Ranking EVERY DLC For ROME II (2020 Tier list)

[@alejandrop.s.3942]

You forgot that culture packs also add some units. For instance, the Greek culture pack also adds Agrianian Axemen and Aspis Companion Cavalry for Macedon and Epirus, which are awesome units.

[@happycompy]

This is a very good point! I am going to pin your comment.

[@johannesmuermans1065]

Z tier (bought it anyway)

[@JonatasAdoM]

Can't imagine the game without agrarian axemen. I thought it came with the came.

[@nihaljog475]

How can I add mercenary tracian warrior in Macedon rosters for multiplayer Battle

[@alejandrop.s.3942]

@@nihaljog475 I think you need Greek cultures or Pirates & Raiders pack, I don't recall which one.

[@John-yg8fn]

You forgot the best dlc creative assembly ever made the good old blood and gore pack

[@happycompy]

F tier.

[@legiohysterius4624]

Z tier

[@Dragonus91]

Blood DLC starts to sound good after you've played Troy for 1,5 months without gore

[@legiohysterius4624]

@St. Petersberg I dident buy it cause it looks like jelly to me

[@happycompy]

@@Dragonus91 This is the truth right here.

[@JonatasAdoM]

When you buy the complete edition, and suddenly it isn't complete anymore.

[@happycompy]

F

[@snowfox-xc1qq]

F

[@chargingnoisesintensify6335]

f

[@nomooon]

I was so shocked to discover that Greek city states are only available through DLC.... Wouldn't be surprised if they made Rome TW III with only rome and carthage, and every other faction is a DLC...

[@happycompy]

Don't curse us like that...

[@bencatzilla]

yeah fuck this

[@chnb517]

Just wait till they sell the campaign map as a dlc

[@SilverSoulxd]

I remember pre ordering Rome II around 2013 only because they gave for free the greek city states DLC if you pre ordered. Kinda lame how they lock factions behind DLC, but that's just how things work now. Since Rome II it's been like that and it's not gonna change.

[@Tsintch7568]

Rome would be sold separately like Blood and Gore

[@grandmarshallkingwolfman420]

"it has a lot of DLC" *laughs in Paradox Interactive"

[@happycompy]

Trueeee. Wh2 is getting up there too.

[@ImaginaShip]

I love it when there's a base game to accompany my DLCs.

[@happycompy]

@@ImaginaShip hahahahahs

[@holechek]

@@happycompy They managed to combine two games into one. Boutta be Three games.

[@canadian__ninja]

The one thing I'll say about Sparta's missile units is that starting in Hellas means they can hire Kretan archers basically immediately as mercs. Expensive, yes, but elite archers + elite hoplites are a good combo.

[@happycompy]

This is a very good point

[@bluey_fan968]

Good point but you really don’t need them that much Mercs are just to expensive I would rather have 5 archer units then 1 Cretan archer

[@wingsofpizza9909]

When I first got this game I thought Rise of the Republic was the tutorial, it was a hard lesson, but I still managed to beat it! Needless to say I was surprised when I started the Grand Campaign, braced for an extremely difficult time.

[@happycompy]

Hahahah I can see why you were confused. The official tutorial is pretty much a broken mess anyway, so you didn't miss out.

[@alexandrosmirza5405]

KZbin recommended me this and only mid way through the video I realized you're a pretty small channel and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of your videos. You've earned yourself a subscriber, really looking forward in to seeing you grow even more!

[@happycompy]

Thank you very much for that, it means a lot! There's plenty more content on the way.

[@angelyotov8246]

Was thinking the same thing ..maybe he needs to do diffrent game or something ..

[@rossbobfdsfvfscx5887]

same

[@crusader7659]

Absolutely nailed the Rise of the Republic dlc review, perfection if they made the Etruscan League playable in the Grand Campaign. Still the best dlc they’ve made for Rome 2. I’d personally put Caesar in Gaul higher up because the Gallic factions unlocked in the Grand Campaign were pretty solid on top of a rather cool side campaign, so at least B tier if not A tier.

[@happycompy]

Thank you for the comment ! Yeah, I agree about the CiG factions. Galatia is one of my favorite barbarian factions (I LOVE Galatian Legionaires!), but the value for money ratio goes way down if you look at the DLC as a faction pack.

[@blecis74]

I think if factions were to be unlocked with RotR then the Veneti and Insubres should have been considered along with the Etruscan League, as all three are in the Grand Campaign

[@pixelpeoplewarrior4221]

Him: Don’t buy the Greek Cities pack Me after reading about it on Steam: _How about I do anyways_

[@happycompy]

If it makes you feel any better I pre-ordered Rome 2 which is how I got the Greek states.

[@pixelpeoplewarrior4221]

@@happycompy Yeah. I’ve seen a lot of Positives and Negatives, but ultimately I’m buying it for the rivalry I can recreate between Athens and Sparta. I’m super into that. Also I love your content!

