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.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Italia | Province and region system basics | Carthage | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Magna Graecia | Public order and food mastery | Carthage | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Africa | Army traditions and generals + gear | Rome or Carthage | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Aegyptus | Build optimization | Rome | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Britannia | Min-max | Rome or Parthia | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Italia)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Turns 1 to 30 Key Rewards: Provincial edicts, Roman recruitment chains, stable public order
What to Do in Italia
- Learn Province and region system. The Grand Campaign splits into 57 provinces, each built from two to four regions with a single provincial capital. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Carthage as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- 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.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Pike phalanx or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Province and region system fundamentals
- Carthage selected and functional
- Italia main content cleared
- Ready for Magna Graecia
Phase 2: Early Game (Magna Graecia)
Southern Italy and its Greek colonies, contested between Rome, Syracuse and Carthage. Holding it also puts Sicily and the first naval war within reach.
Level/Difficulty: Turns 5 to 40 Key Rewards: Ports, Greek building chains, a Sicilian staging ground
What to Do in Magna Graecia
- Work on Public order and food. Food surplus feeds growth while a shortage causes attrition and unrest across an entire province. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Pike phalanx if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- 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.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Africa.
- Consider whether Rome might suit your playstyle better than Carthage.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Public order and food integrated into gameplay
- Pike phalanx acquired
- Magna Graecia fully cleared
- Ready for Africa
Phase 3: Mid Game (Africa)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Turns 30 to 80 Key Rewards: Carthago, African trade income, elephant recruitment
What to Do in Africa
- Master Army traditions and generals. Armies are permanent objects tied to a general and accumulate traditions over campaigns, granting real bonuses such as faster movement or better ambush odds. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Legionary Cohorts. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- 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.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Political parties and civil war for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Army traditions and generals mastered
- Legionary Cohorts acquired or in progress
- Africa fully cleared
- Ready for Aegyptus
Phase 4: Late Game (Aegyptus)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Turns 60 onward Key Rewards: Alexandria, large food surplus, grain trade
What to Do in Aegyptus
- Finalize your build. You should be running Rome or Carthage with optimized gear.
- Legionary Cohorts should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- 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.
- Combined land and naval battles optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Britannia.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Legionary Cohorts upgraded to max
- Aegyptus fully cleared
- Ready for Britannia
Phase 5: Endgame (Britannia)
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.
Level/Difficulty: Turns 90 onward Key Rewards: Victory condition regions, tin trade, Iceni chariot territory
What to Do in Britannia
- Britannia tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- 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.
- The endgame loop: run Britannia, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Parthia for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Combined land and naval battles mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Britannia fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- 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.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
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 Beginner's Guide
- Total War: ROME II - Emperor Edition Tips & Tricks
- 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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