Big changes are coming to Civilization 6 in the Fall 2017 Update, including a revamp of the Religion system that adds new religious beliefs and units, improvements to the interface, and tweaks to gameplay balance and enemy AI that will make them much more dangerous on the high seas.

"Two new Pantheons will be get introduced into the game, along with new Founder, Follower, Enhancer, and Worship Beliefs. These beliefs unlock the ability to build two new buildings as well as a new combat unit, the Warrior Monk," associate producer Sarah Darney explained. "Religious units can now exert Zone of Control and receive Flank and Support bonuses in religious combat. Meanwhile, the Guru religious support unit can heal nearby religious units."

"Finally, the Religion Lens has been overhauled to improve overall usability and readability. You’ll also find UI touches, such as religion indicators on unit flags, to remove all guesswork on where a unit’s allegiance lies."

Enemy AI will put a greater emphasis on building and protecting naval units following the update, which Darney said will be "especially exciting" in concert with the upcoming addition of a new civilization. The "least useful" gossip messages are being removed, so you'll only get the news that matters, and Diplomacy screens are being changed as well to make them easier to use.

"Beyond this, the Great People art has been updated to feel more 'great' and make this screen easier to navigate," Darney wrote. "Capital icons now show on city banners in the Espionage Mission selection menu, and many smaller changes have been made to the menus to make screens more moddable and extensible."

Darney didn't say which new religious Pantheons are being added to the game, or which new civilization will make the promised big splash with the improved naval skills, but details about the Fall Update will be released when it's live. Alas, there's no word yet on when that will be.