SELEUCIDS playable! (Free-LC)

**KLAssurbanipal** · 08-23-2013, 14:16

SELEUCIDS

“Tolerance, diversity, strength”

Although eventually embracing many eastern customs, the Seleucids are renowned for their city building and civil engineering, driving Greek colonisation and Hellenization. Furnished with expert cavalry, including cataphracts, horse skirmishers and war elephants, Seleucid armies also sport a solid core of excellent spear and pike infantry provided by a growing number of Greek-speaking colonists.

As the campaign begins, such measures are a necessity when faced with the continuing threat from their Ptolemaic Egyptian neighbours and upheaval among the Seleucid's satrapies. Ever the opportunists however, the Seleucid kings may yet turn the tables, bringing much of Alexander’s former western empire under their sway.

Founded by Seleucus Nicator, or Seleucus the Victor, at its height the vast Seleucid Empire stretched from western Anatolia as far east as the Indus River. During the turmoil of the Wars of the Successors, the Seleucids were able to claim and expand Alexander the Great’s eastern empire, as well as parts of Asia Minor.

Seleucus sealed his overall victory at the Battle of Ipsus in 301 BC. Fielding 500 war elephants, gained through negotiating peace on his eastern border with the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya, his forces proved decisive. The territory under his control contained a diverse range of eastern subcultures, which rapidly became Hellenized by the ruling Macedonian elite and a flood of Greek settlers.

Despite a sometimes precarious position at home, the Seleucids now plan to expand. But where? Into Ptolemaic Egypt? Or beyond, to Alexander’s former western empire in Greece and Macedon? Influenced by their cultural assimilation of eastern culture, The Seleucids have little tolerance for the concept and practice of slavery. As a heavily multicultural society, they also suffer less from public order issues arising from foreign cultures entering their territories. In battle, the Seleucids have access to a wide-ranging roster; as such, they can field capable, balanced and incredibly diverse armies and navies.

http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War...leucid_Faction

**Lemur** · 08-23-2013, 14:58

The gray death returns! CA's semi-official statement (bolding mine):

Hi guys,

Today we’re announcing our post-launch support plans for Total War: ROME II, and the good news for you is that it involves free stuff, as well as a wide array of high-quality paid-for DLC content with additional bonus features.

Alongside paid-for DLC, we’re planning to support players with regular free content and feature updates.

James Russell, Lead Designer on Total War: ROME II, said, “As with SHOGUN 2, we will continually improve the game’s compatibility, optimisation and integral features such as AI and gameplay balancing post-release, and plan to add to that with new control schemes and additional free formats on other operating systems,”

“We are also very proud of how SHOGUN 2 is our most moddable Total War to date with over 500 user-made mods on Steam Workshop alone. We hope to support ROME II in a similar fashion.”

While the Greek States Culture Pack DLC and free Pontus playable faction update will arrive day one; by October, you’ll also be able to add the Seleucid Empire http://wiki.totalwar.com/w/Factions to your playable faction roster for free and the Nomadic Tribes Culture Pack featuring the Royal Scythians, Roxolani and Massagetae as paid-DLC.

That’s a whole faction! For free! On top of Pontus!

Have a great weekend,

Craig.

**KLAssurbanipal** · 08-23-2013, 15:08

I stopped linking TWC. I linked from official TW wiki (totalwar.com).

**Arjos** · 08-23-2013, 15:12

Scythian and Sarmatian nomads plus Seleukidai? Now those are damn great news ^^

Though honestly, the self-delusion of great moddability is becoming annoying. In S2TW at best colours were changed, battlemaps created and models were given existing equipment: that's no moddability, it's called customisation

**Barkhorn1x** · 08-23-2013, 15:58

Nice to get an important faction like the Seleucids as a freebee!!

**Monk** · 08-23-2013, 17:45

The grey blobs as a freebie is indeed great news. Lots were saddened by their exclusion. Good to see we'll see them back again, even if it's not directly at launch.

**The Stranger** · 08-23-2013, 22:19

theyre pretty small in this version, the rest is all client kingdom?

**Monk** · 08-23-2013, 22:24

very likely, Lusted's campaign revealed Macedon starts with at least one client and one ally. It's safe to assume most of the successors will have a similar setup.

**Arjos** · 08-24-2013, 05:39

Yeah, if you check the interactive map they posted some time ago. They have vassals everywhere. Weird decision, but likely due to them being too powerful otherwise, because CA does not script anything interesting :P