Total War: warhammer II - v1.6.0 Build 10563.1644458 - The Prophet & The Warlock (2019-04-17)
About Total War: WARHAMMER II Millennia ago, besieged by a Chaos invasion, a conclave of High Elf mages forged a vast, arcane vortex. Its purpose was to draw the Winds of Magic from the world as a sinkhole drains an ocean, and blast the Daemonic hordes back to the Realm of Chaos. Now the Great Vortex falters, and the world again stands at the brink of ruin. Powerful forces move to heal the maelstrom and avert catastrophe. Yet others seek to harness its terrible energies for their own bitter purpose. The race is on, and the very fate of the world will lie in the hands of the victor. The second in a trilogy and sequel to the award-winning Total War: WARHAMMER, Total War: WARHAMMER II brings players a breathtaking new narrative campaign, set across the vast continents of Lustria, Ulthuan, Naggaroth and the Southlands. The Great Vortex Campaign builds pace to culminate in a definitive and climactic endgame, an experience unlike any other Total War title to date. Playing as one of 8 Legendary Lords across 4 iconic races from the world of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, players must succeed in performing a series of powerful arcane rituals in order to stabilise or disrupt The Great Vortex, while foiling the progress of the other races. Each Legendary Lord has a unique geographical starting position, and each race offers a distinctive new playstyle with unique campaign mechanics, narrative, methods of war, armies, monsters, Lores of Magic, legendary characters, and staggering new battlefield bombardment abilities. Shortly after launch, owners of both the original game and Total War: WARHAMMER II will gain access to the colossal new combined campaign. Merging the landmasses of The Old World plus Naggaroth, Lustria, Ulthuan and the Southlands into a single epic map, players may embark on monumental campaigns as any owned Race from both titles.
Welcome to our list of best Total War: Warhammer mods. All of the Total War games have rich modding scenes that offer a range of useful tweaks, balance changes and total overhauls. I've gathered a collection of mods that enhance the game rather than alter it significantly.
To install them, head to the linked Steam Workshop, sign in using your Steam details, and click the 'subscribe' button. Naturally mods can be a little unpredictable and updates/incompatibility clashes can occur. If a mod is causing you trouble you can turn it off in the Total War: Warhammer 2 launcher. Obligatory warning: installing mods in the middle of a campaign can create inconsistencies and weird effects, so be careful with that.
Better Camera mod
Get it on the Steam Workshop.
So simple, but so useful. This mod lets you break Total War: Warhammer 2's zoom limits and zoom freely around the map. This allows you to pull right back and see TW:W2's battlefields in their entirety. You can also get much closer to your units so you can look a High Elf spearman right in the eye as you order a hundred rats to go and eat him. For a similar effect on the campaign map, get Better Campaign Camera.
GCCM: Unique Faction Capitals
Get it on the Steam Workshop.
A pack of unique cities that make your favourite faction's capital city look as important as it is. These 3D models grow and change as the city levels up. Altdorf's farmlands spread into the surrounding area; Naggarond gets a bunch of extra towers, and The Lizardmen get a cool floating blue glowy thing. Altdorf, Drakenhof, Couronne, Hexoatl, Itza, Naggarond and Kislev are included with the download, and Black Crag, Eight Peaks, Khemri, Lahmia, Lothern and Miragliano are on the to-do list.
Spectator Mode II
Get it on the Steam Workshop.
Press Shift-F9 before battle and this mod opens up a new menu that lets you set the AI to autopilot. Spectator Mode II basically lets you watch an autoresolve battle play out. Combined with the Better Camera mod, you can get some great angles on your forces. You can also choose to set your army to autopilot and only control your lord, or you can give the AI control of any reinforcements you have coming. If you want more detailed control over which units the AI handles, consider AI General II instead.
Brighter Borders
Get it on the Steam Workshop.
A dead simple fix that makes it easier to identify borders on Total War: Warhammer 2's world map. It's particularly useful for pale areas of the map like deserts and the icy scene above.
Dryrain's Reskin Overhauls
Get them on the Steam Workshop.
If you're looking for some quality texture mods that stay true to The Creative Assembly and Games Workshop's original vision, get Dryrain's collection downloaded. It's split into four parts to get around the 1GB Steam Workshop limit, but it's worth the bandwidth to add variety to Total War: Warhammer 2's units. Look at all those different Empire soldiers in the unit above. Note that you have to set unit detail to 'ultra' for the mod to work fully.
