Total War: Warhammer III Lords of the End Times Review – An Empire of Endless Content

Total War: Warhammer III Lords of the End Times Review

One of the things I love about Warhammer — whether it be Warhammer 40K or Warhammer Fantasy — is that a bit of narrative drama isn’t enough. Instead, Warhammer opts for over-the-top characters and operatic storytelling. While it most likely isn’t the final DLC for Total War: Warhammer III, Lords of the End Times is built around the ascendancy of Thanquol, the victorious forces of Chaos, and the eventual Age of Sigmar.

Lords of the End Times is standalone DLC. It acts as a unique entry point for the series. By purchasing the expansion, players gain immediate, standalone access to the massive, world-spanning Immortal Empires game mode without needing to own the base game or any prior titles. This is fantastic. However, it’s highly unlikely that Lords of the End Times will be anyone’s first foray into the world of Total War: Warhammer III.

A Cast of Thousands

Honestly, anyone who isn’t already a fan of Warhammer Fantasy will probably find lists of characters meaningless, but bear with me. Fans need to know that there are new Legendary Lords. These include Boris Todbringer of the Empire, Thanquol of the Skaven, and the Glottkin of the Warriors of Chaos. Headliner Nagash the Supreme Lord of Undeath leads the new Undead Legions. Neferata of the Vampire Counts comes free via the parallel 9.0 update.

Let’s face it. The human, “good guy” Empire characters like Boris Todbringer are not quite as interesting as the Lords of Chaos. Still, Boris Todbringer’s focus on melee and Ulric’s magical battlefield blessings can be a fun change of pace.

In addition to the new Legendary Lords, there are new units, Legendary Heroes, Lord and Hero characters. New units and new heroes mean new battlefield tactics, mechanics, and magic. Between the base game and DLCs, there are nearly 2,000 different units to bring into battle. There are over 50 new units in Lords of the End Times.

Take Your Pick

At this point, I’m still digging into the new Lords and units, and there are many hours to come. I’ll highlight a few favorites so far. As a Skaven fanboy, I’ve really enjoyed the new Stormfiends and of course, Grey Seer Thanquol himself. Turning to the Undead, the Drakenhof Templars are a new cavalry unit with exceptional passive healing and great tanking. My new favorite Nurgle Lords like Orghotts Daemonspew and their ability to summon Nurglings are lots of fun. The Vampire Counts get a rework and the addition of Neferata.

It’s Devastating

Outside the new Legendary Lords, units, and Heroes, Total War: Warhammer III Lords of the End Times also shakes up the base game’s mechanics in major ways. The Devastation System dynamically changes the battlefield. Major destructive factions like Chaos, Skaven and Nagash’s Undead Legions can visually and mechanically corrupt the landscape. Affected provinces turn apocalyptic, changing the visuals and triggering unique buffs for the faction causing it. The Devastation System adds unpredictability and requires another level of strategic reaction.

For many players, completing a Short Campaign of 40-80 moves represents a satisfying game without a substantial time commitment. Now, Creative Assembly has reworked Short Campaign victories for every Legendary Lord across the entire trilogy. Campaigns now target narrative-driven, lore-tailored objectives. Completing a Short Campaign grants a powerful unique benefit to carry into the late-game.

A few other changes include faster backend calculations and shorter between-turn time, a new campaign map flyby and many new cinematics. Changes to the UI and UX include new pre-campaign toggles and endgame scenario customization. Graphics have been further optimized. Of course, most of these changes are part of the 9.0 update and don’t require the new DLC.

Digging In

Total War: Warhammer III is a huge game, both in terms of units, factions, and heroes, but in mechanical depth. Players coming to the series via Lords of the End Times should be prepared for, if not a struggle, at least a precipitous learning curve. The choices in heroes and unit types can be overwhelming. Some factions, like the Vampire Counts, have pretty opaque mechanics.

Lords of the End Times adds a substantial amount of excellent content to an already massive game. Thanks to the new and powerful Legendary Lords and the Devastation System, Total War: Warhammer III feels fresh again. Aside from some balancing issues and Boris Todbringer’s slightly lackluster campaign, Warhammer III, Lords of the End Times is both must-have content for longtime fans and a great place to jump in to an already excellent strategy game.

***PC code provided by the publishers for review***