Getting Started#

Getting Started

Game Installation and Setup#

Recommended System Settings#

Setting	Low	Medium	High	Ultra
Tactical view distance	Near	Medium	Far	Very far
Unit detail	Low	Medium	High	Ultra
Environmental effects	Off	Low	Medium	High
Shadow quality	Off	Low	Medium	High
Vegetation quality	Low	Medium	High	Ultra

Interface Overview#

Interface element	Function
Resource bar	Shows core data such as money, food, public order and population growth
Faction panel	Manages family members, titles and heirs
Construction panel	Builds and upgrades settlement buildings
Army panel	Manages generals, unit composition and supplies
Diplomacy panel	Conducts diplomatic dealings with other factions
Technology tree	Researches military and civil technologies

Basic Controls#

Campaign Map Controls#

Key	Function
WASD	Move the camera
Middle mouse button	Rotate the camera
Right mouse button	Select a target and issue move/attack orders
Left mouse button	Select a unit or settlement
Space bar	Pause/resume the flow of time
Shift + number key	Assign the selected units to a group
Tab	Open the technology tree
ESC	Cancel the current action or open the menu

Battle Map Controls#

Key	Function
Arrow keys	Move the camera
Right mouse button	Move the selected unit
Left mouse button	Drag-select multiple units
Ctrl + left mouse button	Issue a special order to a unit (charge, deploy, etc.)
Number keys	Select a grouped unit
Z	Cycle formation: wedge, square, spread out
H	Halt the current order
R	Let fatigued units recover stamina in place

Opening Strategy#

Advice for the First 20 Turns#

Turn	Suggested action
1-3	Scout the surrounding terrain, learn what your neighbours are doing, and set up your first trade route
4-6	Build economic buildings (markets, farms) and deal with the food problem first
7-10	Train your first full-stack army and appoint a capable general
11-15	Assess the weakest neighbour and look for an opening to expand
16-20	Establish diplomatic relations, sign trade agreements, and prepare for your first war

Resource Management Basics#

Resource type	Importance	How to obtain it
Money	★★★★★ Extremely high	Trade, taxation, building income
Food	★★★★★ Extremely high	Farms, fisheries, trade
Public order	★★★★☆ High	Religious buildings, garrisons, entertainment facilities
Population growth	★★★☆☆ Medium	A secure environment, medical buildings, low taxes
Supplies	★★★★☆ High	Settlement garrisons, supply lines, camp supplies

Common Beginner Mistakes#

Neglecting food production — food shortages cause population loss and rebellions, so always keep a surplus
Overexpanding — every settlement you take adds to your administrative burden, so do not bite off more than you can chew
Ignoring public order — rebel armies eat up a huge amount of military strength to put down
Not signing trade agreements — early trade income relieves economic pressure enormously
Single-unit-type armies — all-infantry or all-cavalry armies are very fragile against mixed forces
Ignoring technology research — technology is the foundation of long-term development

Faction Selection Advice#

The community consensus is that the best first pick for a new player is the Eastern Roman Empire (strong economy, secure heartland), with the Franks as the second choice (solid infantry). The Western Roman Empire starts out threatened on all sides, and the migration mechanics of nomadic factions such as the Huns are complex, so neither is recommended as a first playthrough.

Faction	Suitability for beginners	Reason
Eastern Roman Empire	Recommended	Strong economy, a relatively secure heartland; good for learning internal management and the pace of expansion
Franks	Recommended	Solid infantry and a stable battle line; good for practising army control and formation combinations
Western Roman Empire	Not recommended	Threatened on all sides from turn one, with heavy pressure to defend on multiple fronts
Nomadic factions such as the Huns	Not recommended	Complex migration mechanics; you first need to understand camps, supplies and migration rules

The above is only advice on where to start: actual strength varies with game version and player style, and the final word is how the game actually plays. Once you are comfortable with the mechanics, taking on the Western Roman Empire or a nomadic faction at high difficulty will give you a much more direct feel for the strategic pressure this game is designed around.

