Western Roman Empire Campaign Walkthrough

Help and advice on how to play the challenging Western Roman Empire Campaign on Barbarian Invasion.

It should be noted the Western Roman Empire can be a demanding campaign to complete. In my opinion the best settings are; hard battle difficulty, hard campaign difficulty, large unit scale.

Recommended Music for this Campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yOZEiHLuVU&list=RDV-luZXfkZ9k&index=2

*A .dll fix can be downloaded and placed in your Rome Total War main folder that eliminates lag some users experience
http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=00080741994545204824

Introduction

Long gone are the glory days of Caesar, the Roman Empire is now fragmented, split between two separate parts; the Eastern and Western factions. Whilst the Eastern territories enjoy relative safety and lucrative trade routes, the Western Empire must deal with the barbarian onslaught in Central Europe and the threat of the Huns.

Will the Western Roman Empire be able to hold out, repel the barbarian invaders and restore the glory of the past?

There was a dream that was Rome. It shall be realized.

Starting Off- One Religion for All

The main problem at the start is half of your population are pagan, and the other half, who are generally in your larger cities, are Christian. Your starting emperor Valentinianus is Christian. When religions get entwined, eg Christian rulers rule pagan people or vice versa, this causes public order to decrease.

There are pros and ♥♥♥♥ for each religion; it is useful to try and standardise the religion you choose throughout your empire. Neighbouring villages that share the same religion also have a positive effect on public order. Very large cities like Rome/Carthage; it can be difficult to change their religion, so only convert them once you are in a stable position.

Be careful of who your heir is- if you want your emperor to be pagan, make sure you have a pagan heir. On the most basic level, a settlement should have a govenor of the same religion.

Generally, Sol Invictus provides more stability in the late game, Christianity more advantages in the starting phases, and Mithras has less stability than the others but provides very useful combat bonuses.

Sol Invictus

Mithras

Christianity

It is worth noting any city following the Christian route, will eventually have the option to build the level 3 Hermitage, level 4 Monastery and the level 5 Abbey.

Summary and Strategy

At levels 3 and 4, Christianity requires the construction of extra religious buildings to equal the stability provided by Sol Invictus. This doubles the construction price and time for Christianity, as 2 buildings are required for the religion to be effective. Christianity does have the edge over paganism in huge cities (at great cost), and in the population growth for small towns; however neither one of these is arguably all that helpful in completing the WRE campaign.

Paganism therefore is probably the better religion to choose. As an overall strategy, keep Sol Invictus in your large safe cities, and use Mithras in towns close to the front lines. When your elite troops reach these frontier settlements, you will have the option to retrain them and gain the extra chev experience the temple provides. These extra combat bonuses, plus the ability to recruit better soldiers in towns close to the enemy is a major advantage.

The Economy

Unlike the Eastern Roman Empire, the Western Romans are literally broke. They have a massive deficit and are very close to running negative. The no1 priority from the very 1st turn is reduce your outgoings.

Start off by disbanding your navy, you don't need those guys anymore. Next, move all your expensive troops eg Comitatenses to your frontier settlements. A number of Southern cities eg Rome have large garrisons- move these troops out asap. Only keep the bare minimum in each settlement. A good idea is move them North to counter the Alemanni/Franks.

Any settlement that has garrisons you cannot make use of, eg islands like Syracuse, disband those troops. Once you have your military expenditure under control, boost your economy by constructing roads and ports. In addition, make trade rights with as many factions as possible.

Spain/France

At the start, there will be some major civil strife in these areas. Spain is particularly hard to maintain control. There is a small army in Northern Spain, and a larger army in Central France. Keep these forces there until you have established your authority in those regions.

In Western Spain it is highly likely you will lose the settlements of Corduba and Salamantica. Because revolt is almost certain, demolish all army training facilities and blacksmiths in these towns. Removing those buildings, denies the ai the ability to recruit proper troops; simply siege and exterminate the rebel peasants as soon as you are able to.

