Total War: ATTILA Official Game Guide by CA

Link here, will paste it here for easy access.

Total War: ATTILA Game guide

Many Total War features and mechanics have changed since ROME II, so if you’re eagerly awaiting the release of Total War: ATTILA next Tuesday, you might find this introductory Game Guide helpful. Whether you’re new to Total War or a veteran campaigner, there are many new features that might take you by surprise. Be prepared for the apocalypse and arm yourself with knowledge!

Contents

• Introduction
• Total War recruits start here…
• The Prologue
• The Advisors
• The Aide-De-Camp
• How To Win

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• Experienced Total War players start here…

• Battle
- Pacing
- Settlement damage
- Naval battles
- Capture points
- Era-specific weapons and units

• Campaign

- Internal politics
- Family tree
- Horde mechanics
- Razing settlements & hordes
- Siege escalation
- Governors

• Choosing your faction

- Eastern Roman Empire
- The Visigoths
- The Vandals
- The Sassanids
- The Alans
- The Saxons
- The Ostrogoths
- The Franks
- Western Roman Empire
- The Huns

Introduction

The Huns: brutal nomadic raiders from the steppes of central Asia. They have come to conquer and kill, and tear Rome’s great Empire apart. In Total War: ATTILA, you can choose to command Rome and restore her greatness once more, or fight in bitter defiance of all her works!

In an ancient world shaped by legendary figures, you must make your mark. This is a world of politics, intrigue and betrayal, a time of sweeping change, a time when life is transformed by the migration of entire peoples and ravaged by nomadic warriors from the steppes. Your world will burn. Do you have what it takes to survive?

Total War: ATTILA combines epic real-time battles with grand empire building. You can build, capture or destroy great cities; raise and command renowned armies; govern, nurture or enslave vast populations; make allies and enemies; fight battles and wars on land and sea against all enemies that dare oppose you; and use politics, cunning and the assassin’s blade to strike down your most dangerous rivals.

Total War Recruits Start Here…

Most orders for campaign map characters and armies, or units in battle, follow a simple pattern of left-click to select and right-click to issue an order. If you’re completely new to strategy games, you’ll find all the assistance you need to conquer, betray and backstab through the in-game advisor and the encyclopaedia.

There are keyboard shortcuts to help you do things quickly, but Total War: ATTILA gives you time to consider and plan your actions. As you become familiar with the game, you’ll gradually master more advanced controls.

The Prologue
If you’re new to Total War, or want to quickly become familiar with the world of Total War: ATTILA, the best way of learning land battles and the campaign game is through the prologue. This will teach you the basics of how to play and arm you with the skills required to play a full campaign.

The Advisors
In-game advisors are always on hand to help you with the controls and concepts of the game. The campaign and battle advisors monitor how you play and, as you progress, they offer guidance about what you’re doing in the game.
By default, you’ll see and hear all their advice as you play. You can tweak the settings to reduce the level of advice given, and tailor it to either speech or just on-screen text. As you get more experienced with the game, the advisor takes a back seat and leaves you to your own devices, only offering helpful hints when you use some aspect of the game for the first time.

The Aide de Camp
The aide de camp alerts you to important battlefield events quite apart from the game controls and interface. On occasions, you may be warned if your general is threatened with imminent death, if a defensive wall has been breached, or if your units are being flanked. Think of the aide de camp as an extra set of eyes watching the battle.

How to Win
Victory and glory can only be gained through dominance: what you need for an ultimate victory depends on the faction selected. All victory conditions have one thing in common: you must seize and control territory by capturing regions and holding or devastating specific provinces.
While all this will require substantial military might, you may want to tailor your victory requirements by choosing a cultural or economic path to ultimate triumph. Each offers additional requirements linked to the influence and advancement level of your faction, or to your trade and wealth.
Objectives will help steer you towards victory. Each faction has a list of primary objectives unique to it, and each includes bonus objectives. Inspired by events from the period, these are optional, but do offer faction bonuses if they are completed.
Whatever your aims and objectives, the victory conditions are displayed in the objectives panel. Click on the objectives button at the bottom of the screen to see them.

Finally, as you play Total War: ATTILA, you’ll collect Steam Achievements. These won’t affect your chances of winning, but they do give you some bragging rights in the online community!

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Experienced Total War Players Start Here…
While it’s tempting to throw yourself into the fray, Total War veterans will find much to learn in this section of this guide. You’ll find details on key new game mechanics and changes to existing features that we hope make Total War: ATTILA one of the most compelling games in the series.

