Factions

Introduction

The Sengoku campaign puts twelve playable clans on the map, each with a starting province, a signature bonus and a set of neighbours that decide the first twenty turns. Position matters as much as the bonus: an isolated clan on Kyushu can develop an economy in peace, while a clan boxed into the centre of Honshu will fight a major war before it can build a market. The Complete Edition also opens more than fifty minor clans that were previously AI-only, which means you can now start from provinces that never had a designed campaign path. This section covers what each clan actually gives you, how hard its opening is, and which ones to pick when you are still learning the food and public order systems.

Sengoku Clan Quick Reference

Clan Spotlights

Core Mechanics

Clan identity in SHOGUN 2 comes from three things that stack: the starting province, a faction-specific bonus applied through technology or buildings, and the position of that province on the map. The bonus is usually the least important of the three. A clan with a melee bonus that starts surrounded by hostile neighbours will spend its first thirty turns fighting defensively, while a clan with a modest bonus in an isolated corner can develop an economy large enough to buy samurai outright. Fame is the second mechanic that shapes a faction campaign, because it accumulates from battles, provinces and buildings, and pushing it too high too early triggers the Realm Divide. Finally, religion and clan type interact with diplomacy: Ikko-Ikki and Christian Otomo play by different rules, with different buildings, different unrest sources and different allies.

Advantages

Faction bonuses compound in a way that makes the opening choice matter more than any single battle. A clan with reduced cavalry upkeep can field an army composition its rivals cannot afford, which changes which engagements it should accept. Clans with a siege discount take walled provinces in one turn instead of three, which shortens wars and therefore reduces the upkeep cost of the entire campaign. Starting position is the other half of the advantage: an island or mountain border is a free garrison, and a clan that only has to defend one direction can invest everything else into growth. In the Complete Edition the fifty-plus newly playable minor clans add a further option, letting you begin from a province whose geography you prefer over any of the twelve designed starts.

Challenges & Weaknesses

Every clan start carries a built-in problem, and the difficulty ratings above are honest about them. Central clans like Oda and Tokugawa are surrounded by rivals who will all eventually find you, while isolated clans like Shimazu and Chosokabe trade safety for slow income and expensive naval commitments. Specialised bonuses also create blind spots: a cavalry clan can struggle in sieges, an archer clan collapses if its line breaks, and a ninja clan has to win with intelligence and sabotage rather than pitched battles. Clan packs add further complexity, because Ikko-Ikki and Otomo change the religion and research systems rather than simply adding a stronger unit. Choosing a clan is really choosing which of those problems you would rather solve.

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick Tips