Epirus

Located in what is today western Greece and southern Albania, Epirus is one of three playable Greek factions in the Invasion Sandbox, as well as the protagonist faction of the Pyrrhus Campaign. Both of these scenarios require the Eagle King DLC.

Epirus is a naval invader in the Invasion Sandbox, where its possible starting positions are scattered throughout the Ionian and southern Adriatic seas, near Iapygia, Lucania, Bruttium and Sicily.

When playing as Epirus in the Invasion Sandbox, the city at which the player ends up settling their capital will be renamed to 'Aeacidopolis' when the player settles there.

In-game Description
"Originally divided into the three tribes of the Chaonians, Thesprotians, and Molossians, the Kingdom of Epirus was established in the 4th century BCE after the Molossian princess Olympias married the Macedonian king Phillip II and with the powerful alliance came to exert control over the other two tribes. Olympias would later become the mother of Alexander the Great, and her brother Alexander the Molossian would inherit the throne of Epirus. Alexander the Molossian would then try to support the Greek city of Taras against native Italian forces, but be defeated and establish nothing lasting."

Possible Starting Locations

 * Off the coast of northern Iapygia, near Vieste.
 * Off the coast of central Iapygia, near Egnatia.
 * Off the coast of southern Iapygia, near Hydrus.
 * Off the eastern coasts of Bruttium and Lucania, between Sybaris, Amendolara and Castiglione.
 * Off the eastern coast of central Bruttium, near Kaulonia and Scylletium.
 * Off the eastern coast of Sicily, near Katane.

Starting Brigades
When composing your starting army, Epirus has 26 points to spend, with the following options available: In addition, you will receive 1 group of Colonists, a Light Warship and as many Small Transport Ships as are needed to carry every brigade.

The default loadout consists of 2 War Elephants, 2 Macedonian Phalangites and 8 points to spare.

You will be given 4000 gold to start.

Historic Starting Generals
When playing this faction in a sandbox setting, the player may choose to start with one of the following pre-defined historic generals instead of a generic one. These characters usually have far better bonuses than can be obtained with the generic starting generals.

Strategy
The starting positions of AI factions in the Invasion Sandbox are slightly random, as factions will have randomly conquered an amount of cities from one another depending on the world age setting. However, you will be more likely to encounter friendly Greek factions in the southern possible starting positions, near Bruttium and Sicily.

Plan your playstyle while composing your starting army. Do not waste your starting points on Heavy Warships if you're going to more or less immediately make landfall. They are only worthwhile if planning to settle an area far away from your starting location, or when thinking of a naval raiding playstyle.

Trivia & History

 * Epirus had historically already attempted an invasion of Italy before Pyrrhus. As mentioned in the in-game description, the Epirote king Alexander the Molossian invaded Italy in 334 BC on the invitation of Taras, to defend the Greek colonies against the increasingly aggressive Lucani, Bruttii and Messapii. Though Alexander managed to restore a few Greek colonies to independence, he was eventually slain in a battle against the Lucani and Bruttii.
 * Pyrrhus of Epirus launched the second Epirote invasion of Italy in 280 BC, as depicted in the Pyrrhus Campaign, after being invited by Taras to protect against the growing power of Rome. The network of alliances was partially reversed this time around, as Pyrrhus allied with the Messapii, Lucani and Bruttii while several Greek city-states opted to side with the Romans. Pyrrhus responded to an appeal for help from Syrakousai in 278 BC, which was under siege by Carthage, and invaded Sicily. The Epirotes briefly conquered most of the island, scoring victories against the Mamertines as well, but retreated from Sicily in 276 BC as Pyrrhus' authoritarian behavior made him deeply unpopular with the locals. Pyrrhus returned to Epirus in 275 BC after being defeated by the Romans in the Battle of Beneventum.
 * After his failed expedition in Italy, Pyrrhus struck east and successfully conquered most of Macedon in 274 BC. He then invaded the Peloponnese in 272 BC, but was repulsed during a siege of Sparta and later killed during the Battle of Argos.
 * Epirus itself was eventually conquered by Rome during the 160s BC in the aftermath of the Third Macedonian War.
 * The faction icon depicts a lightning bolt, a design that features prominently on ancient Epirote coins.