So you wish to kick some butt in Total War: Rome II, but keep failing against those Spartan pikemen and those nasty Oathsworn? Well, that’s because your opponent is probably using the notorious Overpowered builds.
Total War: Rome II gives you around 14 factions to play with, but in reality only a specific few factions are really getting the attention.
Why? Well, because these handpicked factions have the best elites in the game, and unfortunately for you and all those other fellows who are being thrashed, the elites are super-cheap for how effective they are.
Total War: Rome 2 Most Overpowered Builds
Being the hardcore gamers and evolutionary creatures we are, it’s natural for us to find the easiest ways to secure our victories, which has led to the creation of certain spam builds in Rome II that seem to heavily exploit the imbalances in the game.
This article will give you an idea of these builds, and allow you to spot them when you are playing multiplayer, and in the worst case scenario (and probably the most likely) use them against others.
Note that we’re not a fan of these builds, because they encourage spamming and unbalanced gameplay – our ultimate goal is to increase awareness of these builds so Creative Assembly can roll out patches in the future to address their over-usage, and also perhaps to encourage players to form counters for them, and share it with anyone who has been a victim to the harshness of these OP builds.
Arverni
The Arverni probably have the strongest melee infantry of the Barbarian factions because of the brilliant stats that the heavy infantry Oathsworns possess. The Oathsworn spam build looks something like this:
- General Skill Type: Commander
- 1 x Oathsworn General Unit
- 10 x Oathsworn Melee Infantry
- 1 x Noble Horse
You’ll be left with some funds despite this spam as well, which you can use to upgrade a couple of Oathsworn units. Now, make sure your General unit is positioned in such a way that it has good coverage of units during Raise Banner and other Commander-specific operations.
The Noble Horse is mainly there to chase off skirmishers and prevent ambushes, so keep them hidden from the start if you get the opportunity. Otherwise have them positioned alongside or behind the General.
Egypt
Next up is Egypt, which has an amazing pike unit in the form of the Hellenic Royal Guards. These are probably the best pikes in the game, though they are a little bit squishy when compared to the Spartan pikemen. Here’s what the famous Egyptian OP build looks like:
- General Type: Commander
- 1 x Hellenic Royal Guard General Unit
- 4/5 x Hellenic Royal Guards
- 5/6 x Galatian Royal Guards
This is powerful build utilizes the amazing Hellenic pikemen from Egypt. Your general should be in the center of the action. Since these guys are a little squishy and susceptible to flanks, you need to have extra Galatian Royal Guards behind and alongside them, protecting your flank and also assaulting enemies.
With such a strong set of units, it’s very unlikely that other factions will be able to do too much. Don’t forget to invest your remaining funds in improving your General Unit
Rome
Ah yes, it’s the faction that is the center of everything. Rome has the highest number of units of all the factions, but you’ll probably end up ignoring most of them when it comes to building an OP build. Rome is ruthless with its disciplined heavy infantry and cavalry.
- General Type: Commander
- Legatus General Unit
- 8 x Praetorian Guards
- 1 x Praetorian Cavalry
- 3 x Gladiators
- 2 x Praetorians
You probably won’t have any funds left to improve any unit, but that’s nothing too troublesome. Use your Gladiators for covering your flanks – don’t ever use them in the front, or they’ll get thrashed in no time.
Have your Legatus in between the Guards, backed by the Cavalry unit that should be used during end-games to fend off skirmishers. With such a heavy infantry unit build, there isn’t much anyone can do to counter them.
Sparta
Sparta is probably the most annoying faction of them all. Why? You’ll find out soon.
They have a very OP pike infantry – it’s not as powerful as Egypt’s, but it has just that extra bit of health that gives it the durability that makes you want to tear your hair (unless you’re the one who deployed them).
Spartans also have excellent heavy melee infantry units, which, along with Rome’s unit, are the only real counters to a pike wall.
- General Type: Commander
- Royal Spartan General Unit
- 19 x Spartan Pikemen + Upgrades
Yeah, that’s what you call a spam build, and that’s what you call a stupidly OP build. There’s barely anything that can penetrate these ridiculously cheap Spartan Pikemen when they have upgrades. You’ll want to keep your General Unit behind the pike walls (ideally line them up in two rows).
Your second row should prevent any chance of flanking, along with the General Unit, while your first row handles all the pressure from the front. But, make sure your second row is also serving the function of ensuring that heavy armored units like Praetorian Guards or Royal Spartans cannot push through your first unit.
Last but not least, make sure your Pikes remain in a phalanx, because that’s when they are best. Good luck not losing men against such an irritating and cheap OP build.
If you want to have a good chance against an army of pike walls, then here’s one Spartan spam OP build you might want to consider:
- General Type: Commander
- Royal Spartan General Unit
- 11 x Royal Spartan Units
Yeah, it’s another cheapish spam build, but it’s probably the best (and currently only) possible counter to an army that only has pikemen.
You can pull through the pike units with the Royal Spartans, and their stupendously high base morale will ensure they don’t cower during the daring act. This build won’t work too well against other types of enemy builds, but it does counter the pikes exceptionally well, at least giving you a good chance to win.
Well, these are pretty much the current most Overpowered Builds in Total War: Rome II. Hopefully the issue of these spam builds and their overpowered nature will be addressed in future patches.
If you have any additional, or have counters for these builds, or would just like to add something, please leave a comment below and let us know.
