#Factions in total war rome 2 series

His story is simply told via a series of narrative windows where he spends his time regaling his warriors with tales of his old adventures. They're led by Cannabaudes, a veteran of countless battles and campaigns. In my first attempt to become Rome’s new boss, I played as the Gothi, the only heroic barbarian faction. And there are no better Total War games from which to take inspiration for faction design.

A bit of added flavour, a dash of roleplaying, faction-specific objectives - it all sounds a lot like Warhammer, at least on paper. Half of Empire Divided’s factions are ‘heroic’, getting their own unique victory conditions, bespoke event chains and special leaders who can’t die in battle. The scope is considerably larger than previous expansions, with ten factions - including the three Roman states - and a whole host of mechanics that aren’t strictly new for the series, though they are for Rome. It’s pretty fertile ground for a Total War game. It was the most popular Total War game before Creative Assembly started dabbling in fantasy, however, so the audience is quite a bit larger than, say, Attila’s, which I suspect explains why it’s seeing this resurrection.Įmpire Divided’s campaign takes place during the Crisis of the Third Century, which saw the Roman Empire almost destroyed by wars, plague and its separation into competing Roman states. It’s four years old, not even the latest historical entry, and in terms of both the presentation and the real-time battles, it’s a step backwards from Warhammer 2. Rome 2 is probably not the best showcase of the future of Total War’s historical games. So where does that leave Total War: Rome 2 - Empire Divided? Total War’s historical games will undoubtedly continue to appeal to those craving a more grounded strategy romp, but so many of the series’ most significant improvements are inextricably linked to a fantasy premise. How can a historical Total War compete with dinosaurs besieging a fortress filled with wraiths and shambling corpses? Ever since the launch of Total War: Warhammer, but even more since the arrival of Warhammer 2, I’ve been wondering if Creative Assembly has backed itself into a corner.