10. Kong Rong

Far removed from the violence of other warlords, Kong Rong focuses on diplomacy, trade and education to achieve his goals. His unique faction resource is Trade Monopoly, which increases your trade influence with factions you have trade agreements with. In order to gain Trade Monopoly, you have to sign “Trade Monopoly” treaties with other factions, increasing trade influence and resulting income from your usual trade agreements.

In the chaos of the Three Kingdoms Era, Kong Rong pursues peace and stability. An admirable prospect!

Strengths

• Kong Rong has a unique faction mechanic; being able to send generals to an “Education Programme” assignment, increasing income from commerce and population growth within the local commandery.
• Kong Rong’s unique faction resource, Trade Monopoly, increases your trade influence with other factions.
• Kong Rong has access to two unique units; the Fury of Beihai and the Thunder of Jian’an.
• Kong Rong’s unique building, the Academies of Culture, increases public order, population growth and either income from all sources or culture.

Play this faction if…

• You’re interested in a relatively pacifistic and peaceful campaign. This may not be what you’re looking for, playing in the Three Kingdoms Era of this particular video game franchise, but it is an interesting change of pace and may be a fresh experience for you!

9. Yuan Shao

Yuan Shao, the charismatic coalition leader, now pursues his own ambitions as the Han Empire falls and crumbles around him. 

His faction’s unique resource is Lineage, reflecting the place of the Yuan Dynasty in Chinese politics. Using Lineage, you can ensure a favorable reception to commanderies you occupy, and recruit “Captain Retinues,” talented commoners who are uplifted into positions of leadership. A way for Yuan Shao to bolster his faction’s leadership while avoiding troublesome character politics. A great alternative playstyle to the character-centered gameplay of Three Kingdoms!

Strengths

• Yuan Shao’s unique faction resource, Lineage, allows you to “Secure and Occupy” commanderies you take, increasing faction support, military supplies and replenishment. However, Lineage is mainly used for the captain retinue and armory system.
• Yuan Shao has access to unique “Captain Retinues,” which replace heroes as elevated commoners. Unlike heroes, captains will never rebel under any circumstance, and captains can be renamed and customized to the player’s liking using the Captain Armory.
• Yuan Shao has access to two unique units, Warriors of Ye and Defenders of Hebei, heavy halberd infantry that can stand toe-to-toe with infantry and cavalry alike.
• Yuan Shao’s unique building, the Yuan Administration Office, increases prestige, public order, income from all sources and, later on, lineage.

Play this faction if…

• Playing Yuan Shao’s faction is the closest we’ll get to an “Avatar Conquest” mechanic in singleplayer, so if that appeals to you, then I’m sure that utilizing Yuan Shao’s captain retinues will be a lot of fun!

8. Dong Zhuo

The infamous tyrant of the Three Kingdoms Era, it is no surprise that Dong Zhuo’s unique faction resource is Intimidation. It increases public order and imperial favor, and it decreases corruption across all your commanderies. Infamy can be built by winning battles, annexing/integrating Han Empire territory and executing characters of your court.

As you probably know, Dong Zhuo’s playstyle revolves around ruling with an iron fast as you desperately clutch the waning power of the Han Empire, committing atrocities to increase your Intimidation, and spending it all on coercing other factions into doing your bidding, all in a desperate bid to clutch to your collapsing empire. A fun, thrilling, evil campaign!

Strengths

• Dong Zhuo’s unique faction resource, Intimidation, increases public order, imperial favor and decreases corruption. When high enough, it also enables the “Scare” ability for all your generals, reducing the morale of nearby enemy units.
• Dong Zhuo also has control over Emperor Xian, giving him control over the Han Empire, and allowing him to annex any Han Empire territory.
• Dong Zhuo also has access to three unique mechanics; (1) razing settlements, forcing them to be abandoned; (2) coercion, forcing other factions into doing your bidding on the diplomacy menu and (3) executing your own court nobles. 
• Dong Zhuo starts with one legendary character, Lu Bu.
• Dong Zhuo has access to two unique units; Xiliang Cavalry and Heavy Xiliang Cavalry, reliable shock units who are immune to scare effects.
• Dong Zhuo’s unique building, Enforced Conscription, decreases population growth in exchange for increased public order, decreased recruitment costs and more experience for recruited units.

Play this faction if…

• You enjoy evil campaigns. Dong Zhuo’s character and faction bonuses incentivize a playstyle where you decimate enemies with military might, spearheaded by Lu Bu himself, while you intimidate the rest into submission. A world where everyone’s hatred is outweighed by their fear. If that sounds appealing to you, then a campaign with Dong Zhuo will offer you hours of morbid fun!

7. Zhang Yan

Zhang Yan, King of the Black Mountain, is an incredibly cutthroat figure, earning himself the nickname, “Scaven of the Three Kingdoms.” Taking advantage of the crumbling Han Empire, utilizing his methods of guerrilla warfare, and allying himself with neighboring warlords has always been his way. Being one of the few generals that can launch an ambush when attacking, Zhang Yan is a danger to those who leave him to grow and fester.

Playing as this faction will have you making temporary allies, picking the highest bidder in large conflicts, and plotting the most opportune moments to stab your friends in the back, all to increase your wealth and influence!

Strengths

• Zhang Yan’s unique traits allow him to improve diplomatic relations with the different Yellow Turban factions on the map, as well as launch ambushes when attacking enemy armies.
• Zhang Yan’s unique building, the Black Mountain Hideout, can be used to align yourself with the Yellow Turban rebels (increasing your spy limit) or the Han Empire factions (increasing administrator positions), or you can choose neither, and increase your army limit and your income from looting.

Play this faction if…

• You enjoy fighting and winning against the odds. Without the bonuses of the more famous warlords in this list, Zhang Yan has to be crafty and cutthroat in order to survive. And his faction bonuses give you the tools to be exactly that.

6. Zheng Jiang

Zheng Jiang, the Bandit Queen, born from nothing, is determined to carve a place in China’s folklore. It’s only fitting that her faction’s unique resource is Infamy, which can be increased by winning battles or looting/sacking settlements. Infamy provides prestige, morale bonuses, increases income from diplomatic tribute and increases character satisfaction.

Having none of the advantages that other warlords enjoy, Infamy is Zheng Jiang’s lifeline. Therefore, her playstyle revolves around aggressive expansion, sacking and pillaging your way through China until your name is feared throughout the land!

Strengths

• The faction’s unique resource, Infamy, increases prestige, character experience, character satisfaction and morale.
• Zheng Jiang can sign “Mercenary Treaties” with other factions, enlisting her help in whichever wars they are fighting in exchange for money.
• Zheng Jiang has two unique units, Hidden Axes and Fists of the Bandit Queen, versatile and solid infantry units.

Play this faction if…

• Similarly to Zhang Yan, you should play this faction if you enjoy fighting against all odds. Zheng Jiang’s starting position is, if nothing else, very difficult, and you’ll find each turn a struggle to survive! Compared to the other factions on this list, Zheng Jiang and the bandit factions are a breath of fresh air due to the drastic change in atmosphere and playstyle they offer.

5. Ma Teng

Located in the plains of northwestern corner of the map, Ma Teng enjoys proximity to much of the horse pasture and silk trader provinces in the map, allowing him to field large cavalry retinues while enjoying a large sum of income from silk trading. He doesn’t have a unique faction resource, but his unique traits, units, buildings and faction bonuses allow him to stand toe-to-toe with the more renowned warlords of the era.

