Due to the unforseen popularity of my Roman Guide, as well as demand from players, I have now created this Egyptian tactics and formation guide. The use of Sword-weilding infantry supported by Hellenic Pikemen and a powerful combination of Cavalry and Missile units makes Egypt one of the games most versatile and deadly factions. They start slow but once they gain access to more powerful units they can become nearly unstoppable, and can go toe-to-toe with any Roman army.

This guide will again go through basic, medium and end-game/elite formations using units appropriate with gameplay time. The battles will be played out on Hard and Very Hard, and detailed info on all the tactis will be given. The enemies I will use for this guide will be Egypt's more dangerous ones: Seleucids, Macedon and of course, Rome.

Like the Roman guide, this will simply be some basic yet useful formations and tactics that anyone can use and change to suit their own playstyles. You may not agree with my unit choices or decisions, THAT'S TOTALLY COOL. Build your own formation based on mine or choose your own movements. That's what Total War is all about.

A note: The end results for each battle are from the exact moment of Victory. I do not chase down routed enemies after victory is obtained because that would give changed results. I want you all to see the exact results for each formation so you know how effective they can be, because anyone can chase down running javelinmen.

The hardest part about playing as Egypt is the beginning for sure. Despite having access to a full province plus 2 other cities (including 2 provincial capitals) and also having Cyprus as a client state, Egypt kinda has a tough start. Their main issue is obviously the ever present threat that the Seleucid Empire will declare war on them, as well as their 7 client states and satrapies, all of whom are in striking distance. The second is Egypt's close proximity to Libya, who is has a reputation for betraying Carthage and storming around Africa like an angry drunk declaring war on everyone. Libya get full access to Carthage's unit tree (with the exception of Sacred Band) so they are quite a powerful enemy to have, especially because they get fast access to Libyan Infantry and Carthaginian Hoplites, who are quite decent.

But the third issue, and the most important for this guide, is Egypt's quite staggering lack of good starting units. All they can recruit are their base Egyptian units. Now when I say Egyptian, I mean any unit with the word "Egyptian" in it, i.e Egyptian Infantry, Egyptian Slingers, Egyptian Spearmen. You get the point. They do get Light Cavalry, but they aren't much use at anything cept charging early game missile units and chasing down routed men. Oh and dying, they are really good at dying. Egyptian Infantry are possibly the worst melee unit in the game with the exception of mobs/plebs. They often route after taking minimal casualties (I've witness one unit route without warning after losing only 7 men. This may be a bug, but it is extremely annoying) and they also have extreme difficulty facing any other melee unit (It took two units of Egyptian Infantry to defeat one unit of Spear Levies, and one of the Egyptian units routed midway). They are useless and you should never use them.

It is critical to Egypt's military success to build a tier 2 infantry barracks (Holosideros Barracks) ASAP, otherwise they run the risk of being steamrolled by Seleucids simply because they have better units. Now the Seleucids can declare war at ANY freaking turn. To gauge the success of this basic formation I started a new Egyptian Campaign 10 times on Hard, and the Seleucids declared war on me anywhere from turn 1 to around turn 14, so building a good army to defend against their inevitable onslaught is your first priority.

For the purpose of the campaign and guide, I have made this formation up using units only available to you at the start of the game in case you decide to focus on civic or diplomatic matters. However constructing a Holosideros barracks is recommended, because this gives access to better infantry such as Galatian Swordsmen, better hoplites such as Pikemen, and better cavalry such as Citizen Cavalry. Also because both of the Egyptian starting generals are both Hellenic Royal Guard (a hoplite unit) the general for this formation will be this unit as well.

Ok so here is your basic unit roster that makes up a full 20 unit army.

1x General (Hellenic Royal Guard) [H]
3x Egyptian Infantry (Ei)
5x Karian Axemen (K)
2x Egyptian Pikemen [Ep]
2x Nubian Spearmen [Ns]
4x Light Cavalry {C}
3x Egyptian Javelinmen (Ej)

So this is kinda what it's gonna look like in basic form.

