Total War: Pharaoh Managing Resources

Overview: Resources in Total War Pharaoh

In Total War: Pharaoh, factions use five tradeable resources: food, wood, stone, bronze and gold. Resources are used for the recruitment and upkeep of units, to construct and upgrade buildings, and for political actions (for factions which participate in the Egyptian or Hittite royal courts). Factions can obtain resources through resource-production buildings in regions, trade, and various military actions (winning battles, raiding regions, sacking or razing outposts or cities).

When you trade (through the diplomacy screen), it is a good idea to look for factions which value the resources you are offering (look for the tick mark next to the resource for this faction on the diplomacy screen). There is a filter on the diplomacy screen, enabling you to look for (for example) factions which want to sell food and buy bronze. This can be particularly effective when you do a series of trades. For example:

As Ramesses, the player could trade 50 wood for 550 stone to Amuran of Ugarit (each turn for the next 10 turns).

The player then traded 550 stone for 1650 food with Baalshillek, a descendent of Bay (each turn for the next 10 turns)

This means that the player effectively turned 50 wood into 1650 food. This method works for one-off trades, too. For example:

As Ramesses, the player could trade 1450 food to Hehefi, a descendent of Seti, for 2500 stone.

The player then traded 2500 stone to Tjahemy for 4600 food.

With these trades, the player turned 1450 food into 4600 food. The important thing was not the specific factions that Ramesses was trading with - the important thing was that, each time, the player was selling something which the other faction valued (shown by a tick) and buying something which the other faction didn't value (shown by a cross). (This campaign was played on Normal difficulty, and the player had built up friendly relationships with these factions over time, by a series of trading agreements).

Each region specialises in the production of one resource, although some regions can provide more than one (for example, some regions can produce food and wood). Meeting the goals of Ambitions (optional side-quests which the campaign offers the player occasionally) usually provides a one-off resource bonus.

Food

Food is needed for the recruitment and upkeep of units. For low-tier units such as milita, food alone is enough (higher quality units require other resources as well). Acquiring enough food tends to be particularly challenging in the early campaign, as you will probably need more units than you can sustain from the food production in your regions. In Egypt, the main food-producing regions are along the Nile, so conquering regions in this area may be necessary.

How to survive with a food deficit

Running a food deficit is normal in the early to middle campaign. You can sustain your faction, despite having a food deficit, by various methods, such as:

• Winning battles
• Trading other resources for food
• Raiding regions, or sacking and razing settlements (especially if you play as the Sea Peoples)
• Disbanding units or putting them in a fort for a reduced upkeep
• Alternating between periods of expansion (when you have a big food deficit) and consolidation (when you disband some armies to replenish your food stores)
• When you level up generals, choosing the option which lowers upkeep
• Some buildings provide reduced upkeep for units in the region or province
• Armies that visit a trade outpost get reduced upkeep for a few turns, so you may want to put trade outposts on routes which your armies are likely to use

If your faction runs out of food, your armies will suffer attrition. You can reduce this attrition by putting armies in raiding stance (armies which are raiding do not suffer bankruptcy attrition). Raiding a food-producing settlement belonging to another faction will also provide food.

Effects on food production

• At the start of the campaign, the player's faction receives extra resources for a few turns, so you may notice a drop in resources when these run out.
• If you build a Warriors Refuge, it will recruit units automatically and they will require upkeep. You can turn off unit recruitment for the Refuge or transfer unnecessary units to an army and disband them.
• The changing seasons affect the output of farms, in particular in regions along the Nile.
• As bronze age civilization goes from Prosperity to Crisis to Collapse (shown on the Pillars of Civilization screen), this is likely to affect resource income. For example, as civilization declines, there will be more frequent disasters such as floods and droughts. You can delay, prevent or even reverse the decline by defending and rebuilding cult centres - the cities on the campaign map with an orange circle around them. If you have port cities, you may also be able to deal with this decline by building smugglers' markets - the food they provide increases, as civilization declines from prosperity to Crisis and Collapse.

Wood

Wood is needed to construct and upgrade buildings. Each wood-producing settlement only produces a small amount, so a limited wood supply can be a bottle-neck in your development. One possible solution is that some regions which don't specialise in wood production can still provide some wood; other options include raiding other factions and trading.

Stone

Like wood, stone is needed for buildings, and this can hold up the development of your regions. In stone-producing settlements, there is a fixed amount of stone whhich can be quarried before the supply becomes depleted. However, even after the supply is depleted, these regions will produce a small amount of stone.

Bronze

Bronze is needed for the recruitment and upkeep of mid-tier units (as well as elite units). You are likely to need better-quality units quite early in the campaign, as AI factions can start using mid-tier units quickly, even on lower difficulty settings, and invading armies of Sea Peoples can include good-quality units even in the early game.

Gold

Some factions, such as Iolaos of the Sherden, and Seti, start the campaign with one or two elite units, which deplete your supply of gold - if you don't acquire a source of gold before your supply runs out, you will not be able to maintain these units.

If your faction participates in Egypt's royal court, and if your faction leader becomes Viceroy of Kush, you receive a small gold per turn income (Amenmesse holds this office at the start of the campaign - but he may lose it because of plotting by other factions. If you are playing another faction, this couild give you the opportunity to acquire this position). Alternatively, if you build up Regard with the Viceroy of Kush (for example by using the Gossip intrigue three times), you can request gold from the Viceroy.

Using gold

• Gold (as well as bronze) is needed for the recruitment and upkeep of elite units.
• Gold is a highly valued trading resource, especially in the early game. This can be very useful for factions who have gold mines early in the campaign, such as Amenmesse. However, by the late game, gold tends to be more plentiful, so it trades less well for other resources.
• You can spend gold to speed up the construction of a building in a settlement, or an outpost.
• You can spend gold on the diplomacy screen to embed a spy in an enemy faction, providing line of sight over their regions
• If your faction participates in an royal court, you can spend gold to buy an additional political action, to claim an office, or to counter a plot against you (only if you have found which faction initiated the plot, for example by using the gossip intrigue with different faction leaders until you identify the one who initiated the plot).