Goofy's M2TW Tutorial/Guide
First off, I want to thank you for reading my humble M2TW guide that is mainly directed to beginners (but may contain useful info for veterans as well). The aim of this thread is to teach you a little more about this awesome Total War game.
I hope you find this a good read.
Table of Contents
I Basics
1. Economy
-Trade rights
-Markets
-Sea trade
-Mines
-Roads
-Merchants' Guild
-Merchant Bank
-Hanseatic League Headquarters
-Resources
-Using Merchants
-Taxes
2. Unit types
-Infantry
-Cavalry
-Missile infantry
-Missile cavalry
-Artillery
-Navy
3. Forming your army
4. Campaign
-How to start a campaign?
-How to manage my settlements?
-How to deal with the Black Death?
5. Agents
II The M2TW Encyclopaedia [NEW!]
III Advanced
1. Cavalry tactics
-Hit and run onto the flank
-Hit and run behind your own troops
-Mass attack
2. Traits
-Traits
-Generals' stats
IV Special Chapter
1. Some common questions and answers about file editing
V Other
1. Useful links
VI Miscellaneous tips
1. Campaign
2. Battles
3. Cheats
I Basics
1. Economy
Click to view content:
"To carry on war, three things are necessary: money, money, and yet more money."
So, as you know, having enough money is really important in M2TW. A faction that has enough money will likely be succesful at war. However, economy is maybe the most difficult part of the whole game. Thus I have provided you with a detailed guide to strong economy.
Trade rights
Negotiating trade rights is an important step towards friendship between two factions. Succesful negotiations improve relations and make allying easier. When you have established trade with a faction, your Merchants in their lands will produce more money, while those foreign Merchants will pay you a small fee when trading in your regions.
Markets
Markets are the corner stone of the economy of a single city. There are five levels of them: Grain Exchange, Market, Fairground, Great Market and Merchants' Quarter. Grain Exchange allows you to recruit one merchant more, Market another one and so on. Each upgrade will boost your trade income as well as the income generated by your merchants. Build as many market buildings as possible - castles focus on military and won't bring you much money.
Sea trade
Sea trade buildings (Merchant's Wharf, Warehouse and Docklands) are great for making some extra money; they boost base trade income and give you more trade fleets, which results to extra trade routes.
Note that Ports, Shipwright etc. are not "Sea trade" buildings, although you need to build a Port to construct a Merchant's Wharf. However, different levels of ports boost your base trade income as well.
Mines
Mines can be constructed on a raw mineral resource - Gold, Silver, Iron, Marble, Sulfur, Tin or Coal (note that building a mine doesn't prevent Merchants from trading on top of the resource). This will give you extra income depending on how valuable the mine resource is. When your settlements reaches the level Minor City or Fortress, you can upgrade your Mines to a Mining Network, that increases the trading income by 75 %. Note that several traits may affect the mining income.
Roads
Roads allow your armies to move faster. It also enables land trade between two settlements. Dirt Roads offer only a very minor trade income. Paved Roads increase the movement of armies greatly as well as the trade income. Highways that can be built only by Byzantine make even land trade worthwile.
Merchants' Guild
When you get enough points for Merchants' Guild (see DarkKnight's Guide to guilds - link below) you can construct it in a settlement. The First level of Merchants' Guild will give you +1 to base trade income (as comparison Grain Exchange gives +2) as well as the access to the recruitment of Merchant Cavalry Militia. The upper levels will give you increased trade income and provides you with a bigger recruitment pool for Merchant Cavalry Militia which is a decent unit early in the campaign. And not only that, it also increases your merchants' finance stat. Thus, on the whole, Merchants' Guild is a pretty useful building.
Merchant Bank
Merchant Bank is a building only available to the Holy Roman Empire, Milan and Venice. This building is very useful, as it boosts your trade income and allows you to recruit one extra merchant. Merchant Bank can be constructed in cities only, and as you reach the Huge City level, you can upgrade the Merchant Bank. The upgraded bank has similar but greater effects.
Hanseatic League Headquarters
Hanseatic League Headquarters is a building only available to Northern European and Eastern European factions. Hanseatic League is a very useful building, as it increases the income of all your settlements. However, this Hanseatic thing works in the same way as guilds: you must gain enough those "points" for Hanseatic League before you can construct the building.
Resources
In M2TW there are many kinds of tradable resources. You can see them on the Campaign Map as small icons. These resources will also be automatically traded once a road connection between two settlements exists.
Note 1: Grain also increases the growth rate of a settlement in that region.
Note 2: distance to capital makes those resources to produce more money when a merchant is trading on top of them; long distance, high income; short distance, low income
Using Merchants
Using Merchants is quite simple. At first you must recruit him in a city, then move him onto a resource. After this he will immediately start trading. The trade income generated by a Merchant can be seen on his Character Portrait.
