I like the Attilla where I play as Axum/Abyssinia/Ethiopia. The ERE and the WRE are also my go to choices. I like England 🇬🇧 and the Ottomans in Empire and Satsuma is the clan in Shogun is to die for. I agree with your choices with some tweaks of my own. Never really played the fantasy Warhammer but will play the Empire because they are the closest to reality.
The WRE in Attila feels like one of the few Total War campaigns that genuinely have a prolonged campaign that don't end up snowballing and getting boring. You have the starting collapse where you need to consolidate, defending against the first invaders, slowly scraping back what you can, and then getting slapped in the face again by Attila and whoever ate the ERE.
On easy and probably normal after 20-30 turns it starts to kinda snowballing. I mean you survive. Economic is enough to have 3-4 stacks. Order is bearable. It's time to return your territories. Yes. You must give up eastern lands, Brittain and neighboring to german territories. Probably some african territories too. But not Africa-Carfagen because it's very valuable.
The Byzantines in M2 are also an excellent choice : you're pretty much in the middle of the map so you will be invaded from every side, while you need to expand quite a bit to have defensible borders. Fortunately your early navy (greek fire dromons) allows to keep the control of the Aegean Sea. You're also in the second line against the Mongols, which still make them a threat but if played carefully, you can let them lay waste to your enemies to the east. Lastly, their late game-units... well they don't really have any, they stick to their early- and mid-game units that get outpaced by most other factions, and you only get the most basic pieces of artillery. This can either mean your doom if you've been limping through the entire campaign, or keeping some degree of challenge at the time you'd normally steamroll the entire map. Stanless Steel pushes them even further, by having a very limited recruitment pool, even more than other factions. Meaning you have to carefully manage the professional core of your army.
I can be unlucky at times, playing as Byzantine. Last time I had a plague on turn 2! And a crusade was declared against me fairly early on that lasted 80+ turns. The Mongols were no help when they showed up as they headed up toward Novgorod and didn't show the least interest in the Turks. Speaking of the Mongols, I usually play as factions WEST of the Italian Peninsula so I can avoid them entirely.
The navy and constantinople are so damned important they're literally the only reason I survived the Mongols. They took all of anatolia and only two army stacks at Constantinople along with its garrisons and the Byzantine navy were the only things standing between half of my Empire and annihilation at the hands of the Mongols meanwhile my son in law with his singular field army of veterans is some keeping the Balkans from falling to the crusaders. Sadly I lost Italy in a 20 year long struggle.
I must say I also love the WRE in Rome 1 Barbarian Invasion, I never really got into Atilla to be able to experience that WRE. Largely because at the time my computer was crap and could barely run Atilla.
@Rivendare Im playing with the WRE in Rome 1 and its the funniest campain I had had in a long time, at this point i had destroyed the Huns and now Im fighting the vandals. I had never been so threaned by the AI in a total war, truly an awesome experience.
For M2 England, just keep in mind to be a little bit careful about (not) garrisoning the British Isles after you crushed Scotland. Portugal sometimes tries a naval invasion for reasons which I'm sure make sense to them.
Yeah that Portugal Invasion is always fun to deal with, first time that happened to me they just hung out in Wales. It was one of the first times I played so didn't know there was a settlement there so Portugal just had part of the isles the rest of the game.
@@marsultor6131 it’s because they programmed Spain and Portugal not to fight (because Spain always gobbled up Portugal quickly) so the next nearest spot for Portugal to expand is Wales.
I think part of their ease is that the real Spain got wealth off so much silver that it wound up bankrupting its own economy and then being too weak to fight France or its own colonies or the United States but it's hard to depict runaway inflation in a Total War game.
I think you’re right. Beating WRE on Attila, even on normal, feels like a massive achievement. You have to hold on for dear life the whole time. Then Attila shows up late game like a final boss. It’s incredible. Solid pick.
I remember beating the Atilla campaign as WRE. Here's what I did to beat it: - don't bother defending or upgrading any provinces other Italy and Sicily - disband all armies and keep 3-4 armies in Italy and Sicily for defence. - just focus on building up your economy and diplomacy until you are strong enough to venture out of your holme - be extremely patient because the barbarians will eventually start killing each other or Attila will. Once everything is settled and you have a steady economy and public order, It's as simple as playing Rome from Rome 2!
That just feels totally contrary to the spirit of the thing though - it's a bit like turning it into a regular total war campaign. I kinda feel like if you're not having an awful time, you're not doing it right 😅
This reminds me, that we desperate needs a Medieval 2 Remaster. I've heard that it is maybe allready in development. But a confirmation of it would be a Welcome surprise.
I would also love that, medieval 2 given the same treatment as rome remastered would be amazing, hell I would settle for the base game with workshop support so I don't have to fiddle with files to play all those awesome mods.
@@Derp_Skilz bro I think I had issues like that in the past mostly with Empire. I wanna say there is a medieval 2 folder in documents or something like that you need to delete manually and then reinstall on steam. If that does not work I have also had the issue of desktop icons not being deleted on uninstall of the game so sometimes those cause issues, namely trying to launch the game from a exe that used to be attached to the broken icon and not the actual game exe. My advice is delete the medieval 2 folder in documents, then search for any desktop icons associated with the game and delete those, uninstall the game, reinstall, at that point it should work, if not working then try manually deleting every file in your medieval 2 folder on steam and verify file integrity, basically a full reinstall but it should get rid of any old lingering files from previous installations.
Haven't comented in a while (Alejandro here), and I come back just to share two things: 1) Based list. 2) Andy is in dire need (most than the rest of us lmao) of a new gunpowder game.
If there's one big lesson CA should take from the Warhammer series it is that diversity is fun, and can really be pushed quite far. While historical games aren't likely to have quite the same unit variety as a fantasy game, a big part of what has made post-Tomb Kings Warhammer content so good is the way CA have been very experimental with how to shake up the existing Total War formula on the campaign map. Historical games should absolutely embrace the diversity of government systems that their settings offer, and there's no reason why historical games going forward cannot be at least as diverse as the Warhammer games.
Absolutely, my thoughts exactly! Switch out magical systems for cultural diversity, historical or semi-historical events, variety in government mechanics and religious gameplay, and voila!
@@AndysTake that does sound awesome. Like tweak and refine the elector count system from warhammer and viola you got something that could work for an HRE system in Medieval 3. I really hope they do a Medieval 3 some day, or a Rome 3
For feudal kingdoms in Medieval 3 : only directly manage the royal domain, have a swarm of vassals who will manage bandits in their territory most of the time, when at war you can call up their troops so long that they are loyal (don't abuse it, it will anger them after some time). Have a crown authority system that restricts how much of your realm can be directly controlled, managing it well will be the difference between centralising like France or dissolving into a border gore mess like the HRE
Especially if you counter in the fact that the people that like Crusader Kings for the warfare are currently without a good game. CK3 is going into the sole RP aspect of the game and after all this time refuses to work on the strategy aspects of the game. They could for sure hook me in with a good historical strategy game. Units be damned, the battles are cool engough just give me good management!
