

It does mean that veteran players will need to drop some old notions, like spearmen being defensive units that protect your army against cavalry attacks. It's all about infantry this time, but the troop roster is just as diverse. Aside from chariots and special mythological units like the centaur, there's no cavalry. Troy represents possibly the most significant evolution of Total War's combat in years. They're less committed to their strategies and can quickly adapt, leading to battles that have a much more exciting flow. What's most noticeable is their reactivity. I've spotted my adversaries making dumb decisions, but fighting a perfect opponent wouldn't be much fun. In the real-time fights, the AI seems to have a better handle on things. The war went on for many turns, but despite being told that they were poised to start sacking all my undefended settlements, they seemed happy to potter around in the sea. The Amazons, unfortunately, never even made it to Greece. It's a neat feature that leans into the most aggressive parts of Total War, and it means there's a bit more to the conflict than just conquering or defending Troy. Your allies will generally leave it up to you, and there's no option for diplomacy. Just like real life! This is another powerful faction that's got some grudges against you, and the only way to win the conflict is outright annihilation.

Once you've become a big strategic threat, you're assigned an antagonist. This was especially noticeable when I went to war with the Amazons. On the campaign map, it can be a competent opponent one minute, only for it to spend the next 10 turns aimlessly sailing around the Aegean not actually doing anything. On a couple of occasions it crashed after it was alt-tabbed for an extended period, but that was the extent of the issues I encountered after a week of playing. If it's an option available to you, always put your Total Wars on your SSD. The turn times are brisk, even when it's at its busiest, and you can expect the load times to similarly fly by, at least if you've shoved it onto an SSD. Continuing the progress made in Thrones of Britannia and Three Kingdoms, Troy has none of the performance issues that once plagued Total War-I'm looking at you, Rome 2.
