Emperor is a title given to certain character(s) in the Total War games. Becoming emperor is an essential winning condition in Total War: Three Kingdoms.
Total War: Three Kingdoms[]
Faction Rank plays an important role in Total War: Three Kingdoms. To become the ultimate power in ancient China, the faction rank directly informs how the end game plays out in the game.
As a warlord captures and expands settlements, or constructs special buildings in those settlements, they'll gain prestige, which is what advances their faction rank. Each rank unlocks a new suite of bonuses affecting many aspects of the campaign game, such as improving the satisfaction levels of characters in player's faction, increasing the amount of administrators, spies and armies the player can employ, new diplomatic options, and more besides.
The top rank is, of course, emperor. Once the player reaches this level, he/she can proclaim the title of Emperor, and faction's capital city becomes the seat of power. Up to three warlords can proclaim themselves emperor, but other warlords may beat the player to it. However, emperorship can also be earned by capturing the capital of another emperor. Or, if player is lucky enough to command a loyal vassal who captures an emperor's seat, the vassal will pass the emperorship to the player. As soon as the player becomes emperor, any other self-proclaimed emperors that are in an alliance with the player will cease to be ally.
Moreover, as soon as three new emperors proclaim themselves, the existing child-emperor, Xian of the Han Empire, will abdicate his position. Xian is controlled by Dong Zhuo at the beginning of the game, and control of him – along with his loyal Han Empire as a vassal state – will pass to whoever captures Dong Zhuo's capital city. Over the course of the campaign, and before three new emperors are proclaimed, control of Xian and vassalage of the Han Empire may well pass between multiple warlords, as they conquer the controlling Warlord's capital.
For ultimate victory, however, only a single emperor can rule over China. If the player is in the end game and vying for supremacy with two others, he/she needs to capture enemy's capitals, or perhaps subdue them into abdicating their emperorship by other means – a mighty show of military force may do it, for example.