Thats why the Roman Era works so well. Legions of Rome Hoplites of Greece Pikes of Diadochi Horse archers of Nomads Cataphracts of Parthians Elephants of India and Africa Camels of Arabs Spearbands of Gauls Skirmishers of Iberia Falxmen of Dacia Axemen of Germania Chariots of Britannia
Great video. I like your list and your Ottoman pick was very interesting. It reminded me how much I really tried to love Empire back in the day. Perhaps I will fire up an Ottoman campaign.
Not sure if you’ve played much 3K but Cao Cao is a GOATed faction. His start position puts him in the middle of everything every campaign. His mechanics give you the ability to deal with it in many different and rewarding ways. His unique units give him a varied roster, even in vanilla 3K (often the biggest complaint for the game). He also has the most unique generals of any faction.
I just recently finished my first proper Western Roman Empire campaign and I've got to say it is most fun I've had with total war for years. Being arguably the strongest and richest faction at the start of the game but equally the weakest and poorest is so weird but fun. Plus I love a good settlement defence battle which you will be doing a lot as the WRE. In fact I enjoyed it so much that Late antiquity became one of my favourite periods in History and I'm hoping to write my university dissertation on the Western Roman army next year.
Imperium of Man being in a state like WRE could be so fun but it would probably be like empire where you own a small land and control the rest of it. I think it could also be different due to having elite troops like space marines and custodes in a small area while being mostly stretched out in the rest of the area, but I also might not happen due to the sheer scale making managing it a nightmare and take 10 hours for 1 turn.
I'd like to give a shout-out to the United Provinces in Empire. They start off in such a fun, unique position, having a tiny bit of influence in all of the theatres of the world, linked together by a trade network that must be protected at all costs. It's like playing 3 underdog campaigns at the same time, and there's a lot of variety in choosing which theatre to make your primary focus.
Western Roman Empire sounds like a great idea, until you realize you have to fight the same battle over and over against the same barbarian factions in the same defensive settlement map with the same units. Also you can’t auto resolve because you really need to take as many of them down as possible. So you are basically forced to abuse the AI that will charge everything they have at one choke point while you try to hit them from behind and bottle them up over and over and over….. It does not help that he AI loves sacking instead of occupying so they never make any progress into your lands.
Why THE EMPIRE from TW:WH rules: - Gunpowder - KARL FRANZ - "Summon the elector counts" - S I G M A R - Cool warcry at start of the battle - Sun-Helmet Guy - Hellstorm - Welcome to Estalia gentlemen
Agree with all of your pics except having the Julii as a honorable mention, has to be Brutii for me . After watching your video on the ottoman empire I wish I could play them but sadly my steam files for Empire is corrupted and will never reinstall fully which sucks.
There is an argument for saying that the Julii are the most powerful late game faction because of the fact that you grow so incredibly fast meaning once your cities eventually develop, you have the most of them. However I always like taking one fleet and hopping around the Mediterranean to take key cities like Alexandria, Kydonia, and sometimes even Corinth for the statue of Zeus at Olympia
@@AndysTake it used to be that I could not play it. Now it simply will not install. It gets to 98% installed on steam and without fail it will always say files corrupted at that point. Granted it has been awhile since I have tried, if i can get it working the ottomans are defintly gonna be my first play through since I think they are the only faction I have yet to play I think.
4000 hrs of Attila and I’m just starting my wre campaign. Even with turning down the battle ai so it doesn’t cheat, I’m still having a hard time satisfying everyone in my provenances. ❤ the videos, cheers mate
Was inspired by an earlier video of yours to turn off Warhammer and fire up Attila as the WRE for the first time. It has been the most frustrating yet fulfilling campaign I've done in Total War. I endured the early onset, the Huns have arrived but my armies are ready to take back lost lands
It may not be the most original but my Favorite faction in the historical games is def the Oda, it may be OP but making stack after stack of ashigaru and steamrolling the map with my peasant armies is so satisfying. With the chaos dwarfs coming i am so excited for them i'm pretty sure they are going to be my Fav TWWH race :) but at the moment i really enjoy Grand cathay for their extremely diverse roster but i agree with you in that the Empire is so so satisfying, SUMMON THE ELECTOR COUNTS
the hilarious thing about ai oda clan is that they pump out stacks of yari samurai cause they already have that barracks building in their capital , it is hilarious but also dangerous for everyone around them including the player , its even worse when its yari samurai coupled with their somewhat better ashigaru forces , the only hting that balances this out is the fact that nobody real likes them
I love seeing two of my favorite factions on this list. I agree wholeheartedly with the choices of England and the Ottoman Empire for the Medieval and Empire games, respectively. With the English, the longbows are a potent weapon that proves very useful for its rapid fire and great range that outdoes the more common bows used by the weaker units. Plus, the English faction does have limits in its cavalry, its foot soldiers (particularly the dismounted knight units) prove to be a benefit for the English side. Also, the position of the English makes their situation for trade the most enviable of all of the factions in the game. And the Ottomans' greatest advantages in the game, I believe, outweigh their disadvantages. For example, the fact that the Ottomans can field mobile artillery and use shrapnel shot ahead of everyone else, as well as the organ guns mentioned in the video, means that the Ottoman armies could provide superior firepower early in the game, which is a significant tool for any commander. Another advantage that should not be overlooked is the fact that the Ottomans have in their possession some of the finest early light infantry units in the game. Though the Armenian Archers are indeed bowmen, thus putting them in armament being somewhat disadvantaged by the line infantry units of Europe, they can still cause significant damage by ambush and flanking fire. The Azzars, which are the Ottomans earliest sharpshooters, are, if properly used, a campaign winning unit. They not only outrange the line infantry units, but they also have much more effective firepower when deployed correctly and, if a commander times it right, can be made to retreat to another position, reform, and fire again with a devastating volley.
Good video. (Subscribed today😊) Agree with most of those. I might have added the Brutii in Rome. Because of their proximity to, and ability to get most of the seven wonders of the ancient world. England is arguably better in Empire than in Medieval. Because it doesn't have the Scot's to deal with, and (When I'm playing against the AI), I've LITERALLY never had anyone land an army there. I can take my time, develop, build up, and decide myself when to take regions. The only annoyance about England is it's Governmental system. You can only replace one below-par minister a turn. But you can fix all that with a revolution. Factions on the peripheries will tend to become overwhelmingly powerful if you let them as AI players. Think Almoravids in Med 2 and Marathas in Empire. Even Sweden in Empire a lot of the time. So you shouldn't have too tough a time if you play as those factions. Can't comment on the fantasy games, as I've never played them. (Have you ever, or will you ever do a review of the new Absolutum Dominium: Mods and Monuments mod?)
Thank you for subscribing! Bro, I have NEVER heard of this mod. Just downloaded the standalone monuments version - OMG it's spectacular! But I don't fully get what the full version is about, could you elaborate?
@@AndysTake Thanks Andy. Other than the new skylines for ALL factions, all factions are playable. Most have between 1-4 unique buildings, new historical units in the rosters, new flags, and artwork. The latest installment has mini campaigns based around the 7 years war, and the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.
