MUST-HAVE DLC - Total War: Shogun 2 DLC Overview!

Get Shogun 2 here: tinyurl.com/y9mmcjey (use discount code "SmartDonkey" on checkout for an extra 10% off)
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Welcome to my DLC Overview on Total War: Shogun 2! In this video I go over all the available DLC for Shogun 2 base game, telling you which are a must-have, and which are better ignored.
List of videos mentioned throughout this video:
Clan Overviews: • Clan Overviews - Total...
Top X: • Top X - Total War: Sho...
Watch the entire Must-Have DLC series: • MUST-HAVE DLC - Total ...
Music:
Derek & Brandon Fiechter: • Beautiful Japanese Mus...
Mods:
Extended Camera Minimod: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles...
Vastator Unit Style 1.3: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
Deathbowl Custom Map: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
Main Menu Replacer - Sky: steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
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Keep in touch with MrSmartDonkey!
Patreon: / mrsmartdonkey
Discord: discordapp.com/invite/9ajvAdx
2Game: tinyurl.com/yb6smjrz (use code "SmartDonkey" on checkout for 10% off)
Twitter: / mrsmartdonkeylp
Twitch: / mrsmartdonkey
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Total War: Shogun 2 Gameplay Information:
In the darkest age of Japan, endless war leaves a country divided. It is the middle of the 16th Century in Feudal Japan. The country, once ruled by a unified government, is now split into many warring clans. Ten legendary warlords strive for supremacy as conspiracies and conflicts wither the empire. Only one will rise above all to win the heart of a nation as the new shogun...The others will die by his sword.
Take on the role of one Daimyo, the clan leader, and use military engagements, economics and diplomacy to achieve the ultimate goal: re-unite Japan under his supreme command and become the new Shogun - the undisputed ruler of a pacified nation.
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Total War: Shogun 2 Features:
Total War: SHOGUN 2 features enhanced full 3D battles via land and sea, which made a name for the series, as well as the tactical campaign map that many refer to as the heart and soul of Total War. Featuring a brand new AI system inspired by the scriptures that influenced Japanese warfare, the millennia old Chinese “Art of War”, the Creative Assembly brings the wisdom of Master Sun Tsu to Total War: SHOGUN 2. Analysing this ancient text enabled the Creative Assembly to implement easy to understand yet deep strategical gameplay.
CONQUER the islands of Japan in the 16th century. Lead vast armies of samurai and fleets of giant warships into breathtaking real-time battles.
BUILD your kingdom on the inviting and turn-based campaign map. Wield economic, political, and military power to amass wealth, armies, and influence.
SCHEME according to the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu. Use fire and siege tactics, spies and assassins to adapt to the ever-changing conditions on the battlefield and throughout your kingdom.
BATTLE ONLINE and experience the main campaign in two-player mode. Then join epic online battles with up to 8 players and lead your online army to glory in special campaigns.
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For more information on Total War: Shogun 2, check out these links:
Total War: Shogun 2 Official Website: wiki.totalwar.com/w/Total_War_...
Download Total War: Shogun 2 on Steam: store.steampowered.com/app/201...
Official Total War: Shogun 2 Trailer: • Total War: Shogun 2 - ...
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Total War: Shogun 2 is developed by Creative Assembly.

[@NUSensei]

Correction: if someone held a yari wall to your head, you should buy the Sengoku Jidai pack.

[@superspies32]

I buy that modpack and steamrolled entire Japan with golden armor Mori Waku Raider

[@IAmTh3Doom]

Shut up already you spammer.

[@mares3048]

Correction: if someone put a matchlock to your head !

[@Antonin1738]

Just be wary of Fall of the Samurai. The entire battle strat changes because your line infantry becomes rifle-based infantry instead of swords/spears.

[@flaggy185]

Ashigaru dominate, baby!

[@redtsun67]

One thing I really loved about Shogun 2 was how clean and simple the art was. The unit cards, building cards, and pretty much everything else was easy to identify and looked good. Rise of the Samurai just has this weird cluttered, confusing look to the unit and building cards that make the game hard to play for me. Maybe that's just me though.

[@holdenennis]

For me, the art of Rise of the Samurai evoked a Japan that was less developed and more simple and rural than that of the main game.

[@thedisastricartist5075]

@@holdenennis si

[@Duke_of_Lorraine]

Shogun 2 went for traditional japanese art style while FOTS used a colourised photos style from the time period. One great touch is the colour code, red for traditional and blue for modern units. But yes some unit cards are too close from others and some distinctive signs (say a color indicator for the Aizu replacements of regular line infantry) would have helped.