[@FilipMoncrief]

This video is S tier

[@happycompy]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@godisforever7263]

That is the truth

[@george5677]

Wrath of Sparta is the most realistic campaign pack

[@happycompy]

I agree.

[@f3wbs]

I preordered Rome 2 and went through its various patches. I have close to 3.9k hours into the game, most of it spent playing campaigns. I still haven’t finished an Ardiaei campaign, but I got close once. Unfortunately my laptop malfunctioned so I lost the file but I’m planning on finishing one this year. I’ve come to realize that even though the Ardiaei are super weak, the talent/armour ratio for their hoplites is higher than veteran hoplites. Why I mention this is because against missiles they fair the exact same and if you can put yourself in a situation where you can go into hoplite phalanx, can’t get flanked, and are up against a high base damage but low attack (the Gauls for example), you can tank better than Sparta. Then there are the Illyrian Marines who only suck because they’re not a sword unit in a game that benefits melee infantry. They actually become dangerous when they’re not the focus of attention because unlike Thureos Spears, they have a somewhat high attack. I’ve used them to great effect against other spear units and keep them as a second line to when the biggest threat is sword infantry. The Ardiaei are unique in that their only regular missiles are slaves, meaning you have to have the tier 2 slave building in order to be able to fight at range outside of settlements. This is an obvious handicap but I welcome it since I’ve come to understand Sparta before the Daughters of Mars pack and their whole one sidedness. I feel that it’s still worth getting them because extra javelins don’t hurt and slingers are usually useful but you have superior tanking capabilities compared to the other factions in the game. I don’t “love” the faction because I’m more of an offensive player but they get dunked on all the time because of their emphasis on defence over offence, although not as much as the issues you brought up. I wouldn’t mind more units to their roster but assuming CA leaves the faction as is, I’ll still use them in multiplayer. I mean someone has to, right?

[@unnamedshadow1866]

The Desert Kingdoms DLC clearly shows CA taking notes from the Warhammer DLC that add actual interesting shit.

[@happycompy]

I couldn't agree more. Feels like an earlier WH DLC.

[@Redsox4444443]

I know it was freeLC, but the best added campaign IMO was imperator Augustus. Fun time period, lots of interesting factions, and the fun challenge of four different Romes to win as.

[@happycompy]

IA is the campaign I've played the most besides the Grand Campaign.

[@rethsogan251]

Can’t believe I actually bought the nomad factions. It’s been over a year and I still have yet to even play a battle with them.

[@happycompy]

We were both burned.

[@SheepStrategos]

"Surrounded by neighbors who hate them, a common theme with the Balkan factions" Nice to see they kept the tradition! Lol

[@mikaeljohansson101]

I suppose I'm one of those odd fellas who actually love the Ardiaei faction both in multiplayer and in the campaign. Unlike Tylis and the Odryssian Kingdom, you can actually befriend the Greek States very easily. Simply make sure to put together a large enough army as soon as possible (use mercs if you have to) but do not attack Epirus before making diplomatic contact with Athens and Sparta (Very Important!). Sparta commonly goes to war with Epirus more or less instantly. Simply offer them to join the war against Epirus. Once they accept your offer, then make your move on Apollonia. This way Sparta and Athens won't turn hostile once you conquer Apollonia. Your odds of negotiating a non aggression pact with both also improves dramatically. Once Apollonia is yours, don't touch the barracks(!) At this point in the game you won't have made enough progress in the research tree to unlock Illyrian Hoplites yet, but with the upgraded barracks already at Apollonia, you can actually produce them directly without the need for the research achievement. This gives you a major military advantage against your northern neighbours as well as a chance to actually break some ground in other research disciplines that will put you ahead of the AI factions later on. Moving on to multiplayer and the faction units in general. Illyrian Levies and Raiders are indeed shit. The absencre of any sort of archer unit as well as quality cavalry is also a kick to the groin. However, in multiplayer you also receive the option to recruit 4x Mercenary Celtic Warriors and Axe Warriors, who are both excellent lower tier units at their respective prize point. You also get Peltasts.Illyrian Hoplites and their Noble Hoplite upgrade are also fantastic units. The noble version in particular is very durable and have consistently outperformed the majority of the game's other top-tier units 1-on-1. Then we have the Illyrian Marines, and IMO the single most underrated unit in the game. They are a great missile unit that can easily go toe to toe with some of the better Peltast units in damage output. They are also decent at defending and nothing short of phenomenal at flanking (far better than Thracian Warriors IMO). The problem I believe people have with this faction in multiplayer is that they simply arent utilizing it the right way. The Ardiaei should IMO be played as a support faction in battles of 3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4 where you target enemy flanks and general weak points, which means tons of micro management. In siege battles, turn to your hoplites in the late game to kill minutes off the clock. I don't consider myself a great player in multiplayer, but I have generally had a lot of success against faction like Rome, Egypt and barbarian factions with the Ardiaei.

[@happycompy]

Great writeup! I want to try that Ardiaei campaign opener now! The bit about not deleting the barracks is brilliant.