Battle

Pacing
The battle system for Total War: ATTILA has seen an extensive overhaul which alters the pacing, and it’s worth taking these factors into account if you’re to be victorious.
Fatigue is now more dynamic. Your troops will become fatigued more quickly if you run them around the battlefield, but if left to rest, they’ll recover their energy at a much quicker rate. This means that pulling weary troops out of engagements and cycling fresh troops in can make a big difference to the outcome.
Unit morale is also more dynamic and units are now more sensitive to shock tactics. For example, local superiority against a unit, combined with flank and rear attacks, can force it to break very quickly. Units now rally more swiftly however, so a routing unit with a significant amount of troops left has a good chance of rallying and getting back in the fight.
It’s worth noting that early-game, low-tier units will flee more easily than more advanced, higher-tier units, so battles will increase in length to mirror the quality of the troops in the field. Many factors can increase your troops’ morale, such as the general’s rank and skills, active army traditions, technologies and unit veterancy.
The general’s role in the field is more pronounced in Total War: ATTILA, as he now brings an army-wide morale boost (though less than that conferred upon units within his command radius). If the general is lost, the remainder of the army will suffer a significant morale penalty.

Settlement Damage
During a settlement battle, the settlement itself can sustain damage from projectiles and fire which, once kindled, can spread and grow into a conflagration. The more damage a city sustains as the battle wears on, the more the defenders begin to suffer the negative effects of the destruction of their property. Over time, their morale, melee attack and melee defence ratings will drop as they lose hope and begin to doubt the wisdom of defending the ruins. Settlement damage is also persistent until repaired on the campaign map.

Siege Escalation
Sieges can take years to come to a conclusion, gradually wearing a settlement and its defenders down. The longer a settlement is under siege, the worse its physical condition becomes, making it easier for the attacker to penetrate the defences. This also means that the state of a besieged settlement will be reflected in the condition of its buildings, and the morale of its defenders, during any battle that may take place there. Damage done on the campaign map will be visible on the battlefield; it takes time and money to repair it, something the besieged can ill afford.
A direct assault on a province capital without artillery or siege equipment is only possible after allowing a siege to escalate over time, causing breaches in the settlement walls through which your troops can attempt entry.

Naval Battles
The warships of Total War: ATTILA now have the ability to backwater, which enables them to reverse out of sticky situations and makes them far easier to manoeuvre into new positions. Land-recruited soldiers on transport ships now suffer from seasickness, reducing their combat abilities while afloat, so training specific marine units at your shipyards is now crucial in the game of naval superiority.
New to the naval rosters are fireships, which bear the terrifying fire-syphon, a kind of 5th-century deck-mounted flamethrower that can reduce a ship and its crew to hissing embers.

Finally, when troop transports are bearing artillery or cavalry into an amphibious assault, their passengers, mounts and equipment are pre-deployed onto the coastline to enable them to be used to full effect in the land engagement.

Barricades
In settlement battles, the defender may erect barricades during the deployment phase (look out for the interactive barricade icons on the map during deployment), and will receive a greater number of barricades according to the settlement’s size and siege escalation level. Barricades are impassable and can block off streets, which means careful placement enables the player to provide a preferential route for attackers to enter the city – ideally into bottlenecks, or archery kill-zones. Barricades can also be manned with troops, providing a secure position for units to withstand a charge. Barricades are not indestructible however, and may be targeted and destroyed in melee by the attackers or defenders.

Capture points
Settlement capture points are now more of a power struggle. When contested, the side with more units in the capture-point radius will begin to pull ahead in ownership. However, certain units are better at capturing than others, as marked in their unit profiles. When a defensive tower capture-point is taken by the attacker, the tower will be destroyed, so even if the point is reclaimed by the defenders, it will have lost its ability to fire any mounted weapons.

Era-specific units and weapons
The battlefields and shipyards of the 5th century bring new and terrifying ways to wage Total War. Attila introduces a new unit class: the Raider. Raiders are excellent at securing capture points, and do so at a much greater rate than standard soldiery. They’re also a pretty unruly bunch, and when sent into a city, they may engage in wanton destruction, hurling torches around to set the place alight. If your aim is to secure and occupy a settlement undamaged, you might think twice about sending them in!
Explore the unit rosters of the various factions, and you’ll find that war in the time of Attila is a very different prospect.

