Faction difficulty ratings (your help is needed!)

Much has changed since EB1.0 but not the difficulty ratings of factions since, they severely need updating and here your experience playing as these factions can help.

Please use the following format:

Early game difficulty: easy-nigh impossible
Late game difficulty: easy-nigh impossible

Army/unit: please list strengths, weaknesses and challenges.
Campaign: please list strengths weaknesses relating to starting position, adversaries, economy and building options.

Your help is needed and very welcome. Thanks in advance!

Saka Rauka

Early game: Very difficult (but not nigh-impossible)
Late game: Moderate

Army/unit:
Strong cavalry; archers' missiles could be more effective though (at least concerning pantodapoi/akontistai/other light infantry); armoured cavalry slightly weaker than baktrian counterparts, which is ok, because you can outnumber their cavalry forces; very few infantry troops (I used mostly pure cavalry armies for mobility reasons)

Campaign:
Being at war with Baktria right from the start is quite hard, as they're completly focusing on Sakae instead of turning against Seleukids/Pahlava/Maurya; had severe problems getting enough money AND troops in the beginning, because Kangha and Saka starting province are the only two provinces, you're able to raise forces, while Baktria is at you stack after stack; once you conquered Baktra itself you have money in abundance though and game becomes rather easy; nevertheless Pahlava has expanded into the steppe (Saka land!!!) meanwhile, instead of fighting the Seleukids as well, which was quite annoying to see!

Of course all of this is from my point of view and in fact, seeing a huge and heavy armoured Sakae cavalry horde stomping through the beautifully designed mountains and valleys really was a pleasure! :yes:

Bosporan Kingdom

Early game: Moderate
Late game: Moderate

Army/unit:
Very well mix of Bosporan (Hellenic) Footsoldiers, Foot Archers, Barbarian Auxiliary and Steppe Warfare. You are able to expand in every direction depends on your taste of combination. Options are big. In my opinion at the difficulty I would call it moderate. The war in the steppes was partially hard but never impossible to win. Later on the wars in Hellas and Anatolia got somehow more challenging. Especially in Fullstack Battles the mix up of Scythians, Bosporans and Barbarians is very satifisying. Mainly in the beginning you will have to spend many turns in peace or defense to build up your Kingdom. Later on you will be able to constantly fight the neighbouring factions but expect to get outnumbered very often even on medium campaign. Get familiar with the Scythian Art of War it helped my Bosporan Armies many times to achieve Heroic Victories.

Campaign:
You have to destroy 4 factions: Sauromatae, Pontos, Getai and Makedonia.

After all I would call this moderate in all states since it will mostly depend on you where you want to expand.

The peripheral and protected geography of the crimean peninsula offers you a very calm starting phase. You will only have to fight Rebels. You should get at least 3 more coastal cities in the neighbourhood as soon as you can and build them up. Keep the peace and use it to flurish so you can afford enough troops to push into the neighbouring steppe regions and face the mighty Sauromatae. Don't dare to give them any mercy they will fight until death and never retreat. So hunt them through the steppe to the edge of the world and kill them all. Steppe Wars are very nice expierience. After you destroyed the Sauromatian Faction and spend enough turns to build up again you should attack the other Black Sea regions including Bycantion, which is particular to own. Next or nearby while conquering Euxinus you will take on the Getai. This war is not really to mention about but it still can make you lose armies or cities in counter attacks if you underestimate them. So it happenend to me one time but after they got my full attention they had no chance against my Heleno-Scythians.
Latest around 170 BC you will be a very rich and strong Kingdom with enough expierience in battles so it is time to conquer whole Anatolia and Hellas. I would say in a cautial estimation that the campaign ends around 130 BC. Everything beyond this is only interesting for Roleplay. In my case I try to replace Roman Empire which got wiped out very early by the Gauls. Whole Western Europe is owned by Aedui and some other Barbarians. They are the only equal counterpart left to take on.