Merchants can acquire foreign Merchants; just select your Merchant, right-click on a foreign Merchant and then press the "Acquire" button. Either of the Merchants will "disappear", and the winner may receive a bonus to his Finance stat. Remember that your Merchant can be acquired as well.
Tip: move an army onto a valuable resource, then join the army with full stack of Merchants: that gives you a massive trade income. To do this, a military access may be required.
Taxes
Taxes play a really big role in your economy. Always keep a governor in a city to maintain the maximum tax income. If you want to avoid the "BadTaxman" trait line, toggle the tax rate to "Very high" when your settlement is about to finish construction and you have a governor present. However, if you aren't building anything, you could toggle the tax rate to "low" - this increases the chance of your governor's Chivalry increasing.
On higher city levels you may want to keep the taxes at "High", unless there's a low Public Order.
The tax rate can be changed in cities only.
2. Unit types
Click to view content:When you are planning an attack on an enemy, you should know what kind of units to recruit. Let’s start with a basic setup.
Infantry
Infantry is the main force of your army (you should usually prefer heavy infantry). The most common aim for infantry is to counter-charge the enemy infantry and protect your artillery and missile infantry. At the beginning of the battle place your infantry in the centre of your battle line. Always deploy spearmen on the flanks to defend yourself against the enemy cavalry. Pikemen are used to do the same, but they can also be placed in the centre because advanced pikemen form a great barrier against enemy infantry as well (not to mention how they slaughter cavalry). However, using pikemen will force you to protect them against enemy archers (with cavalry if possible, if not, then use Peasants as human shields - they make good missile fodder). Axemen and other two-handed units are very effective as shock troops that furiously charge at the enemy, reducing their morale. You might want to keep them in the first line, or behind your actual battle line to protect them until the critical last moments of the battle.
Cavalry
Cavalry units are the most effective fighting machines out there. This is because they're fast, usually well armoured and field a great charge bonus. There are two kinds of cavalry - heavy and light.
Heavy cavalry is often used to smash enemy archers and infantry (in unmodified M2TW heacy cavalry can beat even spearmen units), and consists usually of disciplined knights. In the deployment phase place cavalry on flanks.
Light cavalry is used in almost the same way as heavy cavalry, but they aren't good against heavy infantry. These troops are better at taking prisoners and killing enemy missile cavalry.
When using cavalry, beware the enemy pikemen!
Missile infantry
These troops are armed with a bow, crossbow or guns (except for Naffatun and Greek Firethrower). Remember that shooting from the left side (in your point of view) or behind causes more casualties, because the enemy can't block your missiles with their shields.
Archers are usually used to kill enemy infantry. Place archers behind your infanty and on high ground if possible. Use flaming missiles against wavering enemy units.
Crossbowmen sparkle at stopping enemy cavalry. Place crossbowmen in front of your infantry to prevent the so-called "friendly fire".
Using gunpowder troops is a whole different case and is not as easy as one might wonder. In the early stage of the battle you should use them in the front, and as the enemy gets closer, withdraw. While your heavier troops are getting rid of enemy infantry, you may be able to support them by killing enemies on the flanks with your gunners. Always make sure that no own troops are between your gunners and their target!
Javelinmen are quite effective at killing the enemy troops after the infantry units have clashed - keep your javelinmen behind your infantry, they're helpless in melee.
Note that any missile infantry, missile cavalry and artillery unit can be ordered to engage in melee by pressing Alt Gr+right mouse button.
Missile cavalry
Missile cavalry can be separated in two classes: those with bows, crossbows and guns and those with javelins. This type of cavalry is usually considered the most irritating enemy as they can hit and run very effectively, and there are no troops easily catching them. M2TW has a bug which prevents AI archers from shooting your missile cavalry when they have the "Circle and shoot" ability activated, so you may prefer this when possible. Do not use this ability when shooting an enemy far away, as it greatly decreases your accuracy.
Horse archers and mounted crossbowmen can be used in the same way, although you should prefer archers to crossbowmen because of the higher rate of fire they have. Place these troops on the left flank to exploit the enemy's shield bonus. Then run quickly, in a loose formation, on the enemy's flank without engaging in melee. Used in this way, elite horse archers can turn out being horribly effective troops.
Mounted javelinmen are really effective, as they are often more heavily armoured than other missile cavalry (at least Granadine Jinetes and Boyar Sons are). It's an effective strategy to enclose the enemy and harass them while they are moving forward. For this you may want to use the skirmish mode these units have.
