Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition

I've played this game for a while, just shy of 5,000 hours when finally deciding to leave a review. Countless experiences since I first bought the game. I originally bought it for the Lord of the rings mod, but then tried out the base vanilla game too. The only negative is its age. But unlike some of the other games in Total war titles this one does not have the optimization issues, and even if it starts to have issues, the amount of polished mods for this game outweigh any and every DLC that the other total war titles are coming out with. If your getting into total war then this game is perfect for learning the mechanics. If you want to retreat to a world of fantasy and war its got that for you with hundreds of mods (literally hundreds, no exaggeration). If you want something that is simple but re-playable this is for you. My suggestion to playing the game is to go in this order: 1 play every factions campaign at least once in vanilla, 2 play each of the dlc campaigns once as any faction, 3 Now install your first mods and re learn the game with all the bugs and exploits fixed, 4 Get into the never ending cycle of Stainless Steel, Divide and Conquer, Stainless Steel, Divide and Conquer. I cannot recommend this game enough, it is old and that is the main and only consistent negative review for this game.

Have played this game ever since it first came out. In my eyes still one of the very best in the series (the others are Shogun 2 and Rome II). Just hope there will be a Medieval III someday.

We can talk about all kinds of aspects of the game that are just amazing. The physics, the music, the overall atmosphere, the gameplay, the available mods and so on. But for this review, I want to highlight the battles. A few times per campaign, you enter a massive battle lasting almost an hour, where you have to go deep, with most of the troops slain and one last charge with your general and 8 or 10 of his surviving knights into the remaining enemy line, barely succeeding victory. Those moments are simply the best gaming experiences you can get and is unmatched by any other total war game, or any game in general. For me Medieval 2 will always be the best game of all time.

No big words needed. The game is great. I wonder why game studios are not making similiar games like this anymore. Where is SEGA when it comes to Medieval 3, Empire 2? I may be drawing bad oppinions if I say that Pharao, Troj and Warhammer Total War are not drawing my interest.

Medieval II: Total War – Faith, Fire, and the Occasional Flaming Cow (Player Review) By: A Battle-Hardened Bloke Who Forgets His PIN but Remembers Where to Stick a Pike Let me tell you something. Medieval II: Total War isn’t just a game—it’s a lifestyle. A way of thinking. A crusade in its own right. It’s the digital version of shouting “DEUS VULT” while trying to keep your kingdom from imploding because you built too many cathedrals and not enough farms. You don’t play Medieval II for the realism. You play it for the raw, unfiltered medieval chaos. For trebuchets flinging dead horses. For inquisitors who execute your faction leader because he forgot to pray. For the Pope, who you definitely didn’t bribe. Not directly, anyway. Graphics & Atmosphere: Now look, this game came out in 2006. It’s old. Like, “I still had a flip phone and thought MySpace would last forever” kind of old. But somehow, Med II still oozes charm. The campaign map looks like a painter had one too many ales and started decorating a tapestry with mountains, cities, and occasionally, randomly-placed rebel armies who’ve been camping there since the Black Plague. And the battlefield? Gritty. Gory. Glorious. It’s not always pretty, but by god it’s medieval. You want knights charging across a frosty field into a mob of peasants? You got it. You want flaming arrows lighting up the night like an 11th-century rave? Say no more. Gameplay: This game is equal parts tactics, micromanagement, and praying the Mongols don't show up before you've figured out how to build stone walls. You start with your humble little kingdom, full of hope and dreams, and within ten turns your allies have betrayed you, your cardinal got assassinated by a Sicilian, and half your population hates you because you raised taxes to pay for a crusade that never made it past Greece. Each turn feels like babysitting a dozen toddlers with swords. Your generals randomly gain traits like “Likes the Smell of Blood” or “Terrified of Horses” with zero explanation. Your princesses have diplomatic potential unless they get rejected too many times, at which point they become bitter and useless. (Relatable.) Oh, and don’t you dare piss off the Pope. One wrong move and he’ll excommunicate you faster than you can say Ave Maria. Battles: Now THIS is where Medieval II shines like a sword under a siege tower fire. Formations, morale, terrain—it all matters. But at the same time, you’ll definitely see a group of peasants somehow rout your dismounted knights because Jesus said so. Cavalry charges hit like trucks. Archers? Absolutely devastating. Elephants? Don’t ask. Just don’t. Sieges are an absolute blast. You get to build rams, towers, catapults—and then watch in horror as your ladder crew gets annihilated by boiling oil from the enemy gates while your general calmly remarks, "This battle goes well for us." The AI, bless it, ranges from tactical genius to lemming on fire. Sometimes it’ll flank you like a proper field commander, and other times it’ll walk straight into a pike wall and die with dignity. Diplomacy Diplomacy is largely ornamental. Think of it as a passive-aggressive family reunion: everyone smiles at you while secretly planning to stab you in the back for a province and a goat. Alliances are made to be broken. Trade agreements last until someone sneezes near a border. The Pope will ask you to stop attacking fellow Christians… unless it’s someone he doesn’t like. Then it’s holy war, baby. Oh, and your diplomat might travel across half of Europe for ten turns just to offer a ceasefire, only for France to say “nah” and attack you again. Religion: You want holy pressure? This game will slap you in the face with it. Catholic factions live in constant fear of the Pope. Orthodox factions get side-eyed by everyone. And if you're Islamic? Well, enjoy the permanent crusade DLC. Also, inquisitors are Satan. They will assassinate your generals with 97% piety just because they wore the wrong socks to Mass. You’ll try to kill one with an assassin and he’ll survive, convert your assassin, and burn your king for heresy. Expansion & Replayability: Between the base game and the Kingdoms expansion, you’ve got like six lifetimes’ worth of gameplay. Want to hold Jerusalem? Do it. Want to conquer the British Isles as the Irish and rename every city after your mates? I highly recommend it. Want to beat the Mongols using only militia and passive-aggressive threats? Challenge accepted. Each campaign offers a fresh mix of betrayal, backstabbing, and battle. It’s like a history teacher had a breakdown and made a video game. Final Thoughts: Medieval II is clunky. It’s old. It crashes sometimes. The voice acting is questionable. The diplomacy is broken. The pathfinding will occasionally send your entire cavalry unit into the back of your own spearmen. And yet, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s one of the most charming, dramatic, over-the-top, and genuinely fun strategy games ever made. It’s like being handed a throne, a sword, and a big ol’ bag of “Good Luck, You’ll Need It.” So if you like grand campaigns, glorious battles, and watching your carefully-laid plans collapse in a fiery heap while an Italian priest judges you silently from the corner—this is your game. Final Rating: 9 out of 10 heretics burned Would get excommunicated again

