Emperor Edition is the free September 2014 overhaul that rebuilt ROME II's politics, building chains and campaign AI after a rough 2013 launch. It ships the Grand Campaign across 57 provinces stretching from Britannia and Hispania to Bactria, plus the Imperator Augustus campaign covering the Second Triumvirate's civil war. Turn-based empire management feeds into real-time battles of thousands of men, and these are the rules everyone still plays under.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Province edicts only unlock once you own every region in a province, so half-conquered provinces cost you unrest without giving you the tools to fix it
Province edicts only unlock once you own every region in a province, so half-conquered provinces cost you unrest without giving you the tools to fix it. Finish one province before opening the next front.
2. Food is calculated per province, and a shortage causes attrition and public order damage across every region in it
Food is calculated per province, and a shortage causes attrition and public order damage across every region in it. Build farms in the low-value regions and keep at least a small surplus everywhere you hold.
3. Armies gain traditions permanently and lose them when disbanded
Armies gain traditions permanently and lose them when disbanded. Rotate a veteran army back into friendly territory to replenish instead of dissolving it and raising a fresh stack.
4. Pikes are helpless from the flank and rear
Pikes are helpless from the flank and rear. Against Macedon or the Seleucids, pin the phalanx with cheap spearmen and send everything else around the side rather than trading with the pike front.
5. Emperor Edition rewrote the political system so influence swings genuinely matter
Emperor Edition rewrote the political system so influence swings genuinely matter. Keep your own party somewhere around 30 to 50 percent influence, because both collapse and total dominance push the other houses toward civil war.
6. Ambush stance in forests and hills is the cheapest force multiplier in the campaign
Ambush stance in forests and hills is the cheapest force multiplier in the campaign. A smaller army in ambush routinely destroys a full enemy stack that would beat it in a straight fight.
7. Naval transport is free but fragile
Naval transport is free but fragile. Armies at sea fight as poor-quality ships, so escorting a transported army with a real fleet is the difference between a landing and losing twenty units at once.
8. Assaulting a walled capital without artillery is the most expensive mistake in the campaign
Assaulting a walled capital without artillery is the most expensive mistake in the campaign. Bring at least two Scorpions or an Onager, or blockade the settlement and starve it out over several turns.
9. Culture conversion drives unrest as much as taxation does
Culture conversion drives unrest as much as taxation does. Building the correct religious and cultural chains in newly taken provinces is cheaper than garrisoning them forever.
10. Agents are not decoration
Agents are not decoration. A Champion training your armies or a Dignitary suppressing an enemy general changes battle outcomes and campaign tempo more than an extra unit of levy spearmen ever will.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For Rome (A-Tier):
- Focus on Province and region system combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Legionary Cohorts
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Carthage (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Pike phalanx
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Province and region system + Public order and food: The Grand Campaign splits into 57 provinces, each built from two to four regions with a single provincial capital. Combined with Public order and food, food surplus feeds growth while a shortage causes attrition and unrest across an entire province.
Army traditions and generals + Political parties and civil war: Armies are permanent objects tied to a general and accumulate traditions over campaigns, granting real bonuses such as faster movement or better ambush odds. When paired with Political parties and civil war, your faction is divided between rival houses, and emperor edition rewrote how their influence moves.
Combined land and naval battles scaling: Coastal battles put fleets and land armies on the same map, with marines landing straight into the fight. Naval units also carry troops, so a fleet defeat can annihilate an army that never reached shore.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Legionary Cohorts | Roman campaigns from the mid game onward, and any battle you intend to win by breaking the enemy centre. | Rome's line infantry after the Marian reforms, throwing pila before contact and grinding through sustained melee. |
| Pike phalanx | Anchoring a centre while cavalry decides the battle on the wings. Never for pursuing anything. | Sarissa blocks fielded by Macedon, the Seleucids and Ptolemaic Egypt. |
| War elephants | Punching a hole in a static infantry line early, before enemy skirmishers get a clean angle. | Carthaginian and Eastern shock units that break morale on impact and trample formed infantry. |
| Horse archers | Parthian, Scythian and Roxolani campaigns, and any battle you can afford to fight over distance. | The Parthian and Steppe answer to heavy infantry: fire, withdraw, repeat until morale breaks. |
| Scorpions and onagers | Sieges and defensive battles where the enemy has to walk toward you across open ground. | Field artillery that outranges everything and shreds packed formations and gates. |
Location Efficiency
Italia (Turns 1 to 30): Rome's home province and the richest early economy available. Securing it alongside Magna Graecia before turn 30 is the standard Roman opening because it removes every land threat behind you.
Magna Graecia (Turns 5 to 40): Southern Italy and its Greek colonies, contested between Rome, Syracuse and Carthage. Holding it also puts Sicily and the first naval war within reach.
Africa (Turns 30 to 80): Carthage's home province and the objective that ends the Punic wars. Taking Carthago itself removes the strongest early naval power and hands you a first-rate trade port.
Aegyptus (Turns 60 onward): The Nile provinces, the largest food output on the map and Alexandria's trade income. Whoever holds Egypt can feed a far larger army than their territory suggests.
Britannia (Turns 90 onward): Cold, poor and far from the capital, defended by the Iceni and their chariots. It is a prestige conquest rather than an economic one, and holding it costs garrisons you would rather spend elsewhere.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- Expanding in three directions at once. Every new province drags public order down before it returns anything, and rebel armies spawn behind your front line.
- Assaulting walled capitals without artillery and losing half a veteran army to a garrison of levy troops.
- Chasing horse archers with heavy infantry. Parthian and Steppe armies are built to make you do exactly that, and your line arrives exhausted and shot to pieces.
- Ignoring the politics screen until the civil war notification fires. By then the split is decided and a third of your empire changes sides.
- Disbanding veteran armies to save upkeep, throwing away accumulated traditions that cannot be bought back.
Pro Quick Tips
- Province edicts only unlock once you own every region in a province, so half-conquered provinces cost you unrest without giving you the tools to fix it. Finish one province before opening the next front.
- Food is calculated per province, and a shortage causes attrition and public order damage across every region in it. Build farms in the low-value regions and keep at least a small surplus everywhere you hold.
- Armies gain traditions permanently and lose them when disbanded. Rotate a veteran army back into friendly territory to replenish instead of dissolving it and raising a fresh stack.
- Start with Carthage, switch to Rome when ready
- Invest in Legionary Cohorts above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Italia → Magna Graecia → Africa → Aegyptus → Britannia. See our maps guide
- Province and region system + Public order and food together are stronger than either alone
More Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Guides
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Overview
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Best Builds
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Tier List
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Walkthrough
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Beginner's Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Weapons Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Combat Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Boss Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Maps & Locations
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Crafting Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Classes & Characters
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