• A staple for any Total War mod list, Medieval 2 being no exception. Vader’s entry for M2TW includes tons of updates such as unit balances, map changes, and gameplay tweaks. But as with all DarthMods, the improved AI is really what stands out here.
• 'Third Age - Total War' is a total conversion modification for 'Medieval II: Total War - Kingdoms Expansion' that brings you into the world of Middle-earth. Play epic and strategically demanding battles with the armies of Middle-earth and their respective heroes.

Find your mod folder, you should be able to find it under 'C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonMedieval II Total Warmods'. Find one of the kingdoms expansions mod folders, these are 'americas', 'teutonic', 'crusades' and 'britishisles'.

Numerous user-made modifications have been created for each of the Total War Series games from the first Medieval: Total War onwards. Many players are content with the experience given by the original games (and the DLCs and expansions) as created by CA, however, many players choose to use modifications which expand, improve or completely change the game content. The amount that can be achieved by a modification varies per game. Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War are widely regarded as the most versatile and modifications for those games can form 'total-conversions' which transport the player to a whole new universe or era. Later games based on the Warscape engine tend to have less potential due to limitations to the way the campaign map can be changed. Due to licensing restrictions modifications for the Total War: Warhammer series have to remain true to the Warhammer lore as published by Games Workshop.

• 2Total War Mods By Game

The Total War Center has forums and sub-forums dedicated to modifications for each of the games. The modifications found there range from large mods with their own hosted forum, to released minor mods or sub-mods, and to work-in-progress (WIP) mods or mod ideas. Nearly all Rome: Total War and Medieval II: Total War mods have a presence at TWC. For some later games, the availability of Steam Workshops has meant some mods no longer prioritise a forum presence. Mods have also diversified the areas where they choose to interact with fans, with some opting for Reddit, Discord, Facebook, or MODDB.

TWC holds Modding Awards each year for mods with a presence on the forum, mod users nominate and vote for their favourite mod, the awards forum can be viewed here.

TWC posts regular Modding News and Announcements which include news of new mod releases and updates. For a compilation of the News Team's recent modding announcements see Modding News Front Page Announcements 2020 and 2019.

If you are interested in making your own modification please visit the Modding Portal.

Medieval 2 is a favorite among Total War fans.

For players who prefer medieval warfare with sword-yielding knights, peasants, and crossbows, Medieval 2 would be your go-to in the vast selection of TW games.

Whether you’ve completed multiple playthroughs or are looking to re-explore what it has to offer, here’s some of the coolest mods you can try out to make the game even more fun.

15. MapMod: Trees, Textures, Sea

A good visual upgrade is always a great way to enjoy older titles.

Not bad for a first time modder, Charge has received mostly positive feedback from the community for his texture pack.

Upgrading mostly the environment textures – trees, land, and especially water now look much better than in vanilla.

Now I’m completely aware that most of you don’t play M2TW for the graphics.

But you’d be surprised at how much of an impact this has. Fire up the game with this on and you’ll end up thinking to yourself “I don’t remember it looking this good”.

14. The Character Names Project

Total War has always been known for realism and historical accuracy.

A huge part of why the game has such an active community is the ability to create mods that further improve on the realism of these games.

The Character Names Project does exactly that, but by focusing on a less common aspect of the game.

Names of characters have been updated based on research to reflect historical accuracy.

Playing as Egypt for example, you might notice that characters now have names like “Tahir al-Rida” or “Dawud al-Sarraj”.

Based on tons of research to make sure names are accurate and relevant to the time period, just under 500 names have been added to each of the factions in the game.

A seemingly unnoticeable change. But this one adds a sense of realism and level of detail that few would think of.

13. HaHawk’s Native Voices Mod

To improve on the game’s realism even further, modder HaHawk took it upon himself to replace audio samples with new dialogue.

The mod currently contains voice samples in English, French, German, and Russian (among a few other languages, or so it’s claimed). Just the fact it goes beyond English is impressive!

Like the Character Names Project, this is another mod you didn’t know you needed.

Once you get this installed, there’s just no other way to play the game.

Dialogue won’t be overbearing as you probably won’t understand everything that’s being said. But the localized languages just make immersion much better.

12. Mr.Crow’s Warwagon

Another great way to make the game more interesting is by adding new units.

If you’ve completed multiple playthroughs of M2TW, you’re probably already familiar with the different units. So adding new ones can make a big difference.

Mr. Crow’s Warwagon adds a particularly fun unit to the game. Now what’s a war wagon?

It’s actually a medieval siege weapon: a wooden wagon that held riflemen.

You can now use these in-game as each wagon holds 3 soldiers. These soldiers are protected by the wagon and shoot through holes in the wood.

What’s even more fun is that the AI actually makes use of war wagons as well.

They even place war wagons in the front of formations, recreating the famous “wagon wall” or “wagon forts” of the time. Neat!

11. DarthMod

A staple for any Total War mod list, Medieval 2 being no exception.

Vader’s entry for M2TW includes tons of updates such as unit balances, map changes, and gameplay tweaks.

But as with all DarthMods, the improved AI is really what stands out here.

Just as DarthMods are known for, enemy AI will be much smarter making for a more challenging experience.

They have improved field battle, flanking, and aggressiveness, keeping you on your toes.

This will definitely make the game more interesting as you’ll probably be outsmarted by the AI here and there.