Campaign

Internal Politics
In Total War: ATTILA, threats can also come from within your own faction. A new internal politics system recreates the influence of personalities and egos that helped both build and destroy empires throughout the period.
Throughout a campaign, you are primarily represented by your faction’s ruling family. The balance of power must be maintained in your favour, which involves managing your family members’ influence and ensuring that other nobles within the faction do not become too influential themselves.
Your party will gain power through completing missions and through the actions of its generals. This can be victories in the field, or by generals’ machinations as politicians. This power can be spent on actions to change the political landscape. You may, for example, try to eliminate another party’s most outspoken politician, or even assassinate a member of your own party, if their interests conflict with your own scheming.
You can also allow your family members’ influence to accumulate. This increases your family’s dominion over your faction, shifting the balance of power in your favour. You will need to manage this with care; large changes in power can lead to mistrust or betrayal and, ultimately, civil war.
Allow your family to become weak and vulnerable, and the loss of confidence within the military may result in mutiny. Loyalty to your cause will also drop, inspiring seditious commanders and governors to go rogue. If you are regarded as too powerful, the people may seek to rise up and put an end to your tyranny. Either way, civil war may soon be upon you; you must crush the separatists before their cause gathers momentum and poses an insurmountable threat to your sovereignty.

Family Tree
The family tree shows the relationships between members of your faction's ruling family. Family members can be made heir to the faction leadership, married or divorced. They may seek to embezzle funds for your cause or rally support for your family amongst the elite. You can have them slander other faction members with rumour or assassinated as you see fit. Select a character’s portrait to see which options are available. Male faction members may also attempt to secure political offices or be assigned governorships. Select a male character, then click on an office or governorship from the appropriate list on the right-hand side of the panel to assign them to it.
Your family’s political power is determined by two factors: control and dominion. Your control over the political situation and the elites is determined by your ability to resolve political matters and react to other faction events, and can be hard to attain. Your dominion over the faction and the people, however, depends on your family members’ influence versus that of your faction’s other nobles. Influence is gained through personal accolades such as governorship or appointment to political office, as well as achievements in battle. Influence may then be invested towards carrying out or reacting to political intrigues, meaning that a successful general in your family can be highly effective in political matters.

Horde Mechanics
For Barbarian and Nomadic factions, new horde mechanics have been implemented to represent the great migrations of the age. A horde is effectively an army which can choose to form an encampment (via the stances menu) anywhere it chooses. Once encamped, a horde may construct and upgrade buildings to improve its economy, food production, recruitment options and so forth, just like a city. It’s also the best stance to adopt to replenish depleted military units. At any time, the horde may switch to its army stance and move on to find more fertile lands or conquer.
Hordes may also settle in conquered cities. However, when at least one horde settles, the entire faction adopts a city-based society, and all hordes lose their ability to encamp, becoming traditional armies. However, if the faction’s last city is captured, destroyed or abandoned, the faction reverts to a horde-based society, and its armies become fully-functional hordes again.
The only horde-capable faction that may never choose to become settled is The Huns. It’s just not in their nature!

Razing Settlements & Hordes
Barbarian factions with the ability to migrate automatically become a horde once their last remaining settlement has been captured or destroyed. If the enemy is getting too close, and it looks likely you may lose control of a region, it is now possible to abandon a settlement – enacting a scorched earth policy to deny the invaders their prize. When you leave, a small amount will be added to your treasury as the population save their valuables from the destruction. Any faction that resettles or colonises what you have left behind will find a ruined settlement in a region with reduced fertility - a situation which only recovers over time.

Siege Escalation
Sieges can take years to come to a conclusion, gradually wearing a settlement and its defenders down. The longer a settlement is under siege, the worse its physical condition becomes, making it easier for the attacker to penetrate the defences when the final battle commences. This also means that the state of a besieged settlement will be reflected in the condition of its buildings, and the morale of its defenders, during any battle that may take place there. Damage done on the campaign map will be visible on the battlefield; it takes time and money to repair it, something the besieged can ill afford.
A direct assault on a province capital without artillery or siege equipment is only possible after allowing a siege to escalate over time, causing breaches in the settlement walls through which your troops can attempt entry. When you begin such a siege, you’ll have the option to begin building siege weapons. As soon as these are built, you may commence the siege battle, but be mindful to balance this with the fact that a longer siege will make for an easier victory.

Governors
Characters involved in politics can now be appointed as governors as well as generals. A governor can enact provincial edicts and his character traits, skills and household will all have an impact on his ability to govern effectively. Also, he will personally lead his settlement’s garrison on the battlefield should it be attacked or besieged. You can assign your character to an office of provincial government via the family tree.

