Improved vanilla experience for Total War: Kingdoms
Total Vanilla Beyond Mod is a free mod created by modder azumi# for the strategy game Medieval II: Total War: Kingdoms. Considered a Vanilla+ experience, it retains most of the gameplay elements of the base version. Expect no new maps, units, or gameplay mechanics. On the other hand, it fixes most bugs and unlocks all content from the original game.
If you’re looking for a slightly improved version without deviating content-wise, the Total Vanilla Beyond Mod is your most convenient option. Similarly, you can check out The Last Kingdom (M2TW) Mod or the Tsardoms Total War Mod.
Minor improvements for a greater experience
Compared to other themed mods, Total Vanilla Beyond Mod can be thought of as a collection of a lot of minor fixes and changes that try to keep the experience as close as possible to the base or vanilla version. For starters, it unlocks all factions right from the start and includes a total of 128 building chains available—although the latter is not available for all factions in all areas.
It simply imports most content from Kingdoms, but it also contains a host of custom scripts that fixes common bugs. It polishes the user interface and updates the enemy AI with Skynet. Additionally, minor visual upgrades are also thrown in. Most unique units and mercenary factions have been reskinned to make them more distinguishable in-game. The same upgrade applies to buildings and even standards.
As mentioned, it doesn’t significantly add anything to the game. It has no new factions and doesn’t add any new campaigns for you to play, unlike other mods that focus on a particular region, culture, or period in history. Furthermore, while it upgrades the visual quality, it doesn’t work toward historical accuracy but more for gameplay convenience. Still, it’s a notable improvement compared to the vanilla version.
A good starter mod
For new players of Total War: Kingdoms who would like improvements on almost every aspect of the game without deviating in terms of content, the Total Vanilla Beyond Mod is your best bet. It introduces a lot of fixes and retains most aspects of the original game. In terms of visual upgrades, it adds distinction to different units and factions through reskins.
