While they have some nice designs, they do not immediately jump out as massively unique. They are mid to high tier units and while it is a cool extra feature, it is probably one that could have been developed a little bit further. It is an interesting style of gameplay with his faction and it is yet another example of how The Creative Assembly have tried hard and put in the work to making each ruler feel at least somewhat unique.Īlongside a few other unique generals added into the game, on the unit side of things the significant addition in the DLC is the 'Northern Army', a professional trained army that can be commanded by either Cao Cao or Yuan Shao when they reach level seven. This western faction comes with a new 'inheritance' mechanic that allows Liu Yan to pass on his dynasty to his son (or indeed another general if desired), granting powerful bonuses for completing missions as the father. In terms of specific new gameplay additions beyond routine updates, the key ones are the introduction of Liu Yan and Liu Zhang. Now each rank will prompt the player to allocate points to different categories from increasing trade deals to the number of armies in the field, again it is just a simple way of giving more ownership to how the campaign develops. This was an automatic process that frankly was more 'blink and you will miss it'. In prior games capturing and upgrading cities lead to prestige which in turn led to ranking up. Generals in a kingdom will propose missions, with the faction leader able to choose from a selection from the likes of launching pirate raids, to increasing a certain general's satisfaction, they are small but effective ways of making generals feel like they have more of a purpose outside battles.Īdditionally, faction rankings have had a little overhaul too. A small section hidden in a bunch of menus is gone, replaced with a much more visually engaging 2D representation of a council meeting. The new faction council in each spring period is an excellent revamp of the previous way generals handed out missions. Firstly, there are some really good changes to game mechanics and what could best be described as fancy UI changes. In terms of new content in the DLC other than the new campaign, there are a few things to talk about. There are certainly a few at the beginning number of turns, but events soon spiral into the territory of alternate history, which for some might prove to be a touch disappointing. This DLC more than most does not seem to provide a lot of mission opportunities to play out those historic moments. A lot of the life within the campaign centres around re-enacting history, while accepting the premise that Total War campaigns always take on a fictional flavour of their own. However, where it is let down is that it does not feel as if there are as many unique missions. It is similar when playing as Cao Cao too rather than the frontline of war being confined to a small corridor and chokepoint, instead it has him battling on all fronts and having to manage this while contending with Liu Bei and Sun Ce to the south, and powerful enemies in the north.įrom dwindling army supplies to taking good strategic decisions around army placement, the campaign suddenly feels more important and equally more expansive. The campaign suddenly takes on a bigger scale without even doing anything. These allies are not just beside him either, he really has to stretch his army to find them. At the start of previous campaigns the virtuous leader is penned in with just a few paths to realistically advance into, whereas in Fates Divided Liu Bei has his own land and is tasked with making alliances with the likes of Liu Biao and new faction Liu Zhang. One of the biggest perceptions when playing the campaign with almost any faction in this date is just how 'grand' and expansive things feel. The 200 CE start date feels quite different to the previous dates. Similar to a lot of the DLC packs up to now in Total War: Three Kingdoms, this chapter pack adds a new year in the campaign start date, and with it a whole host of new ways to play the existing factions in the campaign alongside a brand-new faction to enjoy. Even if it is a disappointment that there is no included set piece historical battle in this latest DLC, the fact that The Creative Assembly thought to include what is a pivotal moment in the Three Kingdoms era for fans to enjoy is pleasing. The confrontation between the great Cao Cao and Yuan Shao is one that has been etched in the mind, both in the cultural history of gaming as well as in the media representation of this time period (fans of a certain Chinese language adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms will remember the famous scene). For fans of this period of China, if there is one thing that really gets the blood pumping, it is what has come to be known as the Battle of Guandu.
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