Total War: ROME II Guide#
Total War: ROME II was developed by Creative Assembly and published by SEGA, runs on the Warscape engine, and launched worldwide on PC on September 3, 2013 (the September 2 date shown on the Steam store is the Pacific-timezone date). It pairs two layers of play: on the turn-based side you run a nation on the campaign map, and on the real-time side you command massed armies on separate battlefield maps. Feral Interactive ported the macOS version, released September 3, 2014, and handled the Linux version as well.
The current standard version is the Emperor Edition, released September 16, 2014 and free for players who already own the base game. It carries the reworked political system, an overhauled building chain, rebalanced combat mechanics, and improved campaign and battlefield visuals; it folds in all previous free updates and bundles the free Imperator Augustus campaign pack.
Game Overview#
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Total War: ROME II — Emperor Edition (Steam store title) |
| Release date | September 3, 2013 (PC, worldwide) |
| Developer / Publisher | Creative Assembly / SEGA |
| Engine | Warscape |
| Genre | Turn-based grand strategy + real-time tactics |
| Platforms | Windows (2013), macOS (2014), Linux (both ports by Feral Interactive) |
| Current version | Emperor Edition (2014-09-16, free for base-game owners) |
| Steam reviews | Very Positive, roughly 85%–87% positive |
The Core Campaign Loop#
The Grand Campaign begins in 272 BC (the closing years of the Pyrrhic War) and spans roughly 300 years. There is no time-limit victory condition — once you have won, you may keep playing. The official manual spells out three victory routes: Military Victory, Cultural Victory, and Economic Victory, each with conditions unique to every faction. Rome’s military victory, as officially published, requires total control of the six provinces of Italia, Magna Graecia, Aquitania, Armenia, Africa, and Britannia, while holding 140 settlements and maintaining 140 land units and 40 naval units.
One campaign cycle breaks down into three layers:
- Turn-based strategy layer: develop provinces, research technologies, run diplomacy, and maneuver armies and Agents.
- Real-time tactical layer: enter the battle map and personally command land armies of up to 20 units (the general’s bodyguard included).
- Faction politics layer: manage family influence and navigate the political struggle inside your own faction — the system Emperor Edition reformed most heavily.
Playable Factions#
The Grand Campaign ships with 8 playable factions: Rome, Carthage, Macedon, the Iceni, the Arverni, the Suebi, Parthia, and Egypt. Free DLC and culture packs kept widening the roster:
| Batch | Factions | Release |
|---|---|---|
| Launch roster | Rome, Carthage, Macedon, Iceni, Arverni, Suebi, Parthia, Egypt | 2013-09-03 |
| Free DLC | Pontus | 2013-09-03 (free at launch) |
| Free DLC | Seleucid | 2013-10-18 |
| Free DLC | Bactria | 2013-12-05 |
| Free DLC | Getae | 2014-05-29 |
| Free DLC | Armenia | with Emperor Edition |
| Free DLC | Massilia | with the Black Sea Colonies pack |
Culture-pack factions: Greek States (2013-09-03, free with pre-order) adds Athens, Epirus, and Sparta; Nomadic Tribes (2013-10-22) adds the Massagetae, Roxolani, and Royal Scythia; Pirates and Raiders (2014-05-29) adds the Ardiaei, the Odrysian Kingdom, and Tylis; Black Sea Colonies (2014-11-20) adds Cimmeria, Colchis, and Pergamon; Desert Kingdoms (2018-03-08) adds Kush (Meroe), Nabataea, Saba, and the Masaesyli.
By the community wiki’s itemized, verifiable list, the Grand Campaign offers 30 playable factions counting every culture pack, and the campaign map holds 117 factions in total. Officially, the playable factions are grouped into culture circles such as Greco-Roman, Barbarian, and Eastern.
Guide Directory#
The full guide runs ten chapters plus dedicated topic pages. Every chapter is written against Emperor Edition and verified official material; wherever specific figures appear, the source is cited or the entry is flagged as editor experience.
| Chapter | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Chapter 1 — Getting Started | The two-layer gameplay framework, the three technology trees, the province system, and a first-campaign route |
| Chapter 2 — Factions | The eight launch factions, the free factions, and the culture-pack factions, one by one |
| Chapter 3 — Battle System | Field battles, sieges, and naval combat: formations and the morale system |
| Chapter 4 — Strategy and Tactics | Ambushes, encirclement, point defense, and running the campaign map |
| Chapter 5 — Units | Each culture circle’s troop identity and the logic of countering them |
| Chapter 6 — Economy | Income sources, spending structure, and provincial economic specialization |
| Chapter 7 — Campaign Walkthroughs | Opening guides for the major factions and how they tie into internal affairs |
| Chapter 8 — Diplomacy | The types of diplomatic interaction and how to negotiate |
| Chapter 9 — Achievements | How to audit and unlock all 188 achievements |
| Chapter 10 — Practical Tips | Advanced techniques and the common mistakes to avoid |
Dedicated topic pages: Achievements (systematic collection keyed to the Steam achievements page), Challenge Play (victory routes, Legendary difficulty, and self-imposed challenges), Controls and Settings (grouping, formation toggles, and the options menu), FAQ (version and purchase questions, faction picks, mechanic doubts), Story and Lore (the era’s background and its historical battles), Resources (finances, food, public order, and strategic resources), Tips and Tricks (expansion pacing and combat rules of thumb), Version Updates (the complete timeline from launch to Emperor Edition), and Walkthrough (a route from turn one to each victory condition).
