Unveiling the Epic Pharaoh Campaign: Conquering the Chaotic Bronze Age Collapse

In the upcoming month, Total War: Pharaoh will transport fans to an unexplored era - the Bronze Age collapse. This fresh experience promises to be worth the wait, as Creative Assembly remains faithful to the franchise's essence while introducing a plethora of new features that set it apart. Not only will battles undergo significant changes, but the campaign of Total War: Pharaoh will also be enriched with innovative concepts and ideas.

Campaigns are a cornerstone of the franchise, and Total War: Pharaoh stays true to this tradition. In the high-stakes mode, players will assume control of various factions from the era, fighting for survival in a world on the brink of collapse. Creative Assembly aims to deliver a historically accurate adventure while granting players the ability to shape history according to their preferences. Although the success of this approach remains to be seen, Game Rant had the opportunity to preview this mode during a recent hands-on event. Over the course of 50 turns, we experienced a glimpse of what Total War: Pharaoh's campaign holds, and it promises to be an exhilarating journey.

The game preview of Total War: Pharaoh featured Ramesses as the main character, with players taking control of him. Initially, we were tasked with managing a few cities and left to devise our own strategies. Our options included engaging with neighboring factions, employing diplomatic tactics, vying for the Pharaoh's throne, expanding our territory, or fortifying ourselves against an imminent invasion by the Sea People. Instead of playing it safe, we opted for an aggressive approach. Without hesitation, we launched an attack on the first city within sight and swiftly became entangled in a conflict for control over the North Sinai region.

Total War veterans are familiar with this section of the campaign. The game presents the world from a top-down perspective, showing cities scattered across the map. The player's owned cities are labeled green, neutral cities are gray, and enemy cities are red. Players can observe the movement of troops, witness city attacks, and areas they have not explored are obscured by clouds. The main difference in this installment lies in the setting, while the user interface and mechanics remain consistent with the franchise.

The battles themselves retain the essence of previous Total War games, but with some exciting additions that add freshness. Each battle begins with a weather forecast. Creative Assembly has introduced new weather effects that enhance the intensity of battles. At the start of each battle, players are informed about the positive and negative effects of the current weather conditions, as well as how the weather will evolve throughout the battle. In one instance, we fought in a rainstorm that affected the accuracy of our archers, and later, the battlefield became engulfed in dense fog, limiting visibility for everyone. While there is a possibility that these weather patterns may become repetitive over time, they currently add a great dynamic to the gameplay experience.

Total War: Pharaoh's battles adhere to the standard formula of the franchise in most aspects. Players are allowed to strategically position their troops before the battle commences, resulting in organized chaos. Creative Assembly has enhanced the weight and control of units, although this may not be readily apparent to all players. Unlike Total War: Warhammer 3, the leaders lack special abilities in Total War: Pharaoh's battles, which aligns with the historical setting of the game.

Upon successfully defeating the enemy forces in the North Sinai region with our starting army, we were rewarded with victory points. One of the primary objectives in Total War: Pharaoh's campaign is to accumulate victory points through the completion of various tasks. These points can be earned by capturing entire regions, controlling significant cities, accomplishing impressive feats, and manifesting ambition. A minor victory is achieved with 60 points, while 80 points secures a major victory, and the ultimate victory requires 100 points. It is crucial for players to plan their actions accordingly, as each task offers varying amounts of victory points.

After successfully capturing North Sinai, we made the decision to invest in the development of our cities before embarking on our next conquest. Similar to previous Total War games, Total War: Pharaoh's settlement building system operates on the basis of specific slots available in each city. Larger cities offer a greater number of slots. These buildings come in various types, providing players with distinct bonuses and enhancing the functionality of their cities. Moreover, most buildings can be upgraded to different tiers. However, prudent resource management is crucial as we experienced a shortage after overbuilding.

Total War: Pharaoh's city management introduces a significant addition known as the outpost feature. Unlike the main cities, these outposts are smaller in size and allow players to strategically select their preferred buildings throughout the map. By building defensive and economic outposts, we were able to address the consequences of our overly aggressive approach. However, players can also construct outposts that cater to the religious aspect of the game, providing faith-related benefits.

In terms of faith, Total War: Pharaoh offers a range of deities that players can worship to receive distinct bonuses. Players can worship up to three gods, each granting the ability to access their respective shrines and temples. In our playthrough, we focused primarily on worshiping Ra to ensure our protection from neighboring threats. The blessings bestowed by Ra significantly enhanced the morale and damage capabilities of our armies. Although each deity offers three levels of worship, each with its own unique powers, we only managed to reach tier two with Ra. Additionally, we devoted our starting general to this god, granting him several advantages on the battlefield.

Having gained the seat of Vizier on the Egyptian Court, players find themselves amidst a council comprising six distinct positions, with the Pharaoh occupying the supreme seat. At each turn, players wield the power to orchestrate actions against their fellow council members, be it through cunning intrigue, simple requests, or plotting conspiracies. Adept manipulation of this intricate system promises abundant rewards, with each position carrying its unique advantages. However, occupying a seat on the court also renders players vulnerable, making it a double-edged sword.

As we faced challenges from our disgruntled neighbors and navigated intricate systems of intrigue, the world teetered on the brink of collapse. To replicate the atmosphere of the Bronze Age collapse, Creative Assembly introduced the Pillars of Civilization feature. This feature portrays the decline of happiness and the eruption of global warfare, leading to the destabilization of the world. Divided into three tiers, each tier plunges the world deeper into darkness and turmoil. In order to prevent the world from crumbling, players strive to explore all available options, even if it means collaborating with other factions. However, our previous actions had already angered every other faction, making our task even more challenging.

After acquiring control of another territory, the situation took a negative turn for us on a global scale. In a final attempt to gain dominance, we set our sights on one of the world's significant cultural hubs. Securing these centers is crucial for maintaining the pillars of civilization, although they pose a considerable challenge to conquer. Players must embark on a conquest, complete various tasks, and ultimately launch an invasion. We endeavored to accomplish all of this in the city of Gubla, but our efforts were in vain when the Sea People emerged.

Emerging from the depths of the waters, the Sea People invaded our cities, wreaking havoc and forcing us to retreat. Alongside the other adversaries we had encountered, they cornered us, leaving us with little to hold onto. By the 40th turn, we had essentially lost everything we had painstakingly built. Even the multitude of technologies we had acquired through extensive research were insufficient to save our civilization from its demise. Perhaps it was our excessive tinkering with the campaign customization options, our overly aggressive approach, or simply our unsuitability for the role of the Pharaoh. Regardless of the reason, our time in Egypt swiftly came to an end.

Despite our unsuccessful attempt at the Total War: Pharaoh campaign preview, we had a great time reaching that point. We were able to explore numerous new features, but it seems like we barely scratched the surface. Completing the vast technology tree, capturing a cultural center, utilizing the unique mechanics of being the Pharaoh, and trying out the vassalization feature were all tasks left undiscovered. There is still an abundance of uncharted territory to be explored, and we hope that our first official Total War: Pharaoh campaign run will go smoother upon its release in October 2023 for PC.