Strategist is one of the five default hero class in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Strategists are not great in combat but can debuff enemies and provide extra formations for player's troops. They also provide bonus to ranged units.
Description[]
- Main article: Hero (Total War: Three Kingdoms)
Strategists unlock formations units in their army based on their rank. Cunning is a Strategist's key attribute, improving the ammunition of their retinue and boosting his army's military supplies. Strategists are the only characters capable of recruiting siege weapons. Strategists cannot duel. They are usually fragile in combat but is able to debuff enemies by unlocking the appropriate class-specific skills.
Outside battlefield, strategists have access to assignments for +75% commerce income in local commandery or -50% corruption and +10 satisfaction depending on their skill choice. For administrators, strategists can boost industry and commerce income depending on their skill choice -- although commandery income skills are mutually-exclusive to battle skills.
Strategy[]
Strategists with high Cunning are the cores of range-focused armies. By fielding siege weapons such as Trebuchet, armies can out range enemies, allowing one to deal damage without taking damage in return and will prompt AI opponents to advance on prepared player defenses. Without the high Cunning of Strategists and the Brilliant trait which only some Strategists start with, range units are significantly inhibited by their limited ammunition. Strategists further support their range retinues by enabling fire arrows and fire shots, which in turn enables more tactics such as damaging enemies and hurting their morale by burning the forest they are traversing through. Siege weapons also allow armies to assault a walled city without waiting. More important in sieges, siege weapons can burn down enemy arrow towers from the safety of distance, which would otherwise be a source of great damage to own units.
Strategists and retinues of strategists by themselves are weak to melee combat. A strategist is thus best paired with a Champion who can provide anti-cavalry protection with their pole-arm infantry and a strong melee and dueling support in themselves.
A player who pursues a range focus strategy may consider b-lining for the Silk Road reform, which unlocks Onyx Dragon. Onyx Dragon is arguable the best range unit in Three Kingdoms aside from siege weapons with superior range, high damage output, great accuracy (useful for close support), and high ammunition base.
On a different note, trebuchet is worth investing in early despite of its high cost. The high cost can be offset by having a lean non-range component and by expanding quickly in the first few turns. As trebuchet units level up, their accuracy improves significantly and thus their general usefulness as player progresses into the late game.
The cost of siege weapons and the general usage of range units make strategist-centered range-based armies somewhat opposite of cavalry-based armies, which seek to defeat enemies with shock damage. In early game, the relatively small economy of starting factions will probably only afford one of the two but not both at the same time. This is especially true when considering friendly fire. Archers, though having advantage of being available early game and inexpensive, do not have the accuracy even at level 10 to differentiate enemies and friendly cavalry charging towards enemies. One good strategy is to place foot archers in the front army to fire a volley or two before falling back behind the main infantry line; they can slightly weaken the enemy advance without the risk of friendly fire.
Outside battlefield, the preferred income boosting assignments are agriculture for some factions in early game and industry for all other situations. Strategists have access to neither. As well, sentinels do have access to the same administrator skills as strategists while also providing much better reduction to construction costs through their high Expertise. (Only sentinels have access to industry income boosting assignments and only sentinel can reduce construction cost and time.) Thus, usually, strategists are second-choices behind sentinels for administrator positions and for doing court assignments. Thus, it is safe to invest in only battle skills for strategists primed for battle since early game. Later it can be worthwhile to hire a strategist who already unlocked Reward the Filial & Incorrupt skill in order to boost income in a high income commandery. The +10 satisfaction can be useful at times as well.
In most stages of the game, having no more or less than one strategist in each army is ideal to make the force well rounded, with their ranged support valuable in wearing down the enemy before the melee troops are sent to the fray.