Mounted gunners are the most effective type of missile cavalry, but they can't shoot far. Thus it's quite effective to use them in the same way as mounted javelinmen.
Artillery
In M2TW there are many kinds of medieval cannons and catapults. They all are used the same way (except mortar and ballista), so I guess I don't have to explain this part better.
Navy
Navy is very effective at blocking enemy ports and thus stopping the sea trade of that port as well as sinking enemy transport ships. You can also use navies to transport your own troops over the seas or along the coast.
3. Forming your army
Click to view content:Now we are ready to form an army. It's not difficult, but you should have the basic knowledge of units before building a military force.
Basically, make your attacking/basic armies to look somehow like this, if possible:
2-5 cavalry units
3-7 infantry units, including spearmen
0-5 missile infantry units
0-5 missile cavalry units
0-2 artillery units
With defensive armies, use more infantry and artillery and less cavalry, as they won't survive a long static melee.
4. Campaign
Click to view content:How to start a campaign effectively?
1. In the early turns of the campaign, conquer as many Rebel cities as possible, even if your Treasury goes negative. High taxes might be what you want to stay on green. Low taxes make your cities grow a lot faster, however.
2. Make allies with as many factions as you can; making trade agreements is really important because it
- makes your passive trade (the automatic trade between any settlements not at war with each other) income higher
- makes your Merchants produce more money in areas with which you have exchanged trade rights
- gives you some extra fee when a Merchant is trading in your territory
- improves the relation's between your faction and the foreign realm
3. When this is done you may want to decrease the size of your army to increase your income which allows you to advance faster.
4. Then build all kinds of buildings you need:
- cities:
1. build Farms or Roads
2. upgrade your City Barracks to "City Watch" level
3. build Ports and Markets
- castles:
1. build the highest level of Barracks you can (I suggest only two levels up in succession, though)
2. build Farms, Roads and eventually a Port if possible
3. build anything you want, but prefer buildings that allow you to recruit new units, and make sure your Armourer is advanced enough
5. In coastal regions you might want to convert your castles into cities (unless the settlement is a strategically important position such like Hamburg or Florence) to reach a maximum trade income.
6. Adjust the tax rate of cities to "High" (never to "Very high", I'd suggest, because it causes the governor to raise in dread and that's not what we want - see the "Traits" chapter below), but make sure that Public Order is at least 85 % and that the population isn't decreasing.
7. When you are happy with your income, start building an army and attack a suitable faction that isn't too powerful for you.
How to manage my settlements?
You know that a settlement can riot or rebel against you when its public order goes low enough, so you must know how to deal with this. This is how to control your settlement:
- every point in Chivalry or Dread of a governor increases the Public Order by 5% through Governor's Influence
- chivalrous governor makes the settlement grow faster
- pious governor decreases Religious Unrest in a settlement
- garrisoned troops decrease Unrest in a settlement
- building City Barracks will increase the law bonus in a settlement
- building City Halls will increase Health in a settlement
- building Churches will increase Public Order in a settlement
- spread your state religion in your provinces; at least 80 % of the population should practice that religion to maintain a healthy Public Order
- crush rebellions with iron fist; Rebels break off ways, spread Unrest and stop land trade
How to deal with the Black Death?
- build City Halls and other buildings that increase Public Health; it should protect your population a little
- save money before the plague hits - it will be needed; the Black Death significantly decreases your income because it will kill most of your population
- don't move any character from a settlement with the plague into another settlement; this will spread the disease
- just wait, the plague won't last forever
5. Agents
Click to view content:Imams/Priests
Preaching – passive ability
- the Piety rate of an Imam or Priest directly affects the effectiveness of his Preaching ability; how effective he is at converting people
- the more Imams or Priests you use, the more significant the result will be
- you can go and Preach on other faction's land, because this won't be considered an act of war
Denouncing – active ability
- Denouncing stands for executing a Heretic or Witch that has appeared on the Campaign Map
- the Piety rate of an Imam or Priest directly affects the rate of success of Denouncing
- Priest with a trait that states him "unorthodox" has a higher chance of being successful
- as the result of unsuccessful Denouncing, your Priest or Imam may become a Heretic himself, or when trying to Denounce a Witch, he may die
- a Cardinal may not fall to heresy as the result of unsuccessful Denouncing
Other
- an Imam with a Piety rating of at least four can call a Jihad, the Muslim counterpart for Crusade, on appropriate settlements
Spies
Infiltration – active ability
- infiltration stands for sending your Spy in a foreign army or settlement to uncover more information about it
- the Subterfuge rate of a Spy directly affects the chance of being successful when infiltrating