[@wreckthesecond3883]

The historical battle with the hattori Clan makes sense, since hattori ninja were heavily involved in the Battle, known for winning it by surprising the takeda and shattering their army.

[@tomzicare]

Did CA ever answer why Hattori and Tokugawa kisho ninja fix was never introduced? I know there's a mod but such a simple fix for two factions whose bonuses are to kisho ninjas is pretty ridiculous.

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Don't think so, it is very odd isn't it? How they just left that completely unpatched.

[@CT-3743_DeadEye]

I actually think that 2 waves of bombs is better than 11 because more often than not you are also blowing up friendly and enemy units or even the walls that your units were supposed to protect (my unit whent from 60 down to 23 after blowing the very ground beneath their own feet up) I personally never see the need for more than 2 waves. That being said I do think that they could have given their melee abilities a buff compared to the standard unit

[@JbJbJb009]

@@CT-3743_DeadEye Then just tell them not to shoot

[@calebclarke69]

@@JbJbJb009 just bow lol

[@BaileyBPF]

Similarly they never patched the 2 handed weapons bug for Medieval 2 which is a real shame as it rules out the viability of a whole bunch of the more interesting units.

[@blackscorpio444]

Rise of the Samurai DLC on Very Hard Mode Vanilla is pretty much impossible to beat as the Fujiwara. 1. You have to spend time "converting" provinces to your faction 2. You have 4 most powerful factions who already hate you in the beginning and will team up to destroy you. 3. Limited mobility from Northern Japan. Betray your sister family and everyone will hate you. That makes diplomacy research useless. You can build a big navy to take over Echigo, but then multiple stacks of enemies will swarm Echigo. 4. You will only have the finances to make one stack of mixed superior units with levies. But then you lack the manpower to expand and conquer other heavy stacked provinces. I challenge anyone to prove me wrong by making videos and beating the campaign on Very Hard Vanilla as the Fujiwara.

[@thepetrifiedbard1646]

Minamoto is even worse because you get sandwiched by two clans who beeline straight for you. Kiso minamoto is especially difficult due to their pretty shit traits.

[@mean7745]

I can't be bothered to leave a comment, so I'm just typing this. Love you MrSmartDonkey

[@richardpickman7594]

Blood pack is dlc so that they can have a T rating instead of M. However it has to be relatively expensive or they can get sued for passing it off as an update rather than paid dlc. The rules are diffrent because it would change its rating. This is the same for all total wars and why they all have blood pack dlc

[@Someone-wj1lf]

@Dyl A bit late but I’ll answer, it limits what type of publicity and to who you can market it, ultimately meaning less sales. Can’t be marketed to children for instance.

[@liao2211]

I actually really like ROTS over the vanilla, I think it’s because it takes place during my favorite era; The Gempei War. And also it has a bit more political intrigue to it. But it’s just my opinion.

[@someorclad9738]

@Alvi Syahri True that. The Gempei War was interesting, and the political scene of the entire period was intriguing. Granted it had no interesting personages (the Sengoku Jidai had Nobunaga Oda, one of the greatest men to have ever lived, and several others) but all and all, it was pretty alright. Sadly as you said, not many people have an interest in the period. I actually quite enjoy the DLC. Its meh when you compare it to vanilla and FoTS, but its quite solid. But again, due to lack of coverage and not many bombastically glorious things happening (there is no Demon King equivalent nor great massacres and chad events in the period sadly), I really can't enjoy it as much as I should.

[@Vincrand]

These are fo sure positives for ROTS, what I personally don't like about it is how bad the cheapest units are and how strong the samurai are (even though their unit size is small). The differences between the quality of the units is too big imo.

[@michaelhawkins7389]

I think the blood dlc makes it so more fun and realistic of a battle

[@scarecrow2097]

Lol 1.59? They increased the blood pack up to 2.99 😂

[@bigcrowe9573]

the game is now free

[@bigcrowe9573]

...i got it for free right now

[@eronicson8176]

@@bigcrowe9573 but the blood pack aint

[@scarecrow2097]

@@bigcrowe9573 me to, and all legit dlcs got massive discounts. How that justifies the blood pack getting doubled its already overpriced price? (and it appears 2.99 will be it's standard price now)

[@bigcrowe9573]

@@scarecrow2097 iv gotta say it, better red than dead

[@marksargeant1019]

Just get Shogun 2 and Fall of the Samurai then you don't really need any other TW game. You've got all the bases covered from traditional melee combat to firearms.