[@picogagula448]

Im more agressive player so best thing is to use epirus and macedon (if they want) as allies, but epirus is enough to combine forces to attack athens and sparta. But all credit goes to my champion that make my troops more experienced. After 1 or 2 main battles that will be long battles cos hoplites killing very slow and use javelins of raiders and marines behind enemy back. but you can prevail against athens and sparta and poisoning troops with spy is also helpfull.

[@zal7782]

Weirdly the Illyrians have seen a revival in multiplayer. Those off brand thureos spears are damn good at ripping shit apart. Yeah you don’t have cav but your tanky line of hoplites can hold while your Javelins rip shit apart

[@MTCoblivsicas12345]

1) Imperator Augustus 2) Empire Divded 3) Rise of the Republic 4) Wrath of Sparta 5) Hannibal at the gates 6) Cesar in Gaul Just my opinion as Hannibal can be recreated using main campaign. So can Cesear in Gaul.

[@BlackHawkDownSD]

I just got rome 2 and fell in love with it! I know im 3 years late but thank you so much for the video

[@happycompy]

I'm glad you're enjoying it man!

[@smokeclay4346]

The Ardiaei are great! You need a change of tact. They have superiority at sea and can recruit high tier ships within 3 or so turns. You can dominate the oceans with ease. Play defensively on land and aggressive on the sea and you'll smash. Different and fun play style, also good if you want to learn naval tactics.

[@happycompy]

I agree that their naval game is strong. Also you can make absurd money raiding trade routes with your navies. But their roster is very boring to me.

[@ylberlezha]

As an Illyrian myself I have to say honestly they butchered this factions playability by far the ships are nice and all but naval gameplay is still lacking in Rome 2 shogun 2 had better naval battles than anything else empire total war was ok but very unbalanced in naval battles this is one aspect they haven’t quite got down so it rendered this culture pack shitty and underdone by far Dei and new world did a good job re fleshing those rosters and filling them out much better than anything ca did you would think in two rome total war games they would give factions so close to rome some more attention

[@cohortConnor]

Taras is broken in Rise of the Republic and I absolutely love it.

[@Cliperclaper]

I honestly think that Empire Divided is my favorite campaign pack, I love playing as Rome, even though they have a very hard start. Rome is basically my two favorite factions( Seleucid and GC Rome) combined, as it has legionaries AND pikeman, and I like stacking them on top of one another to gain an added defense bonus. The Barbarian factions do seem like filler, but I think that just adds flare to playing as them.

[@happycompy]

You know I never thought of that. Rome in ED is like a Hellenic/Roman blend.

[@EchoClam]

Empire Divided is amazing it might be the best historical TW campaign too exist.

[@Grandmastergav86]

Outstanding video - definitely "S" tier, glad to have stumbled across the channel.

[@happycompy]

Thank you!

[@ChefGuevara267]

As an active DEI player, the campaigns themselves are pretty useless to me but the faction unlocks are great. It was hilarious though that I had started a Masaeyli game before they became DLC and had to buy them suddenly lol. That said, that is probably my strongest argument for nomads, DEI makes them all pretty cool roster wise.

[@guesmouh6814]

@@RodrigoRocha-of2xb well in general the more dlcs you have the more mods effect your game and the more content you get. And some mods require certain dlcs

[@ZubiForce]

At 17:29 you had me looking for me phone! Good video thought, I only have some of these and for example always ignored "black sea culture pack" assuming it was a lazy DLC:

[@happycompy]

I thought the same thing about BSC, mostly because the culture pack releases up to that point had been let downs. Thanks for checking out the video!

[@FelixTheory]

You should make for of these, for Atilla and other TW games.

[@happycompy]

Attila will be next, you can be sure of that my friend :)

[@RedContingency]

You think CA is ever gonna do a dlc bundle for this game? As it stands I don’t touch much of the TW DLCs because I feel like they provide so little for such a steep price. A bundle or even multiple smaller bundles would change my mind easily.

[@happycompy]

They've released the Spartan Edition bundle before. I believe it includes the Wrath of Sparta & Greek Cities DLC.

[@nickwoodfin2690]

Caeser in Gaul shines in competitive campaign. The Celtic player gets the campaign advantage but the Roman player has the battle advantage. There is an interesting asymmetry that shines into an actual guerilla war.

[@noahsinnema3348]

This helped a lot, thanks! bought all the A tier and up during the autumn steam sale. Keep up the good work and gl defeating those pesky Rome-hating rebels!

[@happycompy]

Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful! Good luck in your campaigns!

[@frederickbeuttler2811]

I don't think the Nomadic pack is that bad. I have had a ton of fun playing as Royal Scythia and Massagetae. Since it came out before Attila and Warhammer, I didn't feel like I was missing out by not having horde gameplay. I just loved full horse archer stacks so much. I one-tricked them to full map victories at least twice. And if you have the Daughters of Mars dlc, the Royal Scythians have light and medium horse archers that have the same range as high-tier slingers and archers, so they can counter everything. They do have a hard start, and siege gameplay is bad for them (i usually starved them out or autoresolved), but it was a ton of fun playing them through. I also enjoyed the Odrysian kingdom because it was a rush faction in a game focused on defensive play. but I think one of the big updates nerfed them severely so they kinda suck now.

[@happycompy]

I need to try to play a full campaign through the Nomads again. I saw an awesome post on Reddit about using the Massagetae to get basically unlimited cash via Agriculture buildings and my god did that look awesome. I haven't played them seriously since pre-Emperor Edition.

[@AlexConnor_]

@@happycompy Way late answer but Empire Divided Alani are in every way a better and more interesting version of the Nomad factions. Horse Archers trade out some melee ability for range and then in exchange you get a wide range of very good melee and shock cavalry with Draco which is an absolute game changer. Massagetae goes armored horse archers from tier 2 and noble tier 3, there's really no reason to ever use the melee types or cataphracts because the tier 2 HA are good enough in melee to clean up anyway. Alani meanwhile is the only Rome 2 faction I've ever found that can do viable melee cav armies. Draco on almost every unit to pull apart conventional armies even with Empire Divided having much better recruitment. Heavily armored medium cav that can wear down enemies with speed and energy. Had an epic battle on legendary to save the capital early game, full stack germanic army with 6 pikes approached unseen so I pulled together 11 units of mercenaries and tier 2 lancers to ambush them. Very nearly won, the last pike unit beat my 2 remaining units but their army was shattered and limped away. And then you get very good HA on top of the awesome melee/shock cav and nicer unit models too compared to the older Nomad factions.

[@silversnakeproductions3241]

Woah woah woah what about “Imperator Augustus” campaign?

[@aarni3142]

Isnt really a dkc tho

[@happycompy]

IA is a fantastic DLC that I've played the hell out of. It's free though, so I left it off the list! If it was paid DLC ($17), it'd be B-tier IMHO. It doesn't change enough or add enough for it to be A or S.

[@le0shadow]

Am I the only one who enjoy playing as the greek states factions and wrath of sparta?

[@sfen941]

Glad I’m not the only one

[@Ghost23712]

I'm still mad there isn't a version of the game which allows me to buy all the dlcs without having to pick apart the shitty/good ones, but because of that reason this video really comes in handy ! Thanks a bunch for the info.

[@averagegopnik4868]

Everyone hates each other in rise of the republic huh? shogun 2 flashbacks

[@happycompy]

R E A L M D I V I D E

[@Arrimorri]

Otomo flashbacks :D

[@elang1702]

Realm Divide are brilliant

[@Sprintzs]

@@Arrimorri Portuguese tericoes and dunderbuss cavalry. all you need

[@NTac_Tic]

exacly what i searched for, nice.

[@happycompy]

Glad you found it useful 👍

[@richardalex4516]

Empire Divided was my favorite DLC. So chaotic against the barbarians and corruption

[@crusader7659]

I kinda liked the Ardiaei, not my favorite but still an enjoyable and different one. They were a naval faction which you didn’t mention. You’re absolutely right in that they needed more units, but they were designed as a naval faction and so the lack of cavalry, while limiting, didn’t bother me too much. I often disbanded my armies in favor of navies to raid and conquer the Mediterranean. While a world conquest is much harder than with other factions, it makes sense. You have good boats, you sail, raid, pillage, etc like Vikings, you don’t wage fair open battles because you’ll lose, you pick and chose your fights, you show up unannounced halfway across the map with a 20 unit doom stack to raze Carthage or Antioch and flee before their elephants come to stomp on your axemen. Again, not my favorite faction by a long shot, especially for multiplayer, but definitely one of my more fun campaigns.

[@happycompy]

Man, your comment makes me want to try out a true piracy Ardiaei campaign now...

[@something4179]

7:22 For some reason this always gets me.

[@YugoMapper]

"All your neighboors hate you, it a common theme in the Balkans"

[@happycompy]

I'm glad someone appreciates that 😂😂

[@nikolaisaranin3824]

One of the biggest reasons why I like rise of the republic is the difference between early and late stage units, it gives a satisfying feeling of going from homeless people with sticks to terminators of their time.

[@happycompy]

Agreed, RotR is very very well done.

[@warbozz1232]

Before I started playing this game I thought it would be boring to spend hours just conquering 2 cities then just managing an empire for like 10 turns without a battle but after picking it up I've really gotten addicted to the feeling of utterly crushing my neighbors through military force and editing my empire to maximize the funds I can use to get more soilders

[@happycompy]

You love to hear it!

[@MontagneMainSkibi]

Haven’t we all

[@BowHunter87]

I wish they would let you move individual cohorts on the world map like in Rome 1. Also would like the cities and towns to have more than 3-6 construction options.

[@KTA1sVidsandFacts]

The only reason I bought the Wrath of Sparta DLC, was because at the time there was a mod for the Persian Wars, and it was great. Sadly, the Modder stopped updating it and it became unplayable.

[@fabiolg6719]

I love camel cataphrakts even though they aren't as good as regular horse chataphrakts, they just look so awesome!

