--- title: "Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia: Monotony in Strategic Phases and Battles" description: "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia (2018): the Viking invasion of Britain in 878 AD — ten factions, solid setting, but a repetitive campaign and uncreative battles. Our analysis. 5 min read." url: https://after-strategy.com/en/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ lang: en published: 2023-01-17 updated: 2024-08-17 author: "Simon Dougnac" author_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/auteur/simon/ game: "Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia" game_url: https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ categories: [wargames, rts, tour-par-tour] tags: [creative-assembly, sega, bac-a-sable, economie, gestion, guerre, historique, modable, monde-ouvert, multijoueur, strategie-complexe, temps-reel-avec-pauses] translations: fr: https://after-strategy.com/fr/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ es: https://after-strategy.com/es/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ publisher: "After Strategy" --- # Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia: Monotony in Strategic Phases and Battles > Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia (2018): the Viking invasion of Britain in 878 AD — ten factions, solid setting, but a repetitive campaign and uncreative battles. Our analysis. 5 min read. An installment of the [Total War series](https://after-strategy.com/en/total-war-at-25-from-shogun-to-medieval-3-and-beyond/) released in 2018, [Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia](https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/) rode the hype around the Viking era. Developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega, the game plunges us into 878 AD, when the Great Viking Armies land on the English coast and upset the balance of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms. Despite high expectations and an ambitious marketing campaign, the game did not achieve the expected success. The reason: a campaign many players found monotonous — real-time battles where the AI lacks creativity, and repetitive strategic phases, an almost identical cycle over and over — army development, Viking invasion, army development, new Viking invasion. ## A Solid but Underused Historical Setting Yet the game shines through its immersion. Ten factions are playable: the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of Wessex, Mercia or Northumbria, the Viking duchies of Jorvik and the Great Heathen, as well as the Gaelic kingdoms and the Picts. Each has its regional units, traditions and specific buildings. Fortified town sieges and naval battles provide welcome breathers, as does the management of esths — these temporary army levies — which force Cornelian choices between territorial defense and conquering ambition. ## Why the Campaign Runs Out of Steam The main criticism remains its overly predictable gameplay loop. The strategic AI struggles to surprise, and real-time battles lack the tactical creativity of neighboring installments like [Total War: Warhammer](https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/total-war-warhammer/) or [Total War: Rome II](https://after-strategy.com/en/jeux/total-war-rome-2/). The map, confined to the British Isles, further limits the variety of strategic situations. Mods and the community nevertheless extend its appeal, especially on balance and the addition of new factions. ## What Thrones of Britannia Still Does Well Today Despite its flaws, the game remains an affordable entry point into the Total War universe for those who like Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Its contained price, its honest campaign length for a Saga episode and its successful sieges make it a pleasant installment, provided you enter it with the right expectations. ## Watch the official Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia trailer https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Fu0UPnk4kc ## Discover some images of the game ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (1)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_3dab7ce4531dc2e4dd66aa7aa1281a0a03902152-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (2)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_5f38c784584979307a86b9fb9026fa67d5253219-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (3)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_8aa36b5be8caec9d74a128fc8245fbd2b0d259db-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (4)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_14d7f55f4ec304d03c334d60dbf4803fa784a599-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (5)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_41ae681c794fa99ee2fbc30a554d722f87745262-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (6)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_49a1bcd8fc390541906d4c8f69a002c7b8011747-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (7)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_397fbbf0cf317b46b2d028452e33cb01e61f7a50-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (8)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_864d01e27d429c890a84a3582d08d9fa102b7691-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (9)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_97648b570dd8e7061e32b2e623cfed4c5c20fce9-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (10)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_d6e6bd0ab87b9b913157f19f377843964993631c-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (11)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_d7eca11ed9a76264a373c5d06e867ebc61af5794-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (12)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_d361fe4dfe617bc95e42d4ff8029d900055d5f73-1024x576.webp) ![Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia — official game screenshot (13)](https://after-strategy.com/images/articles/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/ss_e5a02c3ee2231f99a08a6567bb9dbd406e29e69b-1024x576.webp) source: [wiki.totalwar.com](http://wiki.totalwar.com) ## See also - [Total War Attila](https://after-strategy.com/en/total-war-attila/) - [All wargames](https://after-strategy.com/en/categorie/wargames/) - [Blood Bowl Changes Hands: Slitherine Buys the Licence from Nacon and Prepares Warhammer Blood Bowl](https://after-strategy.com/en/blood-bowl-slitherine-acquires-nacon-licence-warhammer-2026/) ## Sources - - Source : [Total War Saga Thrones of Britannia: Monotony in Strategic Phases and Battles](https://after-strategy.com/en/total-war-saga-thrones-of-britannia/) — After Strategy