Yet another EXCELLENT video! You’ve give mean a reason to play a vanilla campaign (maybe some visual mods) for FOTS and to the play some of the other campaigns I haven’t even played 1 turn of! And even one total war (the original Rome) I’ve never ACTUALLY played before 👀🤦🏼♂️! Thank you @Andy’s Take yet again, I’ve watched and liked your liked for a long time but recently decided it was time to comment not just like and sub to show my support lol. Keep it up! You rock!💪🏼 here’s one, or two, or 3 to you to you mate! CHEERS!
Given me a reason* and liked your videos** sorry yet another auto incorrect on the iPhone lol and you’re welcome @Andy’s Take it’s praise very much deserved! 💪🏼
Hehe I can only agree with the mechanics take on The Empire in Warhammer now that I've got mods that let me start as provinces of said empire OTHER that Reikland/Franz, with unique leader models and stats. 'Boomstick' Hochland has been fun to try so far. (I'll need to come back later with names for said mods if someone replies) I agree with a lot of your takes and want to do campaigns for most of them now on that basis, But DANG did you have to open that way? Yeeesh at least they are as far from number 1 as any *included in video... -with love and 'I knew it' levels of angst and disgust, Celtic total war player 😄
@@AndysTake ah sorry I didn't actively get this notification Hmm well, it's tough: Between Spain and Scotland in Medieval 2, (Kingdoms expansion: Ireland, mah tribe 🙌) TW Empire: Russians, hands down; few things more fun than getting away with STRELTZY and Heavy First Rate spams. Warhammer 2: Queek Headtaker, Karak Kadrin, and Albion 'Truthsayers' (< with Mixu's Legendary Lord/vfx/unlocker mods, OvN Lost Factions, Cataph's Kraka Drak [which will probably take Kadrin's place as favorite dwarfs once I try them,] hmmm... also have a Clan Volkn overhaul that works with all of these at the same time but yet to try... and uh a Clan Mors Black Uniforms/Queek Black armor reskin for when you want to binge Powerwolf and roleplay an 'Order' faction 😂😅) Extatum et Oratum(skaven vid someone made deserves a shout out) and Reverent of Rats of course on that list. If ye were expecting Thrones of Britannia, truth be told I put the emotional hype for that one on hold since buying it a while ago because my computer's audio was completely shot at the time and I didn't want to miss that part of the experience. Now that I have audio, I'm waiting until my sister-tribe Welsh friend can get a PC and grab the game so we can start it together and reclaim the Lloegyr 💪 < so it's on hold, haven't personally tried it yet.
Andy we have a same mind and pleasure for Tw games I always enjoying England(Empire,Medieval,Napoleon), Ottomans -Turks, France, Satsuma,Chosokabe and Huns - White Huns, East-West Romans.
I have never so passionately disagreed with your opinions on the Total War series like this. I will make a response video to this, at some point in the next 16 years, to stir up drama in the community. Our non-aggression pact is broken just like my heart, haha
You should make a caveat for Empire in WH that unless you have the DLC the beginning of the game is really tough on Legendary/VH difficulty. The Empire Seperatists get the DLC units that you don't have access to and they're much better than the spearman/swordsman you can recruit. Not to mention the fact that the AI gets cheats that allow them to recruit more units which really exacerbates the situation.
I KNEW you were going to choose the WRE for #1. It’s a true test of patience and humility where if you can overcome it, you can wield powerful full stack legions that can absolutely obliterate everything in their path. The most fun I’ve ever had in Total War was after watching my outer settlements get repeatedly sacked and captured, I began marching my legions out of Italy and taking back Europe. So rewarding and overall gratifying to see the hordes begin turning tail and fleeing east. The Western Roman Empire always pays its debts.
I am speaking as a person who finished the western roman campaign with a military victory, the day I finished it, I dreamed of honorius and he was proud of me. It's worth playing with me even for that.
England is great. Their late game 2h knights are absolute fire. However, my fav Med 2 faction is still venice. I just love their shield + hammer infantry. Also, playing a mediterranean powerhouse is great fun, and absurdly challenging
I always easily win my WRE campaigns : 1- crush the Suebians and abson Britannia 2- I build armies with much cavalry, and reconquer Pannonia and the East 3- Make garrison camps at your borders and defend your provinces. Never hesitate, when no horde is invading you, to launch preemptive attacks, against the Franks or the Saxons, for instance 4- Be obsessed with economy. Build industrial buildings, trade ports, improve your gold mines, be wise with your administrators In my play, it is 423, and I have 138.000 income, if I remember, which allows to have massive armies with large onagers, Herculiani Seniores, Scholae Gentiles/Palatinae etc. to eliminate Attila himself In short : 1- cav 2- economy
Top 5 GOAT Total War factions you say? Bold Words Brother, Still a valid list none the less. Each Nation provides a challenge in one form or another (Expect maybe Satsuma, depending on your navel defense), plenty of enemies, and a Satisfying campaign. The Ottomens really show that "transition" that Total War thrives in, going from Milita and Illregulares to the Cadet infantry and Janissaries of the late game. Satsuma does indeed look Sexy as F@^# in their navy blue shirts, their position is both a blessing and a curse (oh god the naval bombardment spam.....PTSD inducing). Plus lets be real, ONLY THE REAL GIGA CHADS HAVE CONUQERED THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE CAMPAGIN AND LIVED TO SPEAK OF IT!
i hate that there's no respite in a WRE Attila campaign. the weather just gets worse and worse, and Attila is just unkillable until the 10th or so kill
Seleucids are the WRE of Rome 2 and Rome 1 mods. Gigantic, but highly unstable and surrounded by enemies, trying to hold the crumbling remnants of Alexander's Empire together. The only caveat is that they tend to be much richer and capable of fielding much more powerful armies once you get the ball rolling.
One of the things CA makes potentially powerful factions week is giving owing factions disorganized and messy buildings for such settlements. I can see why both Roman Empires are such messes. I like how WRE is so corrupt, overextended and even diplomatically penalized that they actually provoke factions to attack them. Neat and saves time instead of having to declare war and be seen as an aggressor.
Englands biggest drawback is its proximity to the Holy Lands and therefore crusade targets in the early game, they simply will not make it before the window ends or another factions army completes the crusade. England is probably the 3rd in terms of distance from the holy lands. Only Scotland and Denmark have them beat in terms of how far they have to travel (assuming you're traveling by sea, Denmark could maybe access better by land but they a swath of Catholics lands they would Have to travel through
England in MTW2 not only has solid ranged troops, but their billmen and foot (in later upgrades of the buildings) are pretty powerful, considering they are anti-cavalry experts, which is a bonus considering all factions in the medieval game cater to strengthening cavalry.
Western Roman Empire in Atilla is actually second in terms of hardest campaigns. Barbarian Invasion WRE is hardest. I can win in Atilla but can't win even on easy in BI.
