Total War: Warhammer III is shaping up to be Creative Assembly’s most ambitious title to date. The game will feature bigger maps, improved mechanics, and will focus on the narrative much more than its predecessors. Even more importantly, Total War: Warhammer III brings to the table seven new factions to play with. Let’s take a look at them.
Kislev
Led by the infamous “Ice Queen” Tzarina Katarin, Kislev is the Old World’s first line of defense against the forces of Chaos. Aesthetically inspired by medieval Slavic warriors, Kislev relies heavily on missile units, bear cavalry, and ice magic to protect the Motherland.
Kislev was first introduced in the original Total: War Warhammer as an NPC faction and quickly become one of the most highly requested playable factions. Being able to finally play as Kislev in Total War: Warhammer III feels like a dream come true.
Grand Cathay
The second human faction announced for Total War: Warhammer III, Grand Cathay is essentially a high fantasy version of Ancient China. Complete with storm dragons, alchemists, and towering Terracotta constructs.
Unlike other factions featured in the series, Grand Cathay isn’t playable in the tabletop game. Although it is mentioned in the lore on many occasions, Total War: Warhammer III marks the first time players will actually be able to lead the Empire of the Celestial Dragon into battle.
Khorne
The fiery realms of the Blood God Khorne are the Warhammer equivalent of Hell. Khorne’s forces primarily consist of powerful demons, heavily armored infantry, and twisted monstrosities of all shapes and sizes.
The Warriors of Chaos faction found in the first two Total War: Warhammer games was mainly based on these guys but had only a small fraction of Khorne’s true power. Expect the new and improved Total War: Warhammer III version to be MUCH stronger. Blood for the Blood God! Skulls for the Skull Throne!
Nurgle
Papa Nurgle is the god of disease, decay, despair, and destruction. The rotting and plague-infested realms of Nurgle are home to some of the vilest, most disgusting creatures ever seen in a Total War: Warhammer game.
Players with a stomach strong enough to stand the sight of these abominations will be able to field armies comprised almost entirely of melee units and monsters. After all, Papa Nurgle just wants is to hug everyone and spread pestilence, so it’s no surprise that his minions also like things up close and personal.
Tzeentch
Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, is one of the most mysterious and abstract entities found in the entire Warhammer Fantasy universe. Tzeentch’s origins are obscure. His nature, unknowable. His motives? Unclear, but they seem to involve bringing ruin to the world of mortals using hordes of magically-infused demons.
Tzeentch’s armies are more versatile than those of other Chaos Gods, with a roster that includes melee infantry, missile units, cavalry, and monsters. The only thing missing is artillery but the faction’s lords and heroes can fill in that gap with their powerful spells.
Slaanesh
Slaanesh is the Lord of Excess, a Chaos God dedicated to the pursuit of earthly gratification in its most extreme forms. Take the Dark Elves, add tons more purple, Hentai-inspired demons, and turn the debauchery up to 11 and you’ve got yourself the armies of Slaanesh.
In battle, these gender fluid demons are all about hit-and-run tactics and crippling enemy armies with numerous debuffs before moving in for the kill. To that end, Slaanesh’s armies focus primarily on cavalry and chariots, with some fast infantry and monsters also thrown into the mix.
Ogre Kingdoms
Creative Assembly already gave us a small taste of what these gluttonous brutes are all about with the Ogre Mercenaries update for Total War: Warhammer II. But we’ll have to wait until the sequel to experience the full might of the Ogre Kingdoms. Aside from a few supporting units of Gobbos, this faction is made up entirely of hideous giants and fearsome monsters.
The Ogre Kingdoms are a pre-order bonus for Total: War Warhammer III. The faction will be sold separately as DLC once the game comes out, similar to how things worked with the first two titles in the series.
Daemons of Chaos
The Daemons of Chaos are a new playable faction revealed pretty much out of nowhere by Creative Assembly. The faction is unique in that it allows players to mix and match units and abilities from the other four Chaos factions.
Even more interesting is the faction’s Legendary Lord, the Daemon Prince. Players will be able to customize the lord to their liking using a combination of various body parts, weapons, and more. The Daemon Prince is also expected to play an important part in the story.
Are you excited about the release of Total War: Warhammer III? What new playable faction are you looking forward to the most? Do you think the developers will add even more factions down the line? Let us know in the comments!
Total War: Warhammer III launches February 17th on Steam and the Epic Games Store. You can also grab it day one on the PC (formerly Xbox) Game Pass.
For more Warhammer check out the articles below.
- The Best Warhammer Fantasy Games of All Time
- The Best Warhammer 40K Games of All Time
- Top 10 Best 4X Games for Those Who Love to Explore, Expand, Exploit and Exterminate
- Top 10 Best Grand Strategy Games That Can Fulfill Your World Domination Fantasies
- 15 Crazy Sports Games for People Who Hate Sports
