Part 29

Learn about The Moors faction in Total War: Three Kingdoms, including their units, buildings, and strategy for conquering the Iberian Peninsula.

Goals:

• Short - Hold 15 Regions, Eliminate Spain, Eliminate Portugal
• Long - Hold 45 Regions, including Toledo, Jerusalem

The Moors have access to Race Tracks and Hospitals (both city-only), and caravan stops at castles.

Race Tracks:

• Level 1: +5% Public Order from happiness, recruit cavalry, able to hold races (monthly and daily races cost money, increase public order).
• Level 2: +10% Public Order from happiness, recruit cavalry, able to hold races (monthly and daily races cost money, increase public order).

Hospitals:

• Level 1: +10% Public Health, -20% unit retraining cost
• Level 2: +20% Public Health, -40% unit retraining cost

Caravan Stops:

• Level 1: Increase in trade, can recruit Taureg Camel Spearmen (4).
• Level 2: Increase in trade, can recruit Taureg Camel Spearmen (4).

Units:

• Unlike their fellow Muslim factions, the Moors have very good infantry. They have a large variety of spearmen, though none are too amazing, but their real strength in infantry comes from their Urban Militia (available at cities, 11 Attack, 18 Defence) and Dismounted Christian Guard (16 Attack, 22 Defence), which allow The Moors to field infantry that can compete with, or in the case of the Dismounted Christian Guard, defeat European knights.
• The Moors also have good missile units. They have Middle Eastern Peasant Crossbowmen, whose attack matches that of European Pavise Crossbowmen (though their defence and range don't measure up), and they also have the Desert Archers unit (very long range, readily available, great for settlement defence) that Egypt has. They also have the excellent Camel Gunners, who have range equal to that of Musketeers, but with far more mobility (though they are by no means cheap or easy to recruit).
• The Moors have the "Cannon" over the Culverin, but lack the Serpentine and the Basilisk.
• Moorish cavalry is also strong. They have a variety of missile cavalry, but also have good melee/charging cavalry, as well. Taureg Camel Spearmen make good attack cavalry, though their defence is lacking. However, Granadine Lancers and Christian Guard units can match the European knights. The aforementioned Camel Gunners will also be very useful due to their excellent range, high power, and good mobility.

Strategy: The first moves of the Moors are obvious - conquer and convert the Iberian Peninsula. This means taking out Spain and Portugal. Once that deed is done, expand your power in Africa, and prepare for war with France... then go through with the plans, obviously. If you wish to, you can try to stop the war with France once you've taken Southern France, allowing yourself to focus on the more profitable Italy. Once your European wars are done, or when you have a spare general, call a Jihad for Jerusalem (assuming you can - Egypt will probably have it) and then go after Egypt. If you still need settlements, take Greece and the rest of the Byzantine Empire or Asia Minor, going in Germany or Hungary/Poland if needed, as well.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: What does "Increase in tradeable goods" mean?

A: It means that trade revenue will increase.

Q: How do I make cavalry charge?

A: Make sure they're fairly close to each other, and double click on your target. You may have to hold Alt as you do it to force your cavalry to use their lances. If they're charging with swords, it's a waste. Call them off and set the charge up properly.

Q: How do I plant stakes?

A: Stakes can only be planted during battle setup, and only elite archers can even use them at all. Just press the special ability button in the control circle on the bottom-right of the screen (minimap (the small circular map in the bottom-left corner of your screen)).

Q: What determines which general is govenor of a settlement?

A: It is not piety as some (myself included) have stated. I am 100% certain that it is not piety. I would guess it's whoever the game feels is the best leader - perhaps based purely on chivalry/dread, or on who is best for the city overall (which chivalry/dread would play a large role in).

Q: How do I open the cheat menu?

A: It depends upon where you are. USA users use the tilde (~) key. UK users use ' or @, while Scandinavians use o with an umlaut.