General Information[]
- Wu Xing: Water
- Specialized Attributes: Cunning
List of Commander characters[]
| Total War THREE KINGDOMS playable characters | |
|---|---|
| Sentinel | Bao Xin・Cai He・Cai Yang・Cao Ren・Chang Diao・Chang Xia・Chen Heng・Chen Qian・Chen Wu・Chen Xiu・Cheng Pu・Congqian・Cui Jun・Deng Ai・Ding Feng・Gan Li・Gao Gan・Gongsun Du・Gongsun Xu・Guo Xian・Hou Yin・Han SuiS・Huang She・Huang YueyingF・Huang ZhongS・Huangfu Song・Jia Long・Jian Yong・Li Dian・Liang Xing・Liu Shang・Liu Yao・Lu Meng・Lu Zhi・Ma Mao・Qu Ying・Song Jian・Sui Gu・Sun JianS・Sun Shao・Taishi CiS・Tao Shang・Tian Fen・Wang Kuang・Wang Su・Wang Yu・Xia Zhao・Xiaoqiao・Xu HuangS・Xue Li・Yan Xing・Yang Bo・Yang Hong・Yang Zhong・Yin Li・Yu Jin・Yuan Shang・Yue JinS・Zang Hong・Zhang Hu・Zhang LiaoS・Zhang Ya・Zhao YunS・Zheng Bao・Zhu Zhi |
| Champion | Cai Zhong・Cao Ang・Cao Hong・Cao Shuang・Cao Xi・Cao Zhang・Chang Xi・Chen Jiu・Chen Lan・Cheng Yi・Dong Feng・Dian WeiS・Gao Ding・Gao Sheng・Guan Xing・Guan YuS・Han Fu・Han Hao・Hong Ming・Huan Lin・Huan Zhi・Huang Gai・Huang Zu・Huo Nu・Ji Ben・Jiang Gong・Li Damu・Li Huan・Li Yu・Ling Tong・Liu Shao・Lu Kang・Pang De・Qu Gong・Quan Rou・Sen Pei・Song Yang・Tao Ying・Tuoba Liwei・Wang Xi・Wei Huang・Wei Jie・Wen Chou・Xiahou DunS・Xianyu Yin・Xin Ping・Xu ChuS・Xu Rong・Xuan Fan・Yang Feng・You Tu・Yu Qin・Zang Ba・Zao Zhi・Zhang Fang・Zhang Fu・Zhang Guang・Zhang Lu・Zhang YanS・Zhao Du・Zheng Yan・Zheng JiangSF・Zou Lin・Zuozi Hangba |
| Strategist | Bao Xun・Bian Rang・Bu LianshiF・Cai YanF・Cai Yong・Cao Chong・Cao Zhi・Chang Lin・Che Zhou・Chen Biao・Chen Di・Chen Gong・Chen Lin・Chen Qun・Chen Zhen・Cheng Xu・Cheng Yu・Cui Lin・Cui Yan・DiaochanF・Ding Yi・Dong Yun・Dong Zhao・Du Qiong・Fa Zheng・Fan Qin・Lady FengF・Feng Shuo・Fu Gan・Fu Jia・Fu Wan・Gao Rou・Gaotang・Gongsun Xiu・Gu Yong・Guan Chun・Guan Jing・Guan Lu・Guan Ning・Guanqiu Dian・Guo Jia・Guo Tu・Han Ji・Han Ran・Han Rong・Han Yin・Handan Chun・Handan Shang・He Yan・He Zeng・Hu Zhao・Hu Zhi・Hu Zong・Hua Biao・Hua Tuo・Hua Xin・Huan Dian・Huan Fan・Huan Jia・Huang Wan・Hungfu Mi・Ji Miao・Ji Mu・Jia Chong・Jia Cong・Jia Xu・Jiang Ji・Jin Yi・Ju Shou・Kan Ze・Kong RongS・Kong Zhou・Kuai Liang・Kuai Yue・Liu Ba・Li Chao・Li Fu・Li Kang・Li Ru・Li Shao・Li Xiu・Liang Mao・Liu Dai・Liu Fu・Liu He・Liu