Strengths

• In exchange for lacking a unique faction resource, Ma Teng receives a set of smaller buffs; his armies forage food when encamped, and increases military supplies for all armies, allowing them to spend longer amounts of time in enemy territory.
• Ma Teng starts with one legendary character, Ma Chao.
• Ma Teng’s unique traits buff the melee damage of all shock cavalry, income bonus from silk and spice, and decreases the upkeep for all Qiang units,
• Ma Teng has access to three unique units; Qiang Hunters, Qiang Marauders and Qiang Raiders, all of which are solid cavalry units who are immune to fatigue.
• Ma Teng’s unique building, Cavalry Supply Patrols, increases military supplies for adjacent commanderies, decreases military supplies for enemy armies near it, and produces food and public order.
• This faction enjoys an advantageous geographical position, located in the northwestern corner of the map. Taking control of this region means that you won’t have to worry about potential enemies to your northern or western borders.

Play this faction if…

• You enjoy using cavalry units! Ma Teng has access to three unique cavalry units, and he is located near commanderies with “Horse Pasture” buildings, which decrease recruitment costs and upkeep for all cavalry units. This means that you can build armies with large retinues of cavalry to swarm and overwhelm the enemy flanks.

4. Gongsun Zan

Gongsun Zan, known for marrying statesmanship with soldiering, rules his lands much like how he rules his armies. Located in the northeastern corner of the map, Gongsun Zan can easily secure his starting position and expand to the east, taking the horse pasture provinces to maximize the cost-effectiveness of their unique units. According to the game, his playstyle is “balanced military,” and Gongsun Zan’s lack of a unique faction resource definitely doesn’t make his campaign skewed towards a specific playstye. He’s a solid faction with a stable starting position and strong prospects for expansion!

Strengths

• In exchange for lacking a unique faction resource, Gongsun Zan has unique “Military Inspector” court positions, with unique buffs and benefits to administered commanderies.
• Gongsun Zan starts with one legendary character, Zhao Yun.
• Gongsun Zan has access to two unique faction units; White Horse Raiders and White Horse Fellows. While they are mounted archers, first and foremost, they also make for solid melee and charge cavalry, making them a versatile unit.
• Gongsun Zan’s unique building, Military Government, provides an income bonus for all sources and increases public order.
• This faction enjoys an advantageous geographical position, located in the northeastern corner of the map. 

Play this faction if…

• Similarly to Ma Teng, you should play this faction if you enjoy using cavalry units. Not only does Gongsun Zan have access to two unique cavalry units, but he’s also placed opposite of Ma Teng, so he enjoys the same proximity to Horse Pasture provinces. You may have to compete with Ma Teng for control of them, however!

3. Liu Bei

Liu Bei, lionized as the hero of the Three Kingdoms Era, has a unique faction resource that characterizes his legend well; Unity. This resource increases your prestige, your faction’s income and character satisfaction. It gives you new administrator positions, and you can spend Unity to peacefully annex Han Empire territory and send generals on assignments that increase their satisfaction. Unity can be gained through satisfied characters and winning battles. This means that throughout the campaign, your main focus will be expanding and managing your roster of generals and court nobles.

Liu Bei also starts the campaign with the largest army among any other faction. However, he doesn’t have a starting province. His unique trait halves the upkeep costs of all militia infantry, allowing him to field large armies very early on in the campaign. He starts off only being able to deploy one, but as your faction ranking levels up, you’ll be able to recruit more armies, and end up securing a strong early position with your militia armies.

Strengths

• The faction’s unique resource, Unity, increases income and character satisfaction, unlocks additional administrator positions and can be used to peacefully annex Han Empire territory. Unity can also be spent to send generals on special  assignments that increase their satisfaction.
• Liu Bei’s unique traits halves the upkeep costs of all militia infantry, allowing him to snowball early on in the campaign.
• Liu Bei starts off with two legendary characters, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu.
• Liu Bei’s unique faction units are Yi Archers and Yi Marksmen, decent archers who can hold their own in melee, if need be.
• The faction’s unique building, Shu-Han Tax Collection, which produces peasantry income and increases the replenishment of militia units, all without a public order penalty.

