MTW Eras
Medieval: Total War allows the player to start the campaign at different time frames. With the main campaign (not VI), the end date does not change, but the factions start at progressively higher levels of infrastructure.
Contents
Early
The Early campaign starts in 1087 AD (death of William the Conqueror). Factions will generally start with a very minimal level of building and provinces. The Early era is the transition from the Dark Ages into Feudal society. Many of the units available are reflections of this, as fully organized armies are still somewhat rare. In 1169 AD, the Compass Rose event occurs, enabling the building of ocean going ships.
The following factions are playable in Early:
- Almohads
- Byzantines
- Egyptians
- English
- French
- Holy Roman Empire
- Italians
- Poles
- Spanish
- Turks
- Danes
- Aragonese
- Hungarians
- Sicilians
The Novgorod and Papal factions are not playable, but exist.
High
The High campaign starts in 1205 AD. Provinces owned by factions will have more infrastructure than the Early Era. Chivalric units become available at this point, as well as crossbows and proper pole arm units. The Golden Horde will appear in this era, at 1230 AD. The Gunpowder event will happen in 1260 AD, enabling the training of gun units and gunpowder artillery.
The following factions are playable in High:
- Almohads
- Byzantines
- Danes
- Egyptians
- English
- French
- Holy Roman Empire
- Italians
- Poles
- Russians
- Spanish
- Turks
- Aragonese
- Hungarians
- Sicilians
The Papal faction is not playable, but exists.
Late
The Late campaign starts in 1321 AD. The infrastructure in the provinces will be higher. The campaign ends when the Late period ends, at 1453 AD. Pike units are available in this Era, and Gothic units are available to the HRE and Italian factions.
The following factions are available in Late:
- Byzantines
- Danes
- Egyptians
- English
- French
- Holy Roman Empire
- Italians
- Poles
- Russians
- Spanish
- Turks
- Almohads
- Aragonese
- Hungarians
The Golden Horde, Swiss, and Papal faction are not playable, but exist.
Viking Invasion
Not really an era, but a separate campaign offered by the expansion pack. This campaign is focused on the Dark Age conflict on the British Isles, with the Vikings, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, and Celtic factions competing for supremacy. The Viking Invasion campaign starts in the year 793 AD (the year of Viking raid on the Abbey at Lindisfarne), and ends in 1066 AD (the Norman Invasion from France). This "era" campaign consists of the British Isle and parts of Scandinavia, and has unique units and buildings reflecting the more primitive time.
The following factions are available in the Viking Invasion "era":
