I’ve been a casual fan of the Total War series since Shogun 2. As a result, I was excited this week to learn that the latest entry in the historical grand strategy series, Total War: PHARAOH will launch a big free expansion on July 25th.

The latest free expansion, “Dynasties“ will add new units, maps, campaign missions, and even factions. Four new cultures from the ancient world will be accessible: Babylon, Assyria, Mycenae, and Troy. Each of these empires will have a unique campaign to dive into which will feature prominent historical leaders and give players a chance to play as 25 different minor factions throughout their adventure. Most of these are small city-states that maintained a sizable presence or innovated military technology during the Bronze Age.

In addition to new factions, “Dynasties” dramatically increases the map size for individual campaigns. There are 168 new settlements to explore, utilizing the brand-new Sea Travel Lanes which will allow you to transport vast armies easily.

The major gameplay addition with this expansion is the Dynasty system. This feature will allow you to manage your empire through many generations. You can dictate political marriages between important leaders, order assassinations, and elevate key people to the status of heroic legend. This is a feature that is always fun to mess around with in other Real Time Strategies and I’m glad to see it make an appearance here.

Combat also promises to change dramatically. The “Dynasties” update will add a total of 150 units. Granted, not all of these are completely new, as some are simply rebalanced versions of existing units. However, there are still some exciting additions in the form of fun cavalry units like Camel Riders, and even faction-specific units.

Combat will also receive a new addition in the Lethality modifier. This option is able to be toggled on or off and is meant to provide an extra challenge while also enhancing the feeling of real combat. The feature allows units to bypass armor stats and deliver instant death to enemies. Each unit will have various percentages of accomplishing this feat, which is largely based on their specific weapons and armor: This is meant to mirror the effectiveness of these weapons within real-life combat. For example, Axes provide more lethal damage than a club while heavily armored units are less susceptible to lethal blows and so on.

Total War: PHARAOH is available now on PC. You can learn more about the game from the official website.

Phenixx Gaming is everywhere you are. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Also, if you’d like to join the Phenixx Gaming team, check out our recruitment article for details on working with us.

Phenixx Gaming is proud to be a Humble Partner! Purchases made through our affiliate links support our writers and charity!