For me France from M2 is the best. A hard starting position being attacked from all sides (it's fun!), good starting generals, very good late units: pikemen, archers, lancers, gendarmes.
too bad that in the vanilla campaing cavalry is underpowered when used in anything other than hammer and anvil which is comical when you have heavily armored cavalry which should brush aside lesser opponents even from the front (as real world cavalry often did)
Tomb Kings in Immortal Empires are my personal favourite honestly… Egyptian Skeletons are cool, and their cities are gorgeous. Plus their lore is super interesting and unfortunately overlooked.
@@AndysTake ow, cool cool haha. Just stumbled on your video and I mostly agree with it.I would also put Rome from Rome 2 somewhere up there, considering how great the faction plays. You can choose from the get go to either go for Gallia, Dacia, the Balkans or Africa (which is a + in replayability)
I hate how chaotic the barbarians occupay the western roman empire and combined that with rome 2 province system now you have to go to war with everyone of them to have a stable region
Satsuma fighting for the emperor eventually led a rebellion and establish a republic to keep it historical. The only difference is that you succeeded where saigo takamori failed.
SFO Beastmen in WH2 before the Chaos update... You had true objectives on the entire map, could lock down razed settlements and still had the possibility of major screw up since your hordes are your everything, if you lose one, you LOST IT, no stupid 20 stack recruitment in 5 turns for no money or whatever the vanilla devolved into... With properly fixed (almost turned off) passive replenishment and limited elite units... oh boy... every beastmen counts, be it Minotaur or just simple Gor... WH3 Chaos Warriors, nor Beastmen just do not hit the same purposefulness like the SFO WH2 before the chaos update had...
HRE in med2 could have been more interesting if it was surrounded by various ˝˝˝˝rebel˝˝ duchies instead of basicaly controlling almost all of its historical territory , (yes im one of those people who preffer to expand in a way that mirrors the real world history , but only if its possible ofc)
Im sorry but Imperial Authority system is terrible. I played warhammer 1 and the empire was my favourite faction in that game. Ive played WH2 and imperial authority is so difficult, tedious, your own allies can just randomly start a war with you if you dont have enough prestige to stop them. Early and even mid game it is awful, because imperial authority is so scarce, and needs a complete rework. Maybe its better in WH3 but legend of total war said he doesn’t think its much better
It's not perfect, I agree, but it's the closest we've come to a TW HRE system, and for that I can't help but love it. But you're right, it's not perfect.
I know it is not the subject but I really really hate rome 2 province system in medieval 2 when you conquer a city you just replace a church with a mosque and you are good to go but in attila you have to demolish the entire city's infrastructure in order to have a proper working settlement and at that point you won't have room to build something significant and the worst part is having to demolish the solid beautiful Roman walls and replace it with a wooden palisades in order to have some garrison it makes no sense and and cost around 8000 coins when ever I quit a campaign it is because of the province system it takes to much time to think I feel like I am forcing myself to play and provinces feel the same you won't get anything special when you capture Constantinople compared to capturing any region in Gaul
Thanks for uploading the 5 GOAT Total War factions. Now I can finally hate you.
MVP right here, thank you for fulfilling my wish.
@@AndysTake much appreciated.
😊😊😊lol any let’s plays planned? Especially Shoudbe!!!?
@@Gman909008 Shouldbe??
I like the Attilla where I play as Axum/Abyssinia/Ethiopia. The ERE and the WRE are also my go to choices. I like England 🇬🇧 and the Ottomans in Empire and Satsuma is the clan in Shogun is to die for. I agree with your choices with some tweaks of my own. Never really played the fantasy Warhammer but will play the Empire because they are the closest to reality.
The WRE in Attila feels like one of the few Total War campaigns that genuinely have a prolonged campaign that don't end up snowballing and getting boring. You have the starting collapse where you need to consolidate, defending against the first invaders, slowly scraping back what you can, and then getting slapped in the face again by Attila and whoever ate the ERE.
Hahaha true. That’s why I love it
Same with the east on hard mode, it is also incredibly difficult to maintain all your territories.
@@AndysTake OBJECTIVE: Survive.
On easy and probably normal after 20-30 turns it starts to kinda snowballing. I mean you survive. Economic is enough to have 3-4 stacks. Order is bearable. It's time to return your territories. Yes. You must give up eastern lands, Brittain and neighboring to german territories. Probably some african territories too. But not Africa-Carfagen because it's very valuable.
@@PAINNN666 then there's the sudden massive drop in food that is almost impossible to handle
Western Roman Empire because I like pain
Andy’s just flat out admitting to being a masochist with this list
@@Apophis150 I didn' even start the video yet haha damn
@Rivendare I burn all my settlements except Italy and some of gaul haha
XD me too
Celucid empire because I reaaally like pain.
The Byzantines in M2 are also an excellent choice : you're pretty much in the middle of the map so you will be invaded from every side, while you need to expand quite a bit to have defensible borders. Fortunately your early navy (greek fire dromons) allows to keep the control of the Aegean Sea. You're also in the second line against the Mongols, which still make them a threat but if played carefully, you can let them lay waste to your enemies to the east.
Lastly, their late game-units... well they don't really have any, they stick to their early- and mid-game units that get outpaced by most other factions, and you only get the most basic pieces of artillery. This can either mean your doom if you've been limping through the entire campaign, or keeping some degree of challenge at the time you'd normally steamroll the entire map.
Stanless Steel pushes them even further, by having a very limited recruitment pool, even more than other factions. Meaning you have to carefully manage the professional core of your army.
Definitely, I love the Byzantines a lot!
I can be unlucky at times, playing as Byzantine. Last time I had a plague on turn 2! And a crusade was declared against me fairly early on that lasted 80+ turns. The Mongols were no help when they showed up as they headed up toward Novgorod and didn't show the least interest in the Turks. Speaking of the Mongols, I usually play as factions WEST of the Italian Peninsula so I can avoid them entirely.
The navy and constantinople are so damned important they're literally the only reason I survived the Mongols. They took all of anatolia and only two army stacks at Constantinople along with its garrisons and the Byzantine navy were the only things standing between half of my Empire and annihilation at the hands of the Mongols meanwhile my son in law with his singular field army of veterans is some keeping the Balkans from falling to the crusaders. Sadly I lost Italy in a 20 year long struggle.
I must say I also love the WRE in Rome 1 Barbarian Invasion, I never really got into Atilla to be able to experience that WRE. Largely because at the time my computer was crap and could barely run Atilla.
WRE in Rome 1 Barbarian Invasion is fantastic as well :) Personally I find it much easier to cheese though, and I like Attila's mechanics a bit more.
Ah what I have gotten from this is i suck at barbarian invasion WRE. I always end up dead or half a million in debt or both by like turn 5.
@Rivendare Im playing with the WRE in Rome 1 and its the funniest campain I had had in a long time, at this point i had destroyed the Huns and now Im fighting the vandals. I had never been so threaned by the AI in a total war, truly an awesome experience.
For M2 England, just keep in mind to be a little bit careful about (not) garrisoning the British Isles after you crushed Scotland. Portugal sometimes tries a naval invasion for reasons which I'm sure make sense to them.
haha! certified hood classic
Yeah that Portugal Invasion is always fun to deal with, first time that happened to me they just hung out in Wales. It was one of the first times I played so didn't know there was a settlement there so Portugal just had part of the isles the rest of the game.
