How to Play TOTAL WAR: ROME II - The Basics

There’s now a 'How to Play' beginners guide on Total War Wiki. This guide will show completely new and existing players how to navigate the campaign map, command your army and how to advance your province financially and technologically. 
So if you've been itching to get your friends involved and they're new to the series, share this page and get playing! 

wiki.TotalWar.com/w/How_To_Play

• Getting Started
  • Choosing Your Faction
  • Basic Movement Controls
  • Researching Technology
  • Advanced Movement Controls

• Advancing in your Campaign
  • Minor and Major Building Management
  • Economy and Trade Basics
  • Political Management
  • Agents and Actions

• Armies, Battles and Unit Abilities
• Combat Controls
• Unit Actions
• Cavalry Actions
• Naval Attacks
• Fortifications
• Special Abilities 

Getting Started

Choosing your faction

When starting your game you must first select a faction, there are many options for you to choose from and they each have their own traits that can assist you throughout your game. Choose wisely and read carefully to pick the faction that is right for you. (Watch the articles on the playable factions and previously mentioned.)

Getting Started With the Campaign
The campaign in Total War: ROME II may seem very daunting to a new player but if you start here you will find it easier to navigate.

Campaign basic movement controls
The video below shows you how to move around and view your faction within the campaign.
(Watch the video of "Control Campaign Basics" on http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Getting_Started)

Researching Technology
This video demonstrates the importance of technological advances to your prosperity as a faction.
(Watch the video of  "Tecnology Research" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Getting_Started)

Campaign Advanced Movement Controls
This video shows you how to manage your armies on your campaign map and how to issue orders.
(Watch the video of  "Controls Campaign Advanced 1" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Getting_Started)

Advancing in your Campaign
Once you understand how to navigate the controls and the campaign map, you can begin to advance your armies, technology and trade relations to ensure your growth and development.

Minor and Major Building Management
This video shows you how to understand your province and its settlements. You can also see how, as you come to command a whole province, it will enable you to issue edicts that may be very important throughout your campaign.
(Watch the video of  "buildings majorminorsettlements" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Advancing_in_your_Campaign)

Economy and Trade
The video below shows you how you can view your trade routes and how you use trade agreements to your advantage.
(Watch the video of  "Economy Trade" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Advancing_in_your_Campaign)

Political Management
This video shows you how there are many ways in which to have a successful and powerful faction, including political strength and bargaining.
(Watch the video of  "management politicalpower" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Advancing_in_your_Campaign)

 Agents Actions
Agents are an important part in shaping the outcome of your campaign. Their presence in your armies and cities can offer certain bonuses, or when deployed in an opposing army they can attempt to make them crumble from within and weaken morale.

(Watch the video of  "Agents Actions" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Advancing_in_your_Campaign)

Armies, Battles and Unit Abilities
Next we have the battles themselves, where the outcomes of these engagements can change the entire look of your campaign map.

Special Abilities
This video talks about your military special abilities, both in battle and on the campaign map by researching military technology and furthering the success of your army.
(Watch the video of  "Abilities SpecialAbilities" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

Combat Controls
It is importnat to know how to properly and efficiently use your army and how to quickly deploy groups or individual units.
(Watch the video of  "Controls Battle Advanced" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

Unit Actions
This video will give you tips about strengths and weakness in unit actions and the way in which these actions can be exploited by you, and the enemy.
(Watch the video of  "Units Infantry Pike Spear" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

Cavalry Actions
This video is an example of a specific cavalry unit that has different abilities than just your standard cavalry. It gives you advice how and when is best to deploy your unit to make the most of its advantages.

(Watch the video of  "Units Cavalry Shock 1" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

Naval Attacks
Naval battles give you many attacking options. Larger ships allow you to ram your opponent and deploy a boarding party, while smaller ships move quickly and can often engage opponents from afar.

(Watch the video of  "Units Naval AssaultClass" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

Fortifications
Defending your regions from attack is crucial. This video demonstrates how your armies can set up fortifications to prepare for incoming attacks. When in battle, this stance will allow to have many defensive advantages.

(Watch the video of  "ArmyStances Fortification 1" on  http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/How_To_Play_Total_War:_Armies,_Battles_and_Unit_Abilities)

ROME II Gets Technical...

