Total War: Medieval 2's big Rise of Three Kingdoms mod gets a new campaign

For many years, Total War fans asked the creators of the series for an installment set in ancient China. Unable to wait any longer, a group of modders developed the massive Rise of Three Kingdoms modification for Medieval II: Total War – Kingdoms, the first version of which debuted in 2013. Of course, the Creative Assembly eventually tackled this setting six years later with Total War: Three Kingdoms. Still, the modders did not abandon their project and continued to improve it. That decision turned out to be a good one, as Total War: Three Kingdoms has long since ceased development and the chances for a sequel appear slim, while Rise of Three Kingdoms keeps getting better with each passing year. We mention it now because the project has just reached version 7.0.

As the title suggests, Rise of Three Kingdoms shifts the action from the European Middle Ages to ancient China. The mod focuses on the era of the Three Kingdoms, spanning the years 194 to 240 CE. The creators replaced virtually every element of the game—they designed a brand-new map, factions, units, and technologies. The battle maps are new as well. Gameplay mechanics have been heavily modified, and the artificial intelligence significantly improved. In practice, the whole project feels more like an forgotten official entry in the series than a fan-made modification.

1. Rise of Three Kingdoms – download the mod

The update to version 7.0 introduces many changes:

1. a new campaign starting in 217 CE,
2. a thorough refresh of many user interface elements,
3. major improvements to Liu Bei’s invasion of Shu,
4. better overall gameplay balance and the removal of numerous technical issues.

The changes are so significant that version 7.0 of the mod is not compatible with save files from earlier editions. Therefore, if you are in the middle of a campaign on a previous version, you should finish it first before updating to the new release.

Total War: Medieval II - Kingdoms

August 28, 2007

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