Signature Features#
Spectacles of Massed Warfare#
The real-time tactical layer continues the series tradition: units are formations of hundreds to thousands of soldiers, and you issue orders at the formation level. From the Roman legion’s testudo to the Greek phalanx’s wall of pikes, from Eastern horse-archer harassment to war-elephant charges, armies of different culture circles look nothing alike on the field. Naval combat is greatly strengthened in this entry — you can directly command fleets battling across the Mediterranean.
A Diverse Faction Roster#
The game spans factions across Europe, Asia, and Africa, officially grouped into culture circles such as Greco-Roman, Barbarian, and Eastern. Rome fields a complete legionary infantry system; Parthia excels at horse archery; Carthage leans on its navy and mercenaries; the barbarian factions rely on high-morale infantry charges. Unit trees, building chains, and faction traits all differ from one culture circle to the next, and each demands its own strategic approach.
Deep Strategic Management#
On the campaign map you manage provincial development, public order, food supply, technology, diplomacy, and faction politics. The province is the basic unit of internal administration, and food surplus and public order together set the pace of expansion. The politics system rebuilt in Emperor Edition turns the management of family influence into a major thread of the late campaign.
System Requirements#
Officially published system requirements (sources: dsogaming.com, gamesbeat.com, technical.city):
| Spec | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| OS | Windows XP / Vista / 7 / 8 | Windows 7 / 8 |
| CPU | 2 GHz Intel dual-core / 2.6 GHz Intel single-core | 2nd-generation Intel Core i5 or better |
| Memory | 2 GB | 4 GB |
| GPU | 512 MB DirectX 9.0c compatible (shader model 3) | 1024 MB DirectX 11 compatible |
| Disk space | 35 GB | 35 GB |
| DirectX | 9.0c | 11 |
| Resolution | 1024×768 | 1920×1080 |
Version History and Expansions#
The game has taken in a large volume of free updates and paid expansions since its 2013 release. The complete timeline lives on the Version Updates topic page; the backbone looks like this:
| Date | Version / Content |
|---|---|
| 2013-09-03 | Base game launches; Greek States culture pack (free with pre-order); Pontus free |
| 2013-12-17 | Caesar in Gaul campaign pack |
| 2014-03-27 | Hannibal at the Gates campaign pack |
| 2014-09-16 | Emperor Edition released free, including the free Imperator Augustus campaign pack |
| 2014-11-20 | Black Sea Colonies culture pack |
| 2014-12-16 | Wrath of Sparta campaign pack |
| 2015-10-09 | Spartan Edition |
| 2017-11-30 | Empire Divided campaign pack |
| 2018-03-08 | Desert Kingdoms culture pack |
| 2018-08-09 | Rise of the Republic campaign pack |
| 2020-01-30 | Enemy at the Gates Edition |
On DLC volume: by the community tally (aggregated on en.namu.wiki), the game has 23 DLC — 6 campaign packs, 5 culture packs, 3 unit packs, 6 faction packs, and 3 others — of which 10 are free and 13 are paid. As for historical battles, the base game includes Raphia, the Teutoburg Forest, Pydna, and the Siege of Carthage, while campaign packs such as Hannibal at the Gates add further scenarios like Cannae and Zama.
Reception and Price#
| Item | Figure | Source and method |
|---|---|---|
| Metacritic critic score | 76 (71 outlets) | metacritic.com |
| Metacritic user score | 4.5 (4,070 ratings) | metacritic.com |
| Steam reviews | Very Positive, roughly 85%–87%; about 91% over the last 30 days | store.steampowered.com and others |
| Steam achievements | 188 | store.steampowered.com |
| Languages | No Simplified Chinese; 9 languages — English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Polish, Czech, Turkish | store.steampowered.com |
| Price | $59.99 list; recent US discount $29.99; historical low about $5.99 (Nov 2024) | steambase.io, store.steampowered.com, gamegeeker.com |
No verifiable official sales figures exist. A third-party roundup claims about 800,000 copies sold in the first month and about 1.13 million across US and European markets within six months (relayed via gamegeeker.com) — a third-party claim, for reference only.
Community and Mods#
The Steam Workshop hosts an active modding scene covering unit buffs, AI improvements, visual upgrades, and new scenarios. The best-known community mod is Divide et Impera, a large historical-authenticity overhaul that greatly expands unit variety and historical research; it does exist on the Steam Workshop and across the Total War community. Before installing mods, check their compatibility with your current version and with the mods you already run.
Closing Thoughts#
This guide is built on Emperor Edition and on verifiable sources such as the official manual and the Steam store page. Mechanics descriptions follow the official material, figures cite their sources, and anything that could not be verified is explicitly marked “not covered” rather than guessed at. Thanks go to Creative Assembly and the Total War community for years of sustained effort — it is why the game still thrives so long after release.
May your generals sweep all before them on the Mediterranean battlefields and carve out achievements that outlast the empire itself.
Related Games#
- Total War: THREE KINGDOMS — the series’ Three Kingdoms-era strategy entry
- Total War: WARHAMMER III — the Total War formula turned to fantasy
- Total War: PHARAOH — the series’ ancient Egypt entry
- Stronghold Crusader — medieval castle warfare with a strong historical flavor
- Warcraft III: Reforged — classic RTS warfare and army management
- XCOM 2 — turn-based tactics where every order carries weight
Related Rankings#
Best Co-Op Games · Most Anticipated Games of 2026
Full Guides#
In-depth sub-guides — getting started, faction introductions, the battle system, strategy and tactics, unit rosters, the economy, campaign walkthroughs, diplomacy, achievements, practical tips, and the full version timeline — are available in Chinese on NTGame’s Total War: ROME II section.
If you read Chinese, the version-updates topic page there carries the complete release-to-Emperor-Edition timeline behind the table above.