Total War MEDIEVAL II : " you needs nothing more at this game , perfect " score : 10/10 anti-cheat: - modable: yep best music , best graphic , best gameplay , best UI , everything at this game is the BEST .. you should have it right now ! - needs steam workshop

"definitive edition" ui is skewed at high res and will lead to you not being able to click on towns unless they're in the center of your fov, ui is also the same res as it was 20 years ago, which is not pleasant to use on a 4k monitor, as everything is oversized and blurry, the speed of your camera is also tied to the framerate, trying to alt tab fucks up all of your background window placements this isn't a negative review of the game, its a negative review of a "definitive edition" that despite asking for more money, doesn't fix half of the things that makes an old game annoying to play on modern hardware, this is just a cash grab.

Twenty years after its' release, this game continues to be the quintessential medieval total war experience. Strongly recommended to anyone interested in RTS games, even in this old and unupdated state. Medieval 3 when???

stays great all these years later, best total war mods of the franchise

Super overrated Not only the graphics are ancient, the learning curve is super steep. I cannot even go through the tutorial because it's bugged. It asks you to board a ship but you simply cannot board it making it impossible to even go through the learning curve itself. Tried anyways to go through the game without the tutorial but I was helpless. No idea what to do. Zero appeal, zero incentives to do anything. Most overrated game I have ever played or seen. I am baffled by the positive reviews online about this crappy game. Might have been revolutionary in the year 2002 but in 2025 this game has no reason to exist. Luckily I just spent 3 euro for this game on sale, enough to convince me to never spend any more on a total war game.

Bought it just to play Divide and Conquer. Spent 70 hours. Save got corrupted. Probably wont play again for a long time until i get the itch again. Highly recommend

probably my favorite game while i was deployed. Been awhile since I played it, im excited to download it agian.

The classic total war experience. Medieval one was the first time I dipped my toe into these waters, but this is the one that swallowed oh so many sleepless nights. Along with Shogun two, this game strikes the right balance between simplicity and scope.

vvvveeerry ccccoooool ggggaaamme, tttthhhiis ggggaaamme hhhaas mmmmaaanny mmmoodds llliiikke stainless steel historical improvement project (sship) lucium total war (ltw) and that lord of the rings mod i forgot what it was called but all those mods are very cccoooool so buy this game its on sale as of 19/6/25 so check it out. its 5 dolarydoos

I have played this game for many hours before. I really enjoy total war games, medieval strategy, turn based with rts combat. I strongly recommend this game.... Having said that there are a few things which I don't like. 1- Town or castle battles are a bit tedious. Sometimes units don't take orders, you should always keep an eye on them. (Or you may auto- resolve those battles if you choose to do so) 2- Frequent Rebels spawn: Too many rebel units appear around the map. They are generally better units then your own troops. It gets annoying for me after some time so I simply increased the rebel spawn value in descr_strat file. 😊 It is now as stated below. Which means less rebels. … (yeah, works the opposite way; higher the value lesser rebels..) brigand_spawn_value 350 pirate_spawn_value 300 3- These Mongols and Timurids invasions are extremely devastating towards the end of the game. (I know also historically they were very devastating so game got that right) However I don’t like such powerful armies in my game so I weakened the armies and commanders a little bit at campaign_script file. 4- The graphics and interface shows its age...

