Choosing the best Pantheon in Civilization VII (Civ 7) depends heavily on your civilization's start, the map you're playing on, and your overall strategy. However, some Pantheons offer universally strong benefits across various scenarios. Here are some of the best Pantheons in Civ 7, considering their broad utility:
Top Pantheons:
God of the Sea
•Effect: +1 Food from Ocean and Coast tiles.
•Why It's Good: If you're near a lot of water, this can significantly boost your food production, allowing for faster population growth. It's especially potent for civilizations with naval advantages or those aiming for a coastal expansion strategy.
Earth Goddess
•Effect: +1 Faith and +1 Food from Wheat, Bananas, and Deer tiles.
•Why It's Good: This Pantheon synergizes well with early game food production and faith generation. It's excellent for civilizations that rely on faith for religious victories or for those needing a strong early game population.
God of Craftsmen
•Effect: +1 Production from each improved Mine, Quarry, and Lumber Mill.
•Why It's Good: This Pantheon is a production powerhouse, crucial for civilizations focusing on rapid expansion or military buildup. It scales well into the mid to late game as you improve more tiles.
Desert Folklore
•Effect: +1 Faith and +1 Culture from Desert tiles.
•Why It's Good: If your start is near or includes a lot of desert, this Pantheon can provide a solid foundation for culture and faith, which are key for cultural or religious victories. It also makes desert tiles more valuable.
Fertility Rites
•Effect: City growth rate is 10% higher in cities with 5 or more population.
•Why It's Good: This helps in quickly scaling your city sizes, which is beneficial for all victory types as larger cities produce more of everything. It's particularly strong if you have a strategy for rapid city growth.
Religious Settlements
•Effect: Border growth rate is 15% higher in cities with a Holy Site district.
•Why It's Good: If you're focusing on religion or have bonuses related to Holy Sites, this Pantheon can help secure more territory around your religious centers, providing both defense and resource access.
Stone Circles
•Effect: +2 Faith from quarries.
•Why It's Good: In games where quarries are plentiful, this can give you a significant faith boost early on, setting up for religious strategies or faith-based purchases.
Strategic Considerations: 
•Map and Terrain: Choose your Pantheon based on the terrain around your starting position. If you have a lot of one type of resource or terrain, select a Pantheon that maximizes those tiles.
•Victory Type: Your Pantheon choice should align with your victory aim:
•Religious Victory: Focus on Faith generation.
•Cultural Victory: Look for Pantheons that boost culture or help with population growth for more cultural output.
•Science Victory: Pantheons that increase production or help with city growth can indirectly support your science output.
•Domination Victory: Production boosts from Pantheons like God of Craftsmen are invaluable.
•Civ Unique Abilities: Some civilizations have bonuses that work exceptionally well with specific Pantheons.
•Early Game vs. Late Game: Some Pantheons provide immediate benefits that can snowball in the early game, while others might be more impactful once you've expanded more or have specific districts built.
Ultimately, the "best" Pantheon is situational. Evaluate your starting position, resources, and strategy to pick the one that will give you the most advantageous start or align with your long-term goals. Remember, the Pantheon choice is one of the first major strategic decisions in the game, setting the tone for your empire's religious and resource strategy.
