most powerful faction

[brutii_warrior]

to use the most powerful faction you need to unlock the senate.

the senate's army strikes fear into the enemies more so barbians than profesional armies.

if you dont believe me try it.
you'll win most battles easily

[Kekvit Irae]

I dont play the Senate for the very reason that it's very buggy. Looking at the Senate Floor tab crashes the game.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Seleucids once they've killed Egypt, is unstoppable. Romans after the civil war is over are also pretty much unstoppable. Egypt is unstoppable from start and unstoppable later in the game too. I think those are the most powerful factions.

[Craterus]

Egypt, Seleucid and Romans, I agree, Egypt the more-so. Egypt are incredibly powerful, perhaps even too powerful.

[Hazzyguy]

I also agree. Rome, Egypt, and Selucia are really hard to stop once they get going.

[tibilicus]

I agree also i try and get rid of rome as erly as posible because once they get going your dead. Same with egypt. Unfortunatly Selucua dont really get the chance to get going...............

[Craterus]

They are attacked from all sides immediately and in almost every game they are controlled by the AI, they will be the first faction destroyed.

[Beefy]

Acutally on my game they took a big chunck out of the eygptians, which allowed me to finish them off being alies with the selecuid!

Now i control all of africa, spain, sciliy and moving up into france!

[Craterus]

I own all of asia minor as far as scythia, down to thapsus (africa)... None of europe and the balkans :(

[cunobelinus]

secluids but they are surronded in campaign but my favourite is germany i love beserkers

[Yesugey]

Why everyone thinks Egyptians are unstoppable and extremely imbalanced? I see they have very nice set of units but their general is a Chariot. (Easier to kill, have to be handled extremely carefully, die at the secont in contact with Phalances, and cant send to the crisis points in the battlefields or cant be used to sweep city centers without lose.) And they have no other huge advantages. Maybe population growth? Or you were talking about the old version which they have double unit size?

[ReluctantSamurai]

Why everyone thinks Egyptians are unstoppable and extremely imbalanced?

Because they have rich provinces to begin with, excellent temples, a very good unit roster, and.....chariot archers. All AI vs AI battles are auto-calc and the chariot archer rules vs just about any lower-tier troops, especially cavalry. In virtually every game I've ever played, it's the Ptolemaic's that conquer the Middle East and roll into Anatolia with relative ease, unless opposed by the player.

[Yesugey]

Because they have rich provinces to begin with, excellent temples, a very good unit roster, and.....chariot archers. All AI vs AI battles are auto-calc and the chariot archer rules vs just about any lower-tier troops, especially cavalry. In virtually every game I've ever played, it's the Ptolemaic's that conquer the Middle East and roll into Anatolia with relative ease, unless opposed by the player.

Thanks I was just thinking of the player's perspective, and without considering the temple and startup cities bonuses.
Chariots really are deadly, but they rarely gave me hard time since the AI uses them very stupidly most of the time. (Especially on bridge battles.. What a mess )

[Jehan Ali]

I like playing with Armenia, with a good economy, their legions and horse archers make a splendid combo

[Myth]

I like playing with Armenia, with a good economy, their legions and horse archers make a splendid combo

You really have to talk to ReluctantSamurai about Armenia

[ReluctantSamurai]

Here, here...

[edyzmedieval]

Seleucid armies man, those Silver Shields.

[ReluctantSamurai]

Silver Shields? Gah!! Nothing but pin cushions

[edyzmedieval]

Hammer and anvil with some Seleucid cataphracts.

[ReluctantSamurai]

The heavy Cats in Seleucia vs Armenia are a wash. Seleucia has no answer for the Cataphract Archers, however

[edyzmedieval]

I heard the east has some good horse archers around that place... hammer, anvil and bow with my Eastern friends.

