Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition bundles the 2009 gunpowder era Total War with every expansion, including the Warpath Campaign and the Elite Units packs. The Grand Campaign runs from 1700 to 1799 across three land theatres and four trade theatres, with eleven playable factions from Great Britain to the Maratha Confederacy. It was the first Total War where you command naval battles yourself instead of watching an auto resolve.
Starting Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition can feel overwhelming. This guide tells you exactly what to focus on during your first hours so you don't waste time on things that don't matter yet. For the full progression path, see our walkthrough.
What Kind of Game Is This?
Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition is a strategy game built around Three land theatres plus trade theatres and Line infantry volley combat. The core loop involves mastering these systems to progress through increasingly challenging content.
What to expect: Time investment in learning mechanics, experimentation, and gradual mastery. The game rewards patience and knowledge.
Choosing Your First Build
| Build | Beginner Rating | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| France | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Prussia | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Russia | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
| Ottoman Empire | Excellent for beginners | Balanced approach |
Our recommendation: Start with France. It offers the most forgiving experience while teaching core mechanics.
Avoid Ottoman Empire as your first pick. It requires deep knowledge of game systems to use effectively. Once you're ready, check our classes guide for all options.
First Session Step-by-Step
Step 1: Learn Three land theatres plus trade theatres
The map splits into Europe, the Americas and India, with separate trade theatres at the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Brazil and the East Indies where fleets sit on trade nodes for income. Armies cannot walk between theatres, so every reinforcement is a shipping decision.
This is the foundation. Spend your first 15-30 minutes getting comfortable with how Three land theatres plus trade theatres works before worrying about anything else. Our combat guide breaks this down further.
Step 2: Head to Europe
The densest theatre, where most factions start and where wars escalate fastest because every border touches a rival. Technology, population and money all concentrate here, which is why losing your home regions usually ends a campaign.
Clear the main content here before moving on. Everything teaches fundamentals you'll need later. See our maps guide for all locations.
Step 3: Get Your First Upgrade
Look for Grenadiers: it's the most accessible early upgrade. Heavier infantry who throw grenades and hold melee far better than standard line troops. They are the unit you commit when a firefight has already been won and the enemy line needs breaking.
Step 4: Understand Line infantry volley combat
Battles are decided by musket volleys rather than melee, and formation choice does more than unit stats. Fire By Rank lets every rank shoot in sequence instead of only the front, and Square Formation folds a battalion into a hollow box that makes a cavalry charge suicidal.
This is the system most new players overlook. Invest time here early. It pays off throughout the entire game.
Step 5: Push to The Americas
Sparsely garrisoned colonies that generate income out of proportion to their defences, which makes them the easiest early conquest for a naval power. Native factions and rival colonists both contest the interior.
Essential Mechanics Explained
Three land theatres plus trade theatres
The map splits into Europe, the Americas and India, with separate trade theatres at the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Brazil and the East Indies where fleets sit on trade nodes for income. Armies cannot walk between theatres, so every reinforcement is a shipping decision.
Line infantry volley combat
Battles are decided by musket volleys rather than melee, and formation choice does more than unit stats. Fire By Rank lets every rank shoot in sequence instead of only the front, and Square Formation folds a battalion into a hollow box that makes a cavalry charge suicidal.
Real time naval battles
Fleets fight in real time with wind direction, sail damage and three ammunition types: round shot for hulls, chain shot for rigging and grape shot for crews. A First Rate carries over 100 guns but turns slowly, and boarding is settled by crew numbers.
Research through gentlemen and schools
Schools and universities house gentlemen who research along military, ordnance, naval, agriculture, industry and philosophy lines. Gentlemen can duel rival agents, and a rake can steal a technology outright instead of waiting for your own scholars.
Government types and revolution
Every faction runs an absolute monarchy, a constitutional monarchy or a republic, and rising unrest can trigger a revolution at home. You choose whether to fight for the government or the rebels, and the winner sets your government type and the bonuses that follow it.
