Each will have its own rooster and unique flavor in the expansion

Mar 18, 2014 22:45 GMT  ·  By

Video game developer The Creative Assembly and publisher SEGA are ready to offer full details on the three new factions that will be included in the coming Hannibal at the Gates campaign expansion for Total War: Rome II: Syracuse, Arevaci and Lusitani.

The new additions can be used in the specially set up campaign that will see Rome, led by Scipio, battle the forces of Carthage, led by Hannibal, during the Second Punic War but they are also introduced in the full grand campaign.

The most prominent of the factions is Syracuse, the big city state in the Eastern half of Sicily that has the ambition of expanding its reach as two great powers battle around it.

The official description from the wiki states, "Syracuse is no stranger to war, fiercely championing its independence throughout its long, bloody history. A string of tyrannical leaders dominate that history, defending Syracusan sovereignty against fellow Greeks, Carthaginians and threats from within through a series of treacherous and grueling wars."

The armies of Syracuse use both Roman and Greek style units and players who choose it will be able to advance faster through the tech tree, which can give them an advantage, although they will have to deal with extra corruption.

The Arevaci are stationed in the middle of modern day Spain and the development team explains that they "are a warlike people. From their Celtic origins in northern central Iberia, they have expanded east and southwest through migration and conquest, displacing a number of other tribes in the process."

The faction is neutral when Hannibal at the Gates for Total War: Rome II starts and those who choose it will have to carefully balance their interest in Iberia with the need to appease both Rome and Carthage.

The main power of the Arevaci lies in its powerful noble cavalry and in the ferocity of its warriors.

The Lusitani are also being added in the expansion, a confederation of tribes that start in modern day Portugal and might use the bigger conflict around them to claim land and create a powerful state.

The might of their armies is based on the ferocity of their warriors, who know the terrain and can quickly adapt to any situation on the battlefield, a necessity when fighting the might of both Rome and Carthage.

Hannibal at the Gates for Total War: Rome II will be offered via digital distribution on the PC on March 27.