In Western France the revolt threat is less than it is in Spain- the settlements of Burdigala and Avaricum are your biggest problems. Reducing the tax rate and building some peasant garrison might be enough to stop a revolt here.

The settlement of Lepcis Magna in Northern Africa is unsavable- demolish all buildings and send your pagan governor and any troops garrisoned there to Carthage.

Maintain Control Over Your Empire

Settlements that have poor public order, anything below 70%, will eventually revolt. The biggest challenge for the WRE is maintaining control over it's people.

Settlements where public order is low, decrease the tax rate, and construct buildings that have a positive effect on public order. If the squalor levels are ridiculously high, it's normally a sign to upgrade the settlement's palace and/or walls. Increasing the garrison size will also have a positive effect on public order. Peasants are excellent for this as they are cheap and very cost effective. (spamming peasants also reduces your population which will result in lower squalor levels). Eliminating rebels or enemy armies in the region will also have a positive effect (removes trade barrier too).

If your city's governor has a different religion to the majority of the people in the settlement, this will have a negative effect on public order. Likewise, if your faction leader's religion is different to that of a city, this will also reduce public order. Sometimes a governor is better fighting on the battlefield than running a city.


Taking over an enemy settlement can also create extra problems. A settlement, under the previous faction owner, may have had a different culture, which produces a different sort of building. This variation adds a negative effect on public order. Make sure you replace buildings that are not of Roman culture as fast as possible to nullify this.

For settlements that are simply too far gone to be saved from revolt, use the exterminate strategy outlined in the previous section. Withdraw all your forces from the city, sell off all troop recruiting buildings barracks/archery/stables+blacksmith, allow the revolt to happen, then retake and exterminate the city. The rebel army is easily defeated as the enemy general will only have access to peasants.

Avoid constructing buildings that promote growth in a city. The larger the city becomes, the harder it is to maintain your authority. Farming upgrades and markets increase your income, but add to the cities growth. Normally the extra income received in the short term, is not worth the pain in the long term.

Keep your best troops on your frontier settlements- especially Salona which will take the brunt of many barbarian hordes. It should also be worth noting the ai has a special love for Vicus Franki- it is more often than not the main target for hordes that cross into Europe (most likely scripted).

Barbarian Hordes

The barbarian horde are the nomadic remnants of a faction with no permanent settlement. Some steppe factions like the Huns automatically spawn as the horde, however others start with settlements, then may spawn the horde at a later time. A barbarian faction that loses it's last settlement will spawn a horde army.

Horde units do not cost any upkeep, and have the potential to sack settlements for large amounts of money, but cannot replenish or retrain their troops. The only way for a horde to get more troops is to hire mercenary units. All horde units disband once the faction settles in a village.

Barbarian factions that can horde

• Huns
  
• Goths
  
• Franks
  
• Vandals
  
• Sarmatians
  
• Lombardi
  
• Burgundii
  
• Roxolani
  
• Slavs
  
• Ostrogoths

- the Alemanni/Saxons/Celts to the North of WRE do not horde.

How to Handle the Barbarian Horde

The size of a newly spawned barbarian horde means it cannot normally be defeated in an open battlefield. Though poorly led, 5-6 fully stacked horde armies can simply overwhelm their enemies with sheer numbers alone. The steppe horse archers of the Huns are particularly dangerous.

Even though the Western Roman Empire is fragmented, and battered from all sides from multiple enemies, one true advantage still remains- the strength of it's legions or Comitatenses. The Romans still have superior troops, and far better leadership. Utilise this by fighting the horde in bottlenecks.

Early game

It is possible to defeat several fully stacked horde armies from the compounds of your own cities. Depending on the settlement walls, a horde can lose anything up to 50% of it's forces just from the perimeter defences. By defending the city square, your troops will not rout and this is a big defence advantage. Having 4-5 archers in the square firing flaming arrows, at already weakened troops, who are also most likely tired, is devastating and can trigger a rout. This strategy can save you many troops which might otherwise have been lost.

