Total War Warhammer 3 brings to the table eight new playable factions. That’s already more than what most grand strategy games let you access but, believe it or not, it’s just the beginning. Once the Immortal Empires map launches, there will be several dozens of factions to choose from. Provided you own the first two entries and their DLCs. Especially the Total War Warhammer 2 DLC packs.
Immortal Empires combines all the content released throughout the Total War Warhammer trilogy into one gigantic map. To access the Immortal Empires map in Total War Warhammer 3 you’ll need to own Total War Warhammer 2 on the same platform.
Owning the game will give you access to its base factions in Immortal Empires. But to unlock the entire roster of playable factions, you’ll first need to also own all Total War Warhammer 2 DLC packs. Secondly, you’ll need the original Total War Warhammer and its DLCs as well.
If you’re new to the series you’re probably thinking, “that sounds like a lot of work, and a lot of money, just to play Immortal Empires.” And you’re right. However, Total War Warhammer 2 is easily both one of the best Warhammer Fantasy games and one of the best grand strategy games of all time, and it’s likely that the third entry will be even better. In other words, it’s worth it.
With that in mind, we have prepared a comprehensive Total War Warhammer 2 DLC guide to help you decide which DLCs to buy and which to avoid. You definitely don’t need to get all of them. The guide also covers the original game’s DLCs. Both games have plenty of free DLC but we’re only covering the paid content in this guide.
Must Buy Total War Warhammer 2 Dlc
Rise of the tomb kings
Rise of the Tomb Kings was the first Total War Warhammer 2 DLC to introduce a new race. Namely, the titular Tomb Kings. This is more of a traditional expansion compared to most of the other DLC, as it comes with loads of new content. This includes four legendary lords, mechanics, quests, items, an entirely new army roster complete with regiments or renown, and more.
Some of the gameplay mechanics, like not having to pay upkeep for your army, won’t be to everyone’s liking. But if you’re not bothered by that sort of thing, you’ll find Rise of the Tomb Kings to be among the best Total War Warhammer 2 DLC out there. The price is a bit steep but definitely worth it in our opinion.
The Queen and the crone
If you’re a fan of the High Elves this DLC is a no-brainer. And it’s not too shabby for Dark Elf players either. The Queen and the Crone introduces Alarielle, Shadow Warriors, and the Sisters of Avalorn to the High Elf roster. Meanwhile, Dark Elves get Crone Hellebron, Doomfire Warlocks, and the Kharibdyss monstrous unit.
Queen Alarielle is easily one of the best DLC legendary lords in the game and the Sisters of Avalorn are a staple in any High Elf army at this point. The Dark Elf portion of the DLC is somewhat weaker and Crone Hellebron’s starting position is a bit difficult but her faction is reasonably fun to play and worth checking out.
The prophet and the warlock
Arguably the best Total War Warhammer 2 DLC involving Skaven, The Prophet and the Warlock introduces the mighty Ikit Claw of Clan Skrye. Ikit’s Forbidden Workshop is an extremely fun mechanic that essentially lets you use nukes, among a bunch of other crazy things.
Over on the Lizardmen side, you get to play as Tehenhauin and sacrifice your enemies to your god, Sotek. The Lizardmen get the short end of the stick when it comes to their legendary lord but they are given six new units to bolster their forces with. The Skaven get a better lord but only three new units to play with, though they’re all very good. All in all, there’s a little something for everyone here.
Dlc Packs That Offer Good Value
Curse of the vampire coast
A lot of fantasy medieval games feature an undead race, but because this is Total War Warhammer 2, you can get access to three different types, each with its own factions.
Less than a year after the release of Rise of the Tomb Kings CA decided to throw even more undead at us with Curse of the Vampire Coast. The two expansions are fairly similar in terms of the amount and quality of the content they add. Only instead of Egyptian-themed skeletons and constructs, in this one you get to play as seafaring vampires and bloated monstrosities. Before you ask, yes, there are sea shanties. And a giant Kraken.