[@happycompy]

I completely agree.

[@Mark-FR_26]

Challenge accepted when it comes to the Ardieai :) Alltough I really like these types of video's, the one thing they lack is making it clear that the strenghts of a faction in single player and multiplayer are not the same. For example, in campaign Macedon can wipe out Epirus in no time, in mulitplayer with 2 equally skilled players Macedon is gonna have a really hard time due to the mercenry units of Epirus. Ardieai sucks in singleplayer for sure, but are hard to go around in a team battle. The noble hoplites are tanks and the barbarians mercanaries offer a good melee support for them, they can make up for the lack of cavalry by the amount of javelins they can field. It's a faction with very little mobility and hard to play but certainly not the worst faction in the game when it comes to multipayer. The black sea dlc you like so much are all very hard factions in multiplayer for the newer players among us, all af them lack good mid-tier units.

[@happycompy]

Yeah, in the future I will make clear that these are campaign only tier lists. I don't ever play MP. Thanks for the write up :)

[@bozzybobbles2188]

Even though they didn't make the Etruscan League playable it is still good that the Etruscans are playable in Rise of the Republic because it gives modders loads of new assets to make the Etruscans playable and give them flavour

[@bozzybobbles2188]

Great video by the way

[@happycompy]

Yeah, I believe there may even already be a mod that brings their units into the Grand Campaign.

[@ivlivsvalerivsmaiorianvs3884]

Absolutely excellent video. You definitely deserve more subscribers! Exactly what I was looking for. Can u make these vids for other total war games too?

[@happycompy]

This is a great idea! Doing Attila would be the logical next step, but I don't yet own Last Roman. Warhammer 2 would be good to do too once I scoop up the last few DLC that I don't yet have.

[@immortal_dawn4472]

I play with the Ardiaei because I do role playing runs I'll download a mod to make them OP like the total war cheat mod and do like a role playing them like every other faction is trying to figure out how they got so strong it's entertaining

[@cameramensen2934]

Oef

[@serek_heterogenizowany]

I enjoy Empire Divided a lot. Great time period, new mechanics, and finally a variety of units.

[@happycompy]

Couldn't agree more!

[@mrmacedon]

Meawhile me with the full game who mostly plays with the Macedonians: hmm... interesting

[@happycompy]

I'm the same way 🤣

[@DustyPazner]

I love ardiaei. The way you have fun with them is in multiplayer where you spam marines since they are a ranged/melee unit and you can bring so many and theyre so cost effective you just win. Also slave slingers are super sleept on.

[@Pt_Lacky]

It’s a late comment, but if anyone wants some of these factions to have at least a somewhat more diverse roster, I’d recommend Sebidee’s Unit Roster Overhaul.

[@happycompy]

Thanks for reminding me that I need to cover that mod on mods weekly

[@Storiaron]

It's such an absurd joke that a couple amateurs in their free time come out with so much better things than CA. FOR FREE Like, here pay like 10$ to play as 3 generic copy pasted nation, that absolutely should have been included in the maingame. Meanwhile mods turn med2 into lord of the rings, with 10 new and unique factions...

[@franekkwiatkowski]

This video is a life-saver for my budget. Thanks a lot for that, you earned yourself a new subscriber! Also, can you do the same thing with Attila before the Steam winter sale?

[@happycompy]

I will absolutely be doing an Attila dlc tier list. Unfortunately I don't yet own Last Roman dlc so I have to pick it up before I do it!

[@leonst.7471]

Always wait for discounts because the game is already 7 years old and besides the biggest reason why I bought all the culture packs was the history behind them.

[@happycompy]

Yeah, I highly recommend anyone wait for discounts. Total War has rotating sales going on almost all the time. The fact that ROME 2's still selling for $60 retail is pretty cringe.

[@gryphon0468]

@@happycompy big sale right now.

[@Seelz]

It's me. I love the Ardiaei. Being between the Greeks and Romans allows for a cool story if you play them off eachother (Provided it takes a little bit of imagination because diplomacy is dogshit)

[@thejumpmaster8728]

The most fun I've had playing Rome 2 is with Gallic Rome .The great pretender achievement was great to earn for making an emperor out of a general who in reality just surrendered to aurelian xd

[@Cobra-zr2gd]

I thought I had a lot of hours with only 600 hours but 1800 is just obscured

[@happycompy]

And even still, there's people who put me to shame here in the comments 🤣

[@raphiki4780]

I'm a bit late to the party but you missed the DLC that is present on every total war, Blood & Gore. With this on the list the Nomadic tribe DLC wouldn't have felt so lonely. :)

[@happycompy]

Well said lmao

[@hlaaluguard4515]

I'm french, I love TWR2 and this video is definitely S++ tiers. +1 suscriber and keep it up !

[@happycompy]

Welcome aboard!

