5 Important Tips to Playing Total War: Three Kingdoms for New Players

Sega recently published the highly anticipated turn-based strategy game Total War: Three Kingdoms on PC. Players are now flocking to their keyboards to boot up this incredible RTS title. With that in mind, we have concocted a quick guide of tips and tricks for new players to enjoy.

1. Watch Out for Rebels

Rebels are a staple feature of the Total War series. If discontent grows among your people, then you will soon find yourself battling your enemies on one side and a rebellion on the other. While rebels have always been a nuisance to Total War players, Total War: Three Kingdoms has given rebel forces an entirely new kind of power.

The Yellow Turban Rebellion is a faction like any other in Total War: Three Kingdoms. However, this faction uniquely gains power from the various growing rebellions throughout the world of Total War.

If you find yourself facing open rebellion from your own people, then you may also find yourself at war with the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

2. Take Your Heroes to War

Total War: Three Kingdoms has given a new level of strength to heroes. These unique characters can act as generals in your armies or ministers in your cities. Whatever role your heroes are playing, always remember that they are all equipped to deal some serious damage on the battlefield.

Turn your heroes into the proverbial spear tips of your armies and you will soon find that you can conquer your enemies at a much faster pace.

3. Get to Know the Map

Total War: Three Kingdoms takes place across the sprawling lands of China. If you want to be victorious in your conquests, then you are going to have to understand the land you are fighting for.

The geography makes a significant difference in this game. Fighting alongside a river and fighting on flat, landlocked ground are two quite different experiences that each provide their own unique challenges. To that end, Reddit member Skeewbs1 has provided a detailed map of the game that can be viewed above.

4. Remember Wu Xing

Wu Xing is an ancient Chinese philosophy that plays a huge role in Total War: Three Kingdoms. The philosophy ties all matters of life to five colors, which all form a cycle. In this game, however, the colors represent certain military assets.

Everything from melee cavalry units to archers are represented by one of the five elemental colors. Military assets within the same color scheme are considered beneficial to each other and work well together. Meanwhile, military assets of contradicting colors may be counters to each other. Check out the graph above for a full breakdown, as provided by the Total War fandom wiki.

5. Be Cautious of Spies

Total War: Three Kingdoms has provided a new and improved espionage system that is more in-depth than in previous games within the series. With that in mind, you are going to want to focus some of your efforts on utilizing your spies.

You can take members of your court to other factions, allowing them the chance to infiltrate your enemies from within. If properly utilized, one of your spies may even take control of an enemy’s army one day.