Creative Assembly and SEGA released Total War: SHOGUN 2 on 15 March 2011, opening the campaign in 1545 and handing every clan the same win condition: take Kyoto and hold it. Nine clans ship in the base game, each with one signature discount, from Shimazu katana samurai to Mori warships. Fall of the Samurai is a separate standalone expansion set during the 1860s Boshin War, so its Gatling guns and ironclads never show up in the Sengoku campaign covered here.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Realm Divide
Fame climbs as you capture provinces, and somewhere around 13 to 18 provinces every neutral and friendly clan turns on you in the same handful of turns. Peace treaties signed afterwards break the following turn, so the fix is to have full stacks already parked on your borders before you cross the threshold.
Chi and Bushido arts research
Research splits into two branches that advance on separate timers. Chi covers taxes, farming, metsuke reach and trade income, while Bushido covers unit upkeep, morale, siege engines and naval gunnery, and pushing both at once leaves you mediocre in each.
Ashigaru and samurai unit tiers
Ashigaru are conscripted farmers who cost a fraction of a samurai unit and rout once their morale cracks. Samurai hold far longer and hit harder but need the matching dojo chain standing in a province before you can recruit a single one.
Ninja, Metsuke and Monk agents
Ninja assassinate enemy generals and sabotage armies, Metsuke bribe units and stamp out corruption in your own provinces, and Monks convert provinces or stir up rebellion in someone else's. Tokugawa recruit cheaper kisho ninja and get plus 2 percent metsuke success, while Uesugi get plus 2 percent on monk actions.
Castle sieges and province capitals
Each capital upgrade adds another ring of walls an attacker has to break through before reaching the keep, and raises the free garrison that spawns to defend it. A maxed capital lets a small defending force stall a doomstack for several turns while your field army marches back.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Total War: SHOGUN 2 combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oda | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Shimazu | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Takeda | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Chosokabe | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Tokugawa | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Total War: SHOGUN 2 builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Katana Samurai | The standard samurai melee unit, strong against other infantry and terrible against spears braced in a yari wall. | Flanking archers, killing routing units and breaking enemy generals |
| Yari Ashigaru | The cheapest infantry in the game and the answer to cavalry, because the yari wall order turns a rank of peasants into a hedge no horse will charge. | Anchoring the centre of the line and stopping cavalry charges cold |
| Bow Ashigaru | Cheap massed archers with poor accuracy and worse morale than bow samurai, made up for by numbers and the fire arrow order. | Volley fire from high ground and softening a line before contact |
| Matchlock Ashigaru | Slow-reloading gunpowder infantry that hits far harder per shot than a bow but needs an unobstructed line of fire and dry weather. | Punching holes in heavy samurai formations at short to medium range |
| No-Dachi Samurai | Two-handed sword samurai with brutal attack and almost no armour, which means they win the first thirty seconds of a melee and lose anything longer. | Shock charges into already engaged infantry and breaking a wavering line |
Katana Samurai: The standard samurai melee unit, strong against other infantry and terrible against spears braced in a yari wall. Shimazu get theirs cheaper and better, and every clan needs a katana dojo before recruiting them.
Yari Ashigaru: The cheapest infantry in the game and the answer to cavalry, because the yari wall order turns a rank of peasants into a hedge no horse will charge. Morale is poor, so they need a general nearby and friends on both sides.
Bow Ashigaru: Cheap massed archers with poor accuracy and worse morale than bow samurai, made up for by numbers and the fire arrow order. Chosokabe recruit them at a discount and with better stats than anyone else.
Matchlock Ashigaru: Slow-reloading gunpowder infantry that hits far harder per shot than a bow but needs an unobstructed line of fire and dry weather. Rain wrecks their reliability, so never build a plan that depends only on them.
No-Dachi Samurai: Two-handed sword samurai with brutal attack and almost no armour, which means they win the first thirty seconds of a melee and lose anything longer. Date field them cheaper and better, alongside a clan-wide plus 2 charge bonus.
Full breakdowns in our Total War: SHOGUN 2 weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Kyoto | Turn 40 and later on a long campaign | Shogun status, plus 1 morale for all units, plus 2 percent clan tax rate, plus 1 daimyo honour, and access to Great Guard and the Nihon Maru |
| Owari | Turns 1 to 15 as an Oda start | Good farmland, short marching distance to Kyoto and early access to the ashigaru dojo chain |
| Kai | Turns 1 to 20 as a Takeda start | Defensible mountain terrain, horse breeding buildings and quick reach into the eastern provinces |
| Satsuma | Turns 1 to 25 as a Shimazu start | A single chokepoint to garrison, Kyushu trade ports and room to build the katana dojo chain undisturbed |
| Tosa | Turns 1 to 20 as a Chosokabe start | Island isolation, strong farm income and the bow dojo chain that carries the whole campaign |
Kyoto: The imperial capital and the campaign win condition. Take it and hold it for four seasons to be declared Shogun, which is also the point where every remaining clan stops pretending to like you.