Improved Arrow Trails
Get it on the Steam Workshop.
Total War: Warhammer 2 really wants you to know where arrows are going in a battle. They leave bright white trails as they arc through the air, obscuring units beneath them. Improved Arrow Trails replaces that effect with a more respectful shimmer. Arrow fire is still readable, but much less garish.
Tabletop enhancementsWarhammer Total War 2 Map
I'll bundle a few together here as they are essentially working towards the same aim: to improve the authenticity of Total War: Warhammer 2's UI. Let's start with Tabletop Loading Screens, which gives you classic army book art to enjoy as you wait for the game to load. Immersive Battle Banners adds more eloborate and themey banner art to each army. The Tabletop Banners collection is also good for this. All in One UI tweaks user interface colours to suit the faction you're playing as.
Shader tools
Shader tools like SweetFX, GemFX, Reshade use custom postprocessing presets to alter the way games look. They are more technical to apply than standard Steam Workshop mods and can hit your framerate, but if you want to dramatically change the colour balance of Total War: Warhammer 2 then there are worthwhile presets. Legionairre's Cinematic FX turns up the contrast and slightly washes out the colour to create a more realistic tone, for example. If you would like the game to look darker, there are Steam Workshop options like Darker Grand Campaigns.
Creative Assembly has published a video tour of Total War: Warhammer 2's massive campaign map, showing off two of the game's continents. Still no sign of the Skaven, sorry.
Having played Warhammer 2 last month, it was the new campaign stuff that had me the most excited. There's a proper end-game to consider, multiple starting positions and roaming armies containing units from multiple races. I think all of those things sounds brilliant.
Check out the video below for a look at some of these features in action, as well as a good nosy at the campaign setup for both the High Elves and Lizardmen.
We're still waiting on the fourth race to be officially 'ratified' ahead of the game's release in September and of course, it'd be great to hear more about the combined campaign that's in the works. No word on either, just yet.
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Total War: Warhammer II is a turn-based real-time tactics video game in development by The Creative Assembly. It was announced on March 31, 2017 and was released for PC on September 28, 2017.
BackgroundEdit
Millennia ago, besieged by a Chaos invasion, a conclave of High Elf mages forged a vast, arcane vortex. Its purpose was to draw the Winds of Magic from the world as a sinkhole drains an ocean, and blast the Daemonic hordes back to the Realm of Chaos. Now the Great Vortex falters, and the world again stands at the brink of ruin.
Powerful forces move to heal the maelstrom and avert catastrophe. Yet others seek to harness its terrible energies for their own bitter purpose. The race is on, and the very fate of the world will lie in the hands of the victor.
OverviewEdit
The second in a trilogy and sequel to the award-winning Total War: Warhammer, Total War: Warhammer II brings players a breathtaking new narrative campaign, set across the vast continents of Lustria, Ulthuan, Naggaroth, and the Southlands. The Great Vortex Campaign builds pace to culminate in a definitive and climactic endgame, an experience unlike any other Total War title to date.
FeaturesEdit
FactionsEdit
Pre-orderEdit
Anyone pre-ordering Total War: Warhammer II through a SEGA approved retailer before release or buying in the first week on sale will receive the Norsca Race Pack for Total War: Warhammer free of charge.
Serpent God editionEdit
The Serpent God Edition comes wrapped in faux lizard skin, replete with stone effect glyphs modelled on Lord Mazdamundi’s headdress, detailing the temple-cities of Lustria. It consists of the following:
System requirementsEdit
Expected around 45-55 FPS on campaign map and in a 1v1, 20 units vs 20 units battle, default graphics preset set to “High”, running at 1920x1080
Expected around 25-35 FPS on campaign map and in a 1v1, 20 units vs 20 units battle, default graphics preset set to “Low”, running at 1280x720
GalleryEdit
Key art
VideosEdit
Total War WARHAMMER 2 – Announcement Cinematic Trailer
Total War WARHAMMER 2 – Vision Dev Diary
Total War WARHAMMER 2 – Into the Vortex
Total War WARHAMMER 2 – Lizardmen In-Engine Trailer
Total War WARHAMMER 2 - Lizardmen Roster Reveal
Total War WARHAMMER 2 - First Look Campaign Map
Total War WARHAMMER 2 - Vortex Campaign Map Full Reveal Gameplay
Total War Warhammer 2 - Serpent God Edition Unboxing
Total War WARHAMMER II - Skaven Scribe Reacts
Total War Warhammer 2 - Welcome to the New World
David Vince - Total War Warhammer 2 Animation Reel 2018
Total War Warhammer II is a bit of an oddity as far as Creative Assembly games are concerned, lacking the flood of DLCs that usually accompany every Total War title. Two years since launch, the game has only received a couple of large expansion, and a couple of Lord Packs. It took over a year for it to finally cross the threshold for us to make one of our DLC guides. As it is, there's only two Lord Packs left for Warhammer 2 before Creative Assembly focus their resources on Warhammer III, which has been in pre-production since last year but not formally announced yet.