Choosing your faction
There are 10 playable factions in the main campaign game for Total War: ATTILA. This section gives you an overview of each faction and will aid in choosing the best one for your ability.

Eastern Roman Empire

“The division of the Roman Empire has unshackled the East, allowing it to take control of the Roman world.”

The new administrative centre at Constantinople has allowed the Eastern Romans to replace the antiquated systems throttling the economy and enfeebling Rome’s Emperors. As a result, new trade networks and fiscal reforms fill its coffers, all run by a centralised bureaucracy and a powerful state church. The East has safely weathered the storm of barbarian migration, often by diverting them into the West. However, the young Emperor Arcadius will have to negotiate barbarian threats, court intrigues, and the ever-present Sassanid menace to ensure that the last light of the Roman Empire continues to burn.
While the Western Roman Empire ails and withers, the Eastern Roman Empire is an economic powerhouse, and reaps the benefits of this through treasury interest and trade tariffs. Militarily, she begins the campaign in a reasonably capable position, but with a clear and immediate threat as Alaric leads his Visigoth armies into Roman-held Thracia and Macedonia… mere regions away from Constantinople itself.

• Good for players who are:

- Total War veterans
- Seeking a tough challenge
- Happy to manage large, established empires
- Keen to conclude the history of Rome
- Good diplomats or interested in becoming one

Tips:

You face a number of hostile factions from the get-go, some of whom are already marching through your lands, and things aren’t going to get any easier. Make an ally on every front to support possible conflicts and to help buffer you against more-distant threats, tapping into your healthy economy to help grease the wheels of diplomacy if necessary: diverting the Huns and make the Ostrogoths and Visigoths friendly enough to accept peace can be the difference between life and death. Don’t be afraid to cede frontier territories while keeping a strong defence force about your commercial and military centres, mobilising all the while so that you can ultimately overthrow all these pesky barbarians. Mind the Sassanids as well, as if you get into an early scrape with them it could prove pretty tough to keep your south-eastern empire secure. Play nice until you are ready to stab them in the back and claim their settlements as your own.

The Visigoths

“The reluctant arbiters of barbarian vengeance, the Visigoths have sworn to repay the Romans in full for decades of abuse at their hands.”

The ravages of the Huns forced them to petition the Roman Emperor Valens for sanctuary in his lands. Although he accepted, local generals brutally extorted the refugees, driving them to open rebellion. Whilst attempting to deal with the Visigoths the impetuous Valens was slain on the battlefield. A period of peace followed until the Visigoths, under Alaric, fought against the Franks in support of the Emperor Theodosius I. Despite their victory, they were denied their reward by Emperor Theodosius. Now, seeking revenge, Alaric has set his sights on the city of Rome itself...
As the campaign begins, the Visigoths find themselves in Macedonia, with many choices before them. Head north into the unknown hinterlands, strike locally and arouse the wrath of the Eastern Roman Empire, or raid westward, and take advantage of the weakening Western Roman Empire? A people accustomed to taking what the world offers, the Visigoths rarely go hungry, and exact a heavy price on any factions they annexe into tributary states.

• Good for players who are:

- Interested in exploring the new Horde mechanics
- Seeking a moderate challenge

Tips:

Starting in the heart of Eastern Roman territory, the possibilities to fight and plunder are many but overall it’s possible a better idea to move towards the easier prey in the west! Avoid Constantinople, as it will not be an easy settlement to capture, but prey upon the lesser settlements in the area to weaken your Roman enemies and – hopefully – draw them out of their cities to face you in the field. Settling in the immediate area will allow you to begin building your kingdom, but sandwiched between the two Romes and with the Sassanids nearby you might be under considerable threat… remember that as a migrating faction the world is your oyster!

The Vandals

“Abandoned in their hour of need by their Roman allies, the Vandals find themselves at a turning point in their long quest for southern lands.”

For some time they have fought as ‘Foederati’ allies in the Roman struggle against barbarian uprisings. Rewarded with land in Pannonia, the Vandals peacefully co-existed with Rome, even integrating to some extent – enabling figures such as Stilicho, the half-Vandal who now rules the West through a puppet Emperor, to rise. With the arrival of the Huns, however, everything has changed, and the Vandals have been driven out of their lands. They must fight their way across Europe to a kingdom of their own - wherever that fight may take them.
The Vandals’ skill at raiding will serve them well as they search for lands to conquer and control, and their initial placement in the campaign presents them with tempting options. Situated just south of Germania, bordering territories held by the weakening Western Roman Empire, they are well-paced to threaten the old wolf’s largely undefended flanks.

