In Total War: Attila, the concept of ‘subjugate’ plays a critical strategic role in how players interact with enemy factions, especially during the tumultuous and chaotic final days of the Western Roman Empire. Rather than simply wiping out opposing forces through brute conquest, subjugation offers a more nuanced method of expanding influence. It blends diplomacy, dominance, and control in a way that reflects the complexity of late antiquity warfare. Understanding how to effectively subjugate other factions can redefine your campaign experience, allowing you to control without necessarily destroying.
What Subjugation Means in Total War: Attila
Subjugation in Total War: Attila refers to a unique diplomatic state in which a defeated faction becomes a tributary or vassal of the victorious one. This can happen after winning a battle and choosing to subjugate rather than sack or raze the enemy city, or through diplomatic pressure. Subjugated factions retain autonomy over internal affairs but must pay tribute and generally support their overlord’s objectives.
How It Works
- Military Victory: When capturing a settlement, players are often given the option to subjugate the faction instead of occupying or destroying it.
- Diplomacy: A weaker faction may accept subjugation through diplomatic proposals, especially when threatened with annihilation.
- Tributary Relationship: Subjugated factions pay regular tribute and can be expected to join wars when called upon.
This mechanic introduces a more imperial method of expansion turning enemies into loyal (or at least manageable) allies rather than wiping them off the map.
The Strategic Value of Subjugation
Subjugating a faction offers numerous strategic benefits, especially for players focused on long-term dominance rather than short-term destruction. It allows for broader map control without the penalties associated with direct conquest.
Key Advantages
- Reduced Public Order Issues: Since you don’t take direct control of their settlements, you avoid the unrest and rebellion common after conquest.
- Economic Gain: Subjugated factions provide regular tribute, which can become a steady income stream.
- Buffer States: Subjugated factions act as front-line buffers between you and other hostile powers, absorbing the first wave of attacks.
- Military Support: These factions may assist in wars or provide military access, enabling better troop movement and coordination.
By keeping subjugated factions alive and loyal, you create a web of controlled territories that expand your reach without overextending your military resources.
Choosing When to Subjugate
Not every opportunity to subjugate should be taken. Players need to weigh several factors before making that decision. Subjugating a faction that’s likely to rebel, or that is surrounded by enemies, may not be worth the effort.
Ideal Conditions for Subjugation
- Weakened Enemy: Subjugating a nearly destroyed enemy ensures they’re less likely to rise up again.
- Geographic Isolation: Factions far from your core empire but near hostile regions can serve as useful pawns or obstacles.
- Mutual Enemies: If the faction shares your enemies, they’re more likely to cooperate and remain loyal.
- Compatible Cultures: Cultural alignment reduces instability and boosts diplomatic relations.
Each campaign in Attila is different, so understanding when and whom to subjugate is a skill developed through experience and analysis.
Risks and Downsides of Subjugation
While subjugation offers many benefits, it also comes with its own set of risks. A poorly chosen subject can betray you, declare independence, or side with your enemies at a crucial moment.
Potential Problems
- Rebellion: Subjugated factions may seek independence once they regain strength or when your own forces are stretched thin.
- Diplomatic Entanglements: Maintaining multiple subjugated states can lead to diplomatic penalties with other factions, especially if your influence seems overbearing.
- Unreliable Allies: Subjugated factions might not always join wars or contribute meaningfully to military campaigns.
To mitigate these risks, players should monitor loyalty, use spies to influence subjects, and be ready to suppress rebellion if needed.
Subjugation Tactics for Different Factions
Different factions in Attila benefit from subjugation in unique ways. The Huns, for example, operate differently than the Eastern Roman Empire when it comes to managing subjugated peoples.
The Huns
The Huns, as a nomadic horde faction, cannot settle cities. Subjugation is one of the few ways for them to establish indirect control over territory. Subjugated factions pay tribute and serve as footholds in regions the Huns wish to dominate without settling.
Eastern Roman Empire
The Eastern Romans benefit from subjugation by restoring control over breakaway states. Subjugating former Roman factions lets them reassert dominance while avoiding costly occupation penalties. This makes subjugation a central part of their imperial restoration strategy.
Germanic Tribes and Others
For emerging powers like the Saxons or Visigoths, subjugation offers a way to build alliances and influence without overextending early in the game. It can be used to carve out power bases in contested regions before full expansion.
Diplomacy and Subjugation
Diplomacy plays an important role in managing subjugated factions. Good diplomatic management can prevent rebellion and even turn former enemies into true allies. Players must monitor relationships, offer gifts when needed, and sometimes intervene in their subjects’ conflicts.
Tools for Diplomatic Control
- Military Access: Ensures smooth troop movement and cooperation with your subject states.
- Non-Aggression Pacts: Useful to keep the peace between subjugated states and your allies.
- War Coordination: Allows you to direct subjugated factions’ armies, making them more useful during large-scale wars.
Effective diplomacy ensures subjugation isn’t a temporary advantage but a long-term strategic asset.
Long-Term Implications of Subjugation
Using subjugation as a core strategy affects how your empire evolves throughout the campaign. A player who builds a network of vassals instead of direct rule can focus on military superiority and economic dominance while minimizing administrative strain.
However, over-reliance on subjugated factions can leave your empire vulnerable if multiple subjects revolt simultaneously. It’s important to maintain a balance between directly controlled regions and vassal states, adjusting strategy depending on the political landscape.
Endgame Strategies
- Confederation: Some factions may be absorbed peacefully later in the game.
- Military Cleanup: Once subjects have served their purpose, they can be conquered if needed.
- Strategic Liberation: Releasing or replacing rebellious subjects with more loyal ones can refresh control.
In the endgame, subjugation can serve as both a stabilizing force and a launching pad for final conquests, depending on how it is managed.
Mastering the Art of Subjugation
In Total War: Attila, subjugation is more than just a tool it’s an entire philosophy of conquest. It rewards players who think politically, who understand timing, and who value long-term influence over short-term glory. Whether used to create a buffer zone, generate tribute income, or keep potential enemies close, subjugation adds a deep layer of strategic complexity to the game.
Mastering subjugation means balancing fear with favor, showing strength while offering mercy, and knowing exactly when to turn a defeated foe into a useful pawn. In the collapsing world of Attila, domination comes not just from fire and sword but also from control without conquest.
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