Saving and Loading#

When to save	Reason
Before a major battle	Lets you retry tactical mistakes
Before diplomatic negotiations	Avoids accidental alliances or declarations of war
Before a random event	Events such as plagues and natural disasters can change the situation
After completing a technology	Records a key technology milestone

Difficulty Settings#

This game has five difficulty tiers: Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard and Legendary. The developers have not published exact coefficients for each tier, so the table below only describes the direction of the mechanics; the specific figures follow the in-game difficulty description and actual testing, and change with game updates and the faction you choose.

Difficulty	Mechanical direction (qualitative)	Who it suits
Easy	Enemy factions are weakened on both the battle and campaign layers; the highest margin for error	Complete beginners
Normal	Baseline difficulty, with no obvious extra modifiers on either side	Players new to the Total War series who want the experience as designed
Hard	Enemy factions start to receive hidden bonuses to economy, replenishment, public order and similar	Players familiar with the basic mechanics
Very Hard	Enemy hidden bonuses increase further, while a penalty is applied to player income	Series veterans
Legendary	Adds extra restrictions on top of the high-difficulty mechanics: no manual saves, only an autosave when you quit the game	Players chasing the ultimate challenge

A few directional rules of thumb for the difficulty system:

High difficulty gives bonuses to the enemy, not to the player — Very Hard and Legendary do not improve your economy or unit performance; they actually squeeze your income
Low difficulty weakens the enemy — the margin for error on Easy comes from the enemy being weakened on the battle and campaign layers, not from inflated player-side numbers
Go by the actual in-game figures — the various percentage coefficients circulating online are not official settings, so never quote them as authoritative data
Beginners should start on Easy or Normal — first get to grips with the three big systems of food, public order and supplies, then turn the difficulty up step by step

Technology Research Guide#

Technology type	Core benefit	Priority
Military technology	Unlocks elite units, improves training efficiency, increases combat effectiveness	★★★★☆ Prioritise early
Civil technology	Raises economic income, improves public order, lowers building costs	★★★☆☆ Follow up mid-game
Administrative technology	Improves province management efficiency, lowers the chance of rebellion	★★★☆☆ Follow up mid-game

Recommended Technology Routes#

Faction	Early priority	Mid-game focus	Late-game completion
Roman Empire	Military training, logistics	Imperial administration, religious unity	Elite units, infrastructure
Barbarians	Tribal unity, weapon forging	Settlement building, trade development	Heavy units, administration
Nomads	Cavalry training, rapid movement	Raiding techniques, migration efficiency	Settled buildings, economic construction

Common Technology Research Misconceptions#

Misconception	Correct approach
Researching military technology exclusively	Develop military and civil branches in balance, adjusting to your needs
Neglecting basic technologies	Basic technologies are prerequisites for advanced ones
Researching advanced technologies too early	Finish the practical bonuses of the low-tier technologies first

Top 10 Tips for Your First Campaign#

No.	Tip	Explanation
1	Stabilise your economy before expanding	Staying in positive income is the core task
2	Do not go to war with several nations at once	Concentrate your strength and defeat them one by one
3	Take public order seriously	Rebel armies consume a large amount of resources
4	Make use of the spy system	An intelligence advantage decides victory or defeat
5	Keep your armies supplied	Insufficient supplies weakens combat effectiveness
6	Research technology in balance	Do not favour a single field
7	Fight more battles manually	Auto-resolve costs you more losses
8	Establish trade routes	Trade is an important source of income
9	Watch out for the worsening climate	Food will gradually run short
10	Use diplomacy to your advantage	Marriage alliances and treaties are very useful

Game Interface Overview#

Interface element	Function	Hotkey
Campaign map	Operations on the strategic layer	Tab
Battle map	Battle deployment	Insert
Army management	Adjust unit composition	Right-click
Building management	Upgrade buildings	Click the building icon
Technology tree	Research technology	T key
Diplomacy panel	Negotiate with other factions	D key
Economy panel	View income and expenditure details	E key

Control Tips and Tricks#

Tip	Explanation
Quick save	Press F5 to save your progress quickly
Quick load	Press F9 to load quickly
Pause the game	Press the space bar to pause
Switch armies quickly	Double-click the number to select quickly
Map marker	Place a marker with the right mouse button
Merge armies	Drag one army onto another
Auto-move	Ctrl + right-click to path automatically
Battle preview	Hover to see the estimated chance of victory

Next chapter: Faction Overview