Use watch towers as a look out for approaching hordes close to your territories. Agents such as diplomats/assassins/spies can be placed in far away enemy regions which can also give you a useful heads up on approaching hordes.

Ideally, you would want to eliminate a horde before it reaches your settlements. Due to the limited amount of funds available for the WRE, especially in the early game, this is not always possible. River crossings could be utilised as a bottleneck, supported with forts, with the intention of slowing down an approaching horde buying extra time.

Mid/Late game

Once you build up some decent generals, towards the mid-late game, stacked hordes can be easily eliminated at bridges, or any terrain feature that bottlenecks eg forests/mountains. Taking the enemy general out at the start normally leads to a mass rout. Make sure you remember to finish each battle and wipe out as many routing foes as possible.

Note a horde dies if all the family members are eliminated. Assassins could be used to wipe out a horde before it gets anywhere near your territories.

Units

The most common units available for the Western Rome Empire campaign.

Infantry

Peasants
The most basic level of troop available. Though the stats are better than in regular Rome Total War, they are still very sub par to other infantries and should not be expected to accomplish much in battle. They are however cost effective as garrison.

Recruit price 100. Upkeep 50

Limitanei
The 1st infantry that can be recruited from level 1 barracks. The Limitanei have half decent defence stats and a useful non armour piercing missile attack (3 javelins per man). However, the melee attack itself is very lacking, in addition the unit also suffers from low morale. Use this unit to help as garrison, or to support better troops.

Recruit 475. Upkeep 173

Foederati
A more expensive troop than the Limitanei, however these soldiers have better stats, stamina and morale. They also get the full spear bonus vs cavalry. Their only weakness in comparison to the Limitanei is that they are slightly weaker to missile having more of their defence attributable to skill than armour. The Foederati are best used on the battlefield to screen against cavalry attacks.

Recruit 500. Upkeep 235

Comitatenses
Essentially these guys are the legions of the late Roman Empire. They have excellent stats; being well armoured and disciplined they have good morale. The Comitatenses are the backbone of a WRE army, that is put onto the battlefield against a dangerous adversary. They are too expensive to use as garrison, so keep them near the frontier. Like the legionaries of past each man gets 2 armour piercing pila.

Recruit 850. Upkeep 369

Missile

Archers
Though the WRE archers are less cost effective vs archers of other factions, they are very useful in defending your settlements against the vast numbers of barbarian hordes. They can also be used on the battlefield to wear down enemies from range and break up formations. The unit has the standard range (120), and each man gets 30 arrows.

Recruit 275. Upkeep 151

Cavalry

Foederati Cavalry
Expensive troops considering the stats. The charge is inferior compared with those of other factions, and defence skill makes up a higher percentage of the overall defence (weaker to missile). However with that being said, they have slightly higher levels of morale than the average light cavalry. Being the only light cavalry option available to the WRE, use them for rear/flank attacks against an already engaged foe, or to chase retreating enemies off the field.

Recruit 587. Upkeep 304

Sarmatian Auxilia
Excellent heavy cavalry that the WRE has access to once a level 2 stables has been constructed. Best used against the enemy on the battlefield, the Sarmatian Auxilia hold their own well against all but the very best elite heavy cavalry. Due to the limited funds available in the WRE for infrastructure, recruitment of the Sarmatian's is initially limited to a handful of cities.

Recruit 1100. Upkeep 383

Imperial German Bodyguard
This is the bodyguard unit of family members. An extremely tough cavalry force that is a massive advantage to have on the battlefield. With 2 hit points, well armoured and excellent morale, these guys will stand their ground to the end. They can also be recruited in the late game with a level 5 Circus Maximus stables.

Recruit 2262. Upkeep 391

Units not often used in the campaign.

Bucellari
This is a crossbow unit that can initially only be recruited in Rome. It has better melee and defence stats than archers, and has a far more powerful armour piecing shot. It is however more expensive, has a shorter range (85), each man gets less arrows (20), and the unit does not get the ability to fire flaming shots. The archer unit is more cost effective and better suited against the barbarians.