• Good for players who are:

- Total War veterans
- Interested in exploring the new Horde mechanics
- Seeking a tough challenge

Tips:

The Western Roman Empire stands before you, ready for conquest. Their lands are ripe for the taking, beset as they are on multiple fronts by their enemies, but do not imagine that it will be easy: Roman forces are concentrated along the Rhine and the Alps (including the aforementioned military legend, Stilicho!), so you will have to take care to not get overrun if you choose to settle immediately. Hostile tribes north of the Alps may further trouble you, as will the coming of the Huns. Best to carry on your migration, then, penetrating the Roman borders and entering deep into their territory before staking your claim far from hostile forces, minding other migrating tribes with similar plans as you go.

The Sassanid Empire

“The Sassanids are the latest in a line of Persian empires stretching back almost 1,000 years.”

Sassanid vassals consolidated their power in Fars before seizing control of the Parthian Empire. Since then, their lean, centralised administration has revitalised and expanded its boundaries. Such prominence inevitably attracts opposition, however, and the Sassanids now find themselves in a delicate situation. Forces from without threaten their control of the Silk Road, while the Eastern Romans undermine them even in times of peace. Yet the Sassanids cannot be slowed by such things. As their claim to the throne is rooted in military prowess it is imperative that their recent conquests continue, lest control be wrested from Persian hands once more.
Beginning the campaign with a number of satrapies under its control, the Sassanid Empire enjoys an impressive recruitment base and level of income, and stands ready to expand. An educated people, the Sassanids understand well the link between cleanliness and health, and plan their capitals around the provision of sanitation.

• Good for players who are:

- Looking to start with a well-established set of regions and puppet states
- Afraid of plagues
- Seeking an easier challenge in a somewhat peaceful environment

Tips:

You are relatively clear from immediate danger, giving you some breathing room and the chance to plan the campaign ahead. Maintain cordial relations where possible and seek to build up sufficient capital and military strength so that – when you so choose – factions will have a hard time resisting your advance. A peaceful start will also allow you to get some civil technologies researched before having to pursue military techs in order to maintain the upper hand, which should help further strengthen your infrastructure to support your mobilisation efforts but, don’t forget, the Eastern Romans are strong even at this stage. Do pay attention to your standing with your puppet states, as some may seek to break away from your rule. This may escalate to mass secession if your other puppets hold you in equal contempt, so keep them sweet with tribute.

The Alans

“As the Alani ride into battle, bloody scalps displayed proudly on their saddles, few can dispute their reputation for unsurpassed ferocity.”

The only god they worship is a sword planted in the earth, and they favour a life of relentless conquest. Yet even the Alani wavered in the face of the Huns and the relentless pillaging that followed in their wake. Many fled the carnage, becoming pawns to Romans and Vandals, while others joined the Huns in search of plunder. Those that remain with the tribe, however, possess the spirit of independence that hitherto defined them. They alone can restore the name and fortunes of the Alani people.
Beginning the campaign on the edges of The Black Sea, The Alans lie perilously close to the heartland of The Huns. Born in the saddle, their warriors are peerless horsemen. But they also understand the value of their charges, and are adept at keeping them alive when the odds are stacked against them.

• Good for players who are:
- Interested in exploring the new Horde mechanics
- Seeking a tough challenge
- Like lancers and shock cavalry

Tips:
You begin with two hordes under your control, separated by your Hunnic enemies and without any clear allies in the area. Seeking to consolidate your forces might be wise if you wish to attack, but there is no shame in evading the Huns altogether in search of richer lands and weaker opponents. The Eastern Roman frontier to the southwest is relatively undefended, although you will likely come to blows with the Goths over plunder and conquest. Easier, then, to settle north of the Caucasus, consolidating there before assimilating the petty kingdoms that reside south, or to pick off the weaker barbarians northwest of your starting position. Just mind those Huns!

The Saxons

“Their distance from the heart of the Roman Empire shrouds the Saxons in mystery, granting them the freedom to pillage and conquer as they please.”

While other barbarians fight over the s***** of the decaying Western Empire, the Saxons look to its northern provinces, neglected and drained of troops. Britannia is an especially tempting target, having faced Saxon raids before, when the usurper Maximus commandeered its defenders. Since then, the Saxons have continued to be a thorn in Rome’s side. A series of fortresses, the ‘Saxon Shore’, has even been established to guard against them - a minor obstacle to a well-marshalled and determined Saxon kingdom!
While the weather cools, the sun is rising on Saxon fortunes. Their choices for expansion are many, but whichever direction they choose to advance in, these born pillagers are not simple mindless destroyers, and balance profit with destruction in their military conquests.

• Good for players who are:
- Interested in playing a traditional-style, one-region-start campaign
- Seeking a tough challenge
- Keen on creating that alternate history where the Saxons invaded Britain early and went on to conquer the world like the legends that they are!
- Like pillaging, sacking and looting

Tips:
A nice, simple start: one region to manage, a handful of forces and a world of opportunity. Mind the Franks, as they are slightly stronger to begin with and can put a swift end to your campaign if they declare war and go straight for your capital. A treaty might help, but the best security is to expand your territory as soon as possible, either in the immediate vicinity or by poaching lands from the Western Romans (in Britain, if you fancy a little historical re-enactment). The Romans can field better units in the early years of the campaign, so make sure that to pick off undefended, unwalled settlements. Alternatively, your early units are relatively cheap, if weaker, and so churning out a large stack of heavier infantries before setting sights upon a bigger prize is also an option.

The Ostrogoths

“The Ostrogoths' wanderings through Roman lands belie their origins as a powerful empire.”

Originally known as the Greuthungi, they are a confederation of distinct peoples originally from the Baltic coast who settled close to the Black Sea. Unfortunately, this means they were the first of the Germanic peoples to face the wave of Hun and Alani invasions that have shattered the known world. Now leading an uneasy existence on the Empire’s borderlands, the Ostrogoths are vulnerable to Roman abuse and barbarian attack alike, and so sell themselves as mercenaries to the very same Huns that subdued them. Still, the memory of their former supremacy preserves Ostrogothic hope; a strong leader could rescue them from their plight and restore them to glory…
The Ostrogoths’ long relationship with Roman culture, civic and military matters lends them much credence, to the point where they face little resistance from the local populace when occupying Roman territories. In such circumstances, they also have access to Roman military assets to strengthen their numbers.

• Good for players who are:
- Interested in exploring the new Horde mechanics
- Seeking a moderate challenge
- Like to assimilate themselves into roman territories easier

Tips:
Your position close to the undefended northern reaches of the Eastern Roman Empire will give you many chances to plunder as you build up your hordes’ strength, and opportunities to settle if you fancy a more stable kingdom, although be prepared for aggression from all around as your Visigothic cousins seek to take a piece of Rome for themselves, the nearby Huns come knocking and their enemies flee straight into you in search of safer, richer lands. Your faction trait does give you the advantage of being able to produce Roman units from existing buildings and limits the unrest you get from occupying Roman territory, so use this to your advantage in the early game in order to establish a sizeable kingdom before the aforementioned threats become too great.

The Franks

“As the world stands on the edge of chaos, the Franks hover between two roles. As destroyers - or inheritors of the Roman legacy - they are on the cusp of realising their full potential.”

A confederation of Germanic tribes from the lower Rhine region, they were defeated and eventually allowed to settle at Toxandria as foederati. While the current Frankish leader Faramund’s rule is a fine example for future rulers, a bolder warlord could lead them to greatness against the failing Empire. If a lasting Frankish kingdom is to emerge from Rome’s ashes, the people must be unified - the Franks must be one!
Situated on the coastline of northern Germania, The Franks have choices to make. Will they strike across the seas to seize the lands of Britannia? Or forge south perhaps, to exploit the weakness of the Western Roman Empire? Whoever they target will tremble in the face of their ferocious warriors, who fight with ever greater intensity the more casualties they sustain.

• Good for players who are:
- Total War veterans
- Interested in playing a traditional-style, one-region-start campaign
- Seeking a very tough challenge
- Like to take risks on the battlefield

Tips:
Another simple start, but a little harder than the Saxons: your immediate conquest options will either escalate tensions between you and the other German tribes (which could end badly) and the nearest Roman settlements are relatively well guarded. You do have a navy as well as a pair of armies, though, so use this to your advantage. Consolidate your armies, keeping a small defence force back home and sending the other off with your fleet in order to bypass the closer settlements and pick off smaller weaker ones, together with the fleet if your intended target is a port (don’t forget to put the army onto land beforehand though, launching a joint blockade-siege before attacking – armies are way more competent when attacking from land). You obviously don’t want to lose your capital while doing all of this, so try and play nice with your neighbours, ensuring a buffer against threats from further afield as well as some trade opportunities to help maintain your military before you can establish a serious foothold somewhere.

The Western Roman Empire

“The Western Roman Empire is on the very edge of catastrophe.”