While some technologies and advancements are familiar to all cultures, each faction in ROME II has its own tech tree with branches and advancements that allow you to tailor your empire’s approach to total conquest. Each tree starts with two main branches, Military and Civil, but you aren’t restricted to following just one.

Explore the Roman faction’s technological options in this gigantic graphic available through our panoramic viewer here on the Total War Wiki, and start planning your approach to ancient world domination. Will you exercise political or mercantile strength, or will you create the most incredible war machine the world has ever seen?


http://d3sfrpv2p43dtq.cloudfront.net/panorama6/index.html

Total War: ROME II - Legionary Kit with Mykel Hawke + Collector's Edition War Dog Unboxing

U.S. Army Special Forces ‘Green Beret’ combat veteran, Discovery Channel presenter and survivalist Mykel Hawke takes a look at the kind of equipment every Roman legionary was sent to war with over 1,500 years ago. How does it stack up to military standards today?

In this documentary short for Total War: ROME II, Hawke discovers exactly the sort of kit that would have kept the Roman army alive and fighting fit on the front line. From rations and footwear to swords and shields, each individual unit of eight fighting men represented the cutting edge of military might at the time and helped make the Roman Empire the first superpower.
http://youtu.be/f_fpOUQcAac


In what is surely the most anticipated unboxing in videogame history, Rally Point's Craig and Will attempt to unbox the Total War: ROME II Collector's Edition. There's one catch: they're being chased and attacked by trained war dogs. Trained... war... dogs.

Will they die? Will anything be left of them for the long drive home? Find out in the Total War: Rome II unboxing!
In what is surely the greatest (and funniest) unboxing in videogame history, Craig and Will attempt to show off the contents of the Collector’s Edition of Total War: ROME II while being attacked by war dogs. Trained war dogs, with teeth and everything. Welcome to “the unorthoboxing”! Video below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZt2BkutcYs

Total War ROME II: Tactical View

ROME II’s battles feature an entirely new feature called the Tactical View. This enables players to pull the camera seamlessly to a satellite view, in which the entire sweep of the battlefield can be taken in at a glance, and movement orders can be given where required.
Using the Custom Battles option in ROME II, we’ve recreated three of the most remarkable engagements in military history – Pharsalus, Zama and Raphia – to demonstrate how useful the tactical map can be.

The Battle of Pharsalus, 48 BC

Gaius Julius Caeser (yellow) VS Gnaeus Pompeus Magnus (red)
Pharsalus was the decisive battle of Caesar’s civil war. At Pharsalus, he defeated his former co-consul and took the reins of power in Rome, effectively ending the Republic and ushering in the era of the Roman Empire. After chasing Pompey’s army to Greece, Caesar found himself heavily outnumbered, and Pompey held the higher ground. When the armies met, Pompey’s cavalry charged Caesar’s at the flank and, as expected, Caeser’s cavalry turned tail. However, Caesar had hidden a fourth line of infantry behind his cavalry, who used their Pilum spears to attack and ultimately rout Pompey’s cavalry. This left Pompey’s flank wide open to attack, at which point Caeser rolled up his flank, and the fate of Pompey’s army was sealed.

The Battle of Raphia, 217 BC

Ptolemaic Egypt (yellow) VS The Seleucid Empire (red)
Depicting the early stages of the battle, this screenshot depicts the military disposition of Antiochus III of The Seleucid Empire and Ptolemy IV Philopater of Egypt. The two units at the front of Antiochus’ army are Indian war elephants which, in the early stages of the battle, panicked and routed Ptolemy’s smaller, North African war elephants. Ptolemy’s cavalry were also routed, but the Egyptian centre held, and he won the day.

The Battle of Zama, 202 BC

Scipio Africanus (yellow) VS Hannibal Barca (red)
Zama marked the end of the second Punic War, and the clash of two great generals: Scipio Africanus and Hannibal Barca of Carthage. In the years prior to Zama, Hannibal had run an startling military campaign throughout Italy, winning a number of key engagements against Rome. However, when the Romans changed tack and decided to attack Carthage itself, Hannibal was recalled to the city’s defence. As the battle began, Hannibal ordered his elephants directly into the front lines of Roman Hastati, but Scipio ordered the horns to be blown and, panicked by the noise, the elephants recoiled and smashed into Hannibal’s left flank. The Roman cavalry attacked the Carthaginian cavalry on either flank, and chased them from the field. This left the central core of Roman and Carthaginian infantry to fight a closely-matched and bloody engagement. The tide turned, however, when the Roman cavalry wheeled around from chasing Hannibal’s cavalry, and smashed into the rear of the Carthaginian forces, sealing the deal.