[@shockwavesteve]

Why did u need to say u were French

[@randompillow5146]

I actually love Ardiaei. The Illyrian Noble Hoplites are very good and the Illyrian Thureos are are nice cheaper version of Thureos Spears. The Illyrian Marines are also very good. The main thing that’s lacking is cav, which sucks but isn’t a deal breaker.

[@deejayk6286]

I know Wrath of Sparta was one of my favorite DLC CA has ever made. I just love Hoplite/Hoplite battles. The crack of shields and spears as infantry grind each other into dust is superb. I can understand why it wasn't for you (or honestly for most people), but for me its a legit S-Tier DLC.

[@fabian4022]

The idea of this dlc is great however, it had a lot of potential they needed more events and more unique unit rosters. They also should’ve added Illyria in the map so they can play as pirates. I am also disappointed about Boeotian League, very boring unit roster they should at least added the thespian hoplites who fought alongside with the Spartans in Thermopylae. The AI is also bad but that’s in every campaign.

[@happycompy]

I love the setting of wrath of Sparta so much that I made a huge unit roster overhaul for it. The low rating is only because of how it is implemented in the game. Look up "Wrath of Sparta: Revamped All in One"

[@happycompy]

@fabian4022 completely agree with you there

[@sp1cychick3n]

Good lord, this video was exactly what I was looking for! It's perfect, the way you categorized everything and explained the details. Thank you so much!!

[@happycompy]

You are very welcome!

[@muhammadmirza1985]

I bought Greek states to play with Epirus and I quite liked it.

[@khalidgagnon8753]

The greek states aren't too bad: granted same army as syracuse buuuuuuuuut that is a good posistion to start and.... I like the army setup: the cav is good enough for hammer and anvil and the pike is reliable.... They got access to anything you need missile-troop wise as well.... Bland perhaps but a good starting location with some pizzaz and a reliable army... If bland...

[@TheMovieDoctorful]

As a Massagetae main, I take the Nomadic Tribes slander personally lol. And my No. 2 faction is the Ardieae, so this hurts even harder. In all seriousness, I think Massagetae play wildly different from Royal Scythia and the Roxolani. They’re the more heavy cavalry based faction of the 3, with high armor and health troops against lower speed. Combine those with some high tier horse archers that all 3 factions get and I few the Massagetae are fairly unique to play as, at least in terms of battles. I find it makes an excellent balance and I’ve found a ton of success maintaining a pretty big empire with them. I love Total War: Attila, and generally prefer it, but when I’m more interested in building an empire rather than raiding and razing, the Nomadic Tribes are still my first choice. As for the Ardieae, I love role playing as a pirate faction and those guys work wonderfully for ship blockades and naval warfare. Besides, their scrappy underdog charm really grows on you, what can I say?

[@Gyrosmeister]

CA really missed a big opportunity with the Balkan DLC. They kept the non Celtic factions as Celtic pushovers. Instead they could have made the Thracians have a more "Greek feeling" to them, as historically they were using "traditional Greek equipment" like the Xiphos sword among others, and they were also using the Greek alphabet for example. Temples of Apollon have been found in Thrace (though then again geographical definitions tended to be very loose back then) so this could have added so many cool mechanics, you could choose if you would adopt more Dacian or Hellenic influences, since you border both cultures, each with their own bonuses and maluses. They also missed a big opportunity with the Illyrians, as the so called Illyrian tribes had a lot of differences between them (Naming all of them as "Illyrians" is not exactly accurate as most likely the Greeks named them like that based on the first tribe they encountered from that region), some of these tribes were even speaking Greek (probably a result of hellenization), so they could have distinguished the ones living around present day Montenegro to the ones living around present day Slovenia. This could have done wonders for them. Nomadic Tribes DLC is poorly executed with no unique mechanics, but at least their gameplay is completely different compared to all other factions, out of the culture packs in my opinion the worst is the Greek states,(not because it was a day one DLC) but they make a game in the Ancient World and the Classic Greeks are locked behind a DLC, granted the Diadochoi were the bigger Greek powers in the games time era but c'mon. But at least there is Massalia which has a much more interesting roster (and arguably better) than Athens. Their start is also much more challenging. The Campaign Packs, CiG is the one I played the least with, the Helvetii migration is simply 6 shitty units or so, and there are no politics. Hannibal at the Gates was decent, Wrath of Sparta was a more historical take, I really like the map (national bias alert) and it has some very strong modding potential compared to CiG for example. Empire Divided was a pleasant surprise for me at first, given that I liked the power-politics changes the made. The Campaign itself was kinda meh, didn't like the cartoonish unit cards, cults and banditry/plagues were cool ideas, they could have expanded upon them in Rise of the Republic but they didn't do it, however in that DLC they experimented much more with other mechanics, the Etruscan building mechanic that they added was definitely a good shake up of the gameplay. Most DLCs I believe have been average to good, getting them on a sale is definitely worth it, but I wouldn't pay 7,49€ for a faction pack, I think this is also a reason why these DLCs were not as well received as the campaign packs

[@happycompy]

You've said it all, I agree with everything stated here. I really love your idea of the Tracians being able to "Hellenize" or "Dacianize." If ROME II was made in 2020, they'd definitely have something like that. CA has gotten much more ambitious with their faction mechanics ever since Warhammer.

