Characters are complex. They have different personalities, different drives and motivations, and build relationships – both positive and negative – with those around them. You must attend to their needs in order to keep them loyal, and shield them from situations which will dissatisfy or endanger them.
Characters in Three Kingdoms touch every part of the campaign game. They are the generals of your armies, inhabit key posts in your faction hierarchy, boost productivity in your commanderies, engage in espionage on your behalf, and grant benefits to every aspect of your game, both on the campaign map and in battle.
Other Total War Three Kingdoms Guides:
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Guide to Factions
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Guide to Siege
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Guide to Characters
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Buildings Guide
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Food Guide
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Diplomacy Guide
- Total War Three Kingdoms: Spies & Espionage Guide
Guide to Satisfaction
A character’s satisfaction is a measure of how happy they are in your employ. Characters who remain satisfied will stay loyal to you. If a character’s satisfaction dwindles, they may choose to leave your service and seek employment with another faction. In the case of a commandery administrator leaving your faction, they might choose to take your commandery for themselves, and set up their own faction. In the case of a character in a ministerial position, this could be as severe as sparking a civil war, dividing your own faction in half.
The satisfaction levels of your characters is therefore important to monitor through the course of a campaign. You can view a character’s satisfaction in their character panel, or via the characters list on the main campaign screen.
Many factors can influence a character’s satisfaction. Their title rank is one. They may desire a higher position in your court, such as administrator of a commandery. Certain characters may have skills which improve character satisfaction, such as commanders assigned to the posts of faction heir, prime minister or faction leader. They may gain satisfaction from their traits, from their character relations, or the fact that you have a good relationship with a faction that they like. There are many more examples, and they will differ from individual to individual according to their personality and traits.
To get a complete breakdown of the positive and negative factors contributing to a character’s satisfaction level, mouse over their icon in the characters list accessible from the main campaign screen, next to the minimap.
There is no single method to keep all your characters satisfied. A strong pacifist, for example, may become dissatisfied at the wars you wage, while a fiery militarist will be having the time of his life on the frontlines. Finding a balance – or working to satisfy the characters you like the most or who bring the most value to your faction – is one of Total War: THREE KINGDOMS’ key challenges!