Timeless masterpiece, and still runs well on newer hardware. Can't recommend it enough.

It is very hard not to enjoy playing this epic game... It's very good and I love the French cavalry!

I get lost playing this. Been playing itt for years on disk then steam. favourite game. I hope they make a sick remaster soon, more factions you dont have to buy but can get through conquest, bring in battle play like attila, more settlements. Bigger expansion in americas

Awesome strategy game with higher turn-based kingdom management, that leads to real-time strategic battles. It's a classic game that stands the test of time. Still playing in 2025.

Best in the series and the genre, a must play for strategy history enthusiasts! Just be aware that mods enhance the game even more! Go to moddb and try the ones you want!

Old School Total War, amazing for 2006 standards. Very worth it to run on an old PC like the one I have.

Greatest of all total war games. Most hours spent on Stainless Steel + Divide and Conquer mods.

Don't get me wrong--Med II's battles are a blast, and its campaign progression is hypnotically satisfying. However, the crowd that tends to laud Med II as one of--if not THE best Total War games is either describing Med II with mods or looking back with some seriously rose-tinted glasses. I have some major complaints--the AI's army compositions usually suck and are easily cheesed with cavalry, and diplomacy is heavily bugged in the base game--but above all, the problem is that Med II will suck up all of your time with administrative bloat and increasingly repetitive battles. In the end, the enjoyment I've had along the way has not justified the amount of time I've put into the game. Edit: My hour count for this game is pretty bugged. I wrote this review with ~190 hours logged on Steam.

🌟 Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition Why it’s still a “golden relic” nearly 20 years later Playtime: 600+ hours (original + Definitive Edition) Hardware/settings tested: 2560×1440, RTX 3060 + i5-12400F, Stainless Steel 6.4 & Third Age 3.2 mods 1. First impressions – more than a simple “HD bundle” Includes the 2006 base game and the Kingdoms expansion. Runs flawlessly on modern Windows; ultrawide and high-res support out of the box. Steam Workshop integration removes the old hassle of manual mod installs. 2. Grand campaign – a vast stage with real depth Map scope: Iberia → Middle East → Baltic; every turn feels like shaping living history. Diplomacy & AI: Factions remember betrayals; Crusade/Jihad and Papal politics still unmatched in the series. City vs. Castle system: Forces long-term choices between economic powerhouses and military strongholds. 3. Real-time battles – ageing, yet still thrilling Handles 10 000+ soldiers on screen without performance drops on modern rigs. Knight charges have a visceral “impact physics” that even newer Total Wars struggle to match. Visuals are dated, but HD texture packs and ENB filters keep it striking. 4. Music & audio Jeremy Soule’s soundtrack blends peaceful lute melodies on the campaign map with tense war drums in battle; ambient sounds (church bells, market chatter) breathe life into the world. 5. Modding – an endless sandbox Stainless Steel: Higher difficulty, more factions, historical realism. Third Age – Total War: Full Middle-earth conversion; defend Minas Tirith or invade with Mordor. Others: Divide & Conquer, Europa Barbarorum II, dozens more—the community is legendary and still active. 6. Performance & stability 120 FPS average (Ultra, 2K) on mid-range modern hardware. The notorious “Battle Deployment Crash” is long patched. For giant mods, enable Large Address Aware (LAA) and add --io.file_first to launch options to avoid crashes. 7. Weak points Vanilla graphics: Shiny skin, minimal blood—jarring if you’re used to TW: Warhammer III. Siege pathfinding: Troops can still get stuck on ladders or gates. Missing modern QoL: No province-wide recruitment queues, no march-range preview arrows. 8. Final verdict If you want a purely historical Total War with meaningful strategy, memorable battles, and a thriving modding scene, Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition remains essential. Personal score: 9 / 10 — Old but gold. The sword still cuts deep. Recommendation: YES – grab it (especially on sale) and lose yourself in medieval glory.

Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition breathes new life into one of the most beloved entries in the Total War series. With its blend of deep turn-based empire management and epic real-time battles, it remains a pinnacle of medieval strategy gaming—even years after its original release. This Definitive Edition shines by polishing and enhancing the core experience without losing what made the original great. The updated graphics, improved UI, and widescreen support bring the gritty medieval world into sharper focus, making battles feel even more immersive. The soundtrack and voice acting also received a boost, enriching the atmosphere of campaigns across Europe, the Middle East, and beyond. Gameplay-wise, Medieval II still offers incredibly satisfying depth. Managing your realm’s economy, diplomacy, and military forces feels rewarding, while the tactical battles—whether sieging castles or clashing in open fields—demand skill and strategy. The vast roster of factions, units, and technologies ensures countless hours of replayability. While the Definitive Edition is a fantastic update, some dated mechanics remain, such as AI quirks and occasional pathfinding issues during battles. Additionally, the expansions and mods, like Kingdoms, remain essential for players seeking the fullest experience. Overall, Total War: MEDIEVAL II – Definitive Edition is a must-have for both returning fans and newcomers craving a rich, challenging medieval strategy game. It’s a classic reborn, offering an epic journey through history with polish and passion. Rating: 9/10

Aged like fine wine. Beware if you're the type of person that gets easily addicted to civ-style games, you're entering dangerous territory.

just finished the england campaign, top tier mechanics and lots of micro management stuff took 15hr to beat ,must buy (I also played Shogun 2)

worth buying even if you bought this the first time round its been updated to run on new tv and works with windows 11 still playable even after so many years so buy it on sale and have fun

I pray they make medieval 3 with great care and it operates like this game. I have dreams about it but don't screw it up like other version of total war and you have 5 resources to deal with.

it's an ok game but if you already played newer TW titles, the camera control and the lack of QoL features will torture you to death.

There are no good total war games because they are all fundamentally flawed. They get old very quickly when you realize that every 'start' is just a limitation that you need to strategize around instead of being like an actual strategy game such as Eu4 or even RTS games where you can adapt meaningfully. Every turn in every total war game plays the same because you either stick to a strategy or get blown out on a 'hard' start since you didn't watch or read a reddit post telling you exactly what to do.

I get to defend Christianity, while purging the Middle East. 10/10 Experience

Start campaign as England, quickly take over York and Wales, establish trade with France and Scotland, quickly develop cities to help me become the most powerful military and economic force in Europe. Denmark invades, defeat Danish invaders, lose popularity with France and Scotland for fighting their Danish friends, proceed to repel second Danish invasion. France and Scotland BOTH attack me. I repel French and then Scottish and then another Danish invasion. Pope not happy that I'm fighting other Christian countries, threatens to excommunicate me if I keep fighting. France attacks me again, I defend my land, EXCOMMUNICATED. Defeat and conquer Scotland and France, become the No.1 Country in Europe, Pope calls crusade on one of my cities. Spend the next 20 rounds barely being able to defend my cities from almost every European country. Eventually go on the offensive and gradually conquer all of Europe, Mongols invade. Lose land rapidly, but manage to fight back and defeat mongols. TIMURIDS INVADE. Lose almost all land in Europe, forced to flee back to mainland Britain, send desperate expedition to the Americas and conquer Cuba. defend against Timurid invasion of Britain and lose. The year is now 1576 and England has relocated to Cuba whilst the new Timurid Pope calls a crusade on Cuba.... 10/10

Best game in the Total War series, by far. Still holds true to this day.

i regret all my comments, it's a great game

Timeless classic masterpiece, 10/10 would play it again for the first time!!!! 🙏

Modded to play Third Age, sat down an- ARISE, ARISE RIDERS OF THEODEN! SHIELDS SHALL BE SHAKEN, SPEARS SHALL BE SPLINTERED! A SWORD DAY, A RED DAY, ERE THE SUN RISES. DEATH! DEATH! DEAAAAAAATH! FORTH EORLINGAS!!!

Peak, based, and a hood classic

Best Total War game in the series, it's all downhill from here

As a noob to the TW series, I am smitten by the sieges in this game.

LOVE this game. Arguably one of the best strategy games ever.

Overhyped, it's alr and is super glitchy

download Vanilla Kingdoms mod but do not ever build jewish communities in your towns

greatest game that made me love the entire total war series

Very old school, but it has a good play balance between strategic and tactical battle maps.

Very good game.I liked Kingdoms Expansion,especially Crusades campaign.Besides vanilla game there are many great mods.I think that this is one of the best strategy games ever made.After almost 20 years of it's release this game is still popular and good.

A classic, one of my favourite games of its genre by far! Well worth a go, even in 2025

great game good historical experience

I wish Total War would bring back many of the features in this game.

A deep game with a lot of subtlety. Never the same.