The free-to-play tactical MMO Total War: Arena (PC) by Wargaming and Creative Assembly starts its open beta on February 22, 2018. But what kind of game is it, what type of player does it appeal to, and why should you even play it?
When I told my friends that I was invited by Wargaming to Paris, they immediately said, “Cool, World of Tanks 1.0! Tell me if it really looks that great!” But it wasn’t about World of Tanks! Wargaming had invited me and other journalists for Total War: Arena.
There was initially great confusion among my friends, “Total War: Arena? What is that supposed to be? Is it a MOBA with historical troops?”
A Real-Time Strategy MMO?
Total War: Arena is definitely not a MOBA. But what is it then? I had three developers in Paris as interview partners. Their answer: “It’s a real-time strategy MMO.” And as a further explanation followed: “Total War: Arena – These are the real-time battles from a Total War game with the gameplay and progression of World of Tanks.“
The Basics
You participate as part of a large army of around 3,000 fighters against an equally large enemy force. The visuals and interface are strongly reminiscent of well-known Total War games, such as Rome II or Shogun II. The following guidelines apply:
- Your force is divided into 30 individual units of 100 men each.
- You are not the supreme commander. Rather, you command only 3 units of 100 men each as a sort of “division commander.”.
- The other 9 divisions of three units each are commanded by other players.
- There is actually no supreme commander. All players can act freely.
- Before the battle, you can occupy one of 10 deployment “slots” on a strategic map. Your 3 units will then appear there at the start of the game. You can also draw on the map to communicate your march direction to your teammates.
- The goal is to completely annihilate the opponent or capture their base.
- The battles take place in real-time. All players act simultaneously.
Hoplites, War Dogs, and Catapults Instead of Tanks, Artillery, and Tank Hunters
Your troops are not modern soldiers or tanks. The technological era of Total War: Arena corresponds to classical antiquity. So you have Roman legionnaires, Greek spearmen, and wild barbarians with war paint.
You choose your troops from the factions of the versatile Romans, defensively strong Greeks, and offensively aggressive barbarians. The Carthaginians with their war elephants and strong cavalry will join at the start of the open beta on February 22 and were presented for the first time in Paris.
Each faction has unique troops that are optimal against some other unit types but are ruthlessly disadvantaged against others. A classic “rock-paper-scissors principle”:
- Spearmen Hoplites slaughter cavalry by the dozen if they attack from the front.
- Archers take down infantry from a distance but quickly find themselves on the way to Hades against swift cavalry attacks!
- Roman Legionnaires can ideally protect against arrows and are versatile but can be easily outmaneuvered.
- Catapults hurl rocks far across the battlefield but are quickly reduced to kindling in close combat.
- Barbarian melee fighters hit hard but usually lack armor and quickly perish in prolonged positional battles. Quick hit-and-run maneuvers are their strength.
- The mighty elephants of Carthage trample normal infantry in no time but can be taken down swiftly with long spears and heavy fire from javelin throwers and archers.
- Rabid war dogs tear apart unprotected infantry, but they won’t withstand the hail of arrows from archers or a phalanx for long.
Like in World of Tanks, your units start at the first of 10 levels, called “tiers.” There, you will find naked savages and simple militias. The more you play, the better units and equipment you can unlock. At the end on Tier 10, elite units such as the Spartan royal guard, praetorians, or legendary berserkers await. But you will have to invest a significant amount of time in the game to reach that point.
Heroes and Skills
You choose your three units before each battle from your faction’s pool. Just as important as the selection of troops is that of the leader. You have several historical figures to choose from, unique to each faction.
Each leader has unique abilities. The Spartan Leonidas can defend particularly well against ranged attacks with the skill “Then we fight in the shadows.” The wild Celtic rebel Boudica, on the other hand, boosts her troops to special aggression in combat.
Depending on which leader you select, your playstyle changes. Moreover, your units also have their own skills. Legionnaires can throw javelins, Greek hoplites are hard to beat in phalanx formation, and war elephants can shake the ground with their stomps and knock down enemies.
More Battle Feel than in Rome!
Unlike in the “regular” Total War games, Arena has no pause function. This was essential for many hobby warlords in strategy games to implement their own strategies calmly. They could leisurely survey the battlefield and execute optimal maneuvers such as flanking attacks, retreat movements, and defensive positioning.