[@Gyrosmeister]

@@happycompy But simply even making new city models for them on the campaign map and battles would have really helped, like why is a Thracian village basically the same to a one in the forests of Germania? Things like that could have definitely helped not only the Balkan DLC, but basically everything they released. If Rome II had a better launch and they didn't have to allocate a lot of resources for 1year to patch the game to actually make it playable perhaps we could have seen more from the earlier DLCs, since SEGA or whoever is in charge of monetisation wants to drop an X amount of DLC per year, and if they need to have more people trying to fix the game then there will be less chaps working on the DLC. But this is only a speculation, given that in Desert Kingdoms (not particularly a fan of that one, simply because of some units being historically seen very dubious and it doesn't feel right for me at least that desert nomads can field armies of professionals like the Diadochoi or Rome) they actually added a lot more content. Black Sea Colonies also had more content than Tylis and two pushovers that we either didn't bother or didn't have the time to properly work on. The Scythians could have suffered from that as well

[@alejandrop.s.3942]

I have watched some videos about Rise of the Republic, and Etruscans have not only its own voice model, but also some beautiful, awesome, badass artwork design in shields, helmets...

[@happycompy]

Couldn't agree more! I wish they were playable in GC

[@alejandrop.s.3942]

@@happycompy Excuse me, by any chance do you know about a mod which makes client state levies not randomly based? I mean, which lets you choose among the client roster (depending on built barracks). I'd like to learn modding so much, I've so many ideas for the game.

[@happycompy]

@@alejandrop.s.3942 I only know of mods that increase the number of troops you can levy, not ones that specifically set the troop types.

[@alejandrop.s.3942]

@@happycompy I've been these days searching in the workshop, and finally installed Nordo's mod for client states...alongside 30 more xD. Seriously, this game would be almost unplayable if it hadn't a great modding community. You are making a great work, keep it up.

[@happycompy]

"Seriously, this game would be almost unplayable if it hadn't a great modding community. " Rome 2 is my most played TW game specifically for this reason. It's mediocre vanilla compared to Attila, Warhammer, Shogun 2, and even 3K. Way too easy.

[@eVeNmOrEiNsAnItY]

IIRC the Ardiaei have a unique naval roster that is where their faction is specialised to since they're the pirate faction. Been ages since I've played Rome 2 tho, so I can't remember if the naval roster is any good.

[@happycompy]

I don't recall their naval roster, I do know they get a decent bonus to raiding income though.

[@magnificentish891]

I would like to see you do a tier list of all the playable factions i think that’ll be cool

[@happycompy]

That's a great idea!

[@gery8218]

I'm gonna buy the desert kingdoms dlc today (it's on sale right now) thx for the advice, great video!

[@cromux3191]

Bruh why do you only have 2.64k subs? What even is KZbin?? Your videos are so well done! I don't believe this!

[@joepoirier2529]

SO. I actually love the Ardiaei faction from raiders pack. Reasons behind it is mostly due to the challenge early game, your extremely quick ability for fielding a quick and hard attacking naval fleet and an over abundance of javelin spearmen. A lot of people dislike their units, but by the way I have been able to play them, the ax-men they field can be super handy if you know where and when to place them. Asides from that I can agree that combat can get tedious unless you're doing a lot of coastal battles. However, campaign wise, the looting aspect once you field artillery and heavy raiding forces (Naval wise) you can rip through larger factions coastal cities and cripple them (while restoring their old enemies) so much all you need are 2 armies on land to break them.

[@mattthelion5113]

My favorite dlc (out of the ones I own) is the Black sea colonies, I fucking love playing as Cimmeria, just everything about them (including their color-scheme) is awesome in my opinion. They quickly became one of my favorite factions, barely behind Massilia.

[@happycompy]

I think you and me are the same person.

[@mattthelion5113]

@@happycompy Perhaps.

[@chargingnoisesintensify6335]

pirates and raiders is ironic because the ardiei is my closest ally in my rome campaign so i respect them a shit ton

[@delducasabaudo4285]

Great video. You forgot a dlc of blood and gore :)

[@happycompy]

Thank you. Blood & Gore is really only worth it if you zoom in to battles a lot tbh.

[@jonathanbatz3183]

Wait, Caesar in Gaul as C tier? That's doing it dirty, especially how they used the tech tree to as a narrative tool. And like you said, the mid-game event was so surprising that I kinda waited for one in each campaign. At least bump it up to b man.

[@MalayArcher]

welcome back bud! 😁

[@happycompy]

Thank you my friend! Good to see you're still active after all these years. Love your screenshots btw ;)

[@MalayArcher]

happycompy I still do but I’m active on other channels now :)

[@Da_padilla]

I miss when you would beat the game and earn the fractions. Now we have to buy the DLC's

[@lukasvermeulen1133]

This was an amazing video, such quality and decent review! That is a sub from me man!

