It may seem like it’s you against the world in A Total War Saga: Troy, but wise leaders choose their allies before they make enemies. Before stomping off into another region to expand your empire, take time to look to your neighbors, and extend friendship to them. When war happens, you have friends willing to aid you and your ambition.
Your relationship with a faction
To create an alliance, you need to develop a positive relationship with another ruler. You can see how another faction’s leader views you by going to the known factions tab, which you can find next to the map icon on the lower right of your UI. It should be the fourth icon above the map. After you click it, a list of all the known factions shows up on your screen’s right side. Hover your mouse on the right-most icon that looks like a helmeted figure to receive a quick breakdown of how a faction views you. You can also view this information on the diplomacy screen by entering a negotiation with another leader.
The breakdown shows you the overall relationship you have with that faction. It details current treaties, past ones, past actions you’ve done against or form them, who you or they are at war with, who you and they have raided, bonuses they receive, how other factions have gone against them, and many more details. It’s divided into a section of what they approve of and what they condemn. The things they condemn are things you’ve done recently that impact your relationship with them.
If your relationship is not favorable with a faction, you need to find a way to improve it before attempting an alliance. Send them gifts or work against a common enemy to garner their respect quickly. Any treaty you create between the two of you that benefits them more than you is another good way, but it could drain your resources.
How to create an alliance
When you have a positive relationship go to the diplomacy page by clicking the 7 key on your keyboard. Scroll down to the faction you want to speak with to start the negotiations.
These are several of the agreements you can make with another faction to keep your relationship with them high.
- A non-aggression pact: Your two factions have chosen not to go to war with one another. It’s a way to ensure you do not fight each other, and your relationship gradually improves while this is in place.
- Trade partners: Your two factions have decided to trade resources for each other. It’s a good way to receive hard to find resources, and rid yourself of your larger stockpiles.
- Military access partners: Your two factions have agreed to allow your military factions to walk through the other’s territory. Normally, having your army move through another faction’s province develops a negative relationship between the two of you, but the military access prevents this from happening, allowing you to explore beyond your borders.
There are two distinct alliances you make with them: a defensive alliance and a military alliance.
A defensive alliance means that if you, or your ally, goes to war with the third party initiating the fighting, your defensive ally must come to your aid and join you in the war. If you, or your ally, are the ones who declare war against another faction, the defensive ally does not have to assist you. You must only join them if war starts with the third party.
A military alliance is similar to a defensive alliance, except you must always join the other’s war. It does not matter who initiated it or started the discourse. You must join your ally, and they have to join when going to war against a third party.
It’s important to choose your allies wisely. If you work with a warmongering faction, you can expect to go to war often. There’s also a problem with partnering with a far weaker faction because they won’t help you during a war. Choose your allies and your enemies wisely.
