A few strategic tips for Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Guide & Tips

Last update: 19 June 2018

Try to have a clear goal for every war, planned or not. Do you want to expand your territory? Do you want to conquer the last region to be able to rule an entire province? Do you want to weaken your enemy and claim their goods? Short-term goals are a good way to develop your kingdom. Otherwise, your actions will be chaotic and cause you problems such as keeping public order in a large kingdom. During each war, you should think about a few things that can help you to win.

• Who should be conquered first/who is the best choice for conquering?
• Is it better to conquer a settlement or to chase an enemy army?
• Capturing the last settlement of a hostile faction

Who should be conquered first/who is the best choice for conquering?

There is no definitive answer to these questions although it is easier to find an answer to them at beginning of a game. Almost every neighbor who is smaller, has no allies, isn't a vassal and comes from a different culture is an easy target and a good choice for a war. Try to conquer someone as fast as you can before others do that first.

• The ideal way of conquering an enemy is to attack someone who is already involved in war with another kingdom. Check that nation's army and use this knowledge to strike when that kingdom's units are away or after they lose a battle. This saves you a lot of trouble - you will be able to capture one settlement after another.
• A province is under rebels' control. This is also an easy target, provided you act fast. The longer a rebel army stays in a settlement, the more units it gets. Rebels always receive full units. Capturing settlements that belong to rebels have no diplomatic consequences. Its previous owner won't demand you to give their lands back.
• Betraying an ally. This action can be divided into two situations. The first is an obvious knife to the back - this will have negative impact on your reputation. The second situation is an indirect betrayal. Here, you have to declare war on a kingdom that isn't your neighbor but is located next to your ally. Wait for the moment when that enemy starts winning with your ally. Then, you can capture lands conquered by the enemy. Be well-prepared and remember to pick up the right time and the right enemy. That kingdom can't be more powerful than yours nor weaker than your ally (otherwise, your ally will expand their kingdom and gain more power).
• A large kingdom attacked by multiple enemies. The bigger the kingdom, the more rivals and enemies it receives. You can think about joining a war with a large kingdom and try to gain something for you before others do that first. Join forces with an allied army and defeat your enemy or you decide to attack from a direction that isn't guarded by any units.
• Attacking Vikings (invaders' armies). No one likes the Vikings who come from beyond the map. Usually, they declare war on every neighbor. They aren't liked by any kingdom, even by their kinsmen on the islands. Don't sign any peace agreements with them - they will break it soon. Get rid of this problem as fast as you can.

Is it better to conquer a settlement or to chase an enemy army?

This is a difficult question to answer. Usually, you can use information available on the strategic map to come up with the best solution. On one hand, capturing an enemy settlement will speed up assimilation of that region. It also weakens your enemy's economy. Your enemy loses food, territories and profit. On top of that, you disturb the peace in that province and make the process of recruiting units more difficult for your opponent. You can create two armies: one is used for fights with enemies while the second will only be used for capturing settlements. This solution is not without flaws. You need to take care of a new character in your kingdom, and to assign a few new units so that army won't be an easy target.

On the other hand, an enemy army that wasn't defeated, even when it is small, can quickly become a problem. Your enemy can increase their strength if they still control at least a few regions. Your enemy only needs to retreat that army to a friendly province. After that it is possible that your enemy will have a stronger army than yours. Newly captured regions can go back to your enemy. Invest in a Quartermaster (increases army movement on the strategic map) if you want to chase and finish enemy armies off.

Capturing the last settlement of a hostile faction

Usually, capturing the last settlement marks the end of a war. Here (after you win a battle/siege), you not only get a chance to raid or capture a settlement but you also receive one additional option that depends on the situation on the map. If that settlement was a capital then you can bring that kingdom back on the map. Sometimes, this can be useful especially when you want to separate yourself from a troublesome neighbor or you don't want to expand your territories in this part of the map. Keeping this province's stability now depends on your vassal. The rest of the kingdoms will look upon you with a positive eye for your generous gesture.

Capturing the last settlement (and the town) gives you the option of forcibly subordinating that faction. Usually, you will want to capture this settlement. However, sometimes it is better to force your enemy to subordinate. Your enemy doesn't get a chance to deny this offer. You automatically sign a peace agreement with your enemy and you receive a vassal. This is very helpful in situations where your enemy has a larger army while your own units are too weak after recent battles. Your enemy becomes your subject and armies, that were a threat to you, are now destroying their previous allies and your current enemies. Remember that these kingdoms aren't loyal and they usually declare independence after a few turns.