[@happycompy]

Much appreciated!

[@smokeysauce3064]

I really like Ardiaei because of being able to target their spears like archer units.

[@lpvrooom6714]

Honestly. All the unit and culture pack dlc should be free and part of the base game

[@happycompy]

Especially 10 years after launch

[@hoodman7589]

Surprised that this video doesn t get above 8k* views, very nice, detailed, and personal, i played at the start of the pandemic rome 2 cracked with all the dlc’s and i completey agree with you. Now i bought it and i know on what should i spend my money:)) keep up the good work

[@happycompy]

Thank you for your support! I'm glad you found this helpful.

[@cameronash5492]

Just got Rome 2 and all the good DLC for $40 mega sale is nice also thank you for the guide.

[@happycompy]

Enjoy the game!

[@chubbyninja89]

I like the Ardiaei. And that's because of one powerful unit that actually makes them worth something. And that unit is the Illyriaian Marines. They are a really powerful Therous Spear type unit, but with really good stats. They have 34-35 melee attack, which means that they're not just going to be doing nothing but defending. Add onto that the fact that they have square formation, and they can be a really powerful block against most enemies.

[@happycompy]

That's hilarious lol

[@chubbyninja89]

@@happycompy Why's that hilarious? It's a good unit.

[@lefterismoustos8876]

You man just saved me money from buying bad dlcs,i should send you a beer

[@GoonerJak22]

can you take your mobile off your desk please when you record the vids? 3x times i went to my phone because i heard yours vibrating lol

[@happycompy]

Duly noted!

[@JonatasAdoM]

@@happycompy You could just put it on don't disturb/silenced mode.

[@Odfjtop]

I like that you kindly requested this. I enjoyed the video as well!

[@Natural.Traditionalist]

Just found out about your channel, it's great! I saw that you were relatively small, so I wish you much growth! You just gained a new subscriber! :)

[@happycompy]

Thank you very much! Welcome aboard! I look forward to seeing you around :)

[@Natural.Traditionalist]

@@happycompy I'm happy to join! I have been a fan of Total War for many years and I love to meet a channel like you which is based around Total War! Keep up the good work man!! You'll be big in a few years!! Good luck! ;)

[@DerNesor]

Tried Rome in rise of the republic. Got my ass beat by turn 5 every time. Tried being defensive, offensive, passive.. no use.

[@happycompy]

It's a rough campaign!

[@FLEMNMable]

Great video man, just ordered a new compueter specifically for gaming (spent too long turning anti-aliasing off and fucking around with shadow textures on my mac) am very excited to get completely lost in Rome II!

[@happycompy]

Hell yes! Enjoy brother.

[@Jukrates]

Young Legend voice

[@starlight137yt]

I like the Aridiaei ... even though I know, that they suck. What sets them apart are their Naval capiabilitys, having access to strong greek style ships very fast (cheap harbours without the need to build different ones and without relying on tech). Also, their +2 recruitment bonus on ships are great for that playstlye as well. Unit whise, I really like the hoplites with their insane armour stats and Illyrian Marines are one of the most underrated units in the game. However, CA could have really given them like at least one better Cavalry or Sword/Axe unit. Later on you really lack damage and you are reliant on mercenarys (+50% upkeep as well) or a niche artillery playstyle.

[@happycompy]

I want to try a true pirate playthrough as them.

[@yacinebenchoubane3645]

I liked the ardiaei when i defeated them as the roxolani (yep, i defeated one shitty faction with another shitty one lol)

[@happycompy]

You did this in the campaign? Awesome!

[@matsal3211]

You also forgot to mention the other Greek states there 4. The 4th one is Messina (I suck at spelling. Its the Greek state in France)

[@happycompy]

Massalia is free! They're a fantastic faction too!

[@aquilathegreat9486]

I really wish that the politics were enabled in CiG. It was so important to him at that time. Imagine you mismanage politics and get your armies stripped from you (end of the campaign) or you can declare independence and 4 legions spawn and cities flip. Would've been an intense challenge.

[@happycompy]

Yeah it's a real headscratcher that it's the only campaign where it's disabled...

[@Silasbroadbent978]

I absolutely love the way this guy dises on the pirates and raders dlc is so funny and true

[@Juvelira]

And all top S and A DLCs have been made is CA Sofia :X

[@happycompy]

CA Sofia was the best thing to happen to ROME II imo.

[@waspoptic]

When I got Rome 2, I got the Pirates & Raiders as well simply because I wanted some dlc (I think it was on sale thankfully). The first faction I chose was the Ardiaei. I don't know why, I didn't have any reason, I just did and I ended up beating that campaign with them. Looking back at it now, it might've been because they were an underdog faction or it might've also been because they were an extremely simple faction. Either way, knowing what I know today about the game, I can proudly flaunt the fact that I beat Rome 2 with the Ardiaei and still enjoy it to this day.

[@cloverdog85]

I quiet enjoyed the Ardia can't spell it lol. They had some nice scrimmage units.