................................Front

..................[Ns]..[Ep]..(.....E....i...).(...E...i...).(...E...i...)..[Ep]..[Ns]..
....................(.E.j.)...........................(.E.j.).......................(.E.j.)......
...............................(...K..)....(..K..)...(..K..)...(..K..)...(..K..).......................
...........................................................[H]..................................................
....
....
.................{C}..{C}............................................................{C}..{C}......

So you can see here how there are only three Egyptian Infantry as the middle front line. You wanna spread these 3 mofos out as far as you can. You shouldn't expect them to do very well, they might live or they might not. Their job is take the full force of any charges, saving your Karian Axemen from damage and allowing them to charge in and kill everything. Egyptian Infantry are utterly terrible, with stats only a bit higher than Mobs (a Mob has a base attack of 7, Egyptian Infantry have 16, Karian Axemen have around 25). You can also see the Spearmen and Pikemen on their sides. This allows them to prevent any flanking maneuvers from the enemy, and also puts them in a position to reinforce the Karians really easily. You will want to have the spearmen in Square formation, giving them a huge increase to defence and shield strength, and have your Pikes in phalanx for the same reason. Remember to use the Egyptian Pikemen's Brace ability before they are charged. Further unit details will now be explained in the next section. I am aware that was a bit of reading, so go get some water, or something.

General (Hellenic Royal Guard)
This unit is without a doubt the best unit you will be able to have until you either create a new army, get your general killed or reach a tier 2 barracks. They have great armour and have a deadly pike phalanx, and they are better than most starting infantry in sword combat. The Seleucids have a habit of making their General units Royal Peltasts, which are superior in sword combat, so keep your Hellenic Guard away from them unless they are phalanxed and have supporting troops. You wanna keep them at the rear of your formation to start with so they cannot be hit by missile fire, but when the battle is going whack them into phalanx and march them to the thickest fighting and watch as they decimate light and medium infantry. Cavalry don't stand a chance. Remember to use any and all buffs you have and if you are about to be charged, use the Brace ability for extra defence.

Egyptian Infantry
Your meat shields, spread out to take the full hit so your Karians don't have to. Yes if you choose you can leave these pitiful excuses for infantry out of the formation entirely and use more Karians, but they are cheaper plus both your armies start with a few so you may aswell find a use for them. They do have a Shieldwall ability, but this restricts how far you can spread them out, so don't use it with this formation. you may choose to use it in other situations or change this formation to suit your playstyle. Their Use the Whip ability should be used whenever it can, if only to make them a bit less crap. Do not expect these guys to last long, they probably just took fire missiles and charges to the face. Despite suffering over 80% casualties per unit, after the battle was over I never actually lost the entire unit, so it usually works out well.

Karian Axemen
The best infantry you have until a tier 2 barracks. They have much higher melee attack and damage than Egyptian Infantry, albeit slighlty lower defence. But that's why you have them out of the way to start with isn't it? Yes, yes it is. Once your Egyptian Infantry have taken the charge, send in these axe-wielding maniacs and activate Use the Whip to deliver maximum carnage. Enemies like Seleucids and Persia will mainly be fielding Hillmen and Levy Pikemen in early stages of the game, so Karians can really do solid damage.

Nubian Spearmen
While you may choose to leave these units out of your army entirely in favour of more Egyptian Pikemen, it can be useful having spear units to backup pike units. Pike units are only good when in phalanx, and cannot charge effectively. This means they are useless vs any Cavalry charge from the sides or rear, rendering your army without a spear unit. The Nubians allow you to maintain a constant counter-cavalry unit in the form of spears whilst still keeping Pikemen to use their powerful phalanx ability. Putting them on the flanks of your line ensures that your phalanx CANNOT be flanked, meaning any charging units have to meet it head on and suffer casualties. Keeping them in Square formation allows them to take a harder charge and maintain their protective position for longer. They also deal with flanking cavalry, leaving your pikes to stay as a formidable front line.

