Use Your General

Learn how to classify units like infantry, cavalry, and siege in Total War: Rome II, and understand special abilities like Wedge, Testudo, and Warcry to dominate the battlefield.

Alright, let's break down the units in Total War: Rome II. Understanding what each unit does and how they're organized is key to building a winning army. This section will cover the basic categories units fall into and the special tricks some of them have up their sleeves.

Unit Categories

Think of these as the main job descriptions for your troops:

• Infantry: These are your bread and butter. They fight on foot, can operate siege engines, and are generally good at holding the line. You'll have swordsmen, spearmen (short and long), skirmishers, and archers all falling under this umbrella. Melee infantry are built to stick around in a fight.
• Cavalry: Super mobile, but usually not the best in a straight-up brawl. Cavalry shines when you flank enemies, especially infantry, with a well-timed charge. They're also great for chasing down routing enemies or harassing archers. Just don't expect them to hold their ground head-on against tough infantry for long. They come as heavy, light, or skirmishing types.
• Siege: These units are your heavy hitters for taking down walls and fortifications. While they can fight regular troops, they're not very accurate against smaller targets. Some siege units are specifically designed for sniping enemy generals, though!

Special Abilities

Beyond their basic roles, some units have unique abilities that can really turn the tide of battle:

• Wedge Formation (Cavalry): Your cavalry forms up into a triangle. It gives their charge a little extra punch, but don't expect a miracle. It's a nice bonus, though.
• Cantabrian Circle (Horse Archers, Skirmishing Cavalry): The horses gallop in a big circle, and they only shoot or throw when they hit a specific point. This makes it harder for enemies to hit your missile troops and keeps a steady stream of projectiles flying. It's great for morale damage but can lead to fewer casualties over time. Be warned, it tires your troops out fast!
• Testudo Formation (Post-Marian Infantry with Square Shields): Soldiers huddle together, forming a shield shell. Front ranks face forward, sides face out, and the middle ranks cover overhead. This makes them nearly immune to arrows and javelins. The downside? They move super slow and are really vulnerable to cavalry charges or melee infantry. Honestly, most players find it a bit of a waste since Roman infantry is already pretty tough against missiles.
• Flaming Ammunition (Archers, non-Horse Archers): Arrows that are on fire! They become less accurate, but they hit enemy morale much harder. Good for causing panic.
• Kill Raging Elephant (Elephant Units): If your elephants go