Fifth Total War series’ installment; Empire Total War doesn’t offer a lot of options when choosing playable nations and we’ll give you the priceless info on which of the 12 playable factions are 6 easiest countries to play as in Empire Total War.
Set in the early modern period with 1700 set as the beginning year, Empire Total War’s grand campaign gives you the chance to take control of one of the 11 European colonial countries vying for power and new world order. There’s also Maratha Confederacy faction which lets you take the fate of the Indian subcontinent into your hands.
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Speaking of India, this is one of the three available theaters of war which represent the new feature in Total War series. Theaters of war are vast parts of the world which wouldn’t be able to blend in a single map otherwise. That’s why they are separate, and apart from the Indian subcontinent, the game consists of two other theaters of war: Europe and America. Former of the two consists of Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia, while latter consists of larger part of the North America, Central America and the Caribbean, and north part of the South America. That being said, Empire Total War is a little bit more complex than the previous installment in the series.
By the way, if you are a fellow gamer, you must have bumped into the League of Legends somewhere. Here’s the list of 5 most OP characters in League of Legends to carry games and crush foes with. But let us get back to the topic at hand. No matter which of the factions in Empire Total War you choose, you’ll be given a time frame of 100 years during which you are supposed to accomplish given objectives. You will focus on many aspects of leading a nation such as politics, economics, religion, exploration and founding of colonies, but most of it will eventually come down to conquest.
As mentioned above, some of the available factions are easier to play with, while some are harder. We have chosen three crucial parameters by which we have ranked the faction from hardest to easiest ones to play the game with. These parameters are: number of starting regions, presence in theaters of war and isolation factor. First one is really self-explanatory and brings more points to larger nations. Those factions with vast territories can ultimately field larger armies and gain more income from the get-go, thus helping the player quickly establishing a dominant position compared to other factions. Some nations are present only in Europe, while United Provinces (The Netherlands) stretches across all three theaters of war. This allows those playing with the Dutch to quickly gain valuable trade income and equally spread across the whole globe.
Finally, isolation factor represents the nation’s starting position compared to its neighbors. Great Britain, for instance, has a great starting position thanks to the English channel which has traditionally been their most important defensive factor. We haven’t, however, considered faction’s unique strengths, weaknesses, units and level of development as these things tend to balance themselves out during the gameplay. Without further ado, here’s our list of 6 easiest countries to play as in Empire Total War based on combined points of aforementioned trio of parameters.
6. Spain
Spain’s decline has historically started in XVII century, but some will say that the downfall had happened before even. Spanish Armada was severely decimated in 1588, and that was a crippling blow for a country looking to maintain its overseas colonies. In 1700, at the beginning of the grand campaign, Spain still held vast territories under its rule. You start the game with 9 regions under your control and established foothold in North American theater of war. However, the country is trailing behind its technologically advanced opponents due to both heavy religious influence over the centuries and the lack of a capable leader. Furthermore, regions like Flanders, Sardinia, North and South Italy are cut off from the Iberian peninsula and might soon fall into enemy hands. This makes Spain hard to play with initially, but a capable commander could turn the tides of fate into his own hands.
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5. United Provinces
It’s been 50 years since Holland’s northern provinces had finally been granted official independence from the Spanish Habsburg rule, but southern provinces in Flanders are still under conquistador’s boots. United Provinces which is modern day Kingdom of the Netherlands start with only 4 regions under their control, but with a presence in all three theaters of war which is a high boost to both the economy and future expansion policies. Player will find itself surrounded with strong potential enemies in Europe, but also with a chance to take Flanders back from Spain early on. Furthermore, Dutch king, William III of Orange currently sits on the English throne which guarantees alliance with one of the strongest faction in Empire Total War. Things might not be as pink for United Provinces, but orange is quite a cheerful color as well – don’t you agree?
4. France
With French revolution still more than half a century away, you start with 8 regions under your control and presence in European and American theaters of war. Furthermore, you will be present in both North and South America, and, needless to say, have the opportunity to prevent the revolution altogether and keep Bourbons at the helm. Under Louis XIV, you’ll be able to field both vast and technologically advanced armies with which you could forestall Napoleon and erase his name from history books entirely. However, Great Britain stands tall over La Manche and you’ll eventually have to deal with them if you are to create the standing empire under fleur-de-lis flag.
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3. Ottoman Empire
Turkey is the legitimate successor, and pretty much everything that’s left of once huge Ottoman Empire. 1700 isn’t the best of years to start playing with the Ottomans since their aspirations towards the rule in central Europe have finally been broken after the battles of Vienna in 1683 and Senta (modern-day Serbia) in 1697 respectively. However, Empire Total War is a game and as such, allows you to turn the tide of war in your favor. Ottoman Empire still has 12 regions under its control (more than any other faction in the game), and relatively safe position in spite of its size. In order to establish colonies, however, you’ll first have to stabilize the situation back at home.
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2. Russia
Like the Ottomans, Russia also governs vast territories (9 of them), but features much more defensible starting position. With no major powerhouses threatening them, Russians fly very high on our list of 6 easiest countries to play as in Empire Total War. India is relatively close as well, and only major opponents initially are Poland-Lithuania and Sweden to the west and northwest respectively. After all, Russia did become a true empire during the early modern period under Peter the Great. It’s up to a player to do the same; more or less.
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1. Great Britain
The United Kingdom will soon be established, but in year 1700, Great Britain is a faction with already relatively vast empire and great starting position. You have 6 regions under your control and established foothold in North American theater of war. What’s more important, Great Britain has a great defensive position thanks to above mentioned English channel, thus its isolation factor is quite good. With William III of Orange upon the throne, you don’t have to worry about The Netherlands and can safely divert your attention to colonial growth. That, however, is where you’ll ultimately get in conflicts with France and Spain which will be your main rivals in both the new world and on the European mainland.
These are 6 easiest countries to play as in Empire Total War, but this doesn’t mean that other factions aren’t as interesting to play with. We have tried to highlight potential dangers and opportunities for every single faction on the list, and if you’re still up to some carnage in Empire’s theaters of war – do feel free to try one of them out.
