The gold power is her killer power. Use that on everything you want Vinerva's gift on. It'll work up until ~15% world panic. Once the golden grove stops working, then I start using black forest to spread shadow. Vinerva is extremely efficient at creating dark empires since she can spread her gift and then shadow the majority of rulers in a large kingdom fairly easily, and elfstones do not block her powers from 100% shadowing an elf leader if you want a quick dark elf empire or want elves to join your human dark empire.

Shadowed rulers add nothing to victory score. They only increase world panic. Shadowing population and destroying them gives the same amount of victory score, and manifestation adds another +4 victory points on top of that. I usually use a coven which focuses on spreading vinerva's gift and then using manifestation on their settlements if they're outside my dark empire.

Originally posted by The Grand Mugwump:

The gold power is her killer power. Use that on everything you want Vinerva's gift on. It'll work up until ~15% world panic. Once the golden grove stops working, then I start using black forest to spread shadow. Vinerva is extremely efficient at creating dark empires since she can spread her gift and then shadow the majority of rulers in a large kingdom fairly easily, and elfstones do not block her powers from 100% shadowing an elf leader if you want a quick dark elf empire or want elves to join your human dark empire.

Shadowed rulers add nothing to victory score. They only increase world panic. Shadowing population and destroying them gives the same amount of victory score, and manifestation adds another +4 victory points on top of that. I usually use a coven which focuses on spreading vinerva's gift and then using manifestation on their settlements if they're outside my dark empire.

I did almost exactly the same stuff except without the dark empire idea iirc. She's definitely my least favorite god so far lol. Still not a fan of her but hey, that doesn't mean it was boring. The game's just that good. I'm now moving on to the bug god (probably my favorite because I think bugs are cool!)

Vinerva does get a really powerful god power when she awakens that kind of helps her once everyone is too aware / panicked to accept her offers anymore.

Vinerva plays different from most other gods, her abilities are oriented around building up momentum rather than actively enhancing your strategy. This is partially why she doesn't get a supplicant, you have to chose the best agents for the job, put your own work to creating circumstances that benefit Vinerva, then you guarantee those returns later. Play your cards right, keep up the right tempo with world panic, and you can remotely enshadow any region before they can keep up damage control, or set heroes mad, or eliminate the worst strongholds from the map, effectively eradicating your worst threats as you choose. All you really need is three or four manifestations by the awakening to win through devastation via "Viridi's Final Solution".

What are you talking about enshadowed rulers don't add to victory score? Isn't there an item for enshadowed, insane, and enshadowed+insane ?

Originally posted by SnickeringSnaussages:

What are you talking about enshadowed rulers don't add to victory score? Isn't there an item for enshadowed, insane, and enshadowed+insane ?

Sure, enshadowed + insane does add to the victory score, but that's different than just being enshadowed, right? You can even test it if you like, enshadowing a ruler with the black forest will make world panic instantly rise on the next turn without adding any immediate victory score (unless they are also insane). And then the victory score will slowly rise as their location becomes shadowed.

And then you can wait 50 or more turns for the shadow to grow there while heroes keep driving it back, or you can manifest and immediately get the same victory points + 4 from manifestation.

Very good point- you are right here. I was unaware there'd be a world panic rise as well. I've never paid attention to that mechanic except the few times I looked and noticed it never had risen higher than "god awakening sets minimum".