Egyptian Pikemen
Unlike the Egyptian Infantry, Egyptian Pikemen are actually decent, and can be kept in late-game armies if they have enough chevrons and upgrades. A Phalanx always does extreme damage if charged from the front, so a high ranking Pike unit can be useful in any situation involving defending and maintaining a line. They also make supreme gate and chokepoint defenders. You wanna throw these guys on the flanks of your front line, one at each end. Their sides should be covered by the Egyptians on one and the Nubians on the other. This allows them a superior position where they can receive a charge and do huge damage, and also to move in for side-attacks. Being a solid flank also means your sides won't collapse. Remember you are filling the middle with Karians so your sides should be fine.

Light Cavalry
As far as melee cavalry go, these guys are the worst. Any prolonged fight will cause them to die and route very quickly. Keep them away from masses of infantry, heavy cavalry and for god's sake any spear units. Their only purpose in life is to hit missiles or siege weapons, and to chase down quick or fleeing enemies. Don't use them as shock cavalry because they will die.

Egyptian Javelinmen
The Egyptians cannot recruit Archers normally until they reach a tier 2 missile barracks (you can get mercenary archers but they are extremely expensive and will drain a beginning campaign economy like an open tap). Javelinmen should make up your missile infantry until you get Archers or Peltasts. Javelins have decent enough range and can use Flame Missiles as well as Quick Reload. This makes them great against early infantry who usually have piss-all armour and take losses from javelin volleys. They can be positioned literally anywhere behind the front line, all they will do is pepper the enemy with missiles. They can and will be engaged by the enemy in melee, you can either keep them there and let them suffer horribly or move them back to allow them to keep firing. They are cheap as chips so losing a few units is not big deal.

So they are the roles of your men. You are obviously free to change these at will or edit them to suit your situation or playstyle.

Ok, this formation is mainly suited for defence. Egypt is in no position to be attacking any major factions until they have a tier 2 barracks, and chances are you will be attacked by Seleucids soonish. If you want to attack then I'd suggest taking out all the Nubian Spearmen and Egyptian Infantry and have a single line with Karians and Egyptian Pikemen instead.

Also, Javelinmen are an optional missile unit. It can be better to use more Infantry, pikes, spears or Cavalry instead due to the Javelin's apparent ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

The following images were taken from a Hard battle against the Seleucid Empire. Both of our generals were 3 bronze chevrons and the rest of our units were 2 bronze. The Seleucids had Royal Peltast General, 4 Hillmen, 3 Levy Pikemen, 4 Pikemen, 4 Light Cavalry and 4 Javelinmen. I was DEFENDING this attack, because this formation is much better suited to defending.

So here is what your formation looks like roughly from the front:



And here it is from the side:



Here is a quick view of the flanks. It is basically what your enemy will be charging into, and I can assure you it is not pleasant at all. Cavalry will be decimated and light and medium infantry will have their work cut out for them trying to get through it.



So by now the enemy should be coming towards you, and in typical AI fashion their lighter units such as missiles and cavalry are in front of their heavier, slower units such as their Pikes and General. You can use this to your advantage and get a quick hit in with your Light Cavalry, who's speed allows them to hit their units hard and then run away before their heavier units and spears can catch up.





Depending on how many enemy units there are and how long your stay fighting them for can determine the damage done. My 2 units of Cav charged 3 units of Javelins and 1 unit of enemy Light Cav, and fought for around 6 or 7 seconds, and caused this to happen:



A route before the real fighting has even started! Sure it wasn't a full route but it was a good hit regardless :D

So retreat your Cavalry, and their main force has probably now rocked up and the remaining Javelins are swapping arrows and love poems with your Javelins. Their charge should give you enough time to activate BRACE in your Pikemen, and make sure your Nubians are all Square'd up. Put slow-mo on if you need to.



As soon as the enemy hit your Lines, immediately do three things in this order:
1) Activate USE THE WHIP on your Egyptian Infantry, allowing them to do as much damage as they can in their short, brutal lives.
2) Charge your Karian Axemen, and as soon as they hit USE THE WHIP to further increase damage output
3) Use your General's buffs, all of them. Do something with them! Then move the General to where the fighting looks to be the thickest. It should look a little something like this.



Now that you have the enemy locked into a single fighting line, grab your Light Cavalry on each wing and charge them around behind.



