He’s particularly strong in defense, so if you’re sick of being routed by the Yellow Turban Rebellion or some particularly nasty neighbours he’s a good pick. Here’s a military-minded warlord for players who like to focus on their armies and let generals take care of civic governance too.
![total war three kingdoms crossbow total war three kingdoms crossbow](https://us.v-cdn.net/5022456/uploads/editor/5f/dvim49o6vood.jpg)
It really is all about keeping a big army rolling into enemy territory with Sun Jian, then. His Mercenary Outpost building boosts income from commerce and mercenary replenishment. Unique features: Mercenary Captain Retinues are recruitable immediately for Sun Jian and don’t need any mustering time, while his unique archer, infantry, and cavalry units give him the chance to create a well-rounded army right at the beginning of the game using better units than his opponents have access to until later levels. It’s achieved by sustaining fewer losses than the enemy in battle, so Sun Jian should be played super aggressively to keep those bonuses rolling in. He’s all about Heroism, a unique faction resource that reduces unit upkeep cost, improves recruitment and boosts public order. Hero class and playstyle: Sun Jian is a Sentinel class, which gives himself and his troops great staying power on chokepoints. These two are at loggerheads from turn one, so your decision isn’t just about buddying up to a friend but also about who you make enemies with from the outset. After that his initial dilemma is to side with either Yuan Shu or slightly closer neighbour Liu Bao. Starting position: Down in Jianling, Sun Jian begins in enemy territory and must make his way south to reach his family.
![total war three kingdoms crossbow total war three kingdoms crossbow](https://content.totalwar.com/total-war/com.totalwar.www/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/01143834/Pre_battle.jpg)
Inevitably, it’s a risk-reward tradeoff that’s perhaps better suited to players with either a lot of Total War experience or a few prior Three Kingdoms campaigns under their belts. Sun Jian is a super-aggressive warlord with plenty of perks for going after territories early and maintaining a large army. Sun Jian - The Tiger of Jiangdongįind more tips in our Total War: Three Kingdoms beginner's guide (opens in new tab). His unique building, Shu Han Tax Collection, increases peasant tax income at the expense of public order, and he has two unique diplomatic/settlement options, Confederate and Integrate, which allow him to gain new territories outside of battle by flexing his diplomatic muscle and spending Unity. Unique features: Liu Bei begins with two archer unit types which don’t unlock for the others until levels 3 and 6, which is especially handy for him given that archers have increased range in Three Kingdoms versus prior TW games. Unity grants bonuses to just about every other kind of income, and can also be used to take control of Han Empire territories without actually invading them. It’s accrued by keeping generals satisfied, which in turn is achieved by completing unique assignments. After taking his initial territory, it’s best to keep the region of his overall control quite low in the early game and focus primarily on generating his unique resource, Unity. Hero class and playstyle: Like Cao Cao, Liu bei is a Commander and thus receives a bonus to inspiration in his troops and gets -50% militia infantry upkeep and +4 public order just for being such a swell guy. With that done, Liu Bei must decide whether to side with Cao Cao or Tao Qian in the next few turns. With that said, he, er, doesn’t actually control any territory at the beginning of round one, so his first job is to wrestle control from the local militia - luckily he begins with the most powerful army of all the leaders. Starting position: Beginning over in the northeast of the map, Liu Bei starts nice and far away from that big bully Dong Zhuo, but he’s likely to face conflict with ultra-aggressive Yuan Shao and his many vassals before too long.
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His unique resource, Unity, becomes increasingly powerful as the game progresses, and his unique ranged units give him an early game edge on the battlefield. After Cao Cao, lovely Liu Bei is probably Three Kingdom’s second-most favourable warlord for beginners and those looking for an easier ride in the early game.