Owari: The Oda home province, sitting in central Honshu with Mino and Ise as immediate expansion targets. Its central position is a blessing early and a liability once Realm Divide turns every border into a front.
Kai: The Takeda home province, landlocked and mountainous with hostile neighbours on most sides. There is no safe direction to grow, which is why the Takeda cavalry discount matters so much from the first turns.
Satsuma: The Shimazu home province at the southwestern tip of Kyushu, with a single land approach to defend. The safest opening on the map, at the cost of the longest march to Kyoto once you finally head north.
Tosa: The Chosokabe home province on Shikoku, separated from the main island by water. Clear the island first, then use naval movement to pick which mainland province you invade instead of grinding through a land border.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Count your provinces from turn 10 onward. Realm Divide fires somewhere between 13 and 18 provinces, so keep two full stacks and a war chest ready before you take the province that crosses the line, because you will not get a quiet turn afterwards.
- Yari Ashigaru with the yari wall order will hold any cavalry charge in the game, but only if they are already braced. The order takes a moment to apply, so set it as soon as you see horses moving, not after the charge starts.
- Fight on high ground whenever the map offers it. Archers gain range shooting downhill and lose it shooting up, and infantry charging uphill arrive already tired, which turns a coin-flip battle into a comfortable win.
- Build the dojo chain before you plan a samurai army. A katana dojo in one province only lets you recruit there, so a clan-wide samurai force means either several dojos or a lot of marching new recruits across the map.
- Use Metsuke on your own provinces rather than only on the enemy. Corruption grows with distance from your capital, and a metsuke stationed in a far province can pay for himself several times over in recovered tax income.
- Keep general bodyguards out of melee until the enemy line is already breaking. A dead general costs you the battle morale bonus immediately, and your whole army starts wavering at the worst possible moment.
- Trade nodes generate income every turn you occupy them with a trade ship, and rival clans will raid them. Garrison a small escort fleet near your nodes rather than discovering the loss when the treasury figure drops.
- Match your arts research to your actual plan. If you are running a bow clan like Chosokabe, the Bushido reload and range arts change every battle, while Chi tax arts change the campaign map, and doing half of both leaves you behind in both.
- Autoresolve is harsh on sieges. Assaulting a maxed castle by autoresolve throws away units that a manual assault could preserve, so fight the ones that matter and autoresolve only the lopsided field battles.
- Take Kyoto last, not first. Holding it for four seasons makes you Shogun and unlocks the Great Guard and the Nihon Maru, but it also puts a target on you, so arrive with the army that can hold it rather than the army that just barely took it.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Expanding past 13 provinces with no reserve army, then discovering that every neighbour declared war in the same two turns.
- Sending Katana Samurai head-on into braced Yari Ashigaru, where the spear bonus cancels their entire melee advantage.
- Fielding Matchlock Ashigaru in rain or behind friendly infantry, so they spend the battle unable to fire.
- Ignoring the Chi branch entirely and running out of money halfway through the campaign with a large upkeep bill.
- Leaving conquered provinces without a Metsuke or a garrison, then losing them to rebellion while the field army is elsewhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many clans can you play in the base game?
Nine: Chosokabe, Date, Hojo, Mori, Oda, Shimazu, Takeda, Tokugawa and Uesugi. Hattori, Ikko Ikki and Otomo were added later as separate clan packs.
Is Fall of the Samurai part of Shogun 2?
It is a standalone expansion with its own campaign map and its own roster, set during the 1860s Boshin War rather than the Sengoku period. Nothing in the Sengoku campaign, from ashigaru recruitment to clan bonuses, carries over to it.
What actually triggers Realm Divide?
Rising fame, which comes mostly from capturing provinces and partly from winning battles. It usually fires between 13 and 18 provinces, and holding Kyoto by itself is no longer the trigger.
Which clan is easiest to learn on?
Shimazu. Satsuma has one land approach to defend, the katana samurai discount gives you a straightforward melee plan, and the general loyalty bonus removes the family defection problem that catches new players out.
What do you get for becoming Shogun?
Capturing and holding Kyoto for four seasons grants plus 1 morale to all units, a plus 2 percent clan-wide tax rate, plus 1 daimyo honour, and unlocks recruitment of the Great Guard and the Nihon Maru.
More Total War: SHOGUN 2 Guides
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Best Builds
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Tier List
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Walkthrough
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Beginner's Guide
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Tips & Tricks
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Weapons Guide
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Combat Guide
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Boss Guide
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Maps & Locations
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Crafting Guide
- Total War: SHOGUN 2 Classes & Characters
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