How to play as Achilles in A Total War Saga: Troy – Strategies, tips, mechanics

Achilles was a man of myth and legend, a famous warrior. He was swift on his feet, capable of toppling any foe he encountered on the battlefield. While he may have been a phenomenal warrior, his emotions pulled at him, causing him to act irrationally, sometimes acting as his heel when he required a cool head. Despite being a hot-headed fighter, Achilles remains a steadfast leader of the Myrmidons and works with the other Danaans to bring Troy to its knees.

Hot-blooded Achilles and The Living Legend

Achilles has two mechanics you need to balance while governing his realm. The first is his temper, known as Hot-blooded Achilles. His mood can sway depending on his performance in combat and how well his armies fight against overwhelming odds. These are the four emotions Achilles can have that you have to manage:

• Proud: Achilles leads his forces with a rational mind, and there are no passives to note while in this mood.
• Indignant: Achilles will ignore diplomacy and chooses to party with the general populace
  • You faction receives 30 percent more resources
  • The province Achilles is in has a +10 happiness rating
  • The faction has a -10 influence
  • All attempted deals have -50 evaluation score
• Grieving: Achilles grieves the loss of his soldiers and trusted men
  • Favor of the gods goes up by 20 percent for all temples
  • All of Achilles’ troops receive +200 experience every turn
  • Favor from priestess rituals goes up by 20 percent for your faction
  • There is a negative seven happiness for your entire faction
• Outraged: Achilles is blind with rage and only desires for war
  • Achilles’ army has a 40 percent melee attack bonus
  • There is a 100 percent chance for your heroes to loot treasure after battles
  • There is a 10 percent increase to casualty replenishment rate for all armies in your faction
  • Achilles’ army receive 25 percent more damage.
  • Your faction receives 100 percent more income from raiding, looting, and sacking actions
  • Your resource rate goes down by 30 percent
  • All provinces have a -50 growth rate.

If indignant, grieving, or outraged are not active, Achilles is usually proud, but those three emotions steadily go up in score. You can modify them by appeasing Achilles and having him compete against those who challenge him in the Living Legend mechanic.

The Living Legend Mechanic is where challengers from around the world will contest if Achilles is the legend he believes himself to be. When there is a challenge, pick who you want to fight against, and Achilles will go out of his way to crush them to prove his point. When the opponent hears of Achilles meeting their challenge, they will agree to a duel, submit, or not duel and not submit. When they do not duel or apologize, Achilles must battle them on the map using armies to prove himself.

While Achilles has the title of uncontested Living Legend his faction receives:

• 20 percent less upkeep costs for all units
• Grants extra units for instant recruitment for all armies
• A plus four bonus to influence to his entire faction

Achilles’ Playstyle

It would be best if you had Achilles at the front of almost all of your conflicts. He desires to be in battle, and having him toil away in a province bores him, upsetting him. By placing him in the heat of all your battles, he can level up quickly and become a powerful hero you can utilize. Plus, the more conflict you place him in, the more positively you can use his outbursts of rage and emotion, rather than quieting him with gifts and resources.

Achilles uses a mixture of light and medium class units for his roster, with the occasional heavy unit at the front of his forces. When building his army, provide him a mixture of specialized units that will serve as his vanguards, such as the spear-fighting Myrmidons, Myrmidon swordsmen, Aeginian runners, and a row of heavy archers to assist them as they rush forward. You want to give Achilles the best soldiers in your faction’s army, as he will always be fighting.

Homeric Victory

The Homeric victory is the special victory path the faction leader can choose to follow. It is not a requirement for your faction to play this path. Alternatively, you can complete the objectives of the Total War victory, and win the game.

You must meet these requirements to achieve Achilles’ Homeric Victory:

• Complete all 12 of Achilles’ epic missions
• Destroy these factions:
  • Hector of Troy
  • Paris of Troy
  • Troy
• Reach rank 27 with Achilles

While fighting against Troy and destroying them in combat remains an important goal for Achilles, he wishes to battle above all else to become the best. You want him rounding the islands, fighting anyone who defies him, and after you’ve conquered your neighbors, turn your eyes to Troy to bring down its walls.