Some people are born leaders. Fearless, stress-resistant and always sharp enough to put the right man in the right place. Unfortunately, I do not have all the virtues to be a true leader. For example, I have the greatest difficulty in lifting myself out of my nest on a cold winter's day. The Real Time Strategy genre is a good indicator to see if you have the ability to be a leader. The Total War series has been testing our leadership capabilities for years and with the addition of Total War: ARENA promises digital war expert Wargaming that even a total RTS nitwit if I can use it. It will be me. TO BATTLE!
It is still Total War, but different
Wargaming has a reason to be so confident with its promise. Despite the fact that Total War: ARENA is a Total War game, the spin-off offers enough difference to get the entry threshold low enough so that even the absolute layman can participate in the game. First of all, Total War: ARENA is free-to-play, which is a first in the franchise. If you find out after a few jars that it is not quite you, then you literally lost zero cents. In addition, another major adjustment ensures that the management of a base, an army and the road to victory is no longer the dominant factor. You do not only play ARENA on your own.
Total War: ARENA is played by two teams of ten, with each player commanding only three units of one hundred fighters. All in all, 6,000 soldiers are still bouncing across the field to beat each other's brains. It still brings the chaos you want to see in a Total War game, but it has become a collective battle instead of a solo operation. For someone who soon loses the overview in many RTS, this is a welcome development. The fact that you only control one tenth of the total army does not mean that it will be easy. Strategy determination can still make the difference between a glorious victory or a bitter defeat and this time you have to determine that strategy with nine others.
Everyone is a Commander
Vital is that you choose the right faction and a corresponding Commander. You have to choose from three factions - Romans, Greeks and Barbarians - each of which has its strong and weak qualities. Initially you can choose one Commander per faction to start with. Later you can unlock additional Commanders via XP or Gold. Among these Commanders we find a lot of famous names, such as Julius Caesar, Leonidas (literally with 300 men) and Alexander the Great. Each Commander also has its own level of difficulty and its own perks, making the battle for everyone challenging and versatile.
The same applies to the available units. In the beginning you will have to settle for basic infantry, archers or horsemen. As the game progresses, your XP gathers and your Commander increases a Tier, the range of available units also grows. The higher the Tier of your Commander, the more you can vary with your three units. The only rule in this is as follows: your units must never occupy a higher tier than the Commander himself. In Tier 1 you are therefore quite stuck to basic foot soldiers. When you have reached Tier 10 - whichever is the highest - the sky is the limit. So it's going to cost you quite a few pots of ARENA to grow your dream army by means of Silver, unless you're willing to pay with real money.
"Together... as one!"
While I shamelessly throw a quote from Gladiator into the mix, this is in one sense the core of Total War: ARENA. Teamwork is the most important spearhead. Your own army of 300 is not a threat, but with the tens the profit is within reach. In addition, the right strategy is very important. All together without any form of consultation when a wild man storms on the base of the opponent and takes them - which is one of the ways to win - sounds nice, but rarely leads to the win. The chance that you are flung without mercy, the morale plummet and your men are slaughtered one by one as they flee - which is a way to lose - is very present. Instead it is more convenient to consult as a team who defends their own base,
There is still a chance that a starting Total War player will be eliminated first, even if he is still doing his best to fulfill his share. When that happens there is no reason for inconsolable disappointment. As the game itself says; You have been killed but the battle is not lost yet. A pot is only finally lost when the entire army is defeated, the basis is taken over or your team has the least units after 15 minutes. This caused me not to become so discouraged that I immediately un-re-installed the game. The forgiveness invites you to improve so that next time you better respond to the pitfall where you rushed into your mind.
Divide and conquer
I can understand that the changes in the concept can make the hardened Total War veterans somewhat distant, but I also think that SEGA and Creative Assembly have been able to find a nice way through ARENA. The structure of the game has not changed in such a way that the game has become 'Total Unrecognizable' for the fans, but it has been adjusted enough to lower the entry threshold for the doubters. For the first time in the history of the franchise, victory is not in the hands of an individual, but in the hands of ten. It may lead to some divisions in the constituency, but if everyone gives ARENA the chance it deserves, it could still be played for quite some time.
I, as a total RTS noob, must at least give Wargaming equal. Total War: Arena has in any case been able to break the RTS ice. To date, I still can not say that I am good at it, but for the first time I have to admit that it does not even bother me. Total War: ARENA plays pretty well, but I did not expect anything else. It is not like we are dealing with an inexperienced developer. He already has quite a few battles on the name. Now it is up to me - in collaboration with my comrades, to also earn some stripes in Total War: ARENA. First blood is drawn...
Conclusion
Despite the simplified set-up of Total War: ARENA, we can still speak of a Total War game. This has only become much more accessible through the free-to-play model and the lesser focus on managing an entire army. Despite the presence of microtransactions, they do not create unfair competition. For fans of the franchise, it will take some getting used to the fact that the fight is in the hands of ten players. When you can bite through the sour apple, you will see the army of Total War fans grow.
The plus and minus points
✔ The game is free-to-play
✔ A Total War game has never been more accessible
✔ Nice chaotic battles
✔ You do not just fight For every style of play there is a Commander
✖ Graphically not the strongest game
✖ For the real Total War fan it might take some getting used to
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it!
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