[@Vincrand]

I'd say Warhammer III is still a good addition if you don't mind the fantasy aspect. All factions have unique mechanics, research tree (even the mechanics of the research tree can differ) and unit roster.

[@justdoinmything]

Blood pack can help you tell what unit is taking a lot of damage from ranged attackers without clicking on them

[@michaelbabcock186]

None are “necessary” but all have good value.

[@calebclarke69]

Well... that is usually the point of dlc

[@Sharnoy1]

@@calebclarke69 at least it used to be...

[@italocastillo7113]

sengoku jidai was not necessary until i got to those beautiful Fire Cavs who destroyed my enemies

[@desousatheo3534]

Whaaat? donderbuss cavalery fire over the head of turcos? My life was a lie !

[@oscardelafuente8649]

Tercios*

[@pilotlist6276]

@@oscardelafuente8649 no its tercos

[@headsetsquirrel2581]

@@pilotlist6276 No, it´s tarcius

[@someorclad9738]

No, its tacos

[@MagicianCamille]

ToB was just on sale and a good number of folks on r/totalwar have been playing it again with all the new changes. Might be worth doing a video or LP on it.

[@jackstone112]

i started playing total war shogun 2 and all it's dlc cuz of you! ^^

[@warvester]

If someone held a matchlock rifle to your head, then hope it's an ashigaru, and buy the Sengoku Jidai dlc pack.

[@crappyworldbuilder1423]

I've bought all this DLC but still watch it ❤️

[@mountainshark2388]

this is great can you pls make similar videos for other total war games

[@MrTheWaterbear]

I got the full pack when it was massive on sale for like... I don’t know, either 7UER or 17EUR? It was amazing, and I never had to worry about which DLC I had unlike with EU4 XD

[@Narvaljodchik]

They did a similar thing with EU4 in 2021, with the game and every major DLC for it (except for Conquest of Paradise) being like 17 or 21 Euros on Humble Bundle

[@MrTheWaterbear]

@@Narvaljodchik Now EU4 has the monthly subscription thingy, which is pretty nice. Let’s me choose which months I want access to the full game, and when I just wanna focus on other things.

[@ryanbarron5696]

Is Fall of the samurai still worth it since they jacked up the price?

[@valkion4570]

Very helpful

[@WrathOfTheShaft]

I enjoyed ROTS quite a bit, the diplomatic approach with your agents was a nice addition and the generals guard being mounted cavalry is so badass! That would be nice to have in the base game. I do agree that the clans feel kinda the same, and it really sucks not having yari ashigaru! Felt like relearning how to play the game with how much I rely on them.

[@douglasfavaretto]

Great video!!

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Thank you kindly!

[@Kairac112]

Avatar Conquest is not dead! Sure, it can take a while to find games and sure, you may only fight mixed avatars, but the game is alive!!

[@lordvoldemort953]

Avatar conquest is only dead if you come from countries with weird time zones.

[@Kairac112]

Personally, I've played with australians, americans and chinese people in Avatar conquest, the only issue being neither of us having a good enough internet connection to play without lag. But I've also played with Europeans (I am European too) and lagless battles are awesome. I would try to create channels in the chat, something a bit coherent not the usual 'YABOI SEXCHAT' that you find in Shogun 2, instead go for something simple: matchmaking, talk it out, host your battles, make rules.

[@glitchyghosting5798]

Who could Look at the Thumbnail, read the Title and watch the video and still dislike it. I mean what was this person expecting?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

There's always haters, people who dislike for the sake of disliking, or maybe some people genuinely didn't like the video, always possible.

[@michaelhawkins7389]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP You forgot to talk about the FALL OF THE SAMURI DLC

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

No, I didn’t, I made a separate video about that, pretty sure I mention that in the video too.

