Overview
This guide tells you why the Maratha’s are one of/is the best faction in Empire Total war… We’ll be going over what makes them so good and a basic strategy to clap some cheeks.
What makes them so good/bad?
The Good-
1. Their starting position-
The Maratha’s start off in a somewhat secluded area (India) with only five factions being present, with three of them only owning one region, and only one of them being your enemy, which will lead me to my next point…
2. Your enemy-
The Mughal Empire starts off large, but weak and disorganized, Militarily and Politically speaking.
Their armies are out of place, allowing you to easily steam roll them and defeat them within the first (around 25 for me) turns. Politically, their people mostly don’t even follow their states religion, Islam, with most people following Hinduism, which of course is good for you, with your states religion being Hinduism as well. which also go’s on to my third point…
3. Religion-
Religion is a double edged sword for the Maratha’s, but for now, we’ll stick to the good… Now, with most of India at the start of the game being Hindu, it’s great for you because you don’t have to deal the public order issues that come with differing religions, that’s not a problem with most people already being Hindu, which saves time when making plans of grandeur once you’ve secured your hands on India
4. Trade (more specifically, SPICES!!)
Trade is an obvious one, it’s actually one of the most important parts of the Maratha’s greatness, because it allows you to be one of the most wealthy nations right of the start of the game, with Indian mainland being filled with Spice farms, Jewel mines, and the like. you also are really close to the East indies, and the Madagascar Straits, which allow EVEN MORE income from EVEN MORE spices, jewels, and ivory!
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The Bad-
1. Religion (2.0)-
Once you’ve gained control of India, you have two options, Colonization of the Americas, or continue pushing through Asia towards the Mediterranean, which is where you’ll encounter the problem… India is the only theater in the game that has an exceptional Hindu population, with Buddhism and Sikhism still being present, and Islam being the most dominant religion to the West of you, you’ll have to waste building slots and pour time and money into getting Ashrams (religious structure) and missionaries to convert the populace in order to maintain public order in the lands that you’ve conquered. This also applies to the Americas but with Christianity and even more wasted time and money on a Navy and missionaries to support your colonies.
2. Europeans are still better, obviously-
Well, European countries are obviously better as they possess superior line infantry to the Maratha’s, also they share religions and alliances with each other. And they may try colonizing your land (although in personal experience I’ve never had it happen to me). If you try leading a direct assault on them you may find yourself caught in endless and costly war.
The Strategy
(1st turn goals)
1. Get trade agreements in Europe, and take a stance on France and Great Britain’s growing tensions, this will come in handy when you start doing some colonization yourself.
2. Focus on the Spice farms in Carnatica, and replace both buildings there with schools. (Note- you should replace these with income gaining buildings after getting a decent military and agricultural techs, these help with spices)
3. Do recruitment, and take a few provinces.
(Next turn-Mughal Destruction)
1. Focus on Navy and trade ships, and Send them to the Madagascar Straits and East Indies.
2. Focus on Spreading and Maintaining Hinduism.
3. Focus on Schools to continue research to get an edge on future opponents.
(Mughal Destruction- Ottoman Destruction)
1. Get colonies in America, Dutch colonies should be rebel occupied as the french may have destroyed the United Provinces already (this is where the stance on British and French conflict is important, you should ally with whoever is winning, or has better colonies) take the Rebel occupied colonies, and the Pirate colonies (this is also good as it reduces the threat to your trade monopolies in East Indies and Madagascar) Once situated, take colonies owned by Britain or France, if you choose France, take Spanish colonies as well. (note, if French or British protectorates are still around, declare war on them, in order to prevent other French or British allies from getting involved)
2. Attack Persia, make sure you have decent public order in India, as well as having decent income, army, and missionaries ready to invade with efficiency, as Persia has a few small allies with Eastern European military templates.
3. You may encounter war with Georgia, destroy them as well.
4. Remove schools in Carnatica.
5. Have armies ready to push into Ankara and Egypt, make sure to maintain Hinduism in your regions.
6. Attack the Ottomans, In my campaign I didn’t push into the Balkans, but that can change for yours.
7. Ally with Russia (if they still exist) or the next nation that is at war with the ottomans that can actually help.
8. Win
Closing thoughts
I played this on Short Campaign on Normal Difficulty for both sliders, I had fun and I hope this helps if you plan on playing the Maratha’s the next time you do a campaign, anyways I thought I should make a guide for my favorite faction. Stay safe, and God bless you all.
If you’d like more info check this Youtube link: