You start with 60+ settlements but only a handful of elite units. Do not retrain Comitatenses—you lose the experience. Instead, disband them in key forts and retrain from Italy. Use Limitanei as garrison fodder and Foederati as field expendables.
Best cataphracts in the game and powerful archers. Key Unit: Sughdian Warriors and War Elephants. 3. Western & Eastern Roman Empires
Behind the lines, far from any honor, moved a unit no general would claim. They were not soldiers. They were the Morbus Ferentes —the Plague Bearers. rome total war barbarian invasion units
A rare early missile unit capable of piercing heavy Roman armor at medium range. The Sassanid Empire
Expert seafaring infantry that can swim across rivers, providing incredible tactical flexibility during regional bridge battles. The Nomadic Hordes: Masters of the Steppe You start with 60+ settlements but only a
Pure cavalry armies. No infantry except horde settlers.
When a faction becomes a horde (loses its last settlement), it spawns free, high-morale units like and Horde Cavalry . These are not good units (think peasant stats), but they are free to maintain. The strategy is to swarm: 10 horde units versus 4 Roman units will win through sheer mass. Use Limitanei as garrison fodder and Foederati as
The Rome Total War: Barbarian Invasion (BI) expansion represents a brutal shift from the disciplined, infantry-heavy combat of the base game to a chaotic, fast-paced era defined by crumbling empires, migration, and devastating shock cavalry. As the year 363 AD dawns, the Western Roman Empire struggles with decay, while the Eastern Roman Empire faces the mighty Sassanids and the impending Hunnic threat. Understanding the units in Barbarian Invasion —ranging from specialized Roman late-legionaries to elite nomadic horse archers—is essential to survival and conquest. I. The Roman Empire(s): Specialized Defenses
: Exclusive to elite infantry (e.g., Auxilia Palatina, Chosen Swordsmen); it creates a dense, impenetrable front that provides a massive defense bonus.
Certain barbarian units (e.g., , Gothic Raiders ) can deploy at night . Night battles reduce the morale of all units and remove the ability to retreat. If you attack a Roman army at night with raiders, the Romans may suffer a morale penalty ("Surprised by night attack").
The Western and Eastern Roman Empires rely on heavily armored professional infantry and specialized cavalry to hold their crumbling borders.