Seleucid Empire (RTW Faction)

Seleucid Empire General's Bodyguard.

The Seleucid Empire are one of the playable factions in Rome: Total War. They can be played after successfully completing a campaign as a Roman faction or if unlocked by modding / cheats.

Game Play

The Seleucid Empire is a fun and challenging faction, recommended for players who want a wide variety of troops and like different types of warfare.

Starting Position

The Seleucid Empire begin in a very vulnerable position, just south of Pontus, in what is modern day South Turkey. They are bordering and surrounded by Pontus, Egypt, the Greeks and the Parthians, and are usually defeated early on because of this.

Win Conditions

Long Game: Seleucids must hold Rome and 49 other regions. Short Game:Seleucids must hold 15 regions and destroy or outlast Egypt.

Units

The Seleucids have a vast array of units, combining both Greek and Eastern units into a very flexible and powerful force. Their arsenal includes pikeman, cataphracts, elephants, chariots, companion cavalry, and even legionaries.

-Infantry- Peasants Militia Hoplites Levy Pikemen Phalanx Pikemen Silver Sheild Pikemen Silver Sheild Legionaries

-Missiles- Peltasts Archers Onagers Heavy Onagers

-Cavalry- Militia Cavalry Greek Cavalry Cataphracts Companion Cavalry Scythed Chariots

The Seleucids have several advantages that connect the best units of the ancient world:

-Companion Cavalry, which only Macedon has. -Cataphracts, only Armenia, Pontus and Parthia have it else. -Elephants, only Carthage has it else. -Chariots, only Pontus and Egypt have it else. -Elite Phalanx from the Hellenistic factions. -Hephaestus temple for golden armoury, only the Scipii had it else. -Legionaires from the Romans.

So this all comes together in the Seleucid faction.

Strategy guides

The Seleucid Empire have indeed the potential of becoming an unstoppable power. The only barrier standing between them and world domination is their very vulnerable beginning position. All your neighbours will declare war on you eventually and most of them in the very beginning. Egypt will attack Damascus and Antioch, Pontus will try to invade Tarsus and Sardis, Parthia will try to take Seleucia, Armenia wants Hatra and if this is not enough, there's a little extra: the Greeks will try to take Sardis too.

The most powerful enemy will be Egypt as the Eastern factions armies are made up mostly of Hillmen and Eastern Infantry, units that rout easily. Now, the Seleucid Empire is very likely to be destroyed, and very early on too! And indeed under AI control it is destroyed very easily. No wonder, as the only units you have early on are Peltasts, Militia hoplites, Militia cavalry and Levy pikemen, units that are no match for the spears and chariots of Pontus and Egypt and the horse-units of Parthia and Armenia.

The Seleucid Empire have one advantage from the beginning of the war, together with Egypt. Their power lies in their treasury. Therefore, the key to surviving the beginning of the assaults is wealth. Armenia, Parthia, Pontus and especially Egypt (which is their weakness) are all easily bribed and they don't even ask huge amounts of gold. Only faction leaders and heirs will not give in to being bribed. Therefore, use this wealth. It is easy to bribe all the armies sent against you, therefore assaults will become rare, making it easier for your settlements to improve and evolve, making your treasury even greater. Put diplomats at all the weak spots, which are basically all settlements.

Meanwhile, you can evolve while your diplomats hold the foreign assaults at bay. Get City barracks AND a stone wall as fast as possible in Antioch so you can train some decent troops and have a good defense for your capital. You'll have to put up with Militia's and Levy's in the beginning but make sure you hire mercenaries too when you see an assault coming (for example and Egyptian faction leader that doesn't want to join you and goes straight for Antioch). Bribing the enemy armies makes your enemies weaker so the eventual conquest of their lands will be easier. Bribing enemies doesn't hurt your treasury very much and remember, it's only temporary because soon you will have new units.

