A Unit is the smallest controllable army entity on the battlefield in Total War games. In most Total War games, a unit is roughly equivalent to a regiment. All units are part of an Army, which may have as many as 21 units of various types depending on the Total War game being played. Total War: Troy and Total War: Three Kingdoms games introduced individual Hero units - literally 1 General or Hero character that can be fully controlled by the AI or the human player.
Introduced in Total War: Three Kingdoms, regimental units are known as Retinues, and each retinue is led by one general who may in turn command up to 6 retinues. One army can include up to three generals and their respective retinues for a total of 21 units, including Generals and Captains.
Overview[]
Each unit (Regiment or Retinue) can be directly controlled by the player. The unit will respond to player's input and the members within will share the same orders, tactical stance and morale. Units are represented on the user interface by Unit Cards.
One or more units may be selected at any time, including the army as a whole. Movement orders and formation orders may be issued to all selected units as a group, or to subgroups as desired.
Banners or Unit icons are displayed above units on the battlefield and indicate the unit's type, strength and allegiance (clan, etc.). In some Total War games, the unit's experience level is also displayed prominently on the unit's banner.
General (Hero) Unit Abilities[]
General (Hero) units have active and passive abilities. Active abilities must be enabled by clicking the desired ability buttons on user interface. Active abilities typically have cool-downs tines, while passive abilities generally do not. Passive abilities require only that the requirements to activate are met (usually within a certain range from friendly or enemy units).
Attributes[]
In Total War: Three Kingdoms, a hero's attributes are influenced by their Wu Xing properties. Hero units' attributes are sophisticated and wide ranging, having effects on both battle and campaign.
Type / Class[]
A unit's type or class broadly defines its capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Retinues are divide into types while heroes are typically divided into Hero class.