Total War: Warhammer has far more DLC, and you can check out our complete guide to all of it here.
Regardless of how much there is, here's everything you need to know about Total War: Warhammer II's DLC & expansions.
Total War Warhammer 2 Climate MapTotal War: WARHAMMER II - Rise of the Tomb Kings (£13.99) (Review)
Warhammer II’s first DLC is also its best, bringing the undead rulers or Nehekarah to virtual life for the first time in history. Rise of the Tomb Kings is a massive expansion, adding the Land of the Dead in all its sandy and pyramid-y glory and tasking players to find five of the Nine Books of Nagash to gain complete control over the eternal unlife of its eponymous rulers.
The story takes place in the same map as the base game’s Eye of the Vortex campaign, but the addition of the Tomb Kings as a playable faction upends every other mechanic Total War relies on. Units require no upkeep nor incur recruitment costs but have caps that require the construction of certain buildings, allowing these faux-Egyptians to raise an entire 20 stack army in a couple of turns. Due to being a bunch of reanimate obsessed skeletons, Tomb King units are also impervious to morale loss and never rout, but unlike Vampires and their thralled brethren, retain enough independence and self-will to not immediately crumble to dust if their leader dies.
Even better, the Tomb Kings have access to massive stone constructs that can wipe the floor with pretty much any flesh and blood monster in the Warhammer franchise, . Add to that four legendary lords, a unique Dynasty system to replace the research tree, and a RPG-like loot-crafting mechanic to equip your Lords, and Rise of the Tomb Kings proudly stands as not just the best DLC in the Total Warhammer franchise, but in Total War as a whole.
HIGHLIGHTS:
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes. Get it.
Total War: WARHAMMER II - The Queen & The Crone (£5.99)
The second DLC is less of an expansion, and more of a rounding up of things that *really* should have been there at launch. The Queen & The Crone adds new units, two factions, and a bunch of Regiments of Renown to the ranks of the High Elves and Dark Elves, finally adding the elite special units to one of the base game’s races.
The High Elves expand their roster with the addition of the Everqueen Allarielle of Avelorn, while the Dark Elves get the Hag Queen of Har Ganeth Crone Hellebron. Both Legendary Ladies are the heads of their respective factions, offering powerful bonuses based on their campaign performance. The Everqueen leaves lingering effects through every province she passes, buffing the region and bolstering public order while gaining strength when Ulthuan is free from enemy control, while the Hag Queen needs to constantly kill thousands of slaves in ritualistic sacrifices in order to keep her youthful appearance and maximum power.
Those changes offer a higher degree of investment in the campaign than usual and are complemented by the new units quite well. The Asur gain access to the Sisters of Avelorn -- mixed ranged/melee fighters -- and the Shadow Warriors -- ranger-like scouts who shoot undetected and fire in any direction while running. The Druchii, on the other hand, can play with the Sisters of Slaughter -- poisoned whip-wielding lady gladiators that cause fear -- and the Doomfire Warlocks -- spellcasting magical cavalry that deals both magical and poisonous damage in melee.
Those new units are more powerful than the base game’s standard ones -- a gap that is only widened by the inclusion of the Regiments of Renown such as flaming lance Dragon Princes. The final additions are a High Elven Handmaiden Hero for Avelorn and a Supreme Sorceress army Lord for the Dark Elves, adding a bit more of asymmetry to what is overall a very balanced pack.
HIGHLIGHTS:
IS IT WORTH IT?
Yes, if you are mainly an Elven player. I expect a Lizardmen & Skaven pack to be in the works now and bound to be released soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Warhammer 2 Campaign MapTotal War: WARHAMMER II - Curse of the Vampire Coast (£13.99) (Review)
Arr, the high seas. Who doesn’t love pirate battles, where crew swing between decks with swashbuckling prowess and ships blow the crap out of each other with broadsides? Unfortunately for all of us, the pirate themed expansion to Warhammer II has no ship battles, so… arrr, who doesn't love giant pirate armies fighting… on the land… like… regular… armies. Arrrr.
