How to Get All Factions in Rome Total War

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Last Updated: February 18, 2023 References

Rome: Total War normally only allows you to play a few of the factions that live on the ancient Mediterranean campaign map. Fortunately, there's an easy hack that allows you play as any faction you encounter, from Armenia to Spain. If you would rather stick to the factions designed for players, use the campaign guide below to unlock them as quickly as possible.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Editing Game Files

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1
Find the file descr_strat. txt. These are the default locations for this file, depending on your version of Rome: Total War:
- Purchased through Steam: C:\Programs\Steam\Steam Apps\Common\Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_strat.txt
- Basic edition: C:\Program Files\Activision\Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_strat.txt
- Gold edition: C:\Program Files\The Creative Assembly\Rome - Total War\data\world\maps\campaign\imperial_campaign\descr_strat.txt
- If you are trying to unlock factions for the Barbarian Invasion expansion instead, look for barbarian_invasion/descr_strat.txt in the same "campaign" folder. ^{[1]
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Just in case, make a copy of this file with the same name and save it in a different folder. Now if these changes cause problems in your game, you can drag the copy back into this folder. That will replace the altered file and undo any bugs that the changes introduced.

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Make sure to copy only the lines that include the faction names. If you introduce any extra spaces or other characters, this will not work. Each line must begin with a single Tab ↹ , followed by the single word that described that faction.
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Do the same with selected "non-playable" factions. This hack lets you play as factions you can not unlock during normal gameplay. However, there are several issues you should be aware of before moving them all to the playable section:
- The SPQR ("roman_senate") and Rebel ("slave") factions are buggy. Your SPQR game will crash if you click the Missions tab, and the Rebel game will crash on loading for some players. In rare cases, players have reported more serious bugs that required uninstalling the game. Try these factions at your own risk.
- The Barbarian Invasion does not allow you to play as the Romano-British, Ostrogoths, Slavs, East Empire Rebels, or West Empire Rebels. Choosing one of these factions will crash your game unless you download a third-party mod. ^{[2]
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- The faction selection screen can only display 20 factions. Keep some factions you are not currently playing in another section.
Launch Rome, restarting it if it's already open. The factions you made playable should now appear as options when you start a new campaign.
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Name the factions if you have an older version of the game. If the factions still don't appear, you likely have an unpatched version of Rome: Total War (earlier than 1.5). You will need to change an additional file to unlock all factions: ^{[3]
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- Navigate back to the data folder and open /data/text/campaign_descriptions.txt
- Copy-paste this into the file:
  {IMPERIAL_CAMPAIGN_ARMENIA_TITLE}Armenians
  {IMPERIAL_CAMPAIGN_ARMENIA_DESCR}Armenians
- Type in the same text for each faction, separated by blank lines. Replace "ARMENIA" with the exact name found in the descr_strat file. Replace "Armenians" with any title and description that helps you identify them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Unlocking Factions by Beating the Campaign

