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Six Tips To Get Started In Total War: Three Kingdoms' Mandate of Heaven DLC
Get ready for the new Mandate of Heaven expansion with these tips from senior designer Leif Walter
Ahead of the launch of Total War: Three Kingdoms' Mandate of Heaven DLC, Creative Assembly has sat down with Red Bull to share a few essential tips and tricks for getting the most out of the grand strategy.
1. Understand the colors
Keeping track of battles like this can be tricky
© SEGA
Throughout the Three Kingdoms and within Mandate of Heaven, players will notice a range of colours associated with different aspects of the game such as character classes, settlement buildings, and unit types, and understanding the interdependent relationship between them is key to establishing a powerful and dynamic kingdom.
One such early-game relationship players should look to exploit is the synergy between the commandery capital and the setup of the surrounding resource settlements as this will help specialize the region and make production more efficient. As peasantry (green) and industry (grey) are a good source of early-game resources due to their relatively low cost and effectiveness, players should look to conquer a commandery which specializes in either of these types of production and raise the associated buildings. Players should remain mindful that although commanderies are geared towards a specific type of economy, different faction specializations, assignments, or people in power, can allow more customization options with regards to the optimal setup of a specific commandery.
The characters that players use also have a similar effect upon the regions they inhabit and the troops within their armies. Should a player have a champion (green) within their retinue they will provide an increase in population growth for the settlement they are in whilst also providing bonuses to spear and glaive infantry when in battle. These effects will differ depending on the character types within their army, so having a range of generals for any given situation can be beneficial.
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2. Maximize the economy
Wars cost money, lots of it! Therefore, it is essential that players keep their per-turn income on a solid basis by ensuring that they’re doing their most to efficiently wage war whilst balancing the books. Be careful not to field too many troops as this will stall your economy. Especially early on, it is important to keep building up your infrastructure to have a stronger economy later on.
One of the easiest ways of improving an economy within Three Kingdoms throughout the early game is in relation to assignments. These are enhancements that can be given to commanderies in times of war, economic crisis, public outcry, or any situation in which a player needs a helping hand. Early on, assignments can boost the income from your respective economic buildings by sending out a character of the matching element. One of the more economically beneficial assignments for early game is the ‘Tax Collection’ assignment which grants +50% income from peasantry in the local commandery for 15 turns.
In a war which spans the entirety of medieval China, players could also be forgiven for thinking that mustering the most troops as early as possible is a surefire way of inflicting devastating losses upon the enemy. However, one of the most common early-game mistakes is having too big an army as it drains considerable resources away from other projects which could be benefitting the faction in a more advantageous way. Players should aim to strike a fine balance between an efficient fighting force which has the ability to attack and defend, whilst simultaneously building the infrastructure needed to boost income and maximize public happiness.
3. Happiness is key
Total War: Three Kingdoms is all about big characters and big battles
© SEGA
Although a simple concept in theory, ensuring people are happy is vital for players to grow and maintain a healthy empire, as a failure to do so can lead to a decrease in population growth or even a rebellion. There are two specific areas in which new players will need to keep a close eye as they begin; public order and character satisfaction.
Public order within a commandery can be seen in the bottom left hand side of the screen after selecting a province and is associated by multiple faces depending on the current level of satisfaction. A further breakdown can be seen by hovering over the icon and factors such as food stocks, taxation levels and army garrisons can have both a positive and negative effect on the overall order of each town or city.
Ways in which these factors can be overcome include issuing tax exemptions for provinces, placing an army in a settlement, or simply building more food production buildings to generate more food. However, players will want to ensure they make this a fine balancing act as actions such as tax exemptions will leave the coffers dry and reduce the ability to effectively wage war.
Much like provincial happiness, a character’s satisfaction level is a measure of his support to your cause. Characters with low satisfaction might defect or join instigators of a Civil War. Details of their satisfaction levels can be found in a similar fashion to public order, by hovering over the face icon within the character management tab (or by opening the character list on the right-hand side by pressing Ctrl+F2).
Should a character be unhappy the detailed breakdown will provide an overview of the reasons why, and this can range from wanting promotions to craving positions within the court. Promotions are the quickest solution to temporarily improving this and will require an upfront payment and will also increase this character’s salary. However, should a character demand a position on the court be mindful that if they enact a rebellion from this place of power it can cause a civil war.
If a certain government position enables a defecting character to initiate a Civil War, it is displayed as part of this office’s effects. As with public order, a player should look to embrace a balanced approach when it comes to appeasing their generals as giving in to every whim could be extremely costly over the long run.
4. Never underestimate a strategist
Three Kingdoms is brimming with warlords whose martial prowess and cunning statesmanship has echoed throughout the ages, and although it may seem counterintuitive to new players, choosing a general who doesn’t excel in close combat may be one of the smartest opening decisions they can make.
Strategists can be identified by their blue color association within the general management tab and they embody a substance over style approach to warfare. Although extremely fragile in battle, these tactical experts provide numerous benefits to an army such as increased ammunition and supplies, special unit formations, and the ability to recruit trebuchets, all whilst providing deadly bonuses to ranged units.
Whilst players will need to keep them well protected – ideally with a close retinue of elite troops nearby - they have the ability to unleash devastating ranged attacks upon the enemy before they’ve had a chance to react, allowing an army valuable time to prepare for the forthcoming onslaught. Their siege weaponry will also be invaluable when it comes to assaulting fortified settlements as they can bring entire sections of wall down atop they enemy, allowing troops to besiege the city without having to scale the walls.
Overall, strategists can equip new players with a more defensive approach to battle whilst allowing their armies to wage war from a variety of distances. This allows them valuable time to anticipate enemy movements and formations as they try and close the gap between the frontlines, an invaluable resource within the battlefields of ancient China!
5. Slow and steady wins the war
Total War: Three Kingdoms manages to make warfare look stunning
© Sega
Micromanaging up to twenty units on a battlefield can be an arduous task for even the most veteran of Three Kingdoms players, however, there are ways of making this process easier if players are new to the franchise. When a battle has begun, players will notice controls above the map on the bottom right-hand side of the screen.
From here they will have the ability to slow down the speed of the match and even pause the entire game, freeing up valuable time for them to make more precise tactical maneuvers and catch the enemy on the back foot. Situations in which this can be a vital addition to gameplay is when an enemy has ambushed an army and have little time to react or when ranged fire from trebuchet’s is raining down upon troops.
By taking a slower approach to the game, players will begin to understand the nuances of battle better and help with their success when they inevitably increase the difficulty level.
6. If in doubt, press F1
If a player ever finds themselves overwhelmed by the UI at any given moment within Three Kingdoms or Mandate of Heaven, they need only press F1 which will provide a list of options of what can be executed within any given tab, whilst also providing extra details about any significant mechanic.