Faction thirteen - DLC: The Seleucid empire

The Seleucids

“Tolerance, diversity, strength”
Although eventually embracing many eastern customs, the Seleucids are renowned for their city building and civil engineering, driving Greek colonisation and Hellenization. Furnished with expert cavalry, including cataphracts, horse skirmishers and war elephants, Seleucid armies also sport a solid core of excellent spear and pike infantry provided by a growing number of Greek-speaking colonists.

As the campaign begins, such measures are a necessity when faced with the continuing threat from their Ptolemaic Egyptian neighbours and upheaval among the Seleucid's satrapies. Ever the opportunists however, the Seleucid kings may yet turn the tables, bringing much of Alexander’s former western empire under their sway.
Founded by Seleucus Nicator, or Seleucus the Victor, at its height the vast Seleucid Empire stretched from western Anatolia as far east as the Indus River. During the turmoil of the Wars of the Successors, the Seleucids were able to claim and expand Alexander the Great’s eastern empire, as well as parts of Asia Minor.

Seleucus sealed his overall victory at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC. Fielding 500 war elephants, gained through negotiating peace on his eastern border with the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, his forces proved decisive. The territory under his control contained a diverse range of eastern subcultures, which rapidly became Hellenized by the ruling Macedonian elite and a flood of Greek settlers.

Despite a sometimes precarious position at home, the Seleucids now plan to expand. But where? Into Ptolemaic Egypt? Or beyond, to Alexander’s former western empire in Greece and Macedon? Influenced by their cultural assimilation of eastern culture, The Seleucids have little tolerance for the concept and practice of slavery. As a heavily multicultural society, they also suffer less from public order issues arising from foreign cultures entering their territories. In battle, the Seleucids have access to a wide-ranging roster; as such, they can field capable, balanced and incredibly diverse armies and navies.

Total War Rome II: Trade Routes of Campaign map

The Roman era wasn’t just a time of war and conquest: it was also a time of exploration, discovery, alliance, and of course, trade. This map depicts every trade route and hub in ROME II’s vastly detailed campaign map. Which faction will you play as? Start planning your trade empire now!

Total War: ROME II - Naval Warfare

“The barbarians are coming! ROW FOR YOUR LIVES!”
Join us as we take a closer look at some of the naval units in ROME II, and the tactics they employ.

Naval battles work much more like land battles than ever before. Smaller, faster-moving ships are capable of outflanking larger, slower ships, in a manner similar to the cavalry/infantry dynamic. 
We'll also be taking a look at ramming, boarding, and for the first time, we'll be introducing the Firepot Dieres assault ship, and the stout, oaken Heavy Raiders of the Barbarian navies!
This new video highlights some of the new naval units in Rome II and the tactics they employ. We also take a closer look at the Medium and Heavy Raiders of the Barbarian fleets. Stout oaken ships, for stout oaken folk! 

Total War Rome II: Capital Cities

Among all the settlements and cities to be found as you conquer your way across ROME II’s campaign map, five stand out as great wonders of engineering, seats of learning, and as the hearts of empires: Alexandria, Athens, Carthage, Babylon and Rome.
It’s only right that the battle maps for these mighty seats of ancient civilisation get the special treatment, so we’ve gone to town on making them the most intricate, stunning, authentic and of course epic cityscapes we’ve ever created.
These shots also show the kind of graphical glory the ROME II engine can achieve, with a huge range of environmental lighting variables, colossal amounts of detail, and high-end graphical techniques such as depth-of-field.

Babylon
Oldest city, cultural, thriving and vibrant, with 4000 years of existence. Ancient Capital of fragmented and destroyed the Persian Empire, the city continues with the same force and virtue of the great ancient empires that ruled the land and the rivers of Mesopotamia, which makes it a prize worthy of further expanding nations.


Athens
City-port with 2000 years of existence, the city of Athens was, is and will continue to be the pearl of the Aegean sea and the Greek world. Their story tells that the native people who lives there, was designed to be a center of more advanced philosophy and the most original artistic center, but also a warrior people, well trained and organized, either by land or by sea.


