Total War: Shogun 2 Game-winning strategy for any clan!

Summary

In this guide for Total War: Shogun 2, the focus is on a repeatable strategy for achieving a winning campaign with various clans. Key principles include prioritizing province control, making use of diplomacy for funds, recruiting affordable ashigaru units early on, and focusing military units in specialized provinces like smithing and craftwork. Economic strategies involve upgrading farms, managing food supply, and selectively enhancing markets. The guide also emphasizes minimizing naval involvement and tax cycling to optimize growth and avoid unnecessary penalties, helping players succeed in long-term campaigns.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on Province Control: Prioritize acquiring fertile or very fertile provinces with valuable resources or strategic importance, and make other provinces vassals.
• 😀 💰 Diplomacy for Funds: Trade and sell military access to neighbors to help fund your buildup. Be strategic with trade agreements to avoid delays when declaring war.
• 😀 🏹 Early Recruiting: Start by recruiting only Ashigaru units and generals to save money. Use them to field a large army for defense and expansion.
• 😀 ⚔️ Military Provinces: Build your armies primarily in military provinces (Smithy and Craftwork), and tear down military buildings in non-military provinces for economic buildings.
• 😀 💸 Prioritize Economics: Focus on upgrading farms and building markets and Mets in your five wealthiest provinces for maximum economic growth.
• 😀 🚢 Limit Naval Warfare: Avoid building ships unless absolutely necessary, as they are costly and offer limited benefits. Focus on land conquest instead.
• 😀 🔄 Avoid Tax Cycling: Keep taxes at normal unless there's an urgent need for extra income. Constantly cycling taxes will hinder your province growth in the long run.
• 😀 🏙️ Build for Growth: Upgrade farms based on fertility and prioritize farm growth before market upgrades to ensure strong long-term economic stability.
• 😀 🎯 Vassals for Defense and Trade: Turn conquered provinces into vassals to reduce administrative overhead, get additional trade income, and reduce the risk of attacks from enemies.
• 😀 💡 Strategic Military Management: Use Ashigaru for early defense and expansion, and gradually build up to Samurai once your economy allows for it.

Q & A

What is the primary strategy to follow when playing Shogun 2 to ensure a winning campaign?

The primary strategy is to focus on Province control by acquiring fertile or very fertile provinces, building military provinces for troop production, prioritizing economic development in wealthier provinces, and maintaining strong diplomacy through trade and military access with neighbors.

How should you manage provinces in Shogun 2?

You should aim to control provinces with fertile or very fertile land to maximize income, while turning less valuable provinces into vassals. Vassals will defend their territory, raise armies, and allow trade, which helps in generating additional income.

What role does diplomacy play in a successful campaign?

Diplomacy is crucial for securing money and trade routes. Selling military access and establishing trade agreements can provide a significant income boost, allowing you to fund your expansion and army-building efforts.

Why is it recommended to recruit mostly Ashigaru early on?

Ashigaru are cheap to recruit and have low upkeep costs, making them ideal for building large armies early in the game. This allows you to discourage invaders and conquer more provinces, which is key to success.

What should be built in military provinces?

In military provinces, focus on building military units and improving them through structures like smithies and craftworks. These provinces should produce the bulk of your army because they offer bonuses like armor for melee units and accuracy for ranged units.

What is the importance of economic management in Shogun 2?

Economic management is vital for sustaining your empire. Focus on building markets and Mets in your wealthiest provinces and upgrading farms to increase your income. This will support a large military and the growth of your provinces over time.

How do market upgrades affect your strategy?

Market upgrades should be handled cautiously, as they consume food supply and may negatively impact your growth. Only upgrade markets in provinces with Mets, and avoid upgrading forts to accommodate market buildings.

What should you focus on when upgrading farms?

Prioritize upgrading farms based on fertility. Upgrading all farms at least once is important, and farms in fertile or very fertile provinces should be upgraded twice. This helps maintain a positive food supply, which is crucial for growth and avoiding revolts.

What are the potential downsides of building a navy?

Building and maintaining a navy is expensive. The upkeep for trade ships, including repairs and defending trade routes, can outweigh the benefits, making it generally unnecessary to rely on a navy for a successful campaign.

What is tax cycling, and why should it be avoided in longer campaigns?

Tax cycling involves alternating taxes between very high and normal to gain extra income. However, this strategy harms province growth by draining food supply, and it can limit your long-term wealth. It is better to leave taxes at normal for a consistent growth in longer campaigns.