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Report: Total War: Shogun 2 English Language Files

Subject: Acquisition and Restoration of English Localization Assets Game Version: Total War: Shogun 2 (Standard, Limited Edition, and Fall of the Samurai) Primary Objective: Restore missing English text/audio or convert a foreign region copy to English.

Method 1: Steam Properties (Easiest & Official)

  1. Right-click Total War: SHOGUN 2 in your Steam Library.
  2. Select Properties > Language tab.
  3. From the dropdown menu, select English.
  4. Steam will automatically download the required local_en.pack and Voice_English.pack files, removing or overwriting other language packs.
  5. Wait for the download to complete (usually 100–300 MB). Launch the game.

Why this fails sometimes: Some third-party keys lock the Language tab to a specific region. If English is missing from the dropdown, you need Method 2.

5. Safely Editing – Creating a Mod (No Vanilla Overwrite)

  1. In PFM, File → New Pack.
  2. Right-click → Add File → select the extracted TSV file.
  3. Change pack type to Mod (blue icon).
  4. Save as my_english_edit.pack in the data folder.
  5. Enable it via Mod Manager (or manually edit user.script.txt).

Important:

Quick example of a small edit

If you want, I can:

For Total War: Shogun 2, the most helpful resource for managing English language files is a detailed guide on combining English audio with text in other languages, or vice-versa, which you can find on the Steam Community. Essential English Language Files

In Shogun 2, language data is stored in .pack files located in your game's installation directory, typically at C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\total war shogun 2\data.

local_en.pack: This is the primary English language file. It contains the core text strings for the game.

local_en_patch.pack: This file contains updated tables that overwrite certain strings in the base local_en.pack file.

Text Structure: Unlike other languages that use a single localisation.loc file, the English version uses individual tables for different text categories within the text\db folder of the pack. How to Obtain or Fix English Files

If your game is in another language and you want to switch it to English, follow these steps through the Steam client:

Right-click Total War: Shogun 2 in your Steam Library and select Properties. Navigate to the Language tab.

Select English from the dropdown menu. Steam will then automatically download the necessary local_en.pack files.

Verification: If the files are missing or the game is still not in English, use the Verify Integrity of Game Files option under the Installed Files (or Local Files) tab in Properties. Advanced Customization (English Audio with Local Text)

Experienced players often want English voice acting while keeping their native language for text. This requires the Pack File Manager tool to manually swap text files between local_en.pack and your specific language pack (e.g., local_ge.pack for German).

Another technical workaround mentioned in community forums involves using the launch command -lang 0 in Steam's Launch Options to force the game into English mode. Resource - Shogun 2 "Language" and "Encyclopedia" files

Error: "Cannot find string for [X]"

4. Method B: Manual Installation (Region Conversion)

If you purchased a key from a different region (e.g., a Russian CD key) and Steam refuses to download English due to licensing restrictions, you may need to manually inject the files.

Warning: This involves copying files from a legitimate English installation or backup.

  1. Acquire Files: Obtain the local_en.pack and vo_en.pack from a friend’s English Steam installation or a trusted backup.
  2. Placement: Copy these files into the ...\Total War Shogun 2\data folder.
  3. Script Edit (Advanced): Sometimes the game requires a script edit to force the language load.
    • Navigate to: C:\Users\[YourName]\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Shogun2\scripts
    • Open preferences.script.txt with Notepad.
    • Find the line language_restore; or similar.
    • Ensure a line exists reading: language "en"; (Note: This may be overridden by Steam cloud saves, so this method is not always permanent).

Primary Folder: data/local_en.pack

The single most important file for English text is local_en.pack. This is a compressed archive containing all in-game text: building descriptions, unit names, event messages, UI buttons, and tutorial scripts.

Default Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Total War Shogun 2\data\local_en.pack

Common Editing Tasks

| Task | Example Tag | |------|--------------| | Change unit name | units_onscreen_name_yari_samurai | | Rewrite building description | building_description_archery_dojo | | Edit event message | event_text_battle_won | | Modify advice or tutorial | advice_tutorial_build_dojo |

Mod deployment location (recommended)