They start off separate and weakened, with provinces in patches of Greece, Sicily, and Anatolia. The Greeks lack the former but have an abundance of the latter. There are two things I love to utilize: strong cavalry and a strong phalanx. Still, it can be fun to be absolutely dominating sometimes. Their armies are strong, their provinces are rich, and once you're done crushing the Seleucids, the only faction that realistically stands a chance against you is Post-Marius Rome.

And that's the main problem I have with the Egyptian campaign: it's too easy. A conflict with the Seleucid Empire early on is inevitable, though I kind of wish it came later when they have better troops and thus something resembling a fighting chance. Egypt's troop selection is one of the most powerful in the game, with Desert Axemen being strong infantry capable of taking a phalanx in a direct fight, chariots being especially effective at scaring enemy troops, and Pharaoh's Bowmen often decimating entire units before they even reach the infantry. The developers thought there were too many Hellenic factions already, though, and thus we instead get lots of axemen, elite archers, and chariots. Historically, they were much like the other Hellenic factions, comprised mainly of phalanx troops and cavalry.

By far the most historically inaccurate faction in the game. That, and there are few factions who come into conflict with the African factions early on.Īh, Egypt. You're definitely going to come into conflict with Carthage first, but once you do, a Scipii leader who moves quickly enough will be able to get the Senate to throw missions to almost any faction they want (provided they have a coastal city). Anyway.I like the Scipii because they have such an interesting campaign, and their path isn't as set in stone as some factions. That and the Roman Civil War can come at very inopportune moments. I like the Romans well enough, but I'm not crazy about their troop selections, and I prefer it when my entire army ISN'T made obsolete and unable to be retrained halfway through my campaign. But still, they're not bad, and a good introduction to barbarian factions.Īnother Roman faction so soon? That's right, my favorite Romans are only this high. They have no special little units, and with a basically guaranteed war against the Romans, your early options tend to be limited. That's kind of the problem I have with Gaul, though: they're the basic barbarian experience and nothing else. Anyway, the Gauls are your standard barbarian faction: hordes of strong light infantry, a few decent cavalry choices, and limited (but adequate) potential for growth. They also have a holding in central Spain, for some reason. Gaul is composed of all the Celtic tribes that existed in France and Northern Italy during this time period. It tends to make your generals pretty bad, but with the Marian Reforms looming on the horizon, plenty of money is basically a necessity to replace the suddenly outdated army a Roman leader will find himself with. They do, however, have one thing that always makes a Brutii campaign fun: they are stupidly, ridiculously wealthy. They have largely the same troops and buildings as the other Romans, and their campaign isn't particularly exciting, as many factions will eventually expand into Greece. They start off with two cities in southern Italy, and at the behest of the Senate they usually expand east into Greece and and fight the Greek Cities and Macedon. The Brutii are one of the three Roman factions. Now, there are only 11 playable factions in the game, but that doesn't mean I can't rank them! What I got was one of the single most satisfying gaming experiences I've ever encountered. I've always had an interest in history, so the thought of playing through Roman conquests was quite appealing. Their climb up my rankings has been gradual but persistent, and culminated with my introduction to the Total War series. My gaming tastes have always been widely varied, but there are a few genres that I favor above others. These are ThisIsAnOddName's Top Ten Factions in Rome: Total War ranked for Ed Bellis's What Would You Do.

Rome total war crashes