[@michaelhawkins7389]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP oh :)

[@glitchyghosting5798]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP wow still replying to comments on video even a year later 😁

[@lavaris2834]

I have an idea for a new Video: How to fight against bow units with matchlock units(or just matchlock vs bows) Including Tactics, Benefits and Overall Information(but not about specific units, you have the Top 5 Video already) Long explanation ahead(I wrote more than I actually Wanted ^^') The Main reason I ask for this is because I didn't use matchlock in my first 10 hours of shogun 2. Then I tried them once and, because I got destroyed, never even looked at them again for the next 40 hours. Until I wanted to make a shimazu legendary Campaign and after I saw and read about heavy gunners. So I tried to play them. They are strong, indeed. And even though I managed to finish my first legendary Campaign Two Days back, it was not because of them and everytime I used them they just got "sniped" by the Enemy archers, before I could effectivly use them. So Maybe you could make a matchlock tutorial(against bows specifically), because I think most of the Players have a hard Time with matchlock in the beginning(I only played Rome I and Medieval II so Guns were completely new for me). If you already made such a Video and I just overlooked it(like the merch links -.-' xD) or if you don't make tutorial like videos then I'd be Happy if you could send the links and am sorry for Stealing your Time.

[@superspies32]

Matchlock is very good at defend castle. I usually use them to soften Nagitama Samurai trying to climb into the wall.

[@todalio9238]

No mention of Ikko unique religion ?

[@Real_British]

Shogun 2 DLC always got discount, except blood pack

[@swiftnote8214]

i have no idea why I am watching this cause I already have all shogun 2 dlc but fuck it MrSmartDonkey video is good video

[@prinkol2595]

Hi, if I buy Total War: SHOGUN 2 - Sengoku Jidai Unit Pack, but my friend doesn't, will I be able to hire new units in a cooperative campaign?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I believe you both need the DLC for it to work.

[@jordan390]

few weeks ago I purchased shogun 2 on cdkeys for 4 pound, after a few hours I realised most of the best units are DLC and little did I know that the collection edition was on cdkeys for and extra pound! so I re bought the game and got all DLC's for 5 quid...so annoying

[@balken20]

Soo where is the top hero units list?

[@SpaceKnight105]

The reason why it has pay on the blood pack is because CA knew that kids can also play total war

[@User-hv2sz]

@Akin Celik Agreed. Even if blood dlc was necessary,it shouldn't cost $3. In fact,the DLC used to cost $1.50 but they bumped up the price. Not only that,but the blood DLCs will never go on sale anymore. I bought shogun 2 this steam sale (so good) and the blood dlc cost half the price of the actual game. Blood effects.

[@We3dCraftLP]

Otomo is my favorit clan besides takeda, becuase FIRE IN THE HOLE

[@marcosgonzalez4728]

Sengoku Jidai or IKKO IKKI dlcs?

[@Welkon1]

Avatar conquest isn’t dead wtf

[@simpicusmaximus]

As far as the blood and gore pack. I disliked it when I first got it then after I turned it off I realized I could no longer play without it. The animations and the blood really are probably the best in this versus the blood pack for any of the other total war games.

[@guilherme95069]

To late for me i really would have loved this video about 2 years ago when i started playing

[@ProGamerLee21]

Buys shogun 2 for full price next day 75% off 😑 but steam has a support so got the 75% back

[@aksel864]

Question: I have shogun 2 and my friend has fall of the samurai. Can we play against each other or is this not possible ?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

You can play multiplayer battles against each other, but not campaign.

[@aksel864]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP thanks

[@koreancowboy42]

I have all dlcs so ehhh. *shrugs* I say if you wanna be adventurous and have fun and just play any of them then buy them all and try them out All personal preferences

[@GeassEnabler]

One of my biggest steam blunders was buying the Dragon War pack and Fall of the Samurai

[@holdenennis]

My biggest Steam blunder was in 2012 and relates to the same game. I asked my parents for Shogun 2, so my dad got me FOTS, not knowing the difference between it and the main game. I was sad because I wanted samurai and not Victorian warfare, and I wanted the main game. But I thought I had to make a new Steam account and get the main game on that one, which I did. That's why I have two Steam accounts with mostly different games on them.

[@jackdipompeo7732]

What are your opinions on three kingdoms?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

It's great, I prefer it over Shogun 2 in everything but battles.

[@jackdipompeo7732]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP oh OK

[@wisnuadji6124]

i got blood pack for free, so... yea pretty god deal for me

[@crazyd4ve875]

Fall of the Samurai 30 dollars now

[@Sharnoy1]

Such a cool video! Although someone might argue it's about seven years too late :P

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Oh, I'm expecting it, but I made it for those who keep asking me the questions I talked about in the beginning so I can just link them to this video. Similar to the FAQ video I did a few years ago. Whenever someone asks me something I answered in that I can just link them the video instead of explaining it over and over again.

[@Sharnoy1]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP Yes that is very clever from your part and I understand it must be a pain answering the same questions over and over again. I just find it odd there are so many people playing Shogun 2 without all the DLC, as almost all of them are "must buy" just like you stated in the video. Thanks for answering!

