Total War Pharaoh tips and tricks to help you beat the game

Looking for some Total War Pharaoh tips and tricks? Strategy is no stranger to challenge and difficulty as a genre, and the same remains true for Creative Assembly’s newest entry into the Total War series.

Here then, we’re going to cover our top tips and tricks to help you on your path toward overcoming the Bronze Age Collapse. If you’re looking for an overview of the game as a whole, consider checking in on our Total War Pharaoh review for a better picture.

Best tips and tricks for Total War Pharaoh players

Here are our top tips and tricks for Total War Pharaoh, designed to help you navigate and beat the game.

• Think carefully about how to start a campaign before diving in.
• Consider who to pick as your faction or leader.
• Learn the nuances of how to control units to win battles.
• Be mindful of the seasons and the weather.
• Use Cult Centres to steer the Pillars of Civilisation.
• Don’t be afraid to hold back on conquest.
• Choose your Ancient Legacy wisely.

Let’s go through each of these tips and explain them in a bit more detail.

Starting a campaign

There’s quite a lot to consider before you begin a campaign in Total War Pharaoh. First off, if you’re brand new to the series, the game has a number of extensive tutorial scenarios you can try out. It’s up to you how far you take them, but they can be a good way to get to grips with the basics in short order.

Next, consider looking into your campaign settings. Though we covered this extensively in our guide about how to start a campaign, there’s a massive index of different settings you can change, which will alter your campaign experience in many different ways. You can change the benefits and behaviours of the AI, reduce the impact of events like natural disasters, or even make the game harder for yourself by turning on features like Ironman Mode. Prior to beginning your game, take a moment to have a look through these settings and ensure you’re happy for them in order to optimise for the best possible experience.

Choosing a faction and a leader

There are three major civilisation factions at play in Total War Pharaoh: The Egyptians, The Hittites, and The Canaanites. True to their real-world historical counterparts, these cultures share some similarities, but plenty of differences too.

When beginning a campaign, you’ll find your experience heavily impacted by the factions and leader you choose. The Egyptians have the verdant banks of the Nile for wheat and the deep gold mines of Kush to supply their wealth. The Hittites meanwhile are in little need to search for materials like stone and bronze. As well as resources, starting size is a big factor to consider, as is room for expansion. Rameses might not begin with the wealthiest territory, but surrounded by smaller, weaker neighbours, you’re in a good position to quickly change that if you choose him.

If you’re stuck on making a decision, check out our choices for the best leaders in Total War Pharaoh, where we break down the top picks in greater detail, and look at their unique units, buildings and bonuses as well.

Learn how to control units

This series is called “Total War” for a very good reason. At the end of the day, it always comes back to conflict. If you’re going to win a campaign, you’ll need to fight a lot of battles. While you can auto-resolve your way to victory, it’s a lot more interesting to take command of your troops directly.

When you go into a battle, be sure to study the terrain before you begin. This, weather, and your enemy’s position are the big three initial factors to think about. You can reposition your units as you like, and we’d strongly encourage you to get comfortable with grouping them up to make it easier to command large numbers of troops at once.

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Beyond these initial factors, there are plenty of other mechanics which can affect your chances in a battle. Exhaustion, morale, elevation, cover, and unit composition will all influence the flow of a battle.

Be sure to make use of flanking as much as possible. Where safe to do so, getting behind an enemy and surrounding them can be a fantastic way to break their morale quickly, and will help you win in situations where you might otherwise be outnumbered.

We’ve got a deeper breakdown of how to control troops and win these battles more consistently in another guide, but even so long as you follow these basics, you should find yourself in a good position to come out on top more often than not.

Be mindful of seasons and the weather

Seasons and the weather have shaped warfare and campaigns throughout history, and the same story is true in Total War Pharaoh. As you cycle through the years, an icon above the turn timer will indicate the current season. Hover over it for more information.

It’s something to keep an eye on, as some seasons, like Harvest, will bring great boons to your crop production, wealth and happiness. Others, like Floods, will cause deficits. Keep a watch on the seasons as they progress to learn the pattern and anticipate.

During battles, weather is a big factor that can have an effect on the outcome. You can choose to wait if the weather forecast is unfavourable, or potentially use bad weather to your advantage if you’re on the defensive. Sandstorms and thunderstorms for example both significantly debuff the strength of ranged units, making them prime opportunities to overwhelm foes who might rely too heavily on bows and slingshots.

Use the Cult Centres

Cult Centres are special settlements across the world that act as ‘pillars of civilisation’. Due to their size, wealth, technology and influence, their fate can and will shape the fate of the world. We’ve covered this extensively in our full breakdown of the Pillars of Civilisation mechanics, which also goes over how to beat the Sea Peoples. But the key takeaway is that controlling, developing and defending these important locations is your best way to keep your Pillars of Civilisation score high, and avoid crisis or collapse states, which will make the game much harder.

Choose an Ancient Legacy wisely

Not far into the game, you’ll get the chance to choose an Ancient Legacy. This is effectively a declaration of your designs as a ruler, dictating which great Pharaoh or King you’ll aim to follow in the footsteps of. You can only choose this once, and it can’t be changed. Depending on your decision, you may be able to unlock new mechanics in the game. The Legacy of Hatshepsut The Merchant, for example, will unlock the ability to use a trade expeditions system, which can be a fantastic way to grow your wealth and get resources if you’re low on them.

How to win a game of Total War Pharaoh

Lastly, let’s quickly touch on how to win a campaign. To win a campaign, you need to accrue victory points before the final turn. You can earn these points through a variety of objectives, some of which you may discover as the game progresses. Taking the crown, building great monuments, and conquering the Cult Centres are all examples. You can view your progress and all currently discovered objectives by clicking the final button on the top of the UI, symbolised by a stone tablet.

There are three levels of victory: A minor, major and ultimate victory. Each type has a threshold of points you’ll need to reach in order to win in that way, with ultimate of course being the most challenging to get.

That covers all our best Total War Pharaoh tips and tricks. There’s plenty to get to grips with in this game. If you’ve yet to even begin a campaign and want the best graphics settings, we can help you out. Alternatively, if you’re already knee deep in the waters of the Nile and wondering if there’s a Total War multiplayer feature so you can get some friends into your world, we’ve covered that too.

Is Total War Pharaoh difficult?

Total War Pharaoh can be an intense challenge on higher difficulties, especially for the unprepared.

Will Total War Pharaoh have DLC?

Total War Pharaoh is set to have at least several DLC in the form of new factions and leaders some time after launch.