[ReluctantSamurai]

hammer, anvil and bow with my Eastern friends

Hammer & Anvil doesn't work against an all cavalry army

Cataphract Archers will win any archery duel with any archer unit not named Cataphract Archer. The base defense rating of 22 is only 1 less than the Heavy Cats, and insures (when properly used, of course) that they take less losses in 1 vs 1, even against 80-man foot archers

[edyzmedieval]

Cataphract Archers tire quickly, and no shields means that specialised melee cavalry or some Seleucid Cataphracts will do relatively short work of them. Use some lancers to pin them down and then let the Cataphracts do the rest.

[ReluctantSamurai]

no shields means that specialised melee cavalry or some Seleucid Cataphracts will do relatively short work of them

Selkie cats will have to deal with my cats before they even reach the CA's Any other cavalry will be dealt with by Arab Cavalry (who will eat Lancers for lunch---and as fast as Lancers are, AC are faster in desert conditions).

My Armenian cavalry armies are never placed in the hands of anyone but high-ranking generals with a pile of bonuses. Fatigue is rarely, if ever, a problem The heavy cats tire much quicker than the CA's, by the way...

Check this thread---post #5:

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showt...battle-victory

Granted it's against the AI (I play VH/H) and not another player, but 4000+ kills (several dozen of the enemy unit losses were Chariot Archers, btw) vs about 150 casualties ain't bad in my book

[LordK9]

Hammer and anvil with some Seleucid cataphracts.

For my 2 cents worth, I've ad the easiest time winning with the Selucids probably because they have a little of everything.

[ReluctantSamurai]

The Selkie's would be in my top three...Macedonia and Armenia the other two, but one can make arguments for the Romans and Germania

[Vincent Butler]

I can't believe nobody is giving Macedon any love. Royal Pikemen are really good, they have the light cav to deal with light infantry, and then the Macedonian and Companion Cav to finish the battle, and Macedon is also primed to make money. I like Seleucia, I like Rome. I am a heavy infantry general, so go figure. In my opinion, Militia Hoplites are the best starting unit, at least for defending a town, which as Seleucia you need to do a lot early on. Of course, if dealing with cav archers, that changes your tactics, more light cav and foot archers.

If Rome, I will let the cav archers waste their ammo on my infantry, if I start losing troops I can always go to testudo. Ditto Seleucid Silver Shield Legionaries. Roman armour is good enough that cav archers don't do much, especially after Marius. Now, I rarely face Armenia, they are usually gone by the time I get over there.

Egypt is too good (and with unrealistic units to boot, they would be Greek at this time), though I once saw Pontus take them out and then make it all the way over to Carthage.

[edyzmedieval]

I find it funny we're discussing on a thread more than 10 years old...

[ReluctantSamurai]

I can't believe nobody is giving Macedon any love.

I did They are probably my second favorite faction, although Germania comes in a very close third...

Royal Pike are my favorite phalanx unit, even more than Spartans, Armored Hoplites, or Sacred Band. Macedon has arguably the best all around cavalry roster of any faction, and its' temples rank with some of the very best. Hard not to like them

[Vincent Butler]

I did

Missed it. Though I remember other threads you were singing their praises, especially "Cavalry, Macedon's finest!". I love Macedonian Cav, and since Companions require the top stables, I typically only run with one CC, and use more MC. I use the others too, I do want fast-moving cav in my army, and there is pretty much nothing faster than Light Lancers. Yes, I do field Greek Cav as well, they fare better in hand combat than the lancers do.

Macedon gets a temple to get to gold sword for your archers (actually two, but one gets there quickly, the other requires a Pantheion.) They get Ballista and Onagers. The only thing lacking, standard for Greeks, is archers. I wish they got a Hypaspist unit, that is my only quarrel with them. Greece at least gets Heavy Peltasts for a slightly more mobile light/medium infantry. The archer situation can be remedied with Cretan Archers. Macedon is forced to rely on mercenaries for that. But they do retain Illyrian Mercs when they bribe an army, so that is a bit of relief. Hard keeping a supply of them when you are in Gaul or Africa, though.