Dromons are a blast, while Cataphracts don’t keep their promise.Legions are great, while Ballistae pretty much suck.Trihemiolias are amazing, while Axemen are not much stronger than the units they replace.While the Celts, Franks and Goths have strong melee units, the respective second units of the Vandals and both Roman empires are neglectable: Attila’s unique trait (+movement) makes Battering Rams and Horse Archers deadly mobile in enemy territory.
The unique traits of each civilization hugely vary in usefulness: A solid defense to either side is required, but should not distract from the road to Rome (or Constantinople respectively). On the contrary: While playing one Barbarian nation, all neighboring Barbarians will send armies your way, trying to conquer you. So you won’t have the means to take on both Rome and neighboring Barbarians.
I’ve learned this through various failed Deity attempts: Playing as one Barbarian civilization (Celts, Franks, Goths, Vandals), ridding oneself of neighbors does not lead to victory: Compare both games in this guide: Fall of Rome Spec Ops: The Huns Deity Strategy Barbarian Wars of Brothers In the second game resistance was minimal and I overran them. The biggest difference here, I encountered playing the Huns: In one game I encountered fierce resistance by the Sassanids which I could only overcome by sneak attacking their capital. Because if you’re one unit stronger, the AI might decide to turn it’s army elsewhere. It can determine the outcome of a battle, but also if the battle takes place at all. Building one unit before the enemy builds one (or not) can be a tipping point. I do believe the order of turns plays a huge role.
Capture Rome as the Vandals using a boat in the Fall of Rome scenario.įall of Rome Strategy Things you can’t control