France
Napoleon’s Grand Army — deep, balanced and built to march.
Recruitment pool at a glance
France can recruit 57 distinct units: 16 infantry, 14 cavalry, 10 artillery and 17 naval. The table below compares the average morale and melee of each land role against the all-faction mean, so you can see where the army is genuinely above par.
| Role | Units | Avg morale | Avg melee | vs mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 16 | 7.6 | 6.4 | +0.4 / -0.8 |
| Cavalry | 14 | 10.2 | 11.3 | +3.1 / +4.1 |
| Artillery | 10 | 3.6 | 2.6 | -3.6 / -4.6 |
| Naval | 17 | see the naval roster and Naval Comparator | ||
Reads as: Cavalry moraleCavalry shocknaval power
Starting position
France begins the campaign holding these regions:
Victory conditions (source: wiki.totalwar.com (2026-08-15))
Victory Conditions Capture and hold 35 regions, including the regions shown. Brandenburg, Moscow Guberniya, East Prussia, France, Austria Complete by the end of your turn in: Late December 1812 Flag Republic flag Monarchy flag
How to play France
Build your field army from the pool above. A reliable backbone is a solid block of line infantry to hold the centre, artillery to break enemy formations, and cavalry held back for the flanks and the pursuit. Where France is above the all-faction mean (highlighted above), lean into that edge.
With a deep navy, secure the seas early: protect your trade and use amphibious landings to open a second front. Compare your ships in the Naval Comparator before committing a fleet.
The pointers above are general principles framed by this faction’s real recruitment profile, not a scripted walkthrough. Adapt to the enemy and the map.