When Creative Assembly Sofia first announced A Total War Saga: TROY, the internet had a collective meltdown over the "Truth Behind the Myth" approach. It felt risky. People wanted either full-blown God of War style monsters or a gritty, 100% historical bronze age simulator. Instead, we got a weird, wonderful middle ground where Minotaurs were just big guys wearing bull skulls and Centaurs were just highly skilled riders on horseback. It was a gamble. Honestly, looking back years after its 2020 release, that specific design choice is exactly why the game remains one of the most unique entries in the entire franchise. It wasn't just another reskin of Rome II. It was something else entirely.
Why A Total War Saga: TROY Still Feels Different Today
The game focuses on the Trojan War, obviously. But it’s the scale that catches people off guard. Unlike the "mainline" titles that span continents, the Saga titles are meant to be surgical strikes into specific moments of history. Troy doesn't try to be Medieval III. It focuses on the Aegean. The map is surprisingly dense for a smaller title. You’ve got the Greek Danaan factions on one side and the Trojan defenders on the other.
The resource system is where the game actually shines. Most Total War games rely on a simple gold economy. Troy tossed that out the window for a multi-resource barter system. You need food for your low-tier troops. You need wood and stone for buildings. Bronze is essential for elite units. Gold? Gold is rare and used for high-end rituals or diplomatic bribes. It makes the early game feel like a desperate scramble for survival rather than a slow accumulation of wealth. If you run out of grain, your army literally starts starving and deserting. It's brutal. It's fantastic.
The Epic Heroes and the Duel System
You can’t talk about this game without mentioning Achilles or Hector. These guys are tanks. Influenced heavily by the success of Total War: Three Kingdoms, the heroes in Troy are single-entity units that can turn the tide of a battle. Achilles, in particular, is a nightmare to deal with. He’s fast, he hits like a truck, and his mood swings—yes, he has actual mechanical mood swings—can buff or debuff your entire faction.
The dueling mechanic is a bit more streamlined than what we saw in the China-based title. It’s less about a cinematic lock-in and more about positioning. If you catch an enemy hero out of position, you can pin them down. But be careful. The AI in Troy is surprisingly adept at pulling heroes back behind a wall of spears just when you think you’ve got the kill.
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The Mythos DLC Changed Everything
A year after the initial launch, the developers released the Mythos expansion. This was a massive pivot. It basically admitted that while the "Truth Behind the Myth" was cool, people really just wanted to see a real Cerberus. This DLC added a third way to play: Mythological mode.
In this mode, the bull-skull guy becomes an actual, towering Minotaur with supernatural abilities. You can go on expeditions to hunt and tame legendary beasts like the Griffin Patriarch or the Hydra. It completely shifted the meta. Suddenly, your bronze age tactics had to account for a three-headed dog breathing fire on your front lines. It turned the game into a gorgeous, Aegean version of Warhammer Total War.
If you prefer the historical stuff, the "Historical" mode added in the same period stripped away the single-entity heroes and gave them bodyguards. This was a peace offering to the hardcore fans who hated the superhero vibes. It basically turned Troy into three games in one. You want Iliad fan-fiction? You got it. You want a gritty bronze age collapse sim? It's there. You want Age of Mythology with modern graphics? Check.
Divine Will: More Than Just Flavor
Religion in A Total War Saga: TROY isn't just a static buff. The Divine Will system requires constant maintenance. You have to dedicate hecatombs (animal sacrifices) and build temples to keep gods like Poseidon or Aphrodite happy.
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If Poseidon likes you, your naval movements are faster and your deep-sea battles are easier. If he's angry? Good luck getting your troops across the sea without losing half of them to "natural disasters." It adds a layer of micromanagement that feels thematic. You aren't just a general; you're a king trying to appease fickle deities who might ruin your day because they feel ignored.
The Bronze Age Combat Problem
Combat in Troy is fast. Maybe too fast for some. Because the setting is the Bronze Age, there is a distinct lack of heavy cavalry. In most Total War games, you just wait for your knights to charge the rear and win. Here, it’s all about the infantry.
You have light, medium, and heavy infantry. The terrain matters more here than in almost any other game in the series. Mud slows down heavy troops significantly. Long grass hides light skirmishers. Since you don't have many horses, you have to use the environment to flank.
- Light Infantry: Use them for flanking through woods. They are fast but die if a sneeze hits them.
- Chariots: These are your "tanks." They are micro-intensive. If they stop moving, they are dead. If they keep moving, they can rack up 500 kills.
- The Flanking Maneuver: Because shields are so effective from the front, you have to find ways to get behind the line. This leads to a "kiting" style of gameplay that can be frustrating if you're used to the slow grind of Shogun 2.
The lack of variety in unit types—since everyone is basically a guy with a shield and a spear—is a common complaint. Creative Assembly tried to fix this with "unique" faction units, like the Amazons or the Thracians, but the core loop remains very infantry-heavy. You have to love the tactical positioning of foot soldiers to truly enjoy the battle maps.
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Technical Performance and Visuals
Visually, the game is stunning. The "Epic" art style used for the skybox—resembling ancient Greek pottery—is a masterstroke. When you pan the camera up, the horizon looks like an orange and black vase painting. It’s a small detail, but it grounds the game in its own mythology.
Performance-wise, the Sofia team optimized this engine brilliantly. It runs smoother than Warhammer III or Attila ever did. Even on mid-range hardware from a few years ago, you can push high frame rates with hundreds of soldiers on screen. The load times are also notably better than the older titles, likely due to the smaller, more focused scope of the Saga map.
Actionable Strategy for Your First Campaign
If you're just starting out, don't pick Achilles first. He’s the face of the game, but his starting position is a mess and his temperament mechanic is hard to manage for beginners.
- Start with Hector or Agamemnon. Hector has a very solid defensive position and clear goals. Agamemnon has the "King of Kings" mechanic which lets you demand tribute from other Greek states, making the resource management much easier.
- Focus on Food and Bronze early. You can always trade for wood and stone later, but without food, your expansion stops dead.
- Use the Barter System. Don't just sit on your resources. If you have an excess of wood, find a faction that needs it and trade it for a "per turn" food agreement. The AI is actually quite reasonable with these trades.
- Prioritize the "Divine Will" of Zeus or Aphrodite. Zeus gives you huge bonuses to diplomacy and minor settlement growth. Aphrodite helps with population growth and happiness, which prevents those annoying mid-game rebellions.
- Watch the flanking. In Troy, "flanked" morale penalties are severe. Even your best units will break if they get hit from behind by a group of Tier 1 clubmen.
A Total War Saga: TROY isn't a perfect game. It has its quirks, and the "Truth Behind the Myth" concept was a bit polarizing. But as a focused, beautiful, and mechanically deep exploration of the Bronze Age, it’s a high point for the series' experimental side. Whether you're playing for the history or the monsters, it offers a level of atmospheric immersion that the larger, more bloated titles often miss.
To get the most out of your experience, grab the Mythos DLC immediately. It’s the definitive way to play. Even if you prefer the historical mode, having the option to toggle the mythological elements on or off gives the game a longevity that the base version lacked at launch. Focus on mastering the multi-resource economy first, as that is the true hurdle to winning any campaign. Once your silos are full and your bronze mines are humming, the walls of Troy will fall soon enough.