@@trollsquad1827 I don’t know why Portugal likes Wales that much. Also the spanish seem to like Caen for some reason.
@@marsultor6131 yeah it is wierd maybe the Spanish want wine and the Portuguese want sheep.
@@marsultor6131 it’s because they programmed Spain and Portugal not to fight (because Spain always gobbled up Portugal quickly) so the next nearest spot for Portugal to expand is Wales.
I re-download Empire Total War from time to time solely to replay an Ottoman Campaign.
Excellent list my man
Thank you, Mik ;)
This is what I plan on doing once I can get Empire working
@@trollsquad1827 It doesn't work for you?
@@rajkaranvirk7525 it has a history of failing to download on steam and a variety of other errors so yes it doesn't work for me.
@@trollsquad1827 Oh wow, hopefully it works for you in the future.
Spain in Empire is easy mode, super satisfying taking all the colonies away from everyone else
I think part of their ease is that the real Spain got wealth off so much silver that it wound up bankrupting its own economy and then being too weak to fight France or its own colonies or the United States but it's hard to depict runaway inflation in a Total War game.
I think you’re right. Beating WRE on Attila, even on normal, feels like a massive achievement. You have to hold on for dear life the whole time. Then Attila shows up late game like a final boss. It’s incredible. Solid pick.
A man of culture AND fartcraft, I see.
Then the real final boss after that, The SaSsanids
I remember beating the Atilla campaign as WRE.
Here's what I did to beat it:
- don't bother defending or upgrading any provinces other Italy and Sicily
- disband all armies and keep 3-4 armies in Italy and Sicily for defence.
- just focus on building up your economy and diplomacy until you are strong enough to venture out of your holme
- be extremely patient because the barbarians will eventually start killing each other or Attila will.
Once everything is settled and you have a steady economy and public order, It's as simple as playing Rome from Rome 2!
That just feels totally contrary to the spirit of the thing though - it's a bit like turning it into a regular total war campaign. I kinda feel like if you're not having an awful time, you're not doing it right 😅
Whatever man needs to do to survive ;) but for me I also try to save at least Gaul and North Africa (Carthage) right off the bat.
@@KaiserMacCleg I mean, it's borderline impossible not getting annihilated if you don't play like this at the highest difficulty.
Player: good time 👍
Peasants who were just paying taxes in the region ye've abandoned: 😐
😂
@@sonofthebearking3335 sad life :’(
This reminds me, that we desperate needs a Medieval 2 Remaster. I've heard that it is maybe allready in development. But a confirmation of it would be a Welcome surprise.
Would love that
I would also love that, medieval 2 given the same treatment as rome remastered would be amazing, hell I would settle for the base game with workshop support so I don't have to fiddle with files to play all those awesome mods.
@@trollsquad1827 Would love this. My pc even refuses to run the medieval 2 steam version
@@Derp_Skilz bro I think I had issues like that in the past mostly with Empire. I wanna say there is a medieval 2 folder in documents or something like that you need to delete manually and then reinstall on steam. If that does not work I have also had the issue of desktop icons not being deleted on uninstall of the game so sometimes those cause issues, namely trying to launch the game from a exe that used to be attached to the broken icon and not the actual game exe. My advice is delete the medieval 2 folder in documents, then search for any desktop icons associated with the game and delete those, uninstall the game, reinstall, at that point it should work, if not working then try manually deleting every file in your medieval 2 folder on steam and verify file integrity, basically a full reinstall but it should get rid of any old lingering files from previous installations.
@@trollsquad1827 thx for the tip dude, i will try it out.
I don't agree with the list order but for each faction you chose for every game I whole heartedly agree.
Haven't comented in a while (Alejandro here), and I come back just to share two things:
1) Based list.
2) Andy is in dire need (most than the rest of us lmao) of a new gunpowder game.
Thanks man! You know it ;)
If there's one big lesson CA should take from the Warhammer series it is that diversity is fun, and can really be pushed quite far. While historical games aren't likely to have quite the same unit variety as a fantasy game, a big part of what has made post-Tomb Kings Warhammer content so good is the way CA have been very experimental with how to shake up the existing Total War formula on the campaign map. Historical games should absolutely embrace the diversity of government systems that their settings offer, and there's no reason why historical games going forward cannot be at least as diverse as the Warhammer games.
Absolutely, my thoughts exactly! Switch out magical systems for cultural diversity, historical or semi-historical events, variety in government mechanics and religious gameplay, and voila!
@@AndysTake that does sound awesome. Like tweak and refine the elector count system from warhammer and viola you got something that could work for an HRE system in Medieval 3. I really hope they do a Medieval 3 some day, or a Rome 3
For feudal kingdoms in Medieval 3 : only directly manage the royal domain, have a swarm of vassals who will manage bandits in their territory most of the time, when at war you can call up their troops so long that they are loyal (don't abuse it, it will anger them after some time). Have a crown authority system that restricts how much of your realm can be directly controlled, managing it well will be the difference between centralising like France or dissolving into a border gore mess like the HRE
Especially if you counter in the fact that the people that like Crusader Kings for the warfare are currently without a good game. CK3 is going into the sole RP aspect of the game and after all this time refuses to work on the strategy aspects of the game. They could for sure hook me in with a good historical strategy game. Units be damned, the battles are cool engough just give me good management!
Thats why the Roman Era works so well.
Legions of Rome
Hoplites of Greece
Pikes of Diadochi
Horse archers of Nomads
Cataphracts of Parthians
Elephants of India and Africa
Camels of Arabs
Spearbands of Gauls
Skirmishers of Iberia
Falxmen of Dacia
Axemen of Germania
Chariots of Britannia
Great video. I like your list and your Ottoman pick was very interesting. It reminded me how much I really tried to love Empire back in the day. Perhaps I will fire up an Ottoman campaign.
Thank you, Wil! In the meantime, you can check out my 1-episode Ottoman campaign on the channel for some inspiration ;)
Shout out to Kush from Rome 2 Desert Kingdoms pack as well, your archers can get INSANE with that faction. Awesome idea for a video! 😏
Yes
However, i hate N...
Not sure if you’ve played much 3K but Cao Cao is a GOATed faction. His start position puts him in the middle of everything every campaign. His mechanics give you the ability to deal with it in many different and rewarding ways. His unique units give him a varied roster, even in vanilla 3K (often the biggest complaint for the game). He also has the most unique generals of any faction.
I just recently finished my first proper Western Roman Empire campaign and I've got to say it is most fun I've had with total war for years. Being arguably the strongest and richest faction at the start of the game but equally the weakest and poorest is so weird but fun. Plus I love a good settlement defence battle which you will be doing a lot as the WRE. In fact I enjoyed it so much that Late antiquity became one of my favourite periods in History and I'm hoping to write my university dissertation on the Western Roman army next year.
Good luck!
