Does the AI have hidden bonuses in Rome 2?
Solution 1:
Yes, the AI troops have significant stat bonuses on very hard difficulty.
For example on very hard battle difficulty your troops get -5 morale and AI troops get +10. You also get smaller penalties to attack and defense.
However none of those bonuses should be significant enough that a farmer levy beats a sword band or you lose a 2v1 or fail to rout the enemy with repeated cavalry charges in the rear.