Creative Assembly shipped Medieval II in November 2006 and folded the Kingdoms expansion plus every later patch into the free Definitive Edition on 20 November 2018. The Grand Campaign covers 1080 to 1530 across 112 regions and roughly 225 turns, with 21 factions of which only England, France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and Venice are playable on turn one. Kingdoms bolts on four more campaigns: Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades and Americas.
Picking the right build determines how your experience plays out. These builds are ranked by overall effectiveness, factoring in damage, survivability, gear requirements, and how well they scale into endgame. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Rankings
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Core Gear |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | A | Balanced | Best available |
| France | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Holy Roman Empire | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Spain | A | Balanced | Best available |
| Venice | A | Balanced | Best available |
For detailed meta rankings, see our Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition tier list.
A-Tier: England
England is a top-performing option in Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Longbowmen | English bows outrange every competitor and can hammer stakes into the ground that stop a cavalry charge dead. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Castle and city settlement split | Castles train knights, spearmen and archers, while cities generate trade income and cheap militia. |
How to Play England
England focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Longbowmen does the damage and Castle and city settlement split keeps it running, which is why this sits at the top of the list. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Highest overall performance
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Popular pick, resources may be contested
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: France
France is a strong option in Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Feudal Knights | Mid tier heavy cavalry available to most Catholic factions once a castle has stables. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Papal favour and excommunication | The Pope keeps a favour rating on every Catholic faction and attacking a fellow Catholic drains it fast. |
How to Play France
France focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Pair Feudal Knights with Papal favour and excommunication and the build stops depending on a good start, so it holds up across most content. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Most versatile option
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Lower peak damage than S-tier
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire is a strong option in Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Pavise Crossbow Militia | Italian city militia that carries a large shield it plants in front of itself, so it wins missile duels against ordinary crossbowmen and survives counter fire. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Chivalry and dread general traits | Generals drift toward Chivalry or Dread based on whether you accept surrenders, exterminate captured populations or execute prisoners. |
How to Play Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Chivalry and dread general traits covers the gap Pavise Crossbow Militia leaves open, so the build stays usable even when a fight goes badly. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Best survivability
- Straightforward gearing path
- Works in all content types
Cons:
- Slower clear speeds
- Needs specific gear to reach full potential
A-Tier: Spain
Spain is a specialized option in Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Trebuchet | The workhorse siege engine before gunpowder, capable of dropping gates and towers and of lobbing diseased cattle over the wall to start a plague inside the settlement. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Crusades and Jihads | The Pope names a target such as Jerusalem or Antioch and any Catholic faction may join. |
How to Play Spain
Spain focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: This one leans on Crusades and Jihads rather than raw numbers, and Trebuchet is what makes that trade pay off. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Strong in group/team content
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- Weaker solo performance
- Requires deep game knowledge
A-Tier: Venice
Venice is a specialized option in Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition.
Core Setup
| Slot | Choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Equipment | Janissary Musketeers | Turkish gunpowder infantry with punishing damage and a morale shock on impact, gated behind Ottoman gunpowder buildings and slow to reload. |
| Core Gear | Best available for your level | Maximizes build potential |
| Stat Priority | Balanced offensive and defensive stats | Optimal scaling |
| Key Mechanic | Gunpowder arriving mid campaign | Gunpowder shows up after the Mongols and Timurids invade, around the halfway mark of the Grand Campaign. |
How to Play Venice
Venice focuses on a balanced approach to content.
Why this build works: Janissary Musketeers and Gunpowder arriving mid campaign pull in the same direction here, which separates this from the safer picks above. See our weapons guide for detailed equipment breakdowns.
Pros:
- Unique, rewarding playstyle
- Straightforward gearing path
- Excels in its niche
Cons:
- High skill floor, punishing when misplayed
- Requires deep game knowledge
Build Progression Path
- Start with France: the most forgiving option for learning the game
- Transition to England once you understand core mechanics and have access to Longbowmen
- Keep a Holy Roman Empire setup for content that keeps killing you
- Try Venice for a fresh experience once you've mastered the basics
Follow our walkthrough for the optimal progression path through each area.
Gearing Tips
- Invest in your primary equipment first, since it gives the biggest power spike. See our weapons guide for rankings.
- Decide your castle to city ratio before turn 30. Castles are the only settlements that train real professional units, cities pay for them. Two cities per castle keeps a 20 unit stack funded without going into deficit around turn 60.
- Send four to six merchants to the resource clusters at the far ends of the map. Silk in the east and gold in West Africa produce far more income per merchant than anything inside Europe, and a merchant with high finance skill can take over a rival merchant and steal his trade post.
- Don't spread upgrade resources across multiple builds until endgame
More Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Guides
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Overview
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Tier List
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Walkthrough
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Beginner's Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Tips & Tricks
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Weapons Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Combat Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Boss Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Maps & Locations
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Crafting Guide
- Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Classes & Characters
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