Here unfolds the Seleucid power: the most diverse troop type in the entire campaign. You'll be able to flood your enemies with Elephants, Cataphracts, Chariots, you name it. Only be patient and careful in the beginning. Bribe the enemy at all cost and keep your settlements at all cost. Upon reaching your powerful units, the conquest of all the realms that troubled you will be easy indeed. Start with Asia Minor. Take Sidon at the same time and then move to Salamis. Leave Egypt for that time and move on to Armenia and Parthia in the north. Conquer the entire east, but not (yet) Egypt, since it is very likely to revolt! Cross the sea to Greece and invade it. After all you have now reached the 'unstoppable-status'. Not even the Romans will be able to hold you off for very long.

Seleucid Empire Guide

History

The Seleucid Empire was originally formed by Seleucus I Nicator, after Alexander the Great's death. He was one of the diadochi amongst whom the Alexandrine Empire was originally divided by his satraps. In 312BC, he took control of Babylonia, and founded a capital at Seleucia. Later, when he took over Syria, he founded a capital there, Antioch, named after his father. He steadily took control over all the Middle and Near East, culminating with the battle of Ipsus in 301BC, granting him control over much of Asia Minor. In 281BC, he defeated a Macedonian army, and was all set to invade Thrace when he was assassinated by Ptolemy Keraunos (all the male Pharaohs of greek Egypt were called Ptolemy). After his death, his empire immediately began to splinter. Galatia was lost early on to invading Celts from Pannonia and Thrace, Cappadocia quickly declared its independence. Seleucus himself had swapped his territories on the Indus river for a bunch of war elephants, and now a bunch of barbarians (Saka, Dahae, Bactrians, etc.) were causing trouble and unrest in their provinces. Antiochus I, the II, Seleucus II and Seleucus III all proved incapable of maintaining their empire effectively. Then along came Antiochus III, Antiochus the Great. He came to power in 222BC, and quickly sorted out the Parthians and re-established his empire into a solid chunk of the Near and Middle East. He took Coele Syria and Cilicia back from the Egyptians. However, the Egyptians were Roman allies, as were the Pergamonids, and they appealed to Rome for help. The Romans sent a bunch of diplomats to teach Antiochus who was boss. Among them was the famous conqueror, Scipio Africanus. They said that if Antiochus didn't behave, then he was looking at a knuckle sandwich from Rome. Antiochus told them their demands were absurd, and informed them that they should mind their own business. Then the Aetolian League decided it didn't like the Romans any more (they felt they hadn't got their share of the profits from the Second Macedonian War). They decided to make an alliance with Sparta, so that they would not then be overlooked by Antiochus as insignificant. The Romans then attacked and sacked Sparta. This did not amuse the proud greeks, whom Flaminius, the hero of the Second Macedonian War, had declared were now free (from Macedon, he obviously meant, not Rome). The greeks thought they were properly free, and decided they did not like Rome's demands for tribute. They also were not amused by Rome attacking Sparta. If Greece was free, what the Romans doing attacking Sparta? The Aetolians therefore appealed to Antiochus to free them from Rome, and the Pergamonids appealed to Rome to free them from Antiochus. The seleucids invaded Greece. The Romans beat them at Thermopylae (where the Seleucids thought they were safe in the famous bottleneck), then chased them beck to Asia and beat them at Magnesia. Antiochus surrendered, and was ordered right out of Asia Minor. The Seleucid Empire continued to decline with the death of Antiochus. In 141BC, the Parthian rebels sacked Seleucia. In 83, the Armenians conquered Syria. In 69, the Romans beat the Armenians and told them to stick to Armenia. The Seleucids came back, and then Pompey turned up in Antioch and brought the end of the Seleucid kingdom with him.

See Also

• Factions in RTW

RTW Factions
Armenia | Britannia | Carthage | Dacia | Egypt | Gaul | Germania | Greek Cities | The House of Brutii | The House of Julii | The House of Scipii | Macedon | Numidia | Parthia | Pontus | Scythia | Seleucid Empire | Senate | Spain | Thrace | Rebels