Common Beginner Mistakes
1. Researching economy lines first and meeting Prussian or British infantry with outdated units
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
2. Leaving artillery unscreened where dragoons can reach it
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
3. Auto resolving naval battles against a comparable fleet and losing ships you could have captured
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
4. Charging line infantry into melee instead of winning the firefight first
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
5. Expanding into a third theatre while home unrest is already pushing toward revolution
This is a common trap that costs new players significant time.
First 5 Hours Checklist
- Understand Three land theatres plus trade theatres and Line infantry volley combat
- Choose France as starting build
- Clear Europe main content
- Acquire Grenadiers or equivalent upgrade
- Reach The Americas
- Build schools before extra barracks in your first ten turns. Technology gaps in this era are brutal, and an army of 1700s line infantry fighting 1760s troops loses even at two to one odds.
- Form square the moment enemy cavalry commits, not after contact. Square trades firepower for a defensive bonus that makes a charge suicidal, and switching back to line takes only seconds once the horses veer off.
Tips for New Players
- Build schools before extra barracks in your first ten turns. Technology gaps in this era are brutal, and an army of 1700s line infantry fighting 1760s troops loses even at two to one odds.
- Form square the moment enemy cavalry commits, not after contact. Square trades firepower for a defensive bonus that makes a charge suicidal, and switching back to line takes only seconds once the horses veer off.
- Keep artillery behind the infantry line and give it a cavalry screen. Guns left forward are the first thing enemy dragoons hunt, and losing a battery mid battle usually flips the engagement.
- Fight naval battles manually whenever the fleets are close in strength. Auto resolve undervalues positioning and wind, and a manual fight lets you rake sterns and take prizes rather than sink them.
- Load chain shot to cripple rigging before you close, then switch to grape shot when you intend to board. A ship that cannot manoeuvre is a ship you capture rather than one you sink.
- Use rakes to steal technology instead of researching everything yourself. A single successful theft can save fifteen turns of research and can be aimed at exactly the military line you are missing.
- Blockade enemy trade nodes in the Ivory Coast and East Indies rather than only fighting their home fleet. Cutting income slows their recruitment faster than any single battle you can win.
- Watch unrest at home while you campaign abroad. Revolution fires when repression and clamour drift too far apart, and being caught mid war by a civil war costs entire armies.
- Target the enemy general early with skirmishers or artillery. Army morale in Empire drops sharply when the commander falls, and a chain rout can end a battle you were losing.
- Garrison your ports even in quiet theatres. Amphibious raids can take an undefended colonial port in a single turn and reversing that costs a fleet, an army and several seasons of income.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many factions are playable in the Grand Campaign?
Eleven: Austria, France, Great Britain, the Maratha Confederacy, the Ottoman Empire, Poland-Lithuania, Prussia, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Provinces. Fourteen more can emerge as non playable factions.
Can you play as the United States?
Only in the Road to Independence campaign, which starts as a colonial prologue and turns into the American Revolution. The Grand Campaign does not offer them from turn one.
Does the Definitive Edition include all the DLC?
Yes. It bundles the Warpath Campaign and the Elite Units packs for the East, the West and America, so there is nothing left to buy separately.
What is the Warpath Campaign?
A North America focused expansion with five playable native factions: the Iroquois, Cherokee, Huron, Pueblo and Plains nations, each with their own unit rosters and a shorter campaign.
Which faction is best for a first campaign?
Great Britain. The strongest starting navy, colonies already established in two theatres, and excellent line infantry mean early mistakes rarely end the campaign.
More Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Guides
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Overview
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Best Builds
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Tier List
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Walkthrough
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Tips & Tricks
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Weapons Guide
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Combat Guide
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Boss Guide
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Maps & Locations
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Crafting Guide
- Total War: EMPIRE Definitive Edition Classes & Characters
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