To master Barbarian Invasion, you need to memorize these unit counters:
| Attacker | Countered By | Why | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Hunnic Horse Archers | Roman Crossbows, Berber Camels | Crossbows outrange bows; Camels cause morale penalty to horses. | | Gothic Noble Swordsmen | Frankish Axemen | Axes ignore armor. The Goths die before they swing. | | Roman Armored Legionaries | Saxon Hearth Troops + Javelins | Javelins strip armor, Saxons charge while Romans are disorganized. | | Elephants | Any unit with flaming arrows or onagers | Fire causes rampage; onagers crush them in 2 hits. | | Berserkers | Limitanei + Plumbatarii | Let the berserkers tire themselves on the shield wall, then dart them. | | Foederati Infantry | Hunnic Heavy Lancers (charge) | Low morale; a single rear charge causes a chain rout. |
The year is 363 AD, and the air in the Rhine Valley tastes of iron and wet earth. Marcus, a veteran Comitatenses of the Western Roman Empire, tightened the straps of his lorica hamata
. He stood atop a crumbling stone watchtower, looking East. For generations, the border had held. But the world was changing. The shadows in the forest were no longer just trees; they were the Frankish Paladins
, heavy-cavalry nobles whose axes could split a legionary’s shield like kindling.
Behind them, rumors of a greater terror whispered through the ranks—the
. They weren't just men; they were centaurs of the steppe. Marcus had seen a scout's body riddled with arrows shot from horseback at a full gallop.
The horn sounded. A low, guttural blast that vibrated in Marcus’s marrow. From the tree line, the Berserkers
emerged first, howling and biting their shields, oblivious to the biting cold. They were the shock, the chaos. Marcus signaled his men to form the rome total war barbarian invasion units
, but this wasn't the invincible shell of his grandfather’s day. The empire was hemorrhaging, its steel thinner, its gold debased.
As the barbarian tide slammed into the Roman line, the ground began to shake. Not from the infantry, but from the Sarmatian Auxiliaries
—mailed horsemen who had defected to the Roman side for land and bread. They thundered past the infantry, lances leveled, a silver wall meant to meet the Frankish charge. In the center of the fray, Marcus caught a glimpse of a
on a massive white charger, draped in furs and Roman silk stripped from a dead governor. This was the era of the Migration. There was no room for diplomacy, only the harsh mathematics of survival. The Roman line buckled. A group of Night Raiders
, faces painted black as the void, scaled the rear wall of the fort. Marcus drew his
. He knew the Eternal City was far away, and its walls were no longer enough. The age of the Legion was ending; the age of the Barbarian had begun. or perhaps a battle strategy for defending the frontier?
The units in Rome: Total War: Barbarian Invasion (BI) represent a significant shift from the classic legionaries of the base game, reflecting the late antiquity period. Armies are generally more mobile, featuring powerful heavy cavalry, religiously inspired troops, and unique "horde" units that emerge when a faction loses all its settlements. Roman Faction Units
The Western and Eastern Roman Empires rely on heavily armored professional infantry and specialized cavalry to hold their crumbling borders. To master Barbarian Invasion , you need to
Comitatenses: The standard heavy infantry. They are well-armored and designed to hold the line against barbarian charges.
Plumbatarii: An elite upgrade to Comitatenses. They carry lead-weighted darts (plumbatae), giving them a more powerful ranged attack before entering melee.
Auxilia Palatina: Superior spearmen that can utilize the Shield Wall formation, making them exceptionally effective against heavy cavalry.
Equites Clibinarii: Massive "super-heavy" cavalry available to the Eastern Roman Empire. Both rider and horse are fully armored, acting as a slow but unstoppable "hammer".
Scholae Palatinae: Elite heavy cavalry that can form a Wedge formation for devastating charges. Barbarian and Eastern Faction Units
Barbarian rosters vary widely, from the infantry-heavy Franks to the horse-archer dominant Huns.
The unit rosters in Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion focus on the shift from disciplined Roman legions to a world dominated by mobile, hard-hitting cavalry and specialized tribal infantry. Unlike the base game, this expansion introduces the Horde mechanic
, where displaced factions receive massive armies of maintenance-free "Horde" units to sack cities and find new homelands. Steam Community Major Unit Categories best units - Total War Heaven Forum The year is 363 AD, and the air
In Rome: Total War – Barbarian Invasion , units are defined by the era's shift toward professionalized Roman infantry and mobile, hard-hitting barbarian hordes. Key units across the major factions include: Roman Empires (Eastern & Western)
Comitatenses: The standard professional heavy infantry of the late empire, better armored and defensive than earlier legionaries.
Plumbatarii: Elite heavy infantry equipped with lead-weighted darts (plumbata) that offer better range than the traditional pilum.
Limitanei: Frontier garrison troops; cheaper and less skilled than Comitatenses but essential for holding borders.
Scholae Palatinae: Elite super-heavy cavalry used as the Emperor's personal guard.
Carriage Ballistae: Highly mobile artillery units that can fire from a horse-drawn carriage. Barbarian & Horde Factions
Note: Exact unit names and stats vary between the original BI expansion and later patches or mods; however, their functional roles remain consistent: barbarians excel at shock infantry and cavalry mobility, Romans/Byzantines excel at discipline and defense.
Tactics: Use spears to hold, axemen/berserkers to charge flanks, cavalry to chase or flank. Germanic units favor aggressive melee, hit hard early, and rely on numbers and morale.
Barbarian Invasion introduced several unique unit types that change the rules of engagement.
Light cavalry and ambush units.