[@beko2965]

i bought dragon war thinking i would get to unlock those clans..

[@Gilmaris]

I don't see the Rise of the Samurai unit roster as lacking. If anything, vanilla Shogun 2 is bloated with units, including numerous ahistorical ones. "Katana samurai", for example, were added to provide the classic rock, paper, scissors mechanic that has been a Total War staple since Medieval, but the naginata units fill this role well enough. The original Shogun had 11 units (an additional three with the expansion), none of which were clan unique. The supposed lack of unit variety was never a criticism against the game. If anything, there were perhaps too many even then. The heavy cavalry was pretty much useless, and the naginata cavalry was OP; the battlefield ninja were more show than go, and the kensai was - seriously OP. RotS has 16 units (not counting heroes), none of them clan unique, but why should they be? They seem to be better balanced than the original Shogun's 14, and they have a very refreshing nerf to archer accuracy. Vanilla Shogun 2 doesn't really have that many more units. A little more than 20 universal ones, sans heroes, and then a boat-load of clan-specific variations. Most of these are just fluff which makes balancing more complicated. Rise of the Samurai has a much neater unit roster, and is much truer to its era than vanilla is. It has its own unique feel, and if you like the historical period you might very well like it more than vanilla. This is why, to me, RotS is the _only_ "must have" ULC. Yes, I call it ULC, because it's unlockable, not downloadable, content. All of Shogun 2's so-called "DLC"s are already installed with vanilla, you just pay to unlock them.

[@Alex-np7sm]

What map is he playing on?

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

As per the description: Deathbowl Custom Map: steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=840848772

[@crusaderanimation6967]

4:20 yep I agree must have I mean, what's the point of buying s2tw if you can't swipe pagans with gans and converting Japan to Christianity while simping for gun Jesus.

[@bigcrowe9573]

ITS FREEEEEEEEEEE

[@butter5842]

For me blood and gore pack is pay to reduce my fps or crash my game lol

[@JuniorJuni070]

I lost my gold edition when i forgot my old steam account.. gods i was strong then With that legendary armor and hatorri and shit it was beautiful. Especially those fucking monks with the clubs. They were my death squad and they just raped people online

[@huy3103]

Blood DLC 1111

[@devioustea]

2game has restrictions for the USA for this game. RIP

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

Just change the currency to US, then it’s fine.

[@morganwithaneevee246]

I just can't sit through a campaign of RoTS... To me it's just so boring, and doesn't differentiate itself enough from vanilla. It's just dumbed down Shogun 2.

[@Sharnoy1]

Ikr. I think I haven't made it even 10 turns in RoTS even though I have 350+ hours in Shogun 2 and FoTS.

[@KCzz15]

I'm just shy of 800 hours in Shogun 2, maybe 5 minutes of that was RotS.

[@user-sv4zv6rr5p]

.

[@mork7315]

..

[@ianismantu6660]

...

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

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[@turnbruh2333]

.....

[@seanurbik2689]

......

[@MagicianCamille]

4:10 sacrificing your gunpowder infantry like that, smh

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I sincerely hope you are joking. For one, it was literally just a showcase of the units, two, I didn’t have any melee units in that battle, and three as Luke already said, Portuguese Tercos are actually really good in melee, they rival Katana Samurai. Their role is literally to fire a volley or two and then charge in.

[@_greenrunner_]

Clearly you haven’t olayed the game, the Tercos slaughter ashigaru in melee, heck even samurai, unless they are in Yari wall

[@iamplay797]

i still think you should play master of strategie mod donkey its awsome ))

[@MrSmartDonkeyLP]

I remember thinking the old version was okay, but I didn't like the updated version, which at this point is probably close to a year old.

[@gibbled0]

@@MrSmartDonkeyLP It's still being updated actually. They just added new character skill trees in the latest patch. I know you think the campaign is too long with the new map, but you don't need to conquer the whole map every playthrough. Just think of all the videos you could make with all the new factions and units!

[@CT-3743_DeadEye]

I hate playing Otomo because of how much better archer units are compared to gunpowder units

[@Sharnoy1]

Not going as far as "hating" Otomo, but yes I share your frustration. It's always the better option to go for FOTS if you want to play with gunpowder.

[@CT-3743_DeadEye]

@@Sharnoy1 I completed the Otomo campaign once and I think my Portuguese Tercos killed more in melee combat than that they did with their guns Edit: fixed an awkward grammar mistake