Ashigaru under the Oda have improved morale and also reduced recruitment costs and upkeep costs. Equipped with spears or pikes they are especially useful against cavalry. Their strength is the ashigaru, the basic foot soldiers who make up the bulk of most armies in this period. On the plus side you are close to Kyoto and you can increase in size quickly.

The Oda clan start in a fairly tricky territory with powerful clans on all sides. Remember that minor clans that are not playable can still be powerful allies or enemies. There are 65 provinces in total and many are held by minor clans. When you select the clan you get a rough guide to the difficulty level involved in leading them to victory so start with an easy option to get your bearings. Each clan presents an entirely different challenge because of their starting positions and military or economic specialisations. Your choice of clan in Shogun 2 is very important. In this first part we’ll take a look at the various clans you can play as in Shogun 2. The aim is to offer some useful information on strategy and tactics, explain various elements of the game and help you to emerge victorious. This Shogun 2: Total War guide is going to be a five part series. You can get a good overview of the game in our Shogun 2: Total War review. With this entry developer, The Creative Assembly, has produced the most polished and addictive blend of real-time and turn-based strategy ever. Over a decade has passed since the original Shogun: Total War launched the series.

Shogun 2 kisho ninja