Plumbatarii
Has the exact same stats as the Comitatenses, except the unit gets an extra missile feature- each man gets 10 armour piercing darts to throw at a greater range than regular pila. They cost slightly more to purchase than the Comitatenses but have the same upkeep costs. The Plumbatarii are excellent troops for the price, but require a high level (4) barracks in order to be trained.

Auxilia Palatinii
Superior spearmen that have the potential to massacre any heavy cavalry. The unit has excellent stats, is very well armoured with superb morale. The Auxilia Palatinii also possess the shield wall ability which is a defensive formation enabling it to hold out longer. They are cheaper than Comitatenses to purchase, but share the same upkeep costs. Like the Plumbatarii, a level 4 barracks is needed to produce them so in the campaign they are rarely seen.

Comitatenses First Cohort
They are pretty much the same as the regular Comitatenses, except they get slightly better stats, more men, higher morale, and also the ability to give morale to surrounding friendly units. However, the unit does cost a lot more that the standard version. The First Cohort requires a level 5 barracks which is why they aren't widely available in the campaign.

Equites Sagittarii
These guys are the horse archer equivalent for the Western Roman Empire. Due to the nature of the campaign, defending settlements, the hordes of barbarians- the role of the Equites Sagittarii is limited. They could be used to potentially slow down advancing enemies, however, they are expensive to upkeep; several units of Comitatenses would be a better choice.

Finishing the Campaign

The Western Roman Empire is one of these campaigns where it's probably not feasible to conquer the entire map. The further away your settlements are from your capital, the harder it is to maintain control. Plus, as your towns grow, they become increasingly more difficult to keep order. Settlements far away may well end up costing more money than they give in income. To complete the campaign you need to control 4 key settlements, and 34 in total. There are no bonus points for wiping out all your enemies.

The historical context of the game; the Western Romans are abandoning territories across their over stretched empire and consolidating towards the Italian mainland- due to the threat from barbarian tribes within Europe. The WRE campaign is about survival, maintaining control against the odds and capturing Constantinople in one final glorious hurrah.

With that being said, the pagan religion will probably provide the greatest number of advantages. A combination of Sol Invictus in your large safe towns, and Mithras in your frontier settlements will serve you the best. Remember to retrain any reinforcements that enter a "Mithras" city- the extra chevs are a big advantage. ps watch out for the Slavs at 410 AD.

Thanks for reading and I hope this guide helped you
piper

[popeslap]

ive played the western roman empire faction many times, great tutorial. one way i beat the campaign is by using a similar strategy but i used my faction leader, a huge army and my navy to attack the eastern roman empire, many of the bigger citys are left undefended and are easily exterminated this provides a lot of income and fun battles

[derricks7]

Christianity is clearly the strongest choice, since public order by the late game is no longer an issue once you have all the buildings and the pagans converted.

[rowan56]

I agree, really well done; thanks for your effort with this guide.

[The Wrath of Santa]

Nice work, a good clear guide with sound advice and strategy for new players. I always liked this faction scenario in this game campaign, great to be broke, on the backfoot and under attack from all sides right from the get go. There's a lot of firefighting rebels early game, the player really has to hit the ground running and act quickly to have any chance of victory.

[piper.spirit]

the dll fix got removed from filedropper- I did not know about their 30 days expiring. I re-uploaded the dll lag fix to tinyupload.

[margalus]

Thanks for the dll, that fixes the problem. Now it's nice and smooth!

[Neutral]

Love the format of the images that is entailed in this guide. It's Inspirational piper!

[piper.spirit]

Thing about the Western Roman Empire, it's a very tough campaign if your unaware of the correct strategies. It didn't take too long to make:D

[-IoW-EsraX-]

that is some detailed long work you did here piper

[piper.spirit]

Thanks for kind words Kleo:D