That's awesome, Rees! Good luck with your dissertation! I too love a good settlement defence battle :)
Playing as the WRE is the closest we will get to managing the Imperium of Man
Imperium of Man being in a state like WRE could be so fun but it would probably be like empire where you own a small land and control the rest of it. I think it could also be different due to having elite troops like space marines and custodes in a small area while being mostly stretched out in the rest of the area, but I also might not happen due to the sheer scale making managing it a nightmare and take 10 hours for 1 turn.
I'd like to give a shout-out to the United Provinces in Empire. They start off in such a fun, unique position, having a tiny bit of influence in all of the theatres of the world, linked together by a trade network that must be protected at all costs. It's like playing 3 underdog campaigns at the same time, and there's a lot of variety in choosing which theatre to make your primary focus.
Western Roman Empire sounds like a great idea, until you realize you have to fight the same battle over and over against the same barbarian factions in the same defensive settlement map with the same units. Also you can’t auto resolve because you really need to take as many of them down as possible.
So you are basically forced to abuse the AI that will charge everything they have at one choke point while you try to hit them from behind and bottle them up over and over and over…..
It does not help that he AI loves sacking instead of occupying so they never make any progress into your lands.
it was challenging but not really fun bcs of that.
Empire total war Sweden and Prussia, two very similar plays since them both have buffed units
Why THE EMPIRE from TW:WH rules:
- Gunpowder
- KARL FRANZ
- "Summon the elector counts"
- S I G M A R
- Cool warcry at start of the battle
- Sun-Helmet Guy
- Hellstorm
- Welcome to Estalia gentlemen
Don't forget that THE NATION CALLS!
There is only one true GOAT and that's the Beastmen.. xD
Where's the Beastmen....?
Get it cause ....goat....
I'll see myself out
Very nice, comment approved.
Agree with all of your pics except having the Julii as a honorable mention, has to be Brutii for me . After watching your video on the ottoman empire I wish I could play them but sadly my steam files for Empire is corrupted and will never reinstall fully which sucks.
There is an argument for saying that the Julii are the most powerful late game faction because of the fact that you grow so incredibly fast meaning once your cities eventually develop, you have the most of them.
However I always like taking one fleet and hopping around the Mediterranean to take key cities like Alexandria, Kydonia, and sometimes even Corinth for the statue of Zeus at Olympia
I know now why you're named "Troll", Brutii lover ;) Empire won't fully reinstall? How so? Does it install or can you just not play it?
Have you tried manually deleting the files and just installing it as if it was the first time?
@@Wallakazulum yes I have about a dozen times. Yeah i know definition of insanity and all that but i wanna play Empire again
@@AndysTake it used to be that I could not play it. Now it simply will not install. It gets to 98% installed on steam and without fail it will always say files corrupted at that point. Granted it has been awhile since I have tried, if i can get it working the ottomans are defintly gonna be my first play through since I think they are the only faction I have yet to play I think.
No mention of Ptolemaic Egypt in Rome 2? Damn
What about it?
Ottomans are also playable in Napoleon, however playing them is only possible in the multiplayer Egypt campaign
This is true, DAMMIT. But I was thinking of the grand, main Europe campaign. But you are right, of course.
There are many mods that open up the Ottomans for you in Grand Campaign. Napoleon: Total Factions, and Darthmod come to mind.
@@mattgardiner614 also true, but mods are not vanilla
4000 hrs of Attila and I’m just starting my wre campaign. Even with turning down the battle ai so it doesn’t cheat, I’m still having a hard time satisfying everyone in my provenances. ❤ the videos, cheers mate
have you finished?
Was inspired by an earlier video of yours to turn off Warhammer and fire up Attila as the WRE for the first time. It has been the most frustrating yet fulfilling campaign I've done in Total War. I endured the early onset, the Huns have arrived but my armies are ready to take back lost lands
"unique empire mechanic" talking about Imperial Authority system ain't no way
England in Medieval 2, was my first Total War campaign ever 😃
Classic!
Great list! WRE is truly an exercise in pain lol.
Thanks, Happy! A fantastically painful faction for sure
Hey Happy, more videos, please
It may not be the most original but my Favorite faction in the historical games is def the Oda, it may be OP but making stack after stack of ashigaru and steamrolling the map with my peasant armies is so satisfying. With the chaos dwarfs coming i am so excited for them i'm pretty sure they are going to be my Fav TWWH race :) but at the moment i really enjoy Grand cathay for their extremely diverse roster but i agree with you in that the Empire is so so satisfying, SUMMON THE ELECTOR COUNTS
Yeah I am looking forward to chaos dwarves as well
the hilarious thing about ai oda clan is that they pump out stacks of yari samurai cause they already have that barracks building in their capital , it is hilarious but also dangerous for everyone around them including the player , its even worse when its yari samurai coupled with their somewhat better ashigaru forces , the only hting that balances this out is the fact that nobody real likes them
Great Choices
Western Rome is extremely powerful indeed and one of my favourite campaign
I love seeing two of my favorite factions on this list. I agree wholeheartedly with the choices of England and the Ottoman Empire for the Medieval and Empire games, respectively. With the English, the longbows are a potent weapon that proves very useful for its rapid fire and great range that outdoes the more common bows used by the weaker units. Plus, the English faction does have limits in its cavalry, its foot soldiers (particularly the dismounted knight units) prove to be a benefit for the English side. Also, the position of the English makes their situation for trade the most enviable of all of the factions in the game. And the Ottomans' greatest advantages in the game, I believe, outweigh their disadvantages. For example, the fact that the Ottomans can field mobile artillery and use shrapnel shot ahead of everyone else, as well as the organ guns mentioned in the video, means that the Ottoman armies could provide superior firepower early in the game, which is a significant tool for any commander. Another advantage that should not be overlooked is the fact that the Ottomans have in their possession some of the finest early light infantry units in the game. Though the Armenian Archers are indeed bowmen, thus putting them in armament being somewhat disadvantaged by the line infantry units of Europe, they can still cause significant damage by ambush and flanking fire. The Azzars, which are the Ottomans earliest sharpshooters, are, if properly used, a campaign winning unit. They not only outrange the line infantry units, but they also have much more effective firepower when deployed correctly and, if a commander times it right, can be made to retreat to another position, reform, and fire again with a devastating volley.
Fuzakenaideyo! Oda is the greatest clan of all time obviously. Shamefur Dispray!
Haaaaah!
England on Very Hard can also make you an attractive target for the..... Portuguese, when they land an invasion fleet in Wales.
LOL this is so true
Good video. (Subscribed today😊) Agree with most of those. I might have added the Brutii in Rome. Because of their proximity to, and ability to get most of the seven wonders of the ancient world. England is arguably better in Empire than in Medieval. Because it doesn't have the Scot's to deal with, and (When I'm playing against the AI), I've LITERALLY never had anyone land an army there. I can take my time, develop, build up, and decide myself when to take regions. The only annoyance about England is it's Governmental system. You can only replace one below-par minister a turn. But you can fix all that with a revolution.
Factions on the peripheries will tend to become overwhelmingly powerful if you let them as AI players. Think Almoravids in Med 2 and Marathas in Empire. Even Sweden in Empire a lot of the time. So you shouldn't have too tough a time if you play as those factions. Can't comment on the fantasy games, as I've never played them.
(Have you ever, or will you ever do a review of the new Absolutum Dominium: Mods and Monuments mod?)
Thank you for subscribing! Bro, I have NEVER heard of this mod. Just downloaded the standalone monuments version - OMG it's spectacular! But I don't fully get what the full version is about, could you elaborate?
@@AndysTake I have no idea what that mod is but if ya make a video about it I will watch it
@@trollsquad1827 don’t look it up, Troll, I might just have to make a video about this one.
@@AndysTake well I will definitely be one of the views it gets.
@@AndysTake Thanks Andy. Other than the new skylines for ALL factions, all factions are playable. Most have between 1-4 unique buildings, new historical units in the rosters, new flags, and artwork. The latest installment has mini campaigns based around the 7 years war, and the Jacobite rebellion of 1745.
nah still don't hate you, you seem like a swell guy Andy ^^
awww, thanks Khan
Yet another EXCELLENT video! You’ve give mean a reason to play a vanilla campaign (maybe some visual mods) for FOTS and to the play some of the other campaigns I haven’t even played 1 turn of! And even one total war (the original Rome) I’ve never ACTUALLY played before 👀🤦🏼♂️!
Thank you @Andy’s Take yet again, I’ve watched and liked your liked for a long time but recently decided it was time to comment not just like and sub to show my support lol. Keep it up! You rock!💪🏼 here’s one, or two, or 3 to you to you mate! CHEERS!
Yooo LEGEND! Thank you so much fore the kind words, my friend, I really appreciate them! :) I hope you enjoy the campaigns! :D
Given me a reason* and liked your videos** sorry yet another auto incorrect on the iPhone lol and you’re welcome @Andy’s Take it’s praise very much deserved! 💪🏼
Epic number 1 pick!
Epic comment!
I'm only going to rage bc total war has been Fisher price games since after fall of the samurai
Great vid!
Fisher price made me chuckle
Hehe I can only agree with the mechanics take on The Empire in Warhammer now that I've got mods that let me start as provinces of said empire OTHER that Reikland/Franz, with unique leader models and stats. 'Boomstick' Hochland has been fun to try so far. (I'll need to come back later with names for said mods if someone replies)
I agree with a lot of your takes and want to do campaigns for most of them now on that basis,
But DANG did you have to open that way? Yeeesh at least they are as far from number 1 as any *included in video... -with love and 'I knew it' levels of angst and disgust, Celtic total war player 😄
Looooool the Celts! And so, as a Celt lover, which is your favourite TW? ;)
@@AndysTake ah sorry I didn't actively get this notification
Hmm well, it's tough:
Between Spain and Scotland in Medieval 2, (Kingdoms expansion: Ireland, mah tribe 🙌)
TW Empire: Russians, hands down; few things more fun than getting away with STRELTZY and Heavy First Rate spams.
Warhammer 2: Queek Headtaker, Karak Kadrin, and Albion 'Truthsayers' (< with Mixu's Legendary Lord/vfx/unlocker mods, OvN Lost Factions, Cataph's Kraka Drak [which will probably take Kadrin's place as favorite dwarfs once I try them,] hmmm... also have a Clan Volkn overhaul that works with all of these at the same time but yet to try... and uh a Clan Mors Black Uniforms/Queek Black armor reskin for when you want to binge Powerwolf and roleplay an 'Order' faction 😂😅) Extatum et Oratum(skaven vid someone made deserves a shout out) and Reverent of Rats of course on that list.
If ye were expecting Thrones of Britannia, truth be told I put the emotional hype for that one on hold since buying it a while ago because my computer's audio was completely shot at the time and I didn't want to miss that part of the experience. Now that I have audio, I'm waiting until my sister-tribe Welsh friend can get a PC and grab the game so we can start it together and reclaim the Lloegyr 💪 < so it's on hold, haven't personally tried it yet.
Andy we have a same mind and pleasure for Tw games I always enjoying England(Empire,Medieval,Napoleon), Ottomans -Turks, France, Satsuma,Chosokabe and Huns - White Huns, East-West Romans.
Glad to hear it, Ahmet ;) great taste!
I have never so passionately disagreed with your opinions on the Total War series like this. I will make a response video to this, at some point in the next 16 years, to stir up drama in the community. Our non-aggression pact is broken just like my heart, haha
You're as rabid as the Empire Total War's AI! Our battle shall be legendary!
Lol
No tears...such a waste of good suffering...
You should make a caveat for Empire in WH that unless you have the DLC the beginning of the game is really tough on Legendary/VH difficulty. The Empire Seperatists get the DLC units that you don't have access to and they're much better than the spearman/swordsman you can recruit. Not to mention the fact that the AI gets cheats that allow them to recruit more units which really exacerbates the situation.
I KNEW you were going to choose the WRE for #1. It’s a true test of patience and humility where if you can overcome it, you can wield powerful full stack legions that can absolutely obliterate everything in their path. The most fun I’ve ever had in Total War was after watching my outer settlements get repeatedly sacked and captured, I began marching my legions out of Italy and taking back Europe. So rewarding and overall gratifying to see the hordes begin turning tail and fleeing east.
The Western Roman Empire always pays its debts.
I am speaking as a person who finished the western roman campaign with a military victory, the day I finished it, I dreamed of honorius and he was proud of me. It's worth playing with me even for that.
Honorius was a really incompetent Emperor tho.
Maybe Augustus or Aurelian would be proud of you for patching up the Empire.
Ottomans for Empire is hilarious. RULE BRITANNIA
Anyone that managed to turn the whole map red in Attila is automatically a Roman citizen, The senate just voted
Medieval 2 Rome 1 War Hammer 2 are my favourite and are the best games ever in my opinion. Love ur videos bro .😊
England is great. Their late game 2h knights are absolute fire. However, my fav Med 2 faction is still venice. I just love their shield + hammer infantry. Also, playing a mediterranean powerhouse is great fun, and absurdly challenging
I always easily win my WRE campaigns :
1- crush the Suebians and abson Britannia
2- I build armies with much cavalry, and reconquer Pannonia and the East
3- Make garrison camps at your borders and defend your provinces. Never hesitate, when no horde is invading you, to launch preemptive attacks, against the Franks or the Saxons, for instance
4- Be obsessed with economy. Build industrial buildings, trade ports, improve your gold mines, be wise with your administrators
In my play, it is 423, and I have 138.000 income, if I remember, which allows to have massive armies with large onagers, Herculiani Seniores, Scholae Gentiles/Palatinae etc. to eliminate Attila himself
In short :
1- cav
2- economy
Top 5 GOAT Total War factions you say? Bold Words Brother, Still a valid list none the less. Each Nation provides a challenge in one form or another (Expect maybe Satsuma, depending on your navel defense), plenty of enemies, and a Satisfying campaign. The Ottomens really show that "transition" that Total War thrives in, going from Milita and Illregulares to the Cadet infantry and Janissaries of the late game. Satsuma does indeed look Sexy as F@^# in their navy blue shirts, their position is both a blessing and a curse (oh god the naval bombardment spam.....PTSD inducing). Plus lets be real, ONLY THE REAL GIGA CHADS HAVE CONUQERED THE WESTERN ROMAN EMPIRE CAMPAGIN AND LIVED TO SPEAK OF IT!
i hate that there's no respite in a WRE Attila campaign. the weather just gets worse and worse, and Attila is just unkillable until the 10th or so kill
More Honourable mentions:
Prussia in Empire TW
The East and West Empires in Rome TW: Barbarian Invasion.
