Empire: Total War Naval Tactics Guide

The naval warfare in Empire: Total War is probably the biggest addition to the series. For the first time in a Total War game you can fight battles upon the high seas, directly controlling a range of ship types. There are lots of things to take into consideration when conducting naval battles and it can prove very tough to win a victory until you understand the tactics.

To begin with there are several different types of ship and as you develop more technology you’ll be able to build increasingly impressive and destructive units. All ships have a number of cannons, a crew, a firepower rating, a hull strength rating, a manoeuvrability rating and a top speed. For the most part it is a trade off with a choice between speed and manoeuvrability or firepower and hull strength.

The icons above each ship indicate various important pieces of information. The strength of the hull is separated into left and right curved segments which start green. When one side or the other gets damaged it will turn orange and then red which means you are going to sink. The white bar above indicates your sail health which will determine your speed and ability to turn. Your crew size will affect your chances of winning in a boarding (the more crew the better your chances) and your reload rate on cannons. The wind direction is also something you must pay close attention to and you should aim whenever possible to keep the wind behind you. If you must sail into the wind try to zig zag. Turning with the wind will spin the ship round fast, turning against it will slow you down dramatically.

The basic interface on the naval warfare screen is relatively simple and the control options allow you to rotate ships, put up full sails to increase speed, drop anchor to stop and charge up left or right side broadsides (which is basically firing all of the cannons on one side of your ship). You can also select from various ammunition types and tell the ships to fire at will. In order to manage your fleet effectively you have to use group formations. Select all of your ships and press the group button to reveal the formation panel. You can make up your own formations or use the preset ones provided such as Line Astern which is basically just a straight line and easily the most popular formation to go with.

Ammunition comes in three varieties and the first is plain old cannonballs which are ideal for smashing the hull to bits and sinking enemy ships. Then there is chain shot which is designed to damage sails and break masts thereby preventing your enemy from escaping. Finally there is grape shot which is best at killing crew members, you will only want to use this if you need to whittle down the enemy crew before attempting a boarding or if you are about to be boarded yourself.

Naval combat is very different from Empire: Total War land battles and if you try to fight by right clicking to target an enemy you will meet with disaster. You can use ALT and right click to target a ship but hold your direction and formation which makes it a very useful command. The positioning of your ships is absolutely vital and you want to keep them moving with the wind behind you as much as possible. If you have the advantage in terms of numbers or firepower then you can afford to sail at the enemy in a line and trade broadsides, circling until they are defeated. There are tactics which put you at less risk but they are often tricky to realise in the heat of battle.