: Highly mobile artillery units that can fire from a horse-drawn carriage. Barbarian & Horde Factions
When the great plague swept from the Eastern provinces, the Roman army did what it always did: it weaponized its despair. Prisoners, slaves, and the terminally ill were herded into ragged tunics and given rusty knives. Their true weapon was invisible: the black swellings in their groins, the fever that baked their brains.
| Faction | Elite Unit | Unit Type | Key Strength | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Plumbatarii, Scholae Palatinae | Heavy Infantry, Heavy Cavalry | Disciplined, well-armored, versatile | | Saxons | Hearth Troops | Heavy Infantry | Arguably the best melee infantry in the game | | Celts | Hounds of Culann | Heavy Infantry (Berserkers) | Nearly unbeatable in melee, causes fear | | Franks | Heerbann | Heavy Infantry | Powerful shock infantry | | Lombardi | Lombard Berserkers | Heavy Infantry (Berserkers) | Devastating attack power | | Alemanni | Chosen Axemen, Golden Band | Heavy Infantry | Elite axemen and swordsmen | | Huns | Hunnic Elite Warriors | Missile Cavalry/Melee Cavalry | Excellent archers with good melee stats | | Sassanids | Clibinarii Immortals, War Elephants | Heavy Cavalry, Monster Unit | Super-heavy cataphracts and devastating elephants | | Romano-British | Graal Knights | Heavy Cavalry | One of the best shock cavalry units in the game | | Goths | Gothic Noble Warriors | Heavy Cavalry | Superior heavy horsemen | rome total war barbarian invasion units
Heavily armored lance-cavalry available to the Western Romans. They provide the empire with the heavy striking power needed to counter barbarian hordes.
The 2005 expansion pack fundamentally transformed Creative Assembly's classic strategy game. By shifting the timeline forward to 363 AD, the game captures the dying embers of the Roman Empire as it faces relentless waves of migratory tribes. : Highly mobile artillery units that can fire
Units in BI are generally more specialized, featuring heavier armor for late-era Romans, more varied mercenary options, and specialized barbarian warbands designed for shock tactics. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of the key unit types, their strengths, and how to utilize them effectively on the battlefield, including the new and Schiltrom formations found on Total War Center . I. Western & Eastern Roman Empire Units: The Fading Light
You start with 60+ settlements but only a handful of elite units. Do not retrain Comitatenses—you lose the experience. Instead, disband them in key forts and retrain from Italy. Use Limitanei as garrison fodder and Foederati as field expendables. Their true weapon was invisible: the black swellings
Their commander was a disgraced tribune named Silvius, whose only crime had been surviving a battle his general lost. He wore a cloth soaked in vinegar over his mouth. His eyes were the deadest things in his company.
Utilize the Shield Wall formation discussed on Total War Center with your elite Roman infantry. It dramatically increases their durability, making them effectively immune to frontal charges from low-tier barbarian units.
Playstyle: Defensive attrition, holding settlements, and relying on a dwindling pool of elite comitatenses.