During this battle the Seleucids focused on one flank, and the Cavalry on that side were busy engaging infantry. This is no reason to slack off and keep your other Cav behind, use them to great effect regardless.

Now after you hit with your Cav from behind it is a matter of waiting down the clock with melee fighting. Retreat and charge your Cavalry, USE THE WHIP and BRACE and all your GENERAL BUFFS to ensure your men do as much damage as possibru. Put as many units as you can onto the Royal Peltasts or General unit because these guys can and will tear apart early Egyptian armies. Just look at the unit kill count their general got on my army at the end of this section: almost 1/4 of my losses were because of Royal Peltasts. Extremely dangerous. Elephants can be spooked into suicide with fire missiles, and your pikemen can kill any Chariots, elephants or Seleucid General Cavalry. Royal Peltasts guys, they are the elite during these battles.

But due to superior tactics and general buffs, you should come out on top and win the day!



Here is the after-battle report. Remember I ended the battle as soon as I won, I did not chase any routing enemies. Their losses will be greater still if you run them down mercilessly with your Light Cavalry.



So that's basically it for the battles, you know how to use the men and when, so have some practice battles :D
Also go and eat something or get a drink cos you just spent 15 minutes reading and clicking.

Pros

• Uses earliest available Egyptian units to defend against potentially superior forces
  
• Army is cheap to recruit and very cheap on your upkeep. Having one of these armies at each end of your territory can allow you to have a good economy while still having working armies.
  
• Makes use of Egypt's sword-and-pike hybrid infantry tactics. Unlike Rome, Eastern and Barbarian Tribes, Egypt has access to many powerful Pike units thanks to its Hellenic connections. Use them.
  
• Combining the defensive line with Light Cavalry charges can ensure that enemy armies route and can be chased down with maximum casualties.

Cons

• Egypt's early armies are inferior to the early armies of Seleucids, Carthage, Rome and surrounding factions, making attacking difficult.
  
• Mercenaries such as archers and elephants can make your army stronger, however they have an insane upkeep cost so the price may not be worth it.
  
• Relies on a gamble that the enemy will spread their forces out across your own line. If the enemy focuses on one side you may find yourself losing more men than you normally would.
  
• When versing enemy General units, especially Seleucid Royal Peltasts, this early army will be cut down quite quickly. Egypt can only train Medium Infantry until they build a tier 3 barracks (Hoplite Barracks) so attacking Heavy and Very Heavy Infantry must only be done with supreme numbers.
  
• Once better units such as Galatian Swordsmen, Achers, Peltasts, Pikemen and Citizen Cavalry can be trained, majority of the units in this army (with the exception of Egyptian Pikemen) become useless and are usually disbanded.

This formation is useful for players who have not played as Egypt before and find themselves being attacked early and frequently by bigger factions or rebels. Rebels can be very common in Africa due to the mix of Hellenic, Eastern, Nomadic and Pontic cultures all thrown into one huge clump. Maintaining garrisons in vulnerable cities like Jerusalem while maintaining public order in the rest of your empire can be quite challenging.

Using armies like this as defensive garrisons until you can train better units can be a cheap and useful way of securing a good economy without losing any of your starting cities. I recommend at least Non-aggression pacts with Qidri and Nabaeta so the Eastern part of your empire is safe and all you need to defend is Jerusalem from Seleucids. You might get a Defensive alliance with them but chances are you will be crushing them later to secure provinces and avoid public disorder due to cultural differences.

Be very careful about Libya, and be extremely cautious about becoming allies with Carthage. Libya will invade Carthage 70% of the time and if you're allied with them you may become forced into conflict. However it may be safer to be allied with them to avoid them declaring war on you. At least if Libya invade Carthage you will have an option to join them or not.

So I hope this early formation (that comes with a lot of political and economical baggage) helps out players new to Egypt or who are playing on Hard or above. It does work, I have trialed it against Seleucids, Pontus and Carthage on Hard, because these guys are possibly going to be your enemies for a while. These unit types and the formation will get you through most of the early game, and you won't need to bother about Rome until you have expanded into the Mediterranean.