Curse of the Vampire Coast was one hell of a curveball, taking a very minor aspect of Warhammer lore and expanding it to mainstream status. It adds four new factions and their Legendary Lords to the game, from the crazed Luthor Harkon in Lustria to the mutant Aranessa Saltspite in Sartosa, and all of them are focused on living on the high seas with armies of undead people under their thumb.
The biggest differential for pirate factions is their possession of a legendary ship, the personal vessel of their legendary lord. The big boat serves as a mobile base, allowing players to upgrade buildings and churn out units anywhere, granting a degree of mobility matched only by horde armies. Unlike horde armies, however, the undead pirates can conquer settlements or install Pirate Coves that syphon the money of nearby cities without any of the admin work, making this one of the versatile playthrough options one can have.
The campaign also brings treasure maps for treasure, Infamy lists for stat bonuses, and cursed Pieces of Eight to unlock Regiments of Renown, keeping the pirate theme running strong. Similar to the Empire in Warhammer I, players can also appoint Lords to positions in the hierarchy that benefit both that army and the faction, though loyalty is an ever present concern if you want to keep the scallywag in office.
In battle, the focus is obviously on ranged units, with most of the roster possessing firearms of some kind. Fallout 4 missile ammo. Zombie sailors and vampire pirates let out a wall of gunfire upon approaching enemies, while giant walking animated shipwrecks, mortars, and cannons let death fly from afar. Add to that a giant walking crab and a gigantic cannon bigger than a dragon, and the pirate faction is easily one of the most diverse and interesting ones in Warhammer II.
HIGHLIGHTS:
IS IT WORTH IT?
As novel as it is, this DLC can only be recommended if you like the idea of sailing undead vampires. The lack of ship battles or boarding doesn’t really capture the feel of being a pirate on the seas, and the DLC does end up playing as a normal Total War faction due to huge 20 stack armies fighting each other on land maps all the time.
Total War: WARHAMMER II - The Prophet & The Warlock (£6.99) (Review)
We all love Skaven and Lizardmen, for different reasons. Not me, of course -- I love to kill Skaven and ignore Lizardmen, but I’m a High Elf player. A lot of people do like them, however, and Creative Assembly finally found time to give those two factions their first cup of love cocoa since Warhammer II launched 2 years ago.
The Prophet & The Warlock is a Lord Pack, similar to The Queen & The Crone. It brings two new legendary lords -- Lizardmen prophet Tehenhauin and Skaven warlock Ikit Claw -- with their new respective factions, adding in new units and mechanics along the way.
The Lizardmen, as the religious, devoted, biological computers that they are, are all about order and orders, doing their best to fulfil a prophecy by following its tablets while preventing chaos in all its forms (but mainly Skaven) from taking a hold. Tehenhauin’s main end-goal is the completion of the Prophecy of Sotek, which will bring the serpent-god back into the world.
Meanwhile, the Skaven are all about disorder and decay, spreading corruption left and right while killing and eating everything they can. Ikit Claw, being the greatest Warlock Engineer who ever lived -- is a few steps ahead of his brethren on the “killing” part, able to field giant hamster balls of death called Doom-Flayers, fire warpstone nukes called Doomrockets, and level whole settlements via a huge spherical bomb called the Doomsphere (they’re clever, but they’re not very creative at naming, these ratmen).
Besides those unique features, you get the standard package of all Lord Packs -- new units (such as the salamanders and red-crested skinks for Lizardmen and Ratling Gunners and snipers for the Skaven), as well as Regiment of Renown variations of most units in their respective rosters. The RoR tend to be pretty cool -- from regenerating Doomwheels to unbreakable infantry, these can act as pillars if used correctly in any field battles they are employed.
HIGHLIGHTS:
IS IT WORTH IT?
If you ever wonder about playing as the Skaven, definitely. If you are a Lizardmen fan, you will want the new units. The one problem with this DLC is that most of the new features are faction-specific, so you won’t be able to play as Clan Pestilens on Mazdamundi and enjoy them. If you are cool with that, however (or just want the units), go and get it.
Ranking
What's been your favourite TWW2 DLC to date? What would you like to see them do next? Let us know in the comments!
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