A couple of the legendary lords are pretty weak but the others are very strong, so it all evens out. The only truly negative part of the expansion is the new battle maps, which are often little more than small islands with not much room to maneuver. Aside from that, Curse of the Vampire Coast is a great DLC.
The warden and the paunch
The Warden and the Paunch might be the most unusual Total War Warhammer 2 DLC out there. One of the new factions lets you play as a blobulous goblin who turns the remains of his enemies into delicious dishes. Meanwhile, the other faction introduces a brooding High Elf who imprisons and interrogates captives in an underground base of operations that seems inspired by the Batcave.
The DLC also adds a bunch of cool new units, including Stone Trolls and Rogue Idols for the Greenskins and War Lions of Chrace for the High Elves, among many others. The Greenskins haven’t received any love from CA up until The Warden and the Paunch, so you’ll definitely want to get this one if you’re a fan of orcs and goblins.
The King and the warlord
This is an oldie but a goodie. The King and the Warlord came out way back in 2016 as one of the first DLC for the original Total War Warhammer. The DLC introduces Belegar Ironhammer and Skarsnik as the leaders of two new playable factions for the Dwarves and Greenskins, respectively.
Both lords have mission objectives related to the legendary stronghold Karak Eight Peaks. And, as is often the case with these DLC packs, the two are at odds with each other. The campaigns introduced by this DLC are among the hardest so grab it only if you enjoy a challenge.
The King and The Warlord would have been a lot more difficult to recommend before the Dwarves and Greenskins got updated. While still not among the best factions in Total War Warhammer 2, they are pretty solid nowadays and this DLC make them even better.
Recommended Dlc for Improving Specific Factions
The silence and the fury
The Silence and the Fury is the last DLC made for Total War Warhammer 2. Oxyotl, the new Lizardmen legendary lord introduced by this DLC is extremely underwhelming, and the new units are nothing to write home about either. I wouldn’t recommend this one if you’re only interested in the Lizardmen portion.
On the other hand, the DLC, and the update that came shortly before its launch, transformed the Beastmen from a meme faction into an absolute powerhouse. Their new legendary lord, Taurox, has one of the best campaigns in Total War Warhammer 2 and his unique mechanics are extremely fun to use. As an added bonus, the DLC also gives Beastmen access to Ghorgons and Jabberslythes, the faction’s two best units.
You’ll need the Call of the Beastmen DLC for TWW1 on top of The Silence and the Fury to gain access to all the faction’s legendary lords. But you can skip that if you want because Taurox is easily the best of the bunch.
The twisted and the twilight
The Twisted and The Twilight is in a similar situation to The Silence and The Fury. This is the only Total War Warhammer 2 DLC that gives any love to the Wood Elves. The big update to the Wood Elves came alongside The Twisted and the Twilight, but you don’t necessarily need to buy it in order to reap most of the benefits if you already have the Realm of the Wood Elves DLC.
If you don’t, you’ll definitely want to get it because it provides you with the only way of playing the Wood Elves in Total War Warhammer 2. And because it introduces a new legendary lord, the Sisters of Twilight, along with some pretty cool units like Zoats and Great Stag Knights.
The Twisted and the Twilight also adds a new Skaven faction led by Throt the Unclean. There are better DLC if you like playing as the ratmem so you’ll probably want to get this mainly for the Wood Elves portion.
The shadow and the blade
Speaking of Skaven DLC, next up we have The Shadow of the Blade. Deathmaster Snikch, the first legendary lord that came with the DLC, has some very unique gameplay mechanics that revolve around stealth and subterfuge, as does his combat style. The DLC also adds a lot of firepower to the Skaven roster with the inclusion of Poisoned-Wind Mortars and Warp-Grinder Weapon Teams.
But while the Skaven portion of the DLC is pretty solid, the Dark Elf portion leaves a lot to be desired. The new legendary lord Malus Darkblade’s Possession mechanic can come in handy on occasion but it’s not nearly as interesting as what Snikch brings to the table. There’s not a lot here for Dark Elf players, unfortunately.
