--- title: "Total War: WARHAMMER: Campaign and Battle Guide" game: "Total War: WARHAMMER" game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/total-war-warhammer" author: "Qloud" author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud" summary: "A guide to the first Total War: WARHAMMER: how the campaign economy works, how each race plays, opening priorities for the main Legendary Lords, battle fundamentals, and how this game fits with WARHAMMER II and III…" url: "https://qna.gg/g/total-war-warhammer-campaign-and-battle-guide-0017ad63" published: "2026-09-27T20:59:49.723Z" updated: "2026-09-27T20:59:49.723Z" source: "QnA.GG" --- # Total War: WARHAMMER: Campaign and Battle Guide A guide to the first Total War: WARHAMMER: how the campaign economy works, how each race plays, opening priorities for the main Legendary Lords, battle fundamentals, and how this game fits with WARHAMMER II and III today. *Researched September 2026 — the game is complete (no new content patches); since December 4, 2025, owners of WARHAMMER I or II get WARHAMMER III added with Immortal Empires and The Lost God prologue unlocked. Check the linked sources if something differs.* --- ## Important: How This Game Fits in the Trilogy (2026) - **WARHAMMER I still has its own Old World campaign**, which is what this guide mainly covers. - **Owning WARHAMMER I unlocks its races** for the combined-map campaigns: Mortal Empires in WARHAMMER II and Immortal Empires in WARHAMMER III. - **Since December 4, 2025**, anyone who owns WARHAMMER I or II has WARHAMMER III added to their library automatically, with **Immortal Empires** and **The Lost God** prologue unlocked. You can buy WARHAMMER III DLC to play those factions in Immortal Empires. - Many players now play the WARHAMMER I races in Immortal Empires, where they've received updates. The standalone WARHAMMER I campaign is still a great, more focused experience. --- ## Quick Start 1. **Start with the Empire (Karl Franz) or the Dwarfs (Thorgrim).** They're the most forgiving races for learning. 2. **Secure your home province first.** Complete provinces unlock commandments and stabilize public order. 3. **Don't overbuild recruitment.** One or two strong armies with good upkeep beat three weak ones. 4. **Income before military buildings.** Economy buildings pay back quickly early on. 5. **Level your Lords and Heroes.** Spend skill points with a plan: combat skills for fighting Lords, campaign skills for income and public order, and army-wide buffs for your core units. 6. **Use quest battles.** Legendary Lords get unique magic items through quest chains. 7. **Watch public order and corruption.** Rebellions and corruption can collapse a region fast. 8. **Prepare for the Chaos invasion.** A huge Chaos force eventually invades from the north. 9. **Autoresolve easy fights, fight the hard ones yourself.** Manual battles win lopsided odds. 10. **Diplomacy is cheap insurance.** Non-aggression pacts and trade with distant factions keep you safe. --- ## Races and Legendary Lords | Race | Legendary Lords | Signature mechanic | |---|---|---| | The Empire | Karl Franz, Balthasar Gelt, Volkmar the Grim (DLC) | Strong combined arms; Colleges of Magic; Steam Tanks late | | Dwarfs | Thorgrim Grudgebearer, Ungrim Ironfist, Belegar Ironhammer (DLC), Grombrindal (free) | Grudges; Underway movement; no magic but superb infantry and artillery | | Greenskins | Grimgor Ironhide, Azhag the Slaughterer, Skarsnik (DLC), Wurrzag (free) | Fightiness (armies need to fight) and the Waaagh!; cheap mass infantry | | Vampire Counts | Mannfred von Carstein, Heinrich Kemmler, Helman Ghorst (DLC), Vlad and Isabella von Carstein (free, February 2017) | Vampiric corruption; no ranged units; strong magic; raise dead | | Bretonnia (free) | Louen Leoncoