Extreme caution is required (use spies and assassins). One problem with this is that the dark forests beyond Roman lands can provide perfect platforms for ambushes and the like. If the player so chooses, they can blitzkrieg through the barbarian lands. Not to mention, they won t have very big populations, either, making unit recruitment HARD. Developing these cities will take some time. The barbarian cities are relatively poor and weak.
Another perk is that your starting army contains a unit of Roman archers and Triarii! How handy! Disadvantages: Besides, once you gain the upper hand, barbarians flee like the uncivilized savages they are. The barbarians themselves cannot make siege equipment (although there may be a mod (is there?), which, when enabled, will allow barbarians to recruit ballistae and onagers from captured artillery ranges). True, the barbarians field powerful early-game and late-game units such as Berserkers, Foresters and British Chariots, but with the right strategy, combined with the hardy Roman troops, a beginner can deal with these problems. Most of the barbarian armies are not as good compared to the civilized, disciplined legions of Rome. Short campaign goals: Hold 15 provinces and outlast or destroy the Gauls Long campaign goals: Hold 50 provinces including Rome The noble Julii have been tasked with exterminating the unwashed barbarians of Gaul, Britannia, Spain and Germania. This is all outlined in greater detail below. This is indeed a very tough choice, as the three Roman campaigns and families have their disadvantages and advantages. Or go full horse archer, but that takes way more micro and many of your kills will come from isolating the units chasing you and swamping them in melee so you don't run out of ammo.The three Roman factions that are playable at the beginning of the game (before you have unlocked any other factions) are the Julii, the Scipii and the Brutii.Ī common question that plagues the new player is: Which faction do I want to play? This can take the form of units in square formation or wall formations with gaps between them, or your ranged units can just flank to the sides and rear once the melee lines are engaged. The trick in that case is to use your melee units to make the enemy hold still so your ranged can shoot them. Ranged units can work well as primary damage dealers, but you won't often stop enemies from approaching into melee range. If you want to use horse archers pick a faction with armored horse archers with higher mass, they make for decent melee combatants and can wipe out exposed enemy foot ranged in melee so you don't have to waste ammo or take return fire. They can be effective when supporting other units but will probably get ripped apart if they are used as the front line. Their playstyle also opens them up to eating enemy charges due to their low range and the need to stand still to get their shots off. However, compared to specialized units they have weaker melee stats for their cost and carry lower ammo pools and low damage missiles. Thureos Spears, Royal Peltasts and a few other units are hybrid javelin/melee units. Note that javelins have a hidden bonus vs large and work great as anti cavalry. If you want to use javelins instead look for factions with either decent melee stats on their javelin units (this includes cavalry javelin units) or the ones with either extended ammo pools or hard hitting 41 damage javelins. Good ones of these can also be found as mercenaries in Greece and Syria. For campaign it is helpful to have a faction with access to 150 range archers so you can shoot over walls and rough terrain. Look at the rosters in custom battle and pick a faction you like. What would be the equivalent of a formation like that in Rome 2? An army that HAS infantry in decent numbers to tie up the enemy, and archers / artillery to deal the real damage? Runepriest (mage) with the front or reserve as neededĤ-6x ranged infantry (Quarrelers / Rangers / Thunderers / Irondrakes)Ģ-4x artillery (Grudge Thrower / Bolt Thrower in early game, Firecannon / Organ Gun in lategame) Don't worry, I'm not planning to play with a pure ranged army, rather I would use ranged units as the primary damage dealer while the melee line ties enemies up.Īs an example of what I think a 'balanced' army is, my go-to Dwarf army in Warhammer 2 consists of:Ħx heavy melee infantry (Warriors / Longbeards / Ironbreakers)Ģx shock infantry (Miners / Slayers / Hammerers) Figured as much that Classical-era warfare was all about infantry shoving matches.