Total War: Pharaoh Introduces Innovative Settlement Mechanics
After winning your first battle, you’ll likely explore a settlement, where new features come to light. The panel at the bottom displays both Settlements and Outposts, the latter being a brand new addition. In addition to developing your settlement, you can establish multiple Outposts at specific locations in the region, clearly visible on the map. These Outposts offer permanent bonuses to the region, its armies, favor of gods, and even your leader’s Legitimacy. The available gods to build a monument to depend on the region you are in.
While moving through a region, an army can access an Outpost on the way, granting the army a temporary boost to attributes such as morale, combat ability, or other perks. Particularly valuable is the protection it provides troops in the region against attrition damage, which is significant in the desert setting of the game. Although most regions have safe roads, as your empire expands, encountering attrition becomes inevitable. However, upon taking a Settlement, you can shield your army from further damage when they venture out.
The building browser will be familiar to Total War veterans, but there are new nuances. Constructing a building requires sufficient stone, wood, and gold instead of spending from a single resource. Additionally, there is a workforce cost. You can monitor your idle workforce on the left side of the screen and observe its growth rate. While having enough idle workforce for construction is beneficial, it can also lead to increased unhappiness in the province, posing a potential problem if they accumulate.
The province you are in influences the gods you can worship, and by traveling the world, you expand your pantheon. Some lands are considered sacred to the Egyptians, granting Legitimacy to your ruler through ownership. While this may seem insignificant initially, it holds substantial long-term effects. River provinces are excellent food producers for part of the year, but during the Nile floods, there is a considerable drop in food production until the next growing season. In Total War: Pharaoh, food is crucial for sustaining your armies and cities. All troops have a food upkeep cost, with advanced troops also requiring bronze.