Ji・Liu Yan・Liu Ye・Liu Yi・Liu Zhen・Lu An・Liu Fan・Lu Ji・Lu Kai・Lu Mao・Lu Su・Lu Xing・Lu Xun・Lu Yi・Lu Yu・Lu ZhengF・Ma Liang・Ma Midi・Ma Qiu・Ma Su・Ma Yu・Mao Jie・Mi Heng・Mi Zhu・Miao Xi・Min Chun・Pan Xu・Pang Ji・Pang Tong・Pei Jun・Pei Qian・Peng Yang・Qi Zhou・Qiao Zhou・Qin Mi・Quan Ji・Que Xuan・Ren An・Ren Jun・Ruan Yu・Shan Gu・Shan Tao・Shen You・Sheng Xian・Shi Wei・Shi Xie・Shi Yi・Shi Zhi・Sima Feng・Sima Fu・Sima Lang・Sima YiS・Su Shuo・Su Ze・Sun Qian・Sun Xu・Tao QianS・Teng Yin・Tian Chou・Tian Feng・Tian Jing・Wang Biao・Wang Can・Wang Dang・Wang Fu・Wang Jian・Wang Lan・Wang Lei・Wang Lie・Wang Su・Wang Xiang・Wei Dan・Wei Feng・Wei Shu・Wei You・Wei Zhao・Wei Hui・Wu Fan・Wu Shuo・Wu Zhi・Xiahou Rong・Xiahou Xuan・Xiahou Zuo・Xiahou Lang・Xiao QiaoSF・Xin Xianying・Xing Yong・Xu Gan・Xu Jing・Xu Miao・Xu Shao・Xu Shu・Xu Ta・Xu Xuan・Xu You・Xue Zong・Xun Wei・Xun Yu・Xun Yue・Yan Pu・Yan Xiang・Yan Yu・Yang Chou・Yang Dao・Yang Xi・Yang Xiu・Yao Tai・Yao Zhou・Ying Qu・Ying Yang・Ying Yu・Yu Fan・Yuan Long・Yuan Yi・Yue Dun・Zhang Chao・Zhang Cheng・Zhang Chunhua・Zhang Hong・Zhang Ji・Zhang Miao・Zhang Min・Zhang Quan・Zhang Song・Zhang Wen・Zhang Yun・Zhang Zan・Zhang Zhao・Zhang Zhen・Zhang Zhi・Zhao Ang・Zhao Qi・Zhao Wei・Zhao Yan・Zhao Yi・Lady ZhenF・Zheng Mao・Zheng Mo・Zheng Sui・Zheng Tai・Zheng Xuan・Zhong Yao・Zhongchang Tong・Zhou Huan・Zhou YuS・Zhou Zhi・Zhu En・Zhu Gui・Zhu Han・Zhuge Jin・Zhuge LiangS |
| Vanguard | Bu Ji・Bu Zhi・Cai Mao・Dong Zhuo・Gan Ning・Gongsun ZanS・Liu Qi・Lü BuS・Ma ChaoS・Ma TengS・Shisun Rui・Sun CeS・Sun RenSF・Xiahou Jie・Xiahou YuanS・Yan Liang・Ze Rong・Zhang FeiS・Zhang He・Zhang Yang |
| Commander | Lady BianF・Lady CaiF・Cai Xun・Cao CaoS・Cao JieF・Cao Pi・Cao Ren・DaqiaoF・Da QiaoSF・Dong PeishanF・Guan YinpingF・Liu BeiS・Liu BiaoS・Lady LiuF・Liu Yu・Liu ZhangS・Wang Lang・Lady WuF・Sun QuanS・Yuan AnyangF・Yuan ShaoS・Yuan ShuS・Yuan Tan・Yuan Xi |
| Healer (YTR) | Han Xian・He YiS・Liu Pi・Wang Du |
| Veteran (YTR) | Gong DuS・Guan Hai・Liao Hua・Pei YuanshaoS・Zhang KaiS・Zhao Bo |
| Scholar (YTR) | Guo Da・He ManS・Huang ShaoSWang Rao・Xu He |
Gallery[]
Reference[]
| Total War: Three Kingdoms character classes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sentinel | Champion | Vanguard | Strategist | Commander |