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At the start of the game, you can only play as one of the three Roman houses: the Julii, Brutii, and Scipii. Once you beat a campaign as one of these factions, you will unlock the Britons, Gauls, Carthaginians, Greeks, Egyptians, Parthians, Seleucids, and Greeks. ^{[4]
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Research source} For strategy advice on beating the campaign as fast as possible, continue to the next step. If you're interested in unlocking normally unplayable factions, you'll need to edit the game files instead.
This is generally considered the fastest way to beat a campaign. Since completing any campaign will unlock the other factions, choosing the short option will save you a lot of time. To win this campaign, you'll need to defeat Gaul and control at least fifteen provinces.
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Gather resources. Your first priority is growing the economy of your two cities, and taking the northwestern town of Segesta as instructed by the Senate. These should be your first actions in the campaign:
- Send your faction leader's army back to Arretium. ^{[5]
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  Research source} Build paved roads here. ^{[6]
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- Send your other army to besiege Segesta. Take and occupy it immediately, or wait two turns for them to surrender.
- Build a port in Ariminum. ^{[7]
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- Install governors at Ariminium and Segesta as soon as you can.
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Establish your power center in northern Italy. The Julii's major weakness is its lack of easy money sources. Spend the first couple years of the campaign improving your city in ways that increase resource generation. This includes ports, traders, and markets. For now, you only need military buildings at Arretium, and it's worth prioritizing economic buildings even there. ^{[8]
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- During this time, send your armies out north of the Alps and to the northwest of Segesta. Build forts there within sight of the Gaulic cities so you have advance warning if they attack.
5
Use your diplomats wisely. Your starting diplomat can quickly negotiate a trade route with the Gauls, usually earning you 700–1000 denarii. This is a temporary measure, though, since you'll soon be at war. You may decide to send him to one of these locations instead, or to recruit additional diplomats to cover these tasks: ^{[9]
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- Sail east to Greece and negotiate an alliance for 4000–8000 denarii.
- Travel west to Spain, and wait until after you've attacked Gaul to negotiate protection and trade for 2000–5000.
- Keep an eye out for cost-effective bribe opportunities. Unled rebel forces and soldiers from other Roman factions are usually a good deal for your money. Gallic captains are also good targets.
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Form two armies. Have Arretium produce as many hastati as you can afford, along with a couple unites of equities. Split your forces into two armies, each led by a general. At this stage of the game, your basic infantry forces should be able to defeat larger barbarian forces: ^{[10]
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- Arrange your hastati (infantry) to use the manipulated tactic: have two or three lines of reinforcement, and allow the front lines to fall back behind the next whenever morale or fatigue becomes an issue.
- Protect the archers you start the game with at all costs. Use fire arrows when enemies are close to routing.
- Equities (your cavalry forces) are weak, but a wedge charge from the side can easily cause a rout. Keep them well away from battle at the sides of your forces, and charge only when you can hit an unprotected flank.
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Occupy nearby cities. By around turn 5 or 6, you should have enough of an army to attack Gaul, your main enemy. Have one army attack any roving bands of Gauls to the north, then besiege Mediolanum and Patavium. At the same time, have your second army sail west along the coast and take the city of Massilia, again prioritizing Gaulic units outside the city (if present). ^{[11]
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- Although the Gauls rarely make a serious attempt on Massilia, the Britons may show up if they're acting aggressive. Don't leave it undefended.
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Switch to rapid military expansion. Build barracks in all cities and start recruiting for your army. From this point onward your goal is a rapid military campaign, and you'll need a growing army to complete the campaign before your enemies entrench themselves. Your immediate goal is to defeat Gaul, which you can do as follows: ^{[12]
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- Move along the coast to take port cities such as Narbo Martius first, stealing the Gauls' trade income.
- Kill Gaulic family members whenever possible. If the Gaul faction falls early, you may be able to complete your campaign by spending all your funds bribing rebels.
- Depending on where your armies are strongest and where the Gauls have concentrated their forces, either move south into Gaul-controlled Spain, or march north and take the Gaulic capital (usually Alesia). ^{[13]
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  Research source} After a successful campaign in either area, the rest of Gaul is usually easy to defeat.
As mentioned before, the Julii can easily get low on denarii. Don't neglect your road upgrades, which have a massive effect on trade and allow faster transport through your little empire. Build farms whenever necessary for city growth, along with just enough health or entertainment buildings to prevent severe squalor or revolt. ^{[14]
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Research source} If you've defeated Gaul but still only have 10 provinces or so, you'll likely need to spend some downtime keeping your cities happy and building income sources. ^{[15]
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Complete the campaign. Once Gaul is defeated, your cities are relatively happy, and your armies are back up to full strength, all you need to do is conquer provinces until you have fifteen of them. In most games, the Britons will have a substantial presence on the continent by now, and will likely attack you even if you attempt to ally yourself with them. Make them your next target, keeping the following in mind:
- The Britons' chariot has a terrible effect on your morale. Recruit more missile troops to wear them down before they charge. ^{[16]
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- Naval warfare in this area is dangerous. Blockading ports will greatly weaken the Briton economy, but if you're struggling with finances you may want to stick to land for the short campaign. Do not blockade Londinium until the Senate offers you a reward for doing so.
- If necessary, ally with the Germans for help against the British — but keep an eye out for poorly defended German towns, which may be your final couple provinces.
- If you're still short on provinces, conquer poorly defended Carthaginian cities, starting with Caralis on the nearby island of Sardinia.