Also make sure to experiment with taking out units such as Egyptian Infantry and Javelinmen and using more Karian Axemen and Pikemen, it is worth the change.

Now you have read the guide, go have a drink of water and try it out!

Ok here it is finally after many issues with Rome 2 and my computer not getting along properly. This is a middle-game formation. When I say middle game I really mean whenever you have constructed a Tier 2 Holisoderios barracks and Tier 2 Skirmisher camp. As soon as you have these buildings, NEARLY all units prior are useless. Egyptian Infantry, Egyptian Slingers/Javelinmen and Light Cavalry are made redundant, and you should no longer build them. Egyptian Pikemen can remain powerful if upgraded so they can stay, but you get better pike units. Also, Nubian Spearmen remain the best spear unit you can get until Tier 3 barracks due to their superior stats compared to Levy Thureos Spears.

All the rest of your new unit roster is what makes up your army now. You might have a few good units of Karian Axemen left over, but Galatian Swordsmen are generally better. Only use these Karians if they are high exp (silver at least) or if you need some numbers you can have them along with any high exp remains of your Tier 1 army as garrison forces or following your new main army as backup/cannon fodder.

Also, I have decided that it is around this time (turn 20 if you have been researching civics as well as building Tier 2 barracks) that you are making your way up into Seleucid territory. Now we saw how devastating Royal Peltasts were in the basic formation, and they will do the same damage to you again. Even with Tier 2 units the only Very Heavy units Egypt can get are General units - Galatian Royal Guard, Royal Peltasts, Ptolemaic Cavalry and Hellenic Royal Guard (Egpyt love Royal stuff). Galatian swordsmen, your new shiny melee infantry, are still only medium. They get good abilities but cannot go long engagements without suffering losses. Also they have relatively poor missile defence, probably because they choose not to wear shirts.

This battle is against Parthia. I chose Parthia not because you will be facing them any time soon, but because they are in many ways similar to the Seleucid's satrapy and client state allies. I'm talking Meroe, Drangiana, Media, all those annoying cavalry archer factions that harrass you as you try to take Seleucid lands. Try not to go to war with anyone else once the Seleucids attack you because usually it's you verse 7, and your friend Cyprus usually gets made prison ♥♥♥♥♥.

At the start of the game both your generals are Hellenic Royal Guard. For the sake of advancement and diversity I decided that a new army was needed, and made the General Ptolemaic Cavalry, a Very Heavy Shock Cavalry unit. You will end up loving them when you are facing cavalry archers and I'll tell you why later.

Ok here's your army of 20 units.

1x General (Ptolemaic Cavalry) [Pc]
3x Citizen Cavalry [Cc]
2x Egyptian Cavalry [Ec]
3x Egyptian Archers [A]
1x Peltast [Pt]
6x Galatian Swordsmen [G]
2x Nubian Spearmen [N]
2x Pikemen [PM]

............................Front

....................[PM]...[.....G.........G.........G......]...[PM]................
....................[......Ec..].[....G.......G........G..].[....Cc......]....................
..................[N]........[.........A...........A............A......[N]............
..................................................[Pt]...........................................
.................[Cc]..[Pc]........................................[Ec]..[Cc]....................

So that's what it looks like roughly. You've got 2 pikemen on the front ends, NOT phalanxed because they will be moving fast. In front with them are 3 units of Galatian Swordsmen. They'll be your screen, we can't use Egyptian Infantry like last time because we need men with higher morale. Behind them are your remaining 3 Galatian units as a second wave of sorts, and flanking them are a unit of Citizen Cavalry and Egyptian Cavalry to act as quick shields. Third row you've got Nubian spears flanking your Archers to act as both shields on your sides as well as a relief charge if your pikemen are hit from the sides by Cavalry. Your one unit of Peltasts is quick and deadly at close range, so you can run them where-ever you need them most very easily.
Now the cavalry line is important. Your general is close in so his morale buff applies to your soldiers, and his flanks are covered by a Citizen cavalry unit. The opposite side is mirrored except you have Egyptian cavalry instead of your general. I'll explain their uses next section.

That was a lot to read so go have a break xox.

