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Total War Pharaoh High Tide adds two new factions in big free update

Total War Pharaoh High Tide is a free update for the strategy game that adds new factions and units alongside a huge set of patch notes.

Total War Pharaoh has struggled since its arrival in October last year, as the historical strategy game faces ‘mixed’ Steam reviews. Developer Creative Assembly has already offered partial refunds to players as it lowered the price of the base game. In addition to this, the game’s first DLC, which was previously planned to be a paid add-on, is now a free update for all. Total War Pharaoh High Tide is now here, adding two new factions and additional paths, alongside the game’s massive first set of patch notes.

In December, Creative Assembly announced that it was permanently lowering the price of Total War Pharaoh, with players who had already bought it receiving refunds for the strategy game along with the news that the High Tide DLC would be given away for free. The new update arrives this Thursday, bringing with it two new Total War Pharaoh factions.

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The additional factions put you on the side of the Sea Peoples, and you can choose between the ruthless Sherden faction or the more constructive Peleset people. Play as Sherden and leave a trail of destruction in your wake – their warriors have plundering, sacrifices, and sheer chaos in their hearts as they aim to drive the Bronze Age collapse towards certain destruction.

The Peleset, meanwhile, have much more hope in their hearts. They arrive on the shores of Canaan searching for a place to settle their new kingdom – even if that means going toe to toe with the might of Egypt. They bring dismountable infantry chariots that make them expert flankers in combat, and will do their utmost to stand tall amid the roaring furnace of the collapse.

Along with its pair of new factions, Total War Pharaoh High Tide also includes 37 new units, two new paths to follow during its campaign – the Path of the Marauder and the Path of the Sea Peoples – and five new deities that are accessible by the Sea Peoples wherever they are on the map, in addition to the realm-specific local deities.

Total War Pharaoh High Tide - The five new deities included with the free update.

Total War Pharaoh patch 1.1.0 and the High Tide update launch for free Thursday January 25. Both will be included for free to all players who own the game or buy it moving forward. The full patch notes are absolutely massive, with all manner of AI improvements, balance changes, and bug fixes, so make sure to set aside some time if you’re curious.

In the meantime, there’s even more of the best RTS games to explore, or you can take things to an even bigger scale with the best grand strategy games in 2024.

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