Total War: Pharaoh best units for all factions

Find the best faction units as well as royal units in the game

Marco Wutz | Oct 11, 2023

Total War: Pharaoh best units for all factions /

Total War: Pharaoh – best Egyptian units
Total War: Pharaoh – best Canaanite units
Total War: Pharaoh – best Hittite units
Total War: Pharaoh – Egyptian royal units
Total War: Pharaoh – Hittite royal units

There is much you can achieve in Total War: Pharaoh without force, but some affairs just have to be settled on the battlefield – especially when the existence of civilization itself is at stake. In that case it pays dividends to be well prepared and recruit the best Total War: Pharaoh units to your cause.

Bronze Age warfare is not dominated by heroic cavalry charges. Instead, chariots wheel and turn around the battlefield while different kinds of infantry provide the majority of forces on the field. In Total War: Pharaoh, infantry weight played a big role in deciding the outcome of battles. Heavier troop types are better armored and their charges have more of an effect (especially downhill), but they tire out more quickly as well, giving lighter troops an edge in fluid engagements.

Your elite forces will mostly consist of heavy troops, so don’t forget to supplement them with some lighter contingents to be prepared for anything. Besides, you won’t be able to afford that many elite troops anyways, especially once civilization is in crisis and the economy goes down the drain.

Total War: Pharaoh – best Egyptian units

Medjay Spearmen (Ramesses)

Medjay Spearmen are strong units to hold the line with.

Elite Medjay Warriors (Ramesses)

Elite Medjay Warriors make short of enemy infantry, their shields giving them some protection despite the light armor.

Elite Medjay Warriors (Axes) (Ramesses)

This variant of the Elite Medjay Warriors can switch between two-handed axes and a khopesh plus shield kit. Very handy!

Seneny Chariots (Ramesses, Tausret)

These quick chariots carry archers and can be used for charges at the critical moment.

Seneny Light Chariots (Tausret)

A quicker and more mobile version of the Seneny Chariot that should not be used for head-on attacks.

Elite Axemen (Seti)

Seti's "Elite" is still just little better than a mob, but they've got some training at least.

Elite Clubmen (Seti)

Seti's Elite Clubmen aren't much different from their axe-wielding brethren. They get the job done, though.

Kushite Armored Archers (Amenmesse)

If you need win a ranged duel, then these armored archers from the lands of Kush are a great help.

Ta-Seti Longbowmen (Amenmesse)

Packing the most range out of any archer unit, these Ta-Seti Longbowmen are a wonderful asset to have.

Total War: Pharaoh – best Canaanite units

Henku Guard (Irsu)

As wild and battle-hardened as their master, these swordsmen are tough to deal with.

Henku Warriors (Irsu)

Equipped with two-handed weapons, these Henku Warriors are devastating in any melee.

Maryannu of the King (Irsu)

These heavily armored Canaanites need not fear anyone in battle.

Maryannu Chariots (Irsu)

Unlike Egyptian chariots, these Canaanite Maryannu Chariots are built to charge home and crewed by a spearman. You still don't want them to get stuck in a brawl, though.

Canaanite Stalkers (Bay)

Bay's single elite unit is a mobile and lethal asset, perfect for flanking.

Total War: Pharaoh – best Hittite units

Veteran Hattusan Axemen (Suppiluliuma)

These men of Hattusa serve to protect their home and are perfect to hold a line.

Veteran Hittite Spearmen (Suppiluliuma, Kurunta)

Like their Hattusan cousins, these units make for strong troops of the line.

Reinforced Hittite Chariots (Suppiluliuma)

Reinforced Hittite Chariots are heavy enough to punch through a line of infantry and then wheel back for another attack. Keep them mobile despite their weight and you'll get the best use from them.

Hittite Vanguard (Kurunta)

These shock troops make short work of enemy infantry.

Veteran Phrygian Mercenaries (Kurunta)

Ruthless mercenaries, these men are professional killers and have perfected the art.

Armored Kaskian Chariots (Kurunta)

These Armored Kaskian Chariots combine the Egyptian and Hittite traditions, being crewed by an archer and a spearman alongside the driver. This makes them slower, but more versatile than their counterparts.

Total War: Pharaoh – Egyptian royal units

Royal units from Egypt are available through the special recruitment panel once you’ve claimed the title of Pharaoh.

Braves of the King

Braves of the King are fantastic line infantry thanks to their large shields and can anchor your less courageous troops.

Pharaoh Guard

You don't want these guys attacked by ranged units. If you can get them into melee, though, they'll shred enemy infantry.

Royal Khopesh Guards

Another strong and solid infantry option for the Pharaoh's armies.

Royal Archers

Royal Archers offer a great combat package – and superb battlefield fashion sense.

Royal Chariot Companions

This a tougher version of the regular Egyptian chariots thanks to the armor its crews are wearing.

Total War: Pharaoh – Hittite royal units

Hittite royal units are available through the special recruitment panel once you’ve claimed the title of Great King.

Golden Spearmen

These men are not just a menace on the battlefield, they're a symbol of power for the entire Hittite Empire.

Mesedi

The Mesedi are lethal combattants once they've been unleashed.

Royal Hittite Chargers

Well armored for the time and equipped with heavy, two-handed weapons, these men strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Royal Hittite Chariots

Crewed by a shielded trooper and one spearman alongside the driver, these heavy chariots are extremely powerful in a charge, though slower than their Egyptian counterparts.

For more on this game, read our Total War: Pharaoh review, find out how to become Pharaoh or Great King, and learn all there is to know about Total War: Pharaoh Ancient Legacies.

Total War: Pharaoh – Faction Commands and Special Buildings guide

Published Oct 11, 2023

MARCO WUTZ

Marco Wutz is a writer from Parkstetten, Germany. He has a degree in Ancient History and a particular love for real-time and turn-based strategy games like StarCraft, Age of Empires, Total War, Age of Wonders, Crusader Kings, and Civilization as well as a soft spot for Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. He began covering StarCraft 2 as a writer in 2011 for the largest German community around the game and hosted a live tournament on a stage at gamescom 2014 before he went on to work for Bonjwa, one of the country's biggest Twitch channels. He branched out to write in English in 2015 by joining tl.net, the global center of the StarCraft scene run by Team Liquid, which was nominated as the Best Coverage Website of the Year at the Esports Industry Awards in 2017. He worked as a translator on The Crusader Stands Watch, a biography in memory of Dennis "INTERNETHULK" Hawelka, and provided live coverage of many StarCraft 2 events on the social channels of tl.net as well as DreamHack, the world's largest gaming festival. From there, he transitioned into writing about the games industry in general after his graduation, joining GLHF, a content agency specializing in video games coverage for media partners across the globe, in 2021. He has also written for NGL.ONE, kicker, ComputerBild, USA Today's ForTheWin, The Sun, Men's Journal, and Parade. Email: marco.wutz@glhf.gg

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