Technologies in Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Guide & Tips
Last update: 19 June 2018
Each faction has access to technologies that it can develop. The technology window is divided into two tabs: military and civic. In each tab there are several development paths, e.g. in the civic tab, there are paths which correspond to agriculture, trade, and industry.
Most paths look similar and almost every faction has the same requirements which must be met in order to start developing a given path. Sometimes it means developing a structure to its highest possible level (or conquering a province with such a building), recruiting a certain number of specific units or completing a different tech path. After the requirements have been met, simply select the technology and wait for a few turns. You do not have to assign characters or have special buildings to conduct research, although some structures accelerate the pace of this process.
Which development path should you start with? If you are going to start a war quickly and fight numerous battles, start by upgrading your troops. For starters, develop new unit types that you would like to command or ones that are the best that your faction can offer. This way, you will speed up the recruitment process and give yourself an advantage on the battlefield. However, if your realm is in a state of relative peace and you want to expand the provinces in your kingdom, focus on developing a given branch of the economy, so as to maximize your income. Afterwards, construct the newly available structures and select the appropriate locations for development.
Military Tab
The military tab has several paths dedicated to specific types of troops (melee, spearmen, missile, and cavalry). Each technology improves the specific unit types and unlocks new, better versions. It also often increases the chances for recruiting these units from the recruitment pool. In each faction, these research paths will look a little bit different, so it is worth studying them at the beginning of each game so that you can see what a given faction has to offer.
The siege warfare and bodyguards & companions paths are special technologies that focus on narrow fields within the art of war. The first group affects everything that is related to sieges. It allows you to construct catapults, which will allow you to barrage your opponent's cities. The bodyguards & companions path, on the other hand, affects the troops of the general's retinue. It contains several improvements and upgrades to the general's bodyguard unit.
The last groups of technologies are military prestige and recruitment. Both paths focus primarily on increasing recruitment opportunities and raising the possibility of recruiting different units more frequently. This way, despite the purchase of all available units, you have a better chance of recruiting on the next turn. The downside is the decline in income from all provinces or greater demand for food.
Civic Tab
The civic tab is always divided into 6 development paths. Each of them focuses on a different area of your realm, but three of them (trade, agriculture, and industry) can grant you new development possibilities for provinces and increase the income from a given branch of the economy. In addition, they offer, e.g. discounts for building upgrades, production bonuses, and public order bonuses.
The leadership path is very useful for realm management, especially the bonuses to loyalty and influence. In most cases, the last technology in this path offers a special, unique bonus for a given faction.
The paths of military support and community are two unique, supportive categories. The first focuses on various areas of warfare, including greater reinforcement range and a building which allows you to train troops and recover casualties at a greater rate. The community path helps with developing technologies faster and with increasing the influence from the church. It also affects public order and accelerates the rate at which the characters in your kingdom gain experience.