Understanding Religion in Elin
Religion in Elin can be quite daunting at first. You might come across zealous cultists wandering through the wilderness or encounter enigmatic shrines hidden away in dungeons. However, despite these initial perceptions, aligning yourself with a deity can lead to numerous advantages, like acquiring powerful allies and iconic weapons.
The benefits of worshiping a specific deity will vary depending on your playing style, but there are no lasting penalties for exploring different faiths. This guide will walk you through the various deities you can choose to worship, the perks associated with their beliefs, and how to enhance your hidden piety stat for divine rewards.
How Faith and Piety Function
Elin’s religious framework consists of multiple systems that offer different benefits.
When you pledge allegiance to a deity, the game tracks how long you stay devoted to them. As your time of service increases, you will receive a range of attribute and skill enhancements. Additionally, you unlock the ability to Pray, which can be used once a day to fully replenish your health and mana.
Praying also grants a small boost to your faith and piety levels, making the Model Follower feat a wise investment—it automates your prayers daily, ensuring you don’t miss prayers if you’re busy traveling or enjoying a fishing trip.
Conferring tribute at your deity’s altars boosts your piety, a secondary stat that isn’t visible in your character sheet. Reaching certain piety thresholds unlocks unique rewards the next time you pray:
- First Reward: Receive an apostle, a companion or pet who can provide strong support without the need for charisma.
- Second Reward: Obtain a divine weapon, a powerful weapon that includes faction enchantments to benefit your entire team as long as you remain faithful.
- Developers hint there might be additional rewards in the future that are not yet available.
However, remember that you cannot earn more piety than your current faith level, which is tracked on your character sheet. Generally, this won’t be a concern unless you offer substantial tributes early in the game. To claim a divine weapon, your faith skill should reach at least 30. If you receive the message "You feel a sense of oneness" after a tribute, it indicates you have maxed out your current piety level.
Changing Deities
If you decide to switch deities, be aware that you will abandon your previous one. Divine punishment will be applied, and its duration depends on how long you’ve been loyal to that deity. This punishment manifests as a burdensome iron ball that cannot be removed until the time expires (traveling in the overworld will help decrease the time, but sleeping won’t).
If you’re a Demigod, you have the unique advantage of being completely immune to divine punishment, allowing you to worship as you please.
You can approach your faith and piety with two strategies:
- Stick with one deity to max out their respective benefits.
- Switch deities to collect all divine weapons while managing the divine punishment.
Keep in mind that you cannot have more than two apostles in your group at the same time, as they will begin to fight each other. However, they can coexist in a village, allowing you to recruit a variety of companions.
Overview of Deities and Their Piety Rewards
Most altars are located at the Truce Grounds, north of Palmia, where you can find the main pantheon of eight deities:
- North of Palmia is Nefu Village, home to the Horome altar.
- To the southeast, in Mifu Village, you’ll find the altar for Kizuami.
- Yevan has an altar located in Aquli Teola, west of Palmia.
Eyth of the Void is part of the main pantheon but currently offers no advantages for worship, and Yaksha of Oblivion is exclusively revered by NPCs without offering bonuses.
| Deity | Favored Playstyle | Divine Weapon | Passive Bonus | Apostle | Favored Tribute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lulwy of Wind | Ranger | Bow | Speed bonuses | Angel (fast mount) | Booze |
| Opatos of Earth | Tank | Mace | Reduced damage | Knight (tank companion) | Ore |
| Jure of Healing | Healer | Polearm | Cast heals with stamina | Cleric (healer companion) | Baked goods |
| Ehekatl of Luck | Rogue | Dagger | Randomizes spell costs | Cat (mage pet) | Raw Fish |
| Mani of Machine | Ranger | Shotgun | Machines as followers | Android (ranged companion) | Pipes |
| Itzpalt of Element | Spellcaster | Staff | Resist elemental damage | Exile (mage companion) | Books |
| Kumiromi of Harvest | Farmer | Scythe | Better farming | Fairy (archer pet) | Vegetables, seeds |
| Horome of Moonshadow | Spellsword | Longsword | Mana restoration on hits | Fox maiden (mount) | Spell rods, rice wine |
| Kizuami of Trickery | Pacifist | Shortsword | Easier debuffs | Vixen (mage companion) | Noodles, rice wine |
| Yevan of Strife | Melee Fighter | Longsword | Killstreak bonus | Militant (support mount) | Swords and Armor |
Ideal Deities to Worship
Selecting a deity has significant consequences for gameplay, especially regarding weapons and companions. Among the noteworthy benefits are:
- Mani’s Divine Gun, known for its high damage, silencing abilities, and area damage effects.
- Ehekatl’s Cat Apostle, which enhances the loot you find.
- Kumiromi’s benefits, maximizing the sales price of fresh produce, ideal for players focused on base-building.
- Horome’s Fox Apostle, who becomes an excellent mount as she levels up.
- Opato’s Divine Hammer, which doubles health and creates earthquakes with its strikes.
Due to the apostle limit of two, you’ll need to strategize between which companions to recruit, such as balancing between a cat, fox maid, or formidable angel.
Gods with Special Interactions
Some deities present unique conditions and events worth noting:
- Jure: Easily convertible during a festival at Noyel, where your loyalty transfers seamlessly and you receive a useful body pillow.
- Opatos: The most punishing to forsake, as its penance is based on your carrying capacity.
- Horome and Kizuami: They allow a unique, curse-free conversation if you transition between them.
- Mani and Lulwy: Best worshipped after acquiring their weapons for maximum effect.
Summary
Pledging allegiance to a deity in Elin can open up many gameplay possibilities, including access to powerful weapons and companions while enhancing your stats and skills. Decide carefully which god aligns best with your playstyle, and understand the consequences of switching faiths. Collect tributes systematically and strategically recruit NPCs to amplify your experience. Lastly, taking the time to learn the unique interactions of the various gods can significantly enrich your adventure!