In Total War: Arena, you do not have the luxury of pausing. And with your 3 units, you are just a fraction of the total force and must coordinate with your comrades.
From Individual Victory to Total Domination
Let’s take the following scenario: You command a cavalry division. Your riders are fast and maneuverable. You can deal significant damage with a bold charge, but you won’t survive long melee battles. In antiquity, cavalry was usually lightly armored.
You need a way to hit the opponent’s unprotected flanks. Frontal attacks lead to high losses on your side. Therefore, you initially ride along the edge of the battlefield and wait for an opportunity.
The Center Must Hold!
Meanwhile, the heavy troops of both armies march toward each other and soon engage in hard melee combat. Now it depends on how well your team-mates hold the enemy troops with their legionnaires and hoplites and bind them firmly to one spot.
And lo and behold, one of your colleagues succeeds and the flank of an enemy unit is uncovered for a moment! This is your chance! You rush in with the cavalry into the gap and activate the skill “charge” for extra impact!
The opponent is hit hard by the unexpected attack and loses not only irreplaceable soldiers but also morale. This value indicates how well a unit holds up in battle. If a troop is flanked or shot at with fire arrows or similar, morale decreases. If it is depleted, the unit flees and can be quickly wiped out by a bold pursuit maneuver.
Recognizing and Seizing Opportunities!
Such a panic reaction occurs in the enemy cohort that you just attacked. The opposing soldiers flee in fear and break their formation. Many meet their death in the process. The loss of a unit is already bad for the enemy, but the loss of that troop creates a gap in the enemy’s battle line.
Your comrades react quickly, sensing their chance and taking advantage of the moment. They stream through the breach and flank further enemy units. Gradually, the enemy line dissolves like a knitted sweater from which the threads are pulled.
If one of the enemy players had reacted immediately and closed the gap, nothing would have happened, but as it stands, it soon costs the enemy team the victory. Your bold charge was just as crucial as the quick action of your comrades and the tactical mistake of the unfortunately flanked enemy cohort.
More Battle Feel than in Rome and Co.!
Like in an actual battle, many factors contribute to whether it becomes a shining victory or a crushing defeat. The non-pausable real-time fights create a much denser battle atmosphere in Total War: Arena than in the regular Total War games.
Like a real commander, you must keep an overview in the chaos of battle, always looking for promising opportunities and being wary of traps and feints. Additionally, classic military maneuvers and tactics, such as flanking attacks, feigned attacks, ambushes, and encirclements, work remarkably well and often lead to success. It really makes you feel like a Caesar, Alexander, or Hannibal!
If the team is reasonably sharp, there is no need for extensive coordination. Often, the teammates already know what you want to achieve with your troops at the respective location, and they build their strategies around that. However, Total War: Arena really shines when played in a solid team with other players and voice chat.
With the battles limited to 15 minutes and good balancing, Total War: Arena could also be quite suitable for tournaments and eSports.
What’s Next?
At the event in Paris, it was evident how enthusiastic the developers at Creative Assembly are about their project. The attending devs were fired up for the game and the historical backgrounds. Nevertheless, one must balance realism and playability.
Currently, there are also no mounted archers in the game. They were simply too powerful in previous tests. The heavy war elephants have finally been well balanced after many attempts. They can deal immense damage in certain situations.
But those who think they can just charge wildly with the elephants will soon see the poor trunked creatures tragically trumpeting to their deaths. In our test games in Paris, I could at least observe several players confidently sending their elephants to a safe death.
For the future of the game, the developers want to actively integrate more factions, heroes, and units: among others, the Persians or Egyptians are likely. But more exotic factions, such as Japanese samurai or the troops of ancient China, are also seen as conceivable by the developers for Total War: Arena.
Who Should Play This?
Total War: Arena occupies a special niche. It is not necessarily aimed at fans of the classic Total War games. At least not those who prefer to build their empires, let most battles be decided by dice rolls, and load the last savegame when necessary.
Rather, Total War: Arena is aimed at players who:
- Love exciting and well-balanced real-time battles
- Want to try out various military maneuvers of antiquity themselves
- Are fans of (largely) historically accurate units of antiquity
- Enjoy achieving great things as a team
- Are cunning foxes who like to use tricks and traps
- Love it when a plan works
If you identify with this list, then get the open beta of Total War: Arena on February 22, 2018, and play a few rounds. It doesn’t cost anything.
Are you looking for more promising games set to release in 2018? You can find them here!
