Factions Guide
Factions are hierarchical organisations of characters bound by common purpose, and form the discrete power blocks in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Each faction is led by a faction leader (also known as a Warlord, and after whom the faction is named), who is supported by their family, ministers, administrators, generals, spies, and any other unassigned characters.
There are a number of playable factions in Total War: Three Kingdoms, each of which has its own famous leader from history, and its own unique playstyle, which is largely defined by its leader’s specialisation and its faction specialisation.
There are many more computer-controlled factions in the game, all of whom seek the same ultimate goal as the player: to become the ruling faction of all China, with their faction leader as emperor.
Faction Leader
Faction leaders, also known as warlords, are the figureheads and overall controllers of the many factions of ancient China. Each faction is named after its warlord.
Warlords conduct diplomacy; trading, forming alliances with and declaring war against other warlords. Each playable warlord has their own character specialisation, a unique mechanic which heavily influences their playstyle. This is noted in their description before a campaign begins, and in the faction summary panel during a campaign.
If a faction leader dies and their heir assumes the title, the faction will change its name to reflect the new warlord, and the original warlord’s specialisation will be lost, though their faction specialisation will remain in play.
A faction leader also grants his faction certain traits. These combine with traits granted by the faction’s heir and its prime minister to grant each faction a suite of bonuses making it distinct from other factions.
Faction Council and Missions
Characters appointed to ministerial roles in your court also become members of your faction council. The council may be invoked to generate new missions, with useful rewards. When you assign your first minister to the court, the faction council button will unlock at the top of the campaign screen. Open the faction council panel to invoke the council.
The higher your faction rank, the greater the rewards for any missions you complete.
Faction Specialisation
Each playable faction has its own faction specialisation, a unique mechanic which heavily influences its playstyle. This is noted in the faction’s description before a campaign begins, and in the faction summary panel duringa campaign.
If a faction leader dies and their heir assumes the title, the faction will change its name to reflect the new warlord, and the original warlord’s character specialisation will be lost, though their faction specialisation will remain in play.
Faction Support
Faction support is a concept that represents the integration between your faction and one of the commanderies or counties you own. When you capture a new commandery or county, faction support will become negative, as the settlement and its people come to terms with their conquerors. Negative faction support penalises public order and replenishment in the commandery, and will be shown in the public order tooltips both in the commandery panel and on the settlement’s information bar on the campaign map.
Faction support naturally improves over time until it reaches 100%. When a settlement is newly captured, it is therefore wise to keep an eye on its public order, and perhaps station an army there to boost public order for a few turns while faction support improves.
Faction Rank and Prestige
Faction rank is a measure of your faction’s propgress and development, and as you advance through the factiuon ranks, new bonuses are unlocked. Your aim is to reach the rank of emperor, and defeat any other emperors to become the sole ruler of China. To achieve higher faction ranks, you must gather prestige.
You can view the faction ranks by opening the faction summary panel; click your warlord’s portrait at the top-left corner of the campaign screen. Mousing over each of the ranks informs you of its specific benefits, such as raising your army cap and increasing the amount of administrators and assignments you can issue. These benefits rise with each rank.
The chief ways to improve your warlord’s prestige are by conquering new settlements and building specific buildings. A commandery’s town centre chain grants increasing prestige with each upgrade level. Government (yellow) buildings also provide prestige.
Other sources may grant you further prestige, such as certain missions or events for example.