10. Santa Invasion

I always like to throw in something silly, and here we are!

This immediately caught my attention because it’s the only mod on twcenter.net that was classified as a “Humour Mod”. Just what I’m going for.

Almost all games with mod capabilities have sillier ones. And if you’re just looking to have some stupid fun, here’s Santa Invasion.

As you can guess, Santa Invasion allows you to play an additional faction. Led by Santa Claus himself, lead your reindeer cavalry, snowmen, and elves into battle!

Enemies are on the naughty list and aren’t getting any presents this year.

9. Hispania in the Middle Ages

Now the remaining entries on my list are the larger mods that add tons of content from scenarios and campaigns, units, balances, and much more… starting here.

With Hispania in the Middle Ages, we’re taken to the Iberian Peninsula where Christians and Muslims war over the land.

With 5 playable campaigns, updates to factions, map, textures, and gameplay, there is much to explore here.

Most interesting are the added scripts that make gameplay more dynamic. There are now possibilities of protection by payment, kingdom unions through marriage, and help from allied kingdoms.

Definitely one to consider for a unique M2TW playthrough.

8. Rusichi Total War

This time we’re taken to a war-torn medieval Russia.

With 3 playable factions based on historic Russian kingdoms, each the Kyiv, Novgorod, and Ryazan have unique features, and even updated texture skins.

The mod also introduces a settlement system wherein most of a cities’ income is provided by nearby villages.

This makes it more likely that nearby villagers will fight invaders rather than hide in fear.

An exciting story of the 3 kingdoms fighting for a united Russia while faced with external opposition and internal conflict at the same time.

7. Rise of Three Kingdoms

Moving over to Asian, our next stop is China.

Following the fall of the Han Dynasty was a 100-year civil war known as the Three Kingdoms period.

Fought between 3 Chinese states Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu, the Three Kingdoms period was one of the bloodiest war eras in Chinese history.

This mod takes you right to the action with custom textures, accurately depicting the armor and weapons of the time and place.

There’s tons of content to explore here from balance changes, additional units, and gameplay mechanics.

6. Call of Warhammer

If you’re looking to take a break from the realism of M2TW, this is the mod for you.

Taking a more fantasy-based approach, Call of Warhammer completely changes the game.

You can now battle with mages, elves, orcs, and even vampires in a world similar to that of Total War: Warhammer.

Each faction comes with unique combat units including matching skins.

Medieval II Total War - Grand Campaign Balance Fix

Upgraded AI, unit cards, and exciting new quests make for a unique experience of Medieval 2. If fantasy is more your speed, this is the one you’re looking for.

5. The Third Age: Total War

Continuing on with fantasy-themed mods we have Third Age which takes us to Middle-earth.

That’s right, this transforms your M2TW experience into a playable Lord of the Rings game.

You can play as 14 different factions from the world of LOTR, including Dwarves, Gondor, Mordor, and High Elves, among others.

Some units were also taken from the film and novel series and added to the game. Ents, trolls, and wargs are now usable in battles.

With improved AI and updated movies, sounds, and artwork, this is the most immersive Lord of the Rings experience you’ll be able to get within M2TW.

4. Europa Barbarorum II

Total War Medieval 2 Mods 2019

If you’re ready to jump back towards historically accurate mods, Europa Barbarorum II is one of the best out there.

Another overhaul mod based on the initial mod created for Rome: Total War, EBII gives us a glimpse into the expansion of the Roman Empire.

The mod comes with 28 playable factions including, Pontos, Getai, Saka Rauka, and more.

Gameplay mechanics have also been updated focusing more on making the experience much more realistic.

The overall pace of the game is slower, as the map is twice the size of the original. But more than exploring the map there are hundreds of new units, systems, and gameplay mechanics to discover.

If you’re into historical accuracy this is the one for you.

You’ll learn a lot about the history as well as there are very detailed descriptions provided for locations and units.

3. Broken Crescent

This time we’re taken to the Middle East. Play as one of 18 new factions (which is huge), engage in battle with over 300 new units, all in a brand-new campaign map spanning from Anatolia to India.

New units include the Rostov Retainers, Alani Swordsmen, and Volga Pikemen.

Playthrough prominent battles of Middle Eastern history, including The Battle of Didgori, Second Battle of Tarain, and the Battle of the Meander River to name just a few.

2. 1648 – Thirty Years of War

1648: Thirty Years of War.

A rather specific name for a mod, yeah?

It tells the story of a war fought in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648.

Known as one of the most destructive wars in human history, the mod recreates the events of the Holy Roman Empire, where some of the most advanced weaponry was made much more complicated by political and religious motives.

There are 22 playable factions, an updated map including 198 provinces, and a great campaign story to be discovered in this mod. Highly recommend giving this one a shot.

1. Stainless Steel

Easily the most popular mod for M2TW, Stainless Steel is like a New Game+ for Total War fans.

It takes most of what the game did great, improved on it even further, and even took some of the best ideas from other mods.

All of this combined into Stainless Steel, which for most is the ultimate M2TW experience.

Tons of new content including new factions, units, and an expanded map are typical of these mods by now.

Stainless Steel takes it a step further with loads of new systems, balances, and gameplay updates too. The modders also made changes to sounds, interface elements, buildings, and textures, making this easily the biggest mod for the game.

If you’re looking to retain most of what you know from M2TW, but make it better, Stainless Steel should be right up your alley.