- a Spy in a foreign settlement will start spreading Unrest; the more Spies, the lower the Public Order may fall
- a Spy in a foreign settlement may open the gates in case you attack; the more Spies, the higher is the chance of this happening
- an unsuccesful infiltration will decrease your relations
- if a Spy performs an unsuccessful Infiltration he may be killed
Stealth – passive ability
- Stealth stands for a Spy's ability to remain hidden (even if you can see your Spy, others might not)
- the Subterfuge rate of a Spy directly affects his Stealth ability, as well as the ability to detect foreign agents (Spies and Assassins)
Other
- the Subterfuge rate of a Spy directly affects his line of sight
Assassins
Assassination – active ability
- all characters can be Assassinated, just right-click on character you wish to kill
- if an Assassin gets caught during an assassination mission the result may be an immediate war
- the Subterfuge rate of an Assassin directly affects the chance of performing an successful Assassination
Sabotage – active ability
- sabotage works in the exactly same way as Assassination; the only differences are that
1. the target of a sabotage attempt is a building
2. a sabotage attempt is not usually considered an act of war
Diplomats
Diplomacy – active ability
- Diplomacy stands for starting Diplomatic negotiations with a foreign realm
- the influence rate of a Diplomat directly affects his ability of making a successful proposal
- only Diplomats can bribe foreign characters, armies or settlements; however, Princesses, faction leaders and heirs can never be bribed
- you can engage in Diplomacy with foreign generals, captains, Princesses, Diplomats and settlements
Merchants
Trading – passive ability
- move your Merchant onto a tradable resource and he will start trading immediately
- the Finance rate of a Merchant directly affects the income generated by him
Acquisition – active ability
- Acquisition stands for acquiring a foreign Merchant
- a successful Acquisition will result to the "disappearing" of the foreign Merchant and may result to your Merchants' Finance stat increasing
- an unsuccessful Acquisition by you or a successful Acquisition by a foreign Merchant will result to the opposite; your Merchant will "disappear"
- the Finance rate of a Merchant directly affects his chance of performing a successful Acquisition
- Acquisition isn't considered an act of war
Princesses
Marriage – active ability
- you can marry your Princess either to a local or a foreign general
- if you marry a foreign general, he will join your faction
- you can't marry your Princess to a Muslim general, or a general whose faction may not have Princesses
- marrying a local general to your Princess will give him a Loyalty boost
- the Charm rate of Princess directly affects her chance of successful marriage; however, also foreign general’s Loyalty rating has an effect on this
- an unsuccessful marriage attempt may result to your Princess running away with the foreign general
Diplomacy – active ability
- a Princess may not bribe
- she can offer herself for a marriage (this results in a marriage alliance that is stronger than a normal one)
- the Charm rate of a Princess directly affects her chance of making a successful proposal
- apart from that a Princess is equal to a Diplomat when engaging in Diplomacy
II The M2TW Encyclopaedia [NEW!]
Click to view content:Act of war
An act that leads to war between two factions - an assassination for example.
Agents
In M2TW there are six type of agents: Spies, Assassins, Priests(/Bishops/Cardinals), Princesses, Diplomats and Merchants. Check the "Agents" section of this thread for further information.
Alliance
An alliance pact can be reached through diplomacy. In this pact both the factions involved promise to help each other in case either of them gets attacked.
Breaking an alliance will decrease your global reputation as well as your relations with the former ally and may eventually lead to a war, so be careful!
Ambushing
An army in Woodland terrain can ambush. In an ambush battle the defending alliance aren't allowed to deploy their troops, which gives the attacking alliance an ideal chance to a surprise attack.
"Americas event"/"The world is round"
An event occurring between the years 1446 and 1454 AD. This event unlocks a new area on the Campaign Map and allows you to sail over the Atlantic to America with a big ship such like a caravel.
"Blitzing"
To expand very quickly (usually at only one border at a time).
Blockading
Fleets can blockade hostile ports. This happens by right-clicking the port. A port under blockading can't trade, and can be freed only through destroying the blockading fleet (in case they don't leave by themselves).
Boiling oil
A feature of Medieval II: Total War Kingdoms that enables the defenders to pour boiling oil on the attackers from the gatehouse. This happens automatically when the gateway is held by the defenders.
Castles
Castles are population centres focused on military tasks and professional recruitment. The levels of castles are (in order) Motte and Bailey, Wooden Castle, Castle, Fortress and Citadel.
You can't change the tax rate of a castle.
A castle may be converted into a city with some buildings remaining.
Capturing
When a settlement has been conquered, there is an option to either exterminate, sack or occupy the settlement. Exterminating will make the population angry as well as destroy some buildings and kill citizens, but it brings also a substantial amount of money to your coffers. Sacking gives you a good hold of the local population. Occupying is the peaceful way of conquering - the citizens and buildings will be left undamaged, but they may protest your takeover.
Central plaza
Central plaza is the target area in siege battles. When the central plaza has been hold by the attackers for three minutes, the battle will end.
Charge bonus
The bonus in melee attack stat a unit receives when engaging in melee.
Circle and shoot
Missile cavalry's ability to circle while shooting, making them more difficult targets for enemy missiles.
Cities
Cities are population centres focused on economical tasks. The levels of cities are in order Village, Town, Large Town, City, Large City and Huge City.
Cities are more effective at producing artillery troops than castles.
A city may be converted into a castle with some buildings remaining.
Crusades/Jihads
Crusades and Jihads are "Holy wars", war journeys aiming to capture a settlement.
The Pope may call a Crusade, or you may ask him to call one. However, a Jihad can be called by any Imam with piety rating higher than four. Crusades or Jihads can be called only to certain settlements.
To join a Crusade a general must have at least eight units. Crusading units have no upkeep costs. A crusading general also has access to powerful crusader units through mercenary recruitment.
Deployment
During deployment both armies can plan their formation secretly in the opposite ends of the battlefield before the battle starts. When you're ready with your deployment, press the "Start Battle" button.
Sharpened Stakes may be deployed during the deployment phase.
Disasters
Disasters in M2TW mainly stand for earthquakes and storms. Earthquakes cause damage to buildings as well as the citizens of the region. Storms may appear on the seas at times, so you might want to keep your ships out of their way.
Distance to capital
The distance to your faction's capital decreases Public Order as well as your generals' Loyalty. The longer the distance, the greater the effects appear.
Excommunication
If a ruler gets the wrath of Pope on himself, the Pope may excommunicate him. Other Christian factions are likely to attack factions with excommunicated rulers, so you may want to avoid this.
Fight to death
A routing unit may start a fight to death if surrounded - they can't escape and they turn to fight their last battle. Due to this always leave the enemy a way to escape to decrease your casualties.
Fire at will mode
A missile unit in Fire at will mode will shoot enemies within their range without orders. If there are allied units too close to the enemy, they won't fire at all.
Flaming arrows
Using flaming arrows is a special ability of most archer units. Flaming arrows require a longer reload time and cause less casualties but have a significant effect on unit morale.
Florin
The currency used in Medieval II: Total War.
Forts
In M2TW you can build a fort when there is a general leading your army. A fort can be built to defend an important strategic target, such like a mountain pass, or to provide your men with a shelter when withdrawing from large enemy forces.
"Friendly fire"
Friendly fire means that your men are shooting allied soldiers. To avoid this always put your gunners and crossbowmen in the front line.
Garrison
Garrison units are units that have a free upkeep in a castle or a city, depending on the buildings built. For example a castle could provide room for three garrison units which could be Sergeant Spearmen for example.
Gateway
When your army is holding the gateway, no boiling oil or arrows from the towers can be launched on your men. Thus getting control of the gateway is an important step towards the occupation of a settlement.
The gate of a settlement can be crushed by a battering ram (see "Siege Equipment").
Governor
In a settlement there is usually a governor - he's one of the generals who are staying in that settlement at the time. Pious and chivalrous generals make great governors, and the most pious one present is automatically set for governor.
Guard Mode
You can set your units in Guard Mode by pressing the shield button in the bottom right corner of the battle UI. Units in Guard mode won't chase down enemy units, and try to fight defensively.
"Gunpowder event"
An event occurring between the years 1290 and 1300 AD. This event gives you the access to gunpowder weapons - use them with care!
Guilds
In M2TW there are several Guilds, each of which have their own bonuses. There are also Chapter Houses of religious orders available, as well as the Hanseatic League for Northern European factions. See the link to DarkKnights Guide to Guilds at the bottom of this post.
"HRE"
A common abbreviation for the Holy Roman Empire. "hre" is also the name of HRE in M2TW codes.
Loose formation
Loose formation can be toggled for most units by clicking the formation button at the bottom right corner of the battle UI. A unit in loose formation will suffer less from missile fire, but is more vulnerable to enemy charge.
Marriages
In M2TW you can arrange a marriage between a princess and a general. If the couple is from separate factions an alliance will be formed. A general who has got a princess for his wife will have increased Loyalty stat.
Mercenaries
Mercenaries are hardy warriors who fight for the one who pays the best. You can recruit mercenaries outside of a settlement (captains can't recruit mercenaries). The selection of these soldiers varies from region to region, and so may the recruitment costs. Using mercenaries can be effective as they can be recruited immediately - but note that it can be seen in their cost!
Military access
A military access can be achieved through diplomacy. When you have a military access you can take your armies to the lands of the other part of the agreement without penalties.
Movement points
Movement points define the distance a character or army can move in one turn. The area of potential movement is displayed green when you select the character or army.
Plagues
At times you may see your settlement being hit by an epidemic - these plagues may be devastating, especially later in the game when the Black Death arrives. Usual plagues last for a couple of turns and will kill some population, while the Black Death is something you don't want to see - it spreads fast and will kill most of your population.
Moving a character from an affected settlement into one free of plague may cause another epidemic (you may try and use spies to spread the plague into a foreign settlement). Plagues can also kill an affected character.
Constructing buildings that increase Public Health (such like Churches) will decrease the chance of plague striking your settlements.
Prisoners
When a unit routs, prisoners can be taken by the enemy. After the battle you can either release, ransom or execute the prisoners. If the ransom offer is declined, the prisoners will automatically be executed - that's why you want to consider if the enemy has enough money to pay the ransom.
Generals and bodyguard soldiers are worthy prisoners.
Public Health
Public Health affects the likelihood of a plague taking place in the settlement. It can be improved by building Church buildings, as well as City Halls and some other buildings.
Public Order
Public Order defines the happiness of the population in a settlement. Public order can be improved for example through garrisoning troops, setting a governor and decreasing the tax rate.
If Public Order goes low you may face a riot, or in the worst case a rebellion.
Radar Map
Radar Map is displayed at the top right corner of the battle screen. You can zoom in and out to get a general view of the battle.
On the Radar Map green arrows represent units controlled directly by you. Blue arrows are allied units, and red represents the enemy.
Rally
Generals' ability to rally their troops. Rallying increases the morale of routing troops nearby and may just make them turn around and continue fighting.
The general's bodyguard unit loses this special ability when the general dies.
Rebellion
If Public Order goes low enough in a province, a rebellion may take place. Practically this means that a Rebel army appears in the region, decreasing the income produced your settlement. They may also stop land trade if the army is standing on a road on the Campaign Map.
Rebels
See "Rebellion".
Region
In M2TW the Campaign Map is split to more than one hundred regions (often referred to as "provinces"). In a region there's always one settlement (or "region capital") representing the population of the region. Once the settlement is conquered the whole region will fall under the rule of the conqueror.
Reputation
Reputation indicates your standing towards other factions. If you tend not to keep your words, they may not be likely to form alliances with you. On the other hand if your reputation is very good they'll be more likely to agree on diplomatic agreements.
Riots
If Public Order of a settlement gets too low, the result will be a riot - or in the worst occasion, a rebellion. To prevent riots from occurring, construct buildings that improve public order and keep garrison troops in settlements.
Usually a riot lasts for a turn or two, and the rioters will kill a few soldiers as well as destroy some buildings.
Spies can be used to cause riots in foreign settlements.
Routing
When a unit's morale breaks the men will rout from battle. This is indicated by a flashing banner.
Prisoners can be taken from routing units.
If a routing unit has no direction to escape to, they'll temporarily change to "Fight to Death" status.
Settlement
A settlement is the centre of a region. There are two kinds of settlements: cities and castles, each having their own pros and cons (see "City" and "Castle").
Sharpened Stakes
Some units have "Sharpened Stakes" as their special ability. This means that in the development phase of the battle sharpened stakes can be deployed in front of the unit. This will guard the unit from cavalry charges, as not a single horse can run through this barrier alive.
Shock-troops
Shock-troops are units often equipped with an axe. They are fierce warriors whose charge can crush the backbone of the enemy army, so use them wisely.
Sieges
When an army attacks the region capital of a province, a siege will be laid. The siege will end when the settlement runs out of food, the attacker succesfully attacks and conquers the settlement, or the defender succesfully attacks the attacker and drives the attacking army away.
During a siege, various siege equipment can be built. Each piece of siege equipment requires a certain amount of build points. Their amount depends on the size of the attacking army - the bigger the army, the more towers, ladders and battering rams you can build.
Siege equipment
Siege equipment includes battering rams, ladders and siege towers, which can be used in a siege battle to get inside the city walls.
Skirmish Mode
Skirmish mode can be toggled at the bottom right corner of the battle UI. A missile unit in Skirmish Mode will avoid melee, running away from the enemy as they get closer. This may, however, drive your missile units too far from your main army and leave them vulnerable to a cavalry attack.
Special Abilities
Most units in M2TW have special abilities. They can be used - again - at the bottom right corner of the battle UI, or by pressing Ctrl + F.
Stack
A stack stands for the selection of troops in an army. Thus a full stack means an army of twenty units.
The Black Death
See "Plagues".
The Fog of War
The Fog of War (just FoW in short) covers the area (of the Campaign Map) you can't currently see. The Fog of War can be turned off by opening the M2TW console and typing in "toggle_fow".
The Mongol invasion
The Mongols arrive from the East during the 13th century. These fierce warriors are vast in numbers and rely on the bow as well as dread. Remember that the Mongol invasion is scripted - don't trust in peace with them, but prepare for total war.
The Pope
The Pope is the religious head in medieval Europe - he's a powerful person, so deal with him carefully. The Pope may announce a Crusade against a Muslim or Pagan settlement, or a settlement under control of an excommunicated ruler.
A Pope is elected amongst the preferati (the three most pious ones) Cardinals. Everyone of the College of Cardinals may vote. Always make sure you'll vote for the winner of the election - they Pope, once elected, may not forgive your opposition. Also, the Pope tends to like his former liege the best.
The "Pope-o-meter" indicates the Pope's opinion of European rulers.
"The Pope-o-meter"
The Pope-o-meter can be viewed in the faction info window (to open it click your faction shield when on the Campaign Map). It indicates how much the Pope likes each faction.
The Strategic/Campaign Map
The Campaign Map is where you make all the decisions and move your characters and armies.
The Timurid invasion
The Timurids will arrive late in the campaign from South-East. They have elephants, so you had better be careful...
Terrain
You can check the terrain by moving your cursor on the location of your choice. The terrain has a major effect on battles - the heights and vegetation of the battlefield are reflected on the Campaign Map and vice-versa.
An army in the Woodland terrain can set an ambush.
Trade rights
Trade rights with another faction can be exchanged through diplomacy. Once established you'll get more income from trade in their lands, as well as a little portion of the income the foreign Merchants generate from resources inside your realm.
Trade routes
Trade routes can be seen as green dashed lines in the sea on the Campaign Map. They indicate which settlements are trading with each other at the time.
Traits & ancillaries
Traits and ancillaries define the stats of a general. See the "Traits" section of this thread for further information.
"Turtling"
To play defensively and to expand very slowly.
Unit banner
The unit banner, varying depending on the unit type, is the indicator of the unit's status. A flashing banner indicates a routing unit.
Unit experience
Units that do well in battles gain experience. Unit experience is shown as chevrons in the top corner of the unit card.
Unit experience increases the melee attack stat of the unit in question.
Unit morale
Morale stat defines how likely the unit is to rout from battle. Low-quality units usually have low morale - it increases as the quality of training increases.
Upkeep
Upkeep cost is a payment you have to pay each turn to have a unit in your service. Horses, weapons, food and men aren't free - having more soldiers than you can afford may push you into a bankrupt!
You can see units' upkeep costs on their info cards (right-click the unit card to open the unit info tab).
Vassal
If someone has totally been beated up in war you can offer them vassalage. This makes you the liege of the foreign ruler, having no actual effect but it's just an indication of your might.
Watchtowers
Watchtowers can be built by a general in your regions. This will increase the line of sight, allowing you to see the environment of the watchtower without a character or army being present.
Wedge formation
Wedge formation is the special ability of most heavy cavalry. When in wedge they may split up the enemy, but this comes at the cost of bigger casualties, especially at the front of the unit, less kills and worse manoeuvrability.
Withdrawing
In a tough situation you can order your units to perform a withdrawal. If you don't tell them to stop withdrawing they'll leave the battle once they reach the border of the battlefield, being able to be used in the next battle.
Zone of Control
The Zone of Control is used to refer to the nine tiles around an army. If a non-allied army moves in one of these tiles, it loses all its movement points.
An allied army in the Zone of Control can join in battle as reinforcements.
III Advanced
1. Cavalry tactics
Click to view content:As we know, heavy cavalry is the most effective attacking force in Medieval II: Total War. Heavy cavalry is used in several ways, but here are some more advanced tactics than just running amok.
Hit and run onto the flank
Take your cavalry and attack, say, enemy archers on their either flank. Kill some of them, then withdraw onto the flank and let the enemy get closer your troops, then attack their infantry from their sides or wipe off their artillery.
Hit and run behind your own troops
Almost the same as above, but take your cavalry and withdraw behind your infantry line; if the enemy is trying to catch you, your infantry will engage them while archers are harassing them with their arrows.
Mass attack
This is a good strategy when the enemy troops have sustained a lot of casualties, especially late in the battle. Select your cavalry units and attack the enemy infantry with a mass force; they will rout and you can take a lot of prisoners. Preferably, order each cavalry unit to chase down a certain enemy unit.
2. Traits
Click to view content:Traits
Traits specify what kind of a person and leader your general is. There are many ways to get "good" traits to your character (check Royal Military Academy’s traits-page - the link can be found in the "Useful links" chapter).
