Become the scourge of the ancient world in Total War: ROME II with the Pirates and Raiders Culture Pack. This strategy expansion adds a playable Balkan culture featuring three factions-Ardiaei from Illyria, Tylis, and Odrysae from Thrace-geared for hit-and-run raids across the campaign map. Players raid for riches, swiftly recruit mercenary armies, and deploy unique land and sea units to overwhelm foes.
Each faction starts in distinct campaign positions with tailored bonuses: Ardiaei excel in piracy with assault ships like hemiolias, hexaremes, and tetremes; Odrysae master archery; Tylis train elite Celtic-influenced infantry. New religious buildings, technologies, and mercenaries such as Thracian swordsmen or Dacian skirmishers enhance raiding playstyles. Strategy fans who crave fresh, aggressive campaign tactics will find renewed depth in ROME II's core loop.
Pirates & Raiders Culture Pack
Become the scourge of the ancient world with the Total War™: ROME II - Pirates & Raiders Culture Pack. Introducing a new playable culture consisting of three new raiding-focused factions, Pirates & Raiders brings new buildings, technologies, religion, faction traits, battlefield and naval units to Total War: ROME II.
Players can now plunder the campaign map as the Ardiaei of Illyria, and the Thracian tribes of Tylis and the Odrysian Kingdom. With their own rosters of military and naval units, distinct traits and play styles, these Balkan factions offer a new and unique way to experience the Grand Campaign in ROME II.
New features:
New Balkan cultural traits – Tylis, the Ardiaei and the Odrysian Kingdom are all adept raiders, snatching wealth from under the noses of the other factions. They’re also able to assemble mercenary armies with great speed, before swooping on military targets.
New faction traits – Each of the Balkan factions has its own starting position on the campaign map and its own set of faction traits, making a unique Grand Campaign experience. All are accomplished brigands; in addition, The Illyrians of the Ardiaei favour piracy, the Thracians of the Odrysian Kingdom are excellent archers, while the people of Tylis, heirs to the Celtic migrations into Asia Minor, train their new melee infantry recruits to a high standard.
New religion – The Ardiaei and Odrysian Kingdom both feature their own unique religious building chains, which bring numerous benefits and effects to their campaign gameplay.
New technologies – The Ardiaei and Odrysian Kingdom both feature their own unique technologies, which enable the player to unlock key new units and effects which replace parts of the core Barbarian culture technology trees.
New units – Sharing much with their Celtic forbears, the factions of the Balkan culture principally employ the core Barbarian unit-roster, with the following new units available for each faction:
Ardiaei:
• Illyrian Marines: Highly trained, medium-armoured spear infantry.
• Illyrian Raiders: Fast-moving, axe-wielding stealth infantry.
• Illyrian Noble Hoplites: Well-drilled, very heavily armoured infantry.
• Raiding Hemiola: Fast boarding-craft manned by Illyrian Raiders.
• Assault Hexeres: Huge assault-barge manned by Illyrian Raiders.
• Assault Tetreres: Large assault-barge manned by Illyrian Raiders.
Odrysian Kingdom:
• Thracian Horsemen: Fast-moving, spear-armed medium cavalry.
Tylis:
• Gallo-Thracian Warriors: Fast-moving, hard-hitting sword infantry.
• Tribal Warriors: well-armoured medium swordsmen, great in defence.
• Raiding Horsemen: Noble multirole, armed with javelin and sword.
New Mercenaries – The soldiers of the raiding nations know well the value of coin and will ply their fearsome skills at the behest of others. When playing as another faction, the following mercenaries and auxiliaries will be available to you when recruiting from within the indicated territory:
Mercenaries:
• Mercenary Thracian Warriors: Superior sword-wielding melee infantry. (Thracia)
• Mercenary Falxmen: Melee infantry wielding the vicious curve-bladed falx. (Dacia)
• Mercenary Dacian Skirmishers: Excellent, javelin-armed skirmishers. (Dacia)
• Mercenary Illyrian Raiders: Fast-moving, axe-wielding stealth infantry. (Illyria)
• Raiding Hemiola: Fast attack barge manned by Mercenary Illyrian Raiders (Illyria)
Auxiliaries:
• Auxiliary Thracian Warriors: Superior sword-wielding melee infantry. (Thracia)
• Auxiliary Falxmen: Melee infantry wielding the vicious curve-bladed falx. (Dacia)
• Auxiliary Dacian Skirmishers: Excellent, javelin-armed skirmishers. (Dacia)
• Auxiliary Illyrian Raiders: Fast-moving, axe-wielding stealth infantry.(Illyria)
