Romance and Records Game Modes in Total War Three Kingdoms Total War Three Kingdoms guide, tips
Last update: 27 May 2019
Total War: Three Kingdoms offers players two game modes at their disposal - Romance and Records. They largely change battle mechanics and require a different approach to be victorious. In this chapter, you will learn the main differences between the two modes.
How do I change the game mode?
Game mode can be selected at the beginning of the game - immediately after selecting the leader, before the campaign will begin. In the lower right corner, click the button, by default it's called "ROMANCE". After clicking on it, you will see two options to choose from, Romance and Records, along with a brief description of both. You must confirm your selection and start the campaign to start the game in the appropriate mode.
Note - the game mode cannot be changed after the campaign has been launched. If you want to move, for example, from records to romance, you will need to start the game from the beginning.
Romance Mode
Romance mode has a form of story, in which the leaders and generals are the real heroes on the battlefield, able to defeat dozens of enemies alone with the of use powerful abilities. They may be the factor that tilts the chances of winning. In both parts of Total War: Warhammer game was based on similar principles. This mode is characterized by the following characteristics:
- Leaders and generals appear on the battlefield as a separate unit, without the royal guards. They're much more effective in combat than individual units and have powerful abilities to kill enemy units or weaken them. Also, they can significantly strengthen allied troops, raising morale or damage. These units can also be equipped with weapons, armor, riding mounts or other items that change their stats.
- In this mode, generals on the battlefield can engage in Duels. During the fight, the two generals will fight in a one-on-one clash. The General who wins the battle will offer himself and his troops a bonus to efficiency on the battlefield. The troops of the loser will receive a powerful penalty to morale. The battle can be stopped at any time by general's escape or by attaching your other troops to him. However, this will also result in punishing the morale for the allied troops.
- In this mode combat tactics are not that important - the units exhaust much slower and are able to fight longer and more effectively, and the mentioned generals allow you to align the tactical shortcomings of the player's mistakes.
- Romance mode allows you not to worry about the difference of unit quantity. If, for example, your army is less numerous and much weaker than the enemy's army, but your generals are far superior to the enemy in levels or equipment, you can easily win such a battle.
Records Mode
Records is a bit easier and "softer" game mode, known from most games in the Total War series. It lacks the generals as the half-gods. Their squads, their behavior and fighting capacity is much closer to realism, and the entire gameplay requires more planning. This mode is characterized by the following characteristics:
- Leaders and generals still appear on the battlefield, but accompanied by several dozen soldiers for their protection. They fight together with their guards as a whole and require more attention from the player - these types of troops can be quickly destroyed by the enemy, breaking the morale of the entire army.
- Generals and leaders can still be equipped with special items - weapons, armor, mounts and special items - but they give mostly bonuses to the attributes, they don't provide powerful buffs for entire army.
- In this mode, you cannot activate the duel by hand, because the generals and leaders do not fight as a single individual units.
- In Records mode, tactical actions, proper planning and knowledge of both physical and mechanic gameplay are the most important factors to take care of. Units exhaust much faster here, and there is no place for heroic charges through half of the battlefield.
Which game mode is better?
The assessment of which mode is the best depends on the personal preferences of the player. However, Romance mode is recommended by the developers - it's a bit easier game but the generals are not as strong as the heroes of both parts of Total War: Warhammer. So there is no option of defeating the entire army of the enemy with one unit. The final choice depends on the player - it is worth, however, to make a clear decision, as changes in the game mode are not possible and you have to start the campaign again.