Note that many of these traits are hereditary and may appear for example when your character comes of age.
1. How to increase Command?
- win battles
- some of the traits increasing command may appear when you end your turn in specific conditions
2. How to increase Chivalry?
- occupy the cities you conquer
- release prisoners
- keep the tax rate at "Low"
- win battles in a "chivalrous" way (for example when greatly outnumbered)
- join Crusades
3. How to increase Dread?
- sack or exterminate the cities you capture
- assassinate foreign characters (this affects only your faction leader)
- execute prisoners
- win battles in a "cruel" way (for example when the enemy is greatly outnumbered)
- bribe foreign characters
4. How to increase Piety?
- build Churches
- complete Papal missions
- join Crusades
- marriage with a princess
5. How to increase Loyalty?
- win battles
- marriage with a princess
6. How to increase Authority?
- bribe foreign characters
- assassinate foreign characters
- destroy factions
- win battles
- have high Chivalry or Dread
- engage your king personally in melee
- stay in settlements with Racing Tracks or Jousting Lists
Generals' stats
You know generals have stats, but you don't know what they actually do? Then this is for you!
1. Command
- increases the effectiveness of general's Rally ability
2. Chivalry
- increases army morale
- governor's Chivalry stimulates population growth and increases Public Order
3. Dread
- decreases enemy morale
- governor's Dread increases Public Order
4. Piety
- improves your relations with the Pope
- increases the chance of surviving an inquisition attempt
- governor's Piety decreases Religious Unrest
5. Loyalty
- decreases the chance of rebelling or getting bribed
6. Authority
- increases generals' Loyalty
IV Special Chapter
1. Some common questions & answers about file editing
Click to view content:WARNING: Never edit files without making backup files!
Q: How can I make every faction playable?
A: Make your way to file path .../.../Medieval II Total War/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_strat. There you'll see the titles "playable", "unlockable" and "nonplayable". Paste faction names from unlockable to playable, then save.
Q: How can I change the time scale to 0.5 years/turn or something else?
A: Make your way to file path .../.../Medieval II Total War/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_strat. There, at the top, you'll see the text "timescale 1.00". Change it to "timescale 0.50".
Q: How can I make the gunpowder event appear earlier?
A: Make your way to file path .../.../Medieval II Total War/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_events. There you'll see this:
Make it look like this (for example):Code:; ------------ CORE GAME EVENT -------------- event historic gunpowder_discovered date 210 220 movie event/gunpowder_invented.bik
The number next to "date" defines the time in years for the desired mission to appear, counted from the beginning of the campaign.Code:; ------------ CORE GAME EVENT -------------- event historic gunpowder_discovered date 1 movie event/gunpowder_invented.bik
Q: How can I change the start treasury to X florins when playing with faction X?
A: Make your way to file path .../.../Medieval II Total War/data/world/maps/campaign/imperial_campaign/descr_strat. There you'll see this:
"Denari" defines the starting treasury of a faction.Code:faction X (for example Venice) denari X (for example 10000) denari_kings_purse X (for example 1500)
"Denari_kings_purse" defines the amount of money the faction leader grants you each turn.
V Other
1. Useful links
Click to view content:Nazgūl Killer's M2TW Total Guide by Nazgūl Killer
The Great M2TW Informative Thread by Rebel6666
Guide to guilds by DarkKnight
Guide to M2TW cheats by axnsan
Royal Military Academy
Medieval II: Total War Heaven
TWC Wiki
VI Miscellaneous tips
Note that some of these tips may have been mentioned elsewhere in this guide.
1. Campaign
Click to view content:- take an army onto a tradable resource, then join the army with as many Merchants as possible
- give the Pope a little gift before trying and requesting a Crusade...
- early in the campaign, focus on certain types of units in each castle
- convert coastal castles to cities to reach the maximum income
- use Spies and Assassins to make foreign settlements rebel
- use Priests to cause Religious Unrest in areas of another religion
2. Battles
Click to view content:- use the Wedge formation of heavy cavalry to split up an enemy unit and give it the final knock
- use the "Circle and shoot" ability of missile cavalry to protect them against enemy archers (this is a bug-based issue)
- shoot the enemy from their right to exploit their shield cover (they bear the shields with their left hands)
- place archers behind infantry but crossbowmen in the front line as they aren't effective when launching volleys of the so-called "arrow rain"
3. Cheats
Click to view content:- to apply cheats, press ', ~, §, @ or ö button (depending on your keyboard) to bring up the console and then type your desired cheats
- to find cheats, check axnsan's Guide to M2TW cheats (the link can be found in the "Useful links" section)
Thanks for reading!
~Goofy
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Re: The Huge M2TW Tutorial
Originally Posted by Eastern Roman
