism is a tenet that’s allowing seek the aid of the spirits decision. You literally communicate with spirits, get possessed, and become the shaman king. It’s also one of the few ways to get the Shrewd and Strong traits.
Though you can’t unlock it unless you’re reforming a specific African religion. It’s only available to certain religions.
10. Astrology
Astrology has two bonuses. Naval Speed +25% and Divine the Stars decision. Naval speed is pretty good, but the real deal is about the stars.
The decision does not cost anything to take. It has 5 possible outcome which is given randomly for 10 years.
CK3 Divine the Stars:
- Diplomacy +2, +25% diplomacy lifestyle experience.
- Learning +2, +25% learning lifestyle experience.
- Warfare +2, +25% warfare lifestyle experience.
- Intrigue +2, +25% intrigue lifestyle experience.
- Martial +2, +25% martial lifestyle experience.
11. Alexandrian Catechism
Learning is the best lifestyle in Crusader Kings 3. Because of its give stat boost, health boost, buy claim interaction, piety, learning, education, fascination, and more! I always train my heirs in learning lifestyle. Therefore, Alexandrian Catechism is really good religious tenet for my playstyle.
Once you play with one or two learning lifestyle rulers, you’ll appreciate it too, I guarantee. So, getting +20% learning lifestyle experience from a tenet is pretty over-powered.
12. Carnal Exaltation
Want to have bazillions of kids? Then pick Carnal Exaltation tenet. It basically gives +25% fertility to all followers which is pretty huge. It also makes lustful trait a virtue! Nice!
I like to expand and spread my dynasty as much as possible. That’s why I like this tenet.
13. Ritual Cannibalism
Ritual Cannibalism is one of my favorite religion tenets in CK3 for role-playing purposes. What’s the best way of dealing with rivals? Eating them of course! You can even abduct and devour the Pope himself. Some random events will boost your health too for devouring.
Also, when you die, your heir can just eat a prisoner of different faith and gain a huge opinion boost with everyone following your religion. It’s very stabilizing for the realm.
14. Reincarnation
Reincarnation is another tenet that is super fun for role-playing. With this tenet, your children and grandchildren might be your reincarnation! Watching your god-like ruler reincarnate after 2 or 3 generations is amazing!
When a child is born, there is an 8% chance for players family to be a reincarnation. It does give small bonuses for reincarnated characters, but I like the fun RP aspect of it.
15. Natural Primitivism
Time to run around naked like Adamites! Natural Primitivism tenet will turn your followers into shameless nudists. Other than that Natural Primitivism does not have any bonuses for your realm. So, it’s for role playing purposes only.
With this tenet, characters over 18 will wears nothing but that typical fig leaf to cover their private areas. The rest will be completely naked.
I don’t like Pursuit of Power because of the -10 direct vassal opinion. Besides, if you reform / create your faith with fundamentalist religious attitude, you can declare holy wars on everyone. Also, if you’re reforming Asatru, you have warmonger which is much better than Pursuit of Power tenet.
You see, I’ve listed best 15 tenets. But you know, you can only choose three tenets for your religion. So, choose the top three that fits to your playstyle, region, religion, and role-playing.