The Battle if Issus is a historical battle fought between Alexander the Great of Macedon and Darius III of the Persian Empire in 333 BC. It is featured in Rome: Total War: Alexander as a historical battle. You take on the role of Alexander the Great as he fights the large Persian army.
Description[]
Battle objectives
- Destroy or rout all enemies.
Though reeling from the relentless series of defeats inflicted on his forces by the Macedonians and the death of his most trusted general, Darius Codomannus III, king of Persia, was still master of a vast empire. Sending word to every corner of his domain, he gathered a huge force to his banner and set forth himself to bring Alexander to battle.
Alexander had established a forward base at the coastal port of Issus and, having rested there for a few days he resumed his march southwards. Darius recieving word of this and resolved to use his knowledge of the local geography to cut his enemies' lines. Taking a route through a mountain pass, he appeared suddenly to Alexander's north, between the Macedonians and Issus. Far from being dismayed by this, Alexander rode eagerly to engage the Persian king...
Units[]
Alexander and the Macedonians are outnumbered by the Persians. Not only does Alexander have fewer units than the Persians, the unit sizes are also far smaller than those of the Persians. The Macedonians do have superior cavalry compared to the Persians, and should they get cavalry supremacy that could prove useful, though both sides do have a few units of missile troops each.
Alexander the Great (Macedon)
Alexander's army is once again mostly comprised of infantry, though evenly split between spearmen and missile troops. Alexander also has some veteran cavalry units at his disposal. The army breakdown is as follows:
- Alexander x1
- Phalangists x4
- Cretan Archers x1
- Hypaspists x1
- Allied Cavalry x1
- Thessalian Cavalry x1
- Hypaspists x2
Darius III (Persia)
Darius has the far larger army, both in troop count and overall unit count. Not only do the Persians have more melee units than the Macedonians, but also a few more missile troops, though a large part of the melee troops are mercenaries. Darius is however lacking cavalry, something Alexander may be able to capitalise on. The army breakdown is as follows:
- Persian General's Bodyguard x1
- Scythian Mounted Archers x1
- Greek Mercenary Infantry x6
- Immortals x1
- Persian Slingers x3
- Kardakes x3
- Mardian Archer x3
- Heavy Bactrian Cavalry x2
Gallery[]