Its Emperor dances to the tune of a half-Vandal general, its powerless Senators idle on vast, poorly-managed estates. Since the Empire’s division the flaws besetting the West have rapidly become apparent. There is neither the manpower nor the gold needed for an effective army, leaving it unable to deal with the many displaced barbarians pouring across Rome’s borders ahead of the Hunnic horde. Roman Emperors have become increasingly fragile - many are manipulated by generals or deposed by their meddling Eastern counterparts. Nonetheless, it is still possible for the Western Empire to rise again. Times of crisis create opportunities which, if seized upon, will see the Empire re-forged and re-vitalised.
While its ally to the east has implemented sound fiscal strategies to ensure stability and longevity, the Western Roman Empire begins the Grand Campaign haemorrhaging funds and close to breaking point. If it is unable to get its house in order, how will it weather the storm of rampaging barbarian tribes? Only the most inspired leadership can save the once-mighty Empire from calamity!

• Good for players who are:
- Total War veterans
- Seeking a legendary challenge!
- Keen to conclude the history of Rome
- Happy to manage large, established empires
- Have no fear and are able to play a game where loss is something to be expected and tolerated, before laughing straight in its face and stabbing it in the heart while yelling “Not today!”

Tips:
Congratulations on picking our legendary campaign! Needless to say, the Western Roman Empire is in a bit of a pickle. You have a lot of territory to manage and not many forces with which to protect it. It is advisable to cut your losses in the outer reaches of your empire, bringing your forces back from areas like Britain and North Africa in order to ensure that the Alp and Rhine fronts are secure from migrating barbarians. Abandoning settlements is often better than losing them to the enemy, to be sure, as you will recoup some of their worth and reinvest that towards consolidating in southern Europe, but don’t overdo it as this will distress the populace across your empire, which in turn may lead to rebellion or civil war – not what you need when so much is at stake already. Also be careful of abandoning wealth and food producing powerhouses, as this will greatly slow down your progress. Try and make a few allies, and keep the Eastern Romans sweet, as you’ll need all the help that you can get. Once consolidated and secure, begin smashing threats along your border, taking care not to over-extend before you can support yourself with additional infrastructure and technological advances.

The Huns

“The aura of terror surrounding the Huns is so great that their enemies are barely able to conceive that they are also human beings.”

In truth, the Huns’ equine expertise is what makes them such formidable foes. In battle, their combination of ranged attacks and the speed with which they can cover ground is breathtaking – and terrifying – to behold. In this way, the Huns have swept into Europe and now threaten Rome itself.
However, they muct act swiftly to turn this chaos into an empire. While their leaders’ arguments rage, the horde waits, paralysed, for the arrival of a man. A man powerful enough to unite the Hunnic peoples and bind them to his will…

• Good for players who:
- Want to set the world on fire!
- Like hit and run tactics and cavalry
- Seek to oppress and subjugate factions
- Don’t mind never owning a region
- Want to be the governing force in the game

Tips:
As a faction, the Huns start from humble beginnings, but there are already valuable targets to the north and east of their starting position. An early onslaught on one of the wealthy empires can be a good idea as well, but while Huns’ starting hordes are strong, they will need time and infrastructure development to become a major force in the world. Players should consider moving hordes in supportive clusters, sacking and raiding as they go to increase the tribe’s economic strength. Having a ‘mother-host’ is a great idea; this horde can be camped in a safe place and focused on developing advanced buildings and producing high-quality troops. Transferring these troops into fresh armies and sending then out to pillage will teach your neighbours to fear your name. This tactic, combined with the Huns’ unique faction traits, can make you the unstoppable force that wipes clean the face of Europe, and heralds the dawn of a new era!

The full Total War: ATTILA campaign map with Faction start positions can be found here:http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War...A_Campaign_Map