Norsca
This is a tough one. On one hand, Norsca is one of the better DLCs from Total War Warhammer 1. And despite essentially adding a new faction, it only costs about half as much as a regular expansion. On the other hand, Norsca hasn’t received any updates in Total War Warhammer 2 so far. They probably will in Total War Warhammer 3, though.
Norsca’s unique gameplay mechanics still hold up reasonably well in TW: W2 but their starting position is absolutely abysmal. An experienced player can overcome this handicap and still have a good game, but that’s probably not going to happen if you’re a beginner. That’s a shame because the DLC itself is quite good overall. Provided you’re playing as Wulfrik the Wanderer. Throgg not so much.
Get These Dlc Packs Only if They’re on Sale
Call of the beastmen
The Beastmen are a DLC race introduced in the original game that has was completely overlooked in Total War Warhammer 2 for a very long time. The faction has since been updated but, ironically enough, this DLC is now a hard sell because of The Silence and the Fury.
The Total War Warhammer 2 DLC gives you access to the Beastmen’s best legendary lord along with the faction’s entire unit roster. It’s also about half the price of Call of the Beastmen. The three additional legendary lords that come with Call of the Beastmen aren’t horrible, especially in multiplayer, but we recommend getting this DLC only if it’s on sale.
Realm of the wood elves
Getting this TW: W1 DLC is the only way to play as the Wood Elves in Total War Warhammer 2 if you don’t own The Twisted and The Twilight. For the longest time, Realm of the Wood Elves was very hard to recommend because the race felt outdated in TW: W2 but things eventually changed for the better.
These days, the Wood Elves are pretty fun to play and their unique mechanics really set them apart from most of the other races in the game. The downside is that Realm of the Wood Elves counts as a full expansion and costs almost as much as two lord packs. You should consider buying this one only if you’re a big fan of the Wood Elves. And only if you want more than what The Twisted and The Twilight offers.
The Hunter and the beast
The Hunter and the Best is pretty difficult to recommend. Nakai, the new legendary lord introduced for the Lizardmen, has a horde army at his disposal but the gameplay mechanics are pretty underwhelming. However, it is hard to say no to the new Dread Saurian units if you’re a Lizardmen player.
As far as the other new legendary lord is concerned, Markus Wulfhart is only marginally interesting. There are definitely much better choices out there if you want to play as the Empire.
The grim and the grave
There’s honestly not much to look forward to here. The Grim and the Grave is a TW: W1 DLC that adds legendary lords for the Empire and Vampire Counts. Unfortunately, neither of them is particularly interesting.
The Mortis Engine, one of the new vampire units, is very good but that’s about the only redeeming factor about this DLC. I would get the DLC for the Mortis Engine alone but it’s not worth spending more than a couple of bucks on it.
Don’t Bother With This Dlc
Chaos warriors
Creative Assembly pissed off a lot of people when it announced this day 1 DLC for the original game. And understandably so. Chaos is one of the most iconic parts of the Warhammer universe and this should have been part of the base game. To make matters worse, the Chaos Warriors campaigns are pretty terrible as well. The unit roster isn’t too bad but it usually only sees play during multiplayer matches.
Several Chaos factions will be playable from the get-go in Total War Warhammer 3, including the recently unveiled Daemons of Chaos. It’s hard to justify getting the DLC at this point unless you’re a completionist. But who knows, Creative Assembly might decide to do something interesting with the Chaos Warriors in Immortal Empires. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Blood for the blood god
By far the most insulting Total War Warhammer 2 DLC, Blood for the Blood God is basically what it says on the tin. The DLC introduces more blood and gore to the game, provided you’re willing to pay for it. Having to pay for extra blood in a Warhammer game is not just insulting, it’s downright ridiculous.
It’s worth pointing out that the DLC was initially made for the original Total War Warhammer and then re-released for the sequel (as Blood for the Blood God 2) for those who didn’t buy it the first time. No doubt CA will try to sell it a third time when Total War Warhammer 3 launches. Better give it a wide berth.