Seleucids are the WRE of Rome 2 and Rome 1 mods. Gigantic, but highly unstable and surrounded by enemies, trying to hold the crumbling remnants of Alexander's Empire together. The only caveat is that they tend to be much richer and capable of fielding much more powerful armies once you get the ball rolling.
One of the things CA makes potentially powerful factions week is giving owing factions disorganized and messy buildings for such settlements. I can see why both Roman Empires are such messes. I like how WRE is so corrupt, overextended and even diplomatically penalized that they actually provoke factions to attack them. Neat and saves time instead of having to declare war and be seen as an aggressor.
Englands biggest drawback is its proximity to the Holy Lands and therefore crusade targets in the early game, they simply will not make it before the window ends or another factions army completes the crusade. England is probably the 3rd in terms of distance from the holy lands. Only Scotland and Denmark have them beat in terms of how far they have to travel (assuming you're traveling by sea, Denmark could maybe access better by land but they a swath of Catholics lands they would Have to travel through
I love FOTS, however, AI boat spam really makes the late game a drag. I think if that could be fixed I'd love it even more!
For me it's France in Medieval 2, Saxons in Atilla, Reikland, The Huntsmarshal's expedition and Avelorn in Total Warhammer.
Western Roman empire was my favorite faction to play. When you win back your territory, you know you did some actual achievement
England in MTW2 not only has solid ranged troops, but their billmen and foot (in later upgrades of the buildings) are pretty powerful, considering they are anti-cavalry experts, which is a bonus considering all factions in the medieval game cater to strengthening cavalry.
I think Medieval 2 total war's best faction is turks
They give lots of challenges in early and middle and late period
I have played 2 campaigns in Atilla and died horribly in both. I don’t think I’m ready for western Rome.
WRE pain and also when the sassanids declaring war on turn one while i am ERE
Of course it is the Western Roman Empire. Great choice!
Western Roman Empire in Atilla is actually second in terms of hardest campaigns. Barbarian Invasion WRE is hardest. I can win in Atilla but can't win even on easy in BI.
MACEDON WILL RISE AGAIN
For me France from M2 is the best. A hard starting position being attacked from all sides (it's fun!), good starting generals, very good late units: pikemen, archers, lancers, gendarmes.
too bad that in the vanilla campaing cavalry is underpowered when used in anything other than hammer and anvil which is comical when you have heavily armored cavalry which should brush aside lesser opponents even from the front (as real world cavalry often did)
ERE in attila was one of my favorite campaigns, also as a faction I must say diadochi states from rtw2 are fun and versatile
very specific but modded attila faction: Romano British
I think the list is just fine
Tomb Kings in Immortal Empires are my personal favourite honestly… Egyptian Skeletons are cool, and their cities are gorgeous. Plus their lore is super interesting and unfortunately overlooked.
I LOVE MILK SO MUCH MY GOD ITS SO GOOD
Have you played CK3 ? If not, give it a shot, your viewers will like it
I have several videos on it :)
@@AndysTake ow, cool cool haha. Just stumbled on your video and I mostly agree with it.I would also put Rome from Rome 2 somewhere up there, considering how great the faction plays. You can choose from the get go to either go for Gallia, Dacia, the Balkans or Africa (which is a + in replayability)
Medieval 2 HRE for it color and accents
I hate how chaotic the barbarians occupay the western roman empire and combined that with rome 2 province system now you have to go to war with everyone of them to have a stable region
I agree with 5, 4 and 1
In mtw2 I love the Byzantines and England.
In Rome barbarian invasion I like both Roman empires and the Franks.
Satsuma fighting for the emperor eventually led a rebellion and establish a republic to keep it historical. The only difference is that you succeeded where saigo takamori failed.
Bloody hands supremacy! WAHHH
Makes list of top 5 factions in vanilla, showcases Ottoman Empire in Darthmod...
SFO Beastmen in WH2 before the Chaos update... You had true objectives on the entire map, could lock down razed settlements and still had the possibility of major screw up since your hordes are your everything, if you lose one, you LOST IT, no stupid 20 stack recruitment in 5 turns for no money or whatever the vanilla devolved into... With properly fixed (almost turned off) passive replenishment and limited elite units... oh boy... every beastmen counts, be it Minotaur or just simple Gor...
WH3 Chaos Warriors, nor Beastmen just do not hit the same purposefulness like the SFO WH2 before the chaos update had...
the hojo OP
HRE in med2 could have been more interesting if it was surrounded by various ˝˝˝˝rebel˝˝ duchies instead of basicaly controlling almost all of its historical territory , (yes im one of those people who preffer to expand in a way that mirrors the real world history , but only if its possible ofc)
I agree with this list tbh
Wow Andys taste is the same as mine
Im sorry but Imperial Authority system is terrible. I played warhammer 1 and the empire was my favourite faction in that game. Ive played WH2 and imperial authority is so difficult, tedious, your own allies can just randomly start a war with you if you dont have enough prestige to stop them. Early and even mid game it is awful, because imperial authority is so scarce, and needs a complete rework. Maybe its better in WH3 but legend of total war said he doesn’t think its much better
It's not perfect, I agree, but it's the closest we've come to a TW HRE system, and for that I can't help but love it. But you're right, it's not perfect.
I know it is not the subject but I really really hate rome 2 province system in medieval 2 when you conquer a city you just replace a church with a mosque and you are good to go but in attila you have to demolish the entire city's infrastructure in order to have a proper working settlement and at that point you won't have room to build something significant and the worst part is having to demolish the solid beautiful Roman walls and replace it with a wooden palisades in order to have some garrison it makes no sense and and cost around 8000 coins when ever I quit a campaign it is because of the province system it takes to much time to think I feel like I am forcing myself to play and provinces feel the same you won't get anything special when you capture Constantinople compared to capturing any region in Gaul
Personally I think the Saga is better than the Satsuma
Will u do a worst 5 factions in total war ?
haaaah, I might. Do you have any contenders?
Skaven are obviously the correct answer here, they have nukes ffs!
From which total war is footage in the beginning? Like the first 10 seconds or so?
VENICE IS OBV THE BEST CHOICE FOR MEDIEVAL 2
What about Oda ashigaru spam?
Shamefur dispray!
Greeks in Rome 1 are also very fun because they are cornered by better factions (Macedon, Dacia) and they have quite crappy armies for offensive
I love had more than twenty civs and akwaysv play with empire