Total War Chronicles

Total War Chronicles is a free web-based application on Totalwar.com that will allow players to view, create and share campaign stories from Total War: ATTILA.
It will be live on www.totalwar.com/chronicles from launch.
For a quick introduction please take a look at our Feature Spotlight video and see below for more detail on how it works.
While playing the game, go to the faction panel, head to the records tab, and in the bottom right-hand corner you’ll see the option to upload records. This button will export and upload a detailed log of all the key events and developments that have occurred in your campaign so far. This information will be used to create a Chapter within your own Total War Chronicle. You can upload at any point and multiple times throughout your campaign if you’d like.
Once the ‘upload complete’ message box appears, head over to www.totalwar.com/chronicles whenever you’re ready. Then just log in using your steam ID and password, and you’re ready to get started. Once logged in you’ll see information, taken from Steam, including hours played and achievements gained in TW Attila.
Each Campaign Chapter exported from Total War: ATTILA will appear in the ‘My Chapters’ tab. You can give each one a title by selecting ‘Edit’. As soon as you name your Chapter, it will be set to ‘published’ and, providing your Steam profile is public, available for other users to see. If however, you would prefer to keep a Chapter hidden, you can set the Status to ‘Private’ at any time.
Total War Chronicles will always respect your Steam profile privacy settings. If your Steam profile is set to private, your Chapters and profile will always remain hidden. For the full experience and if you’re happy to do so, please set your profile to public.
Also in the ‘Edit’ window, you can choose from a number of tags to define your Chapter and to help other players to find it in the search filter.
The Chapter viewer interface is one of the key components in your Chronicle, with an interactive map that plays host to the data from your campaign. Sit back and review its history by clicking the play button in the bottom left corner of the map. You’ll see coloured overlays indicating territory ownership, and events will begin to unfold from there. Try zooming using the buttons in the bottom-right corner of the map and using the mouse to grab and pan the map.
All events are organised into six categories, and are represented with a colour-coded marker on the map, the timeline and the detailed sidebar. You can use these interactive markers to jump to the detail and date of a particular event. Different categories can be toggled on and off using the category selector in the top right above the map.
In-depth information on each event can be found in the scrolling sidebar to the right. Look out for links to character and province history here. For summary information about your campaign as a whole, click the Information icon next to your Chapter Title.

You can also bring each turn of your campaign to life by adding a commentary. What were the great challenges you faced and how did you confront them? Did you win a decisive victory against the odds? Tell your story and you could help and entertain other players in doing so. If you’re viewing another player’s Chapter, you can expand the Commentary Scroll and see their version of events. You can browse and rate published content from other players, including your Steam friends whose campaigns, if they have any Chapters published, will appear on the right hand panel.

The app takes its inspiration from a save game analysis tool used in the CA development team, and the Total War community’s enthusiasm for posting campaign AARs (or After-Action Reports) on forums. It will go live on February 17th to coincide with the release of Total War: ATTILA, and will be further refined based on player feedback.

Useful Links

The Total War Wiki
http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War_ATTILA

Video Title: Total War: ATTILA – Barbarian Hordes Feature Spotlight (ESRB)
Description: A new spotlight video is live now on the official Total War YouTube Channel,
in which we take a deeper look into the barbarian hordes feature for ATTILA.
Undoubtedly one of the coolest features of Attila is the ability to play as, or against, migratory factions. They have unique gameplay mechanics that are entirely new to Total War: Attila,
and in this video we document their playstyle.
Link: http://youtu.be/1QaVXyxVSx0

Video Title: Total War: ATTILA - Army Management Feature Spotlight ESRB
Description: In this spotlight video we take a deeper look into the Army Management systems in Total War: ATTILA.
With more depth and greater control over generals and military forces, Total War: ATTILA allows players to craft the perfect war machine to complement their campaign strategy. However, in dark times such as these, players would be wise to keep a keen eye on the loyalty of their armies, and if necessary, consider extreme measures to uphold it…
Link: http://youtu.be/URYYJfW0sPI

Video Title: Total War: ATTILA- Let's Play Hordes and Migration ESRB
Description: In this Let’s Play, we take a closer look at the Ostrogoths with Simon Mann and Joey Williams, and reveal some new mechanics that even a seasoned Total War veteran will need to take into consideration when playing as one of the new Migratory Factions.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-hoMr44MdY

Video Title: Total War: ATTILA Diplomacy & Politics Feature Spotlight
Description: In this video, we'll give you a deeper insight into the new features coming to diplomacy and politics in Total War: ATTILA.
With its all-new family tree and politics system, ATTILA brings real character to your generals and statesmen, and weaves them more tightly into the narrative of your campaign. Likewise, Diplomacy has seen some fundamental improvements, offering functionality above and beyond previous titles.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7bOKsoMxUw

Video Title: Rally Point 24 – Total War: ATTILA Historical Battles Revealed
Description: In this month’s episode of Total War video show Rally Point, designer Simon Mann lifts the lid on his 5 greatest hardcore challenges in Total War: ATTILA. Craig and James play through the historical Battle of the Catalaunian Plains, featuring a full 13 minutes of gameplay, and we recap the incredible Total War Showcase, celebrating 15 years of Total War and looking ahead to what comes next.
Link: http://youtu.be/WMNH9ry4V-0