Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition Maps & Locations Guide: Every Area Covered

Q: Is the Kingdoms expansion included in the Definitive Edition?

Yes. The 20 November 2018 Definitive Edition update bundled Kingdoms and every earlier update into the base product at no extra cost, so the Britannia, Teutonic, Crusades and Americas campaigns are all in the launcher.

Q: Which faction should a first-time player pick?

England. Its starting position in the British Isles has only Scotland and a few rebel settlements to clear, after which no enemy can reach you by land, and Longbowmen carry battles while you learn the campaign layer.

Q: How long is the Grand Campaign?

About 225 turns covering 1080 to 1530 over 112 regions. The short victory condition asks for a handful of faction-specific targets, the long one wants at least 45 territories plus named cities such as Jerusalem or Constantinople.

Q: How many factions can you actually play?

Five are unlocked at the start: England, France, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire and Venice. Defeating another faction in a campaign unlocks it, which brings the total to 17 playable out of 21 in the Grand Campaign.

Q: Does the Definitive Edition run on modern Windows?

It does, though the 2006 engine is single-threaded and can stutter with very large unit counts. Dropping the unit size setting one step and capping the frame rate resolves most of the campaign map slowdown players report.

Complete Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition maps and locations guide. Every area with difficulty, rewards, progression order, and what to do in each zone.

EarlyGuides Editorial Team

Researched and editorially reviewed. Updated August 12, 2026.

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.

Total War: MEDIEVAL II Definitive Edition features distinct areas with increasing difficulty. This guide covers every major location in progression order: what to do, what to get, and when to move on. For the step-by-step path, see our walkthrough.

Area Progression Order

Order	Location	Difficulty	Key Rewards	Recommended Build
1	British Isles	Turns 1 to 40	London trade income, Scottish and Irish settlements, an uncontested home fleet	France
2	France and the Low Countries	Turns 1 to 60	Paris, Bruges and Antwerp, high farm income, short internal marching distances	France
3	Iberia	Turns 10 to 90	Toledo, Zaragoza and Lisbon, plus the crossing to Moorish Africa	England
4	Italy and the Papal States	Turns 1 to 120	Rome, Florence and Milan, cardinal appointments, the shortest road to Papal favour	England
5	Anatolia and the Levant	Turns 20 to 225	Constantinople, Antioch and Jerusalem, Crusade targets, eastern trade goods	England

British Isles: Starting Area

England, Scotland and the Welsh and Irish rebels share a small island chain. Once Scotland falls there is no land border to defend, which is why England is the standard first campaign recommendation.

Attribute	Detail
Difficulty	Turns 1 to 40
Key Rewards	London trade income, Scottish and Irish settlements, an uncontested home fleet
Recommended Build	France
Key Equipment	Feudal Knights

What to Do Here

Learn the basics of Castle and city settlement split. This is where you practice without heavy punishment.
Collect starting resources and your first equipment upgrade.
Clear all main content before moving to France and the Low Countries.
If you're struggling, read our beginner's guide.

France and the Low Countries: Early Game

Dense, wealthy and crowded. Paris anchors the region while Bruges and Antwerp carry the wool and cloth trade that funds a knight army.

Attribute	Detail
Difficulty	Turns 1 to 60
Key Rewards	Paris, Bruges and Antwerp, high farm income, short internal marching distances
Recommended Build	France
Key Equipment	Feudal Knights

What to Do Here

Focus on mastering Papal favour and excommunication. It's critical from this point on.
Farm for Feudal Knights if you don't have it yet.
Complete all objectives for maximum rewards.
Prepare for the difficulty spike in Iberia.

Iberia: Mid Game

Three-way pressure between Spain, Portugal and the Moors, with a sea crossing to North Africa that decides who wins it. The peninsula is poor early and rich once the mines come online.

Attribute	Detail
Difficulty	Turns 10 to 90
Key Rewards	Toledo, Zaragoza and Lisbon, plus the crossing to Moorish Africa
Recommended Build	England
Key Equipment	Feudal Knights

What to Do Here

This is the main skill check. Bring an optimized build.
Longbowmen becomes accessible here. Prioritize getting it.
Master Chivalry and dread general traits for the boss encounters.
Check our boss guide if you get stuck.

Italy and the Papal States: Late Game

The richest square of the map and the most politically dangerous, because every war here is a war next to the Pope. Milan, Venice, Sicily and the Papacy fight over a handful of provinces.

Attribute	Detail
Difficulty	Turns 1 to 120
Key Rewards	Rome, Florence and Milan, cardinal appointments, the shortest road to Papal favour
Recommended Build	England
Key Equipment	Longbowmen

What to Do Here

Full build optimization is expected by this point.
Longbowmen should be your primary, fully upgraded.
Gunpowder arriving mid campaign mastery starts mattering here.
Farm resources for the push into Anatolia and the Levant.

Anatolia and the Levant: Endgame

Where the Crusades land and where the Mongols and Timurids arrive later with gunpowder and elephants. Byzantium, the Turks and Egypt all want the same handful of cities.

Attribute	Detail
Difficulty	Turns 20 to 225
Key Rewards	Constantinople, Antioch and Jerusalem, Crusade targets, eastern trade goods
Recommended Build	England
Key Equipment	Longbowmen

What to Do Here

This is endgame. Best-in-slot gear and a perfected build are mandatory.
See our boss guide for endgame fight strategies.
The reward loop: clear content → upgrade → push harder content.
Experiment with Venice for variety once you've mastered the meta.

Exploration Tips

Clear areas in order: British Isles → France and the Low Countries → Iberia → Italy and the Papal States → Anatolia and the Levant. Skipping areas means missing resources you'll need later.
Check every corner: Hidden caches and secrets are often in non-obvious locations.
Match your equipment: Some areas favor different equipment types.
Read the walkthrough: Our walkthrough provides exact progression milestones for each area.
Don't rush: Clearing an area fully gives more resources than speedrunning two areas.

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