Total War: Sherden

Total War: Sherden
Name:	Sherden
From Game:	Total War: Pharaoh
Culture:	Sea Peoples
Playable:	Yes

The Sherden are one of the playable factions in Total War Pharaoh, led by Iolaos.

Overview

Iolaos leads a migratory band of the Sea Peoples, the Sherden. His Sherden axemen and swordsmen cause fear in nearby enemy units, and their Nuraghe harpooners reduce the effectiveness of enemy shields. The Sherden faction is suited to raiding, looting and razing; it can also settle and trade, but nearby factions tend to be hostile.

Starting Position

Iolaos and the Sherden begin on the coast of Canaan. As a migratory faction, the Sherden begin with no settlements - their starting army is a horde - which means that it is both a collection of units and a mobile settlement. After defeating the army which starts next to you on the campaign map, you can loot or raze the nearest settlement.

As a migratory faction which start with no fixed settlements, your resources are likely to come from wining battles and from raiding, looting and razing, at least in the early campaign. Razing minor settlements can provide a lot of resources, but if you keep doing this you will be at risk of being caught by large armies.

Strategies for the Sherden

One strategic choice for Iolaos is whether to remain as a purely migratory faction (so that each army is also a mobile settlement) or whether to occupy settlements. Occupying settlements in Canaan can be risky. While it may be possible to trade with some factions, because the Sherden are Sea Peoples, other factions often declare war on the Sherden soon after coming into contact with you. If you occupy settlements in Canaan, you are likely to find yourself under attack from several large armies. Occupying settlements and losing them is not necessarily a bad thing for the Sherden - the army of Iolaos can remain as a horde (a mobile settlement as well as an army) even after you occupy cities, and you can continue the campaign as long as this army survives. There is even a Steam achievement - To the Sea We Shall Return - for occupying settlements and then losing them while still having a horde. However, if you want to acquire as many resources as possible, it is probably better to raze settlements, rather then occupy them and lose them.

Another important choice for Iolaos is your direction of travel, after winning your initial battle against the army which starts nearby. If you travel south, there are several settlements which can be lucrative targets. However, if you continue south towards Egypt, you will be at risk of desert attrition and being trapped by large armies sent by Irsu. A better option may be to cross the sea from your starting location, travelling west to the island of Cyprus. Cyprus has three settlements - Paphos, Kition and Alashiya - and Paphos is owned by a one-settlement faction, making it a suitable place to start a conquest of Cyprus. To capture the capital, Alashiya, you may need to raid or attack outposts to draw the enemy army out of the capital, allowing you to defeat the garrison afterwards. Control of Cyprus can provide both food and bronze, providing most of resources needed to for the upkeep of the migratory band led by Iolaos. Occupying settlements in Cyprus also allows you to recruit native Canaanite units, including Syrian archers (the Sherden have useful short-range skirmishers such as the Nuraghe harpooners, but at the start of the campaign you don't have long-range skirmishers).

The Sherden can build a special outpost, Nuraghe Towers, providing food and reduced upkeep for units. They can also build smugglers' markets in port settlements, which provide increasing amounts of food as the civilisation level decreases from prosperity to crisis and collapse. After occupying settlements, you have the option of converting the migratory band led to Iolaos into a simple army (removing the buildings so that it will no longer be a mobile settlement). This would reduce the upkeep, but would also remove the advantages of a mobile settlement.