In Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion , units are defined by the era's shift toward professionalized Roman infantry and mobile, hard-hitting barbarian hordes. Key units across the major factions include: Roman Empires (Eastern & Western)
Comitatenses: The standard professional heavy infantry of the late empire, better armored and defensive than earlier legionaries.
Plumbatarii: Elite heavy infantry equipped with lead-weighted darts (plumbata) that offer better range than the traditional pilum.
Limitanei: Frontier garrison troops; cheaper and less skilled than Comitatenses but essential for holding borders.
Scholae Palatinae: Elite super-heavy cavalry used as the Emperor's personal guard.
Carriage Ballistae: Highly mobile artillery units that can fire from a horse-drawn carriage. Barbarian & Horde Factions
Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion redefined the classic strategy game by introducing a dark, chaotic era. The unit rosters reflect this shift, moving away from organized Roman legions to diverse, specialized barbarian hordes and evolving Roman forces.
This guide breaks down the best units in the game by faction and class. ⚔️ Elite Infantry
Infantry forms the line of battle. In the late antiquity setting of Barbarian Invasion, heavy infantry is king.
Chosen Axemen (Germanic Factions): Devastating armor-piercing capabilities. They shred through heavy Roman shields.
Plumbatarii (Western & Eastern Roman Empire): Versatile legionaries who throw heavy darts before charging. Excellent at holding the line.
First Cohort (Romans): Elite heavy infantry carrying the legionary eagle. They provide massive morale boosts to nearby troops. rome total war barbarian invasion units
Celtic Swordsmen (Celts): Fast, aggressive shock infantry with excellent morale. 🐎 Dominant Cavalry
Cavalry dominates the open fields of the late Roman world. Shock cavalry can shatter enemy formations in a single charge.
Clibinarii (Sassanids & Eastern Rome): The ultimate heavy cavalry. Both rider and horse are fully armored. They excel in prolonged melee.
Cataphracts (Sassanids): Pure shock cavalry. Their devastating charge can break almost any infantry line instantly.
Steppe Horse Archers (Huns & Vandals): Deadly skirmishers. They can kite slower heavy infantry indefinitely while whittling them down.
Graal Knights (Romano-British): Near-mythical heavy cavalry. They possess incredible stats and high morale. 🏹 Ranged and Skirmish Specialists
Ranged units soften up the enemy and defend settlement walls during sieges.
Chosen Archer Warband (Germanic Factions): Long-range archers who can hold their own in a light melee.
Bosphoran Heavy Archers (Eastern Rome): Heavily armored archers. They can trade shots with enemy missile units without taking heavy casualties.
Sarmatian Virgin Archers (Sarmatians): Fast horse archers with excellent stamina and missile attack stats. 🛡️ Best Faction Unit Rosters 1. The Huns The Huns rely on mobility and devastating horse archers.
Strengths: Unrivaled missile cavalry and terrifying shock charges. Key Unit: Sacred Warband (heavy cavalry). 2. The Sassanids In Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion ,
The Sassanids are the masters of heavy cavalry and elephant warfare.
Strengths: Best cataphracts in the game and powerful archers. Key Unit: Sughdian Warriors and War Elephants. 3. Western & Eastern Roman Empires
The Romans transition from offensive powerhouses to defensive survivalists.
Strengths: Superior heavy infantry and defensive siege capabilities. Key Unit: Palatini and Limitanei. 💡 Quick Tactical Tips
Use Shield Wall: Many barbarian units can form a shield wall. Use this to absorb Roman missile fire.
Target Generals: Barbarian morale is fragile. Killing the enemy general often causes the whole army to rout.
Utilize Night Battles: Use generals with the "Night Commander" trait to deny enemy reinforcements.
In Rome: Total War - Barbarian Invasion , the unit landscape shifts from the early-Republic legions of the base game to a gritty, high-defense era of heavily armored infantry and devastating "shock" cavalry. This expansion introduces distinct mechanics like Shield Walls and Schiltroms, which make high-tier units significantly harder to break than in the original game. Key Unit Features & Mechanics
High Defense & Armor: Units generally have much higher defense stats than their base-game counterparts, making battles longer and reducing the frequency of instant routs. Formations:
Shield Wall: Exclusive to elite infantry (e.g., Auxilia Palatina, Chosen Swordsmen); it creates a dense, impenetrable front that provides a massive defense bonus.
Schiltrom: A circular defensive formation for spearmen that is highly effective against cavalry charges from any direction. The Unit: Horde units are essentially cities in motion
Horde Units: Barbarian factions that lose all settlements become a "Horde," spawning massive stacks of varied units that travel as a unified, migrating nation. Special Abilities:
Swimming: Some units can swim across rivers, allowing for flanking maneuvers during bridge battles.
Pre-Charge Missiles: Many "barbarian" infantry units now throw javelins or axes before charging, a trait previously unique to the Roman Pilum. Notable Units by Faction Type 🏛️ Roman Empires (Western & Eastern)
The late-Roman military focuses on heavy defensive lines and professional professional core units.
The Roman rosters are split. Limitanei are border guards—cheap, plentiful, and weak. Comitatenses are the elite field armies. A Roman player cannot simply spam the best units; the economy forces a reliance on the inferior Limitanei for garrison duties, meaning your border armies will inevitably shatter against a determined horde.
The defining feature of the expansion. For the Huns, Goths, Vandals, Sarmatians, and Roxolani, "cities" are not static; they are carried on the backs of men.
1. The Roman Factions (Western & Eastern)
2. Huns (The Apocalypse on Horseback)
3. Sassanids (Persian Revival)
4. Barbarian Factions (Goths, Vandals, Saxons, etc.)
5. Nomads (Alans, Vandals horde mode)
Before analyzing specific factions, it is crucial to understand the mechanical changes that define the unit meta in BI.
Barbarian Invasion introduced several unique unit types that change the rules of engagement.