General (Ptolemaic Cavalry)
You don't need to choose Pt Cavalry if you don't want to, I simply chose him because he packs a punch charging and is the only cavalry general Egypt get besides chariots, and you never want a chariot general. Because we're versing Parthia/other cav archer factions we'll need horses to chase them down and end their stupid lives. Now you can see I've paired him with a Citizen Cavalry unit. It's been a focus of mine to keep at least 2 units of cav together at all times unless I'm doing a very large rear attack (lol). Having 2 units together makes them less vulnerable to pikes and enemy cavalry, and enables them to do twice the damage to one unit OR take out 2 units at the same time, mainly archers or moving infantry. Pairing your General with a Citizen Cavalry unit allows you to both double the damage of a charge, but to also have a unit you can act as a screen or engagemet force if your general needs to escape. You'll be using your general and his wingman to charge the enemy from behind once they get close.

Citizen Cavalry
Citizens are listed as Heavy Melee cavalry, and they are the tankiest cav Egypt get all game unless the hire mercs. They have 60 armour and 65 health, compared to Egyptian Cavalry who have 40 and 60. Yes, Ptolemaic Cavalry have more hp (90) but they are Shock Cavalry and should not be in melee unless it's versing light archers or a unit about to route. Your Citizens are your moving screens and engaging forces. They are quick enough to chase down enemy horse archers, yet strong enough to fight almost any other unit in melee. Use these guys to scatter enemy horse archers and attack the rears and flanks.

Egyptian Cavalry
Now these guys are only medium melee cavalry, and have less armour and health. However they are faster than Citizen cavalry and have a higher charge bonus and weapon damage rating while keeping the same melee attack. This makes them the perfect combination with Citizen Cavalry, and also a superior option for chasing down the lighter cav archers due to their speed, yet ability to absorb a degree of missile damage. When used with Citizen Cavalry, they are a force to be reckoned with. Simply engage your Citizens with the desired enemy unit, then speedily charge and retreat with your Egyptian cav. It not only wears the enemy's morales but also does serious damage.

Egpytian Archers
Very straight forward. Shoot the enemy before they shoot you. Focus fire on a single unit for quick death. Only use flaming arrows against elephants for a quick route/suicide.

Peltast
Your one unit of Peltast is optional, you may decide to have more cav, infantry or spears. I just threw him in there so you could see the full Tier 2 Roster, but to also act as a support troop. Move this guy wherever he is needed most to deal serious ranged damage. He can then be a nice little screen.

Galatian Swordsmen
Your new and only melee infantry. Better in every way to Karian axemen and Egyptian infantry. They have higher morale, weapon damage, melee attack, health, armour and bonus verses other infantry. Their charge can be buffed up by a general too making them quite powerful. However they are still only MEDIUM, therefore cannot overpower Heavy or Very Heavy infantry that the Seleucids, Greeks and Carthaginians posses. When fighting Eastern factions however they are very well equipped to deal with those ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Hillmen and Eastern Spearmen. Use them to their fullest, don't hold back, but maintain caution lest they get overwhelmed by heavier soldiers.

Nubian Spearman
The only Tier 1 unit making a comeback due to their general betterness than Levy Thureos Spears. Use them the exact same way you'd think; as a supporting force against charging/flanking cavalry. I like to have them behind the Pikemen in case the Pikes are charged from the sides. The Nubians can engage the enemy and give the Pikes time to retreat a few steps, form up and then re-engage with Phalanx.

Pikemen
Also very straight forward; point the sharp end towards the enemy and beat anything that throws itself against you. However they are slow and have poor defence so you need to keep them safe from flank attacks and missiles so don't leave them isolated.

So those are the men and their roles, read on or get a drink or something I dunno leave me alone.

I'll leave the rest of this formation and the use up to you. The application of troops has been altered as the game updated, and game-play has changed slightly.

It's been many years since Rome 2 was released, and those of you who initially read these guides will already be experienced players, and those who have not, feel free to read my other guide on Roman formations, which will give you everything you need to finish the campaign as Rome and get your own combat experience.

Thanks for understanding, and good luck on the battlefield.