Play this faction if…

• You enjoy the focus on characters that makes TW:3K unique from other releases. Liu Bei’s playstyle, as mentioned by the game, is “Companionship.” This makes him the perfect faction if you wish to have a wide array of different characters without having to worry about any of them defecting due to low satisfaction.

2. Sun Jian

Sun Jian, one of the three main players of the Three Kingdoms, known as the Tiger of Jiandong, his faction’s unique resource is “Heroism,” which can be gained by inflicting more casualties than your own losses in battles, and winning duels with your faction leader. When high enough, this will decrease the upkeep of all units and increase the satisfaction of your characters. Heroism decays overtime, so you have to constantly fight battles in order to maintain it.

Luckily, Sun Jian spawns far in the south, surrounded by swathes of Han Empire territory with other neighbors you’ll soon be at war with, so you’ll have no shortage of battle. Conquer Han Empire territories, gain Heroism and build up your commanderies. Under the supervision of Sun Jian’s talented heirs, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with!

Strengths

• The faction’s unique resource, Heroism, decreases unit upkeep and increases character satisfaction.
• Sun Jian starts off with three legendary characters, Sun Ce, Sun Quan and Sun Ren. Though, they are all children and will not be deployable generals until later on in the campaign.
• Sun Jian has access to unique mercenary retinues, which are strong, expensive soldiers. However, they do not require mustering turns like other units, and immediately come under your banners at full strength. This comes along with his three unique faction units; Mercenary Archers, Mercenary Infantry and Mercenary Cavalry.
• The faction’s unique building; the Mercenary Outpost, which allows you to recruit mercenary retinues, as well as providing bonuses for commerce income, replenishment, and decreased recruitment costs for mercenaries.

Play this faction if…

• You enjoy the “Total War” aspect of… Total War. Sun Jian’s unique resource encourages you to always be fighting someone in order to build Heroism. This faction rewards your playstyle!
• If you enjoy expanding your faction without much trouble, much of southern China is open to Sun Jian, while all the other big contenders are occupied competing in the north.

1. Cao Cao

Cao Cao is my personal favorite and the game’s recommended beginner warlord, for good reason. His faction has a unique resource called “Credibility,” which can be used to incite proxy wars between two factions, or influencing diplomatic attitudes towards you or other factions. Credibility can also be used to enact different “schemes” throughout the campaign, allowing you to grant certain debuffs to enemy provinces, characters or armies, as well as grant bonuses to your own. This allows you to effectively engineer advantageous situations, using a clever mix of schemes and diplomatic manipulation to set the stage for a decisive battle.

Cao Cao’s starting position is also one of the comfier ones in the game (though not as comfy as Sun Jian’s); surrounded by Han Empire provinces which you can easily expand into. Once you start the game, you can immediately develop a strong position, with many options to further expand your growing faction, while using credibility to make sure you always have the upper hand.

Strengths

• The faction’s unique resource, Credibility, allows Cao Cao to manipulate other factions to his liking.
• Cao Cao starts with two legendary characters, Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan.
• Cao Cao has two unique faction units, Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and Heavy Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. These are expensive units to recruit and maintain, but they are one of the most solid shock cavalry units in the game, able to devastate most units with a powerful charge.
• Two unique buildings, a Grain Garrison (trading food for replenishment) and Tuntian Conscription building (increases food production and movement range).

Play this faction if…

• Simply, you enjoy making the most of TW:3K’s diplomacy system. Cao Cao’s main strengths as a warlord lie in destabilizing dangerous neighbors through proxy wars and manipulating the diplomatic attitudes of other factions, either to secure allies or to make enemies of one another.
• Cao Cao’s strengths also complement the espionage system of TW:3K, being able to send spies to certain factions then using them in conjunction with diplomatic manipulation and schemes will be a great asset to your campaign.

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