They're you're most maneuverable units, and devastating when they charge an unprepared enemy. Cavalry: Horse or camel-mounted troops give you unmatched flexibility on the battlefield.Spearmen are a cavalry officer's worst nightmare. Masses of infantry bogged down in a fight are also very vulnerable to enemy missile units. Do everything you can to protect them from cavalry rushes to their sides or rear. Keep them together so that they can cover one another's flanks. Weaknesses: Maneuverability is the issue. Spearmen are also your best weapon against cavalry. Strengths: Your best toe-to-toe fighters, a necessary part of your army that can engage the enemy and keep your missile troops protected. Spear infantry work this way as well, but (with the exception of Greek hoplites) they sacrifice a little of their face-to-face combat ability in order to be more threatening against cavalry. They're the main body of your force, used to crush the main enemy force. Infantry: Usually these troops are armed and armored for close combat.Different cultures have their own flavors that you'll have to get used to, but here's a rough guide to get you started: Still, every unit has a function within a larger army, and understanding what they're for and what their weaknesses are will make you a much better general. Key Concept 2: All Units Have Strengths and Weaknesses Most strategy videogames create an artificial 'scissor-paper-rock' relationship between units, but Rome: Total War tries to model the more realistic strengths and weaknesses of historical units. Conversely, guard your own flanks and try not to allow the enemy to do this to you! Always be aware of position on the battlefield. If you ever have the opportunity to sandwich a unit by attacking both flanks simultaneously, you'll probably cause those soldiers to rout immediately. If you've already engaged someone, try to maneuver another unit around to hit them on the flanks - men will start to panic. Also, enemies forced to fight on multiple sides will be particularly vulnerable. Use this to your advantage! Always try to maneuver so that you can assault an enemy from his weak sides. The very act of turning and trying to reorient will cause a unit to fight less effectively in those first critical moments, and it'll be a huge hit to morale. That's not to say that men won't turn to fight whatever's attacking them, but the effect on morale is huge. They're not ready to get attacked from the sides and certainly not from the rear. The soldiers in that formation expect to move toward an enemy and fight him from the front. Key Concept 1: All Armies Are Vulnerable In Flanks or Rear All armies march in a formation with a front, sides, and a rear.

Look out! The barbarian cavalry rides in BEHIND the Roman battle line. So, before talking about specific strategies, let's talk about the five key things you need to know. Understanding these concepts will bring you one step closer to victory. Not so! Rome: Total War may not be a perfect simulation of ancient warfare, but it does do a pretty good job of simulating the concepts and tactics that you would've wanted to apply on the ancient battlefield. To the uninitiated, combat looks as though you just rush your guys into the enemy and watch a blob of people fight until one side runs away. Sometimes your men will run away from a fight. Let's look at what it takes to win! Strategy gamers new to the Total War games find the battles fairly intimidating.

Still, you don't want to throw those men away with poor decisions on the battlefield. You'll usually be able to bring more units to the front, with better equipment, and better generals. If you play this portion of the game well then you'll have a distinct edge when it comes time for actual battles. So far this guide has talked about the strategic, turn-based part of the game.

Rome total war strategies