Alexandria
Alexandria, a city may be recent, but it inhabits the collision of two different worlds, which are respected and new civilization in a sea of ​​cultures on the rise. She knew by the Mediterranean's Bride, not a city it is in the Hellenism world, is more richer and influential than the heart of the domains of the Ptolemaic pharaohs. From there, concentrated many commercial fleets around the Mediterranean and more advanced knowledge of the ancient world, supported with a population so large and loyal.


Carthage
The first civilization that developed within the city's sphere of influence is referred to as Punic. The city of Carthage is located on the eastern side of Lake Tunis. According to Greek historians, Carthage was founded by Phoenician colonists from Tyre under the leadership of legendary Queen Dido of Tyre. It became a large and rich city and is a major power in the Mediterranean. Uniting all the Phoenician colonies since 60 years ago, by the fall of Phoenicia on the army of Alexander the Great, and his death, Carthage is a meeting point of various cultures, both Hellenistic, as barbaric, creating an army of loyal marcenários ready fight the new homeland of the heirs of the Phoenicians.


Rome

Since the year 753 BC the city of Rome was populated by different people from all over Italy from the barbarians to the north and the Etruscans (people who ruled Rome as a tyrant kings), and citizens of the Greek colonies in the south and the Samnites (warrior people and rival of Rome, and their warfare techniques are used by the Romans), making it not only the largest city in Italy, but also the heart of the republic and more organized military that the world has ever known.

Dynamic Campaign Map City Growth + Every Choise has a Consequence, not matter which culture

To showcase the incredible detail in ROME II’s campaign map, we've put together this awesome screenshot of city growth, showing off the walled city of Massalia in southern France.

Settlements and cities in ROME II grow in a very organic way, and can expand in a number of different directions, while reflecting some of your key building decisions.



In ROME II, every choice has a consequence, however great or small. Certain acts or events are accompanied with a description, and an artistic rendition of the scene. Here we've brought together four artworks from the game, depicting the same event for the Barbarian, Roman, Greek and Eastern cultures. Can you guess the nature of that event?

Let's Play - Total War: ROME II - Skirmish vs. A.I. - Macedon vs Rome

We’ve got more ROME II footage for you – this time our very own Al Bickham takes on the AI in a skirmish battle. In our latest Let's Play video, Studio Communications Manager Al Bickham's Macedonian forces take on the might of Rome in a straight-up, open terrain skirmish match. He's playing on Very Hard difficulty, so it won't be an easy task to supress the Roman war machine. 

We're playing from the defender's viewpoint, so it's very much a case of "Come at me, bro!" as the enemy assaults his position. See how they employ their abilities and hardened military tactics to wear down our very own hero's forces, with a sprinkle of cunning thrown in for free. 
Will Mr. Bickham survive? Will his Macedonian forces survive the onslaught of the Roman advance? Or is this the end of the Macedonians? There's only one way to find out...

Total War: ROME II -- "Find a Way" (dilemma and options trailer) + Panorama Alps Campaign View

He’s Rome’s greatest enemy and one of the finest military minds in history – but who is he, and how will he find a way to outfox the might of the Roman empire?

"I will find a way -- or make one." 

These were the words of Hannibal; Rome's greatest enemy, and one of the finest minds in military history. He would come to conquer much of Italy during his wars with the growing Republic, but before this, he achieved the impossible. In one of the most daring gambits the world has ever seen, he attacked Rome in her own backyard.

This new ROME II trailer uses Hannibal's remarkable achievement to illustrate the multitude of ways players can outfox their opponents, and demonstrates the breath-taking scope and variety of the campaign map. Find out in this brand new Total War: ROME II trailer, demonstrating just some of the millions of intriguing options available to you during your ROME II campaign.

Total War: ROME II launches worldwide on September 3rd 2013. For more information, visit www.totalwar.com

"Crossing the Alps? Ha! He would lose half his army!"
We’ve done it again – we’ve released another HUGE panorama, weighing in at a tasty 30000 x 6116 pixels, this time showcasing the Barbarian-held lands near The Alps in ROME II’s campaign map (click the link below to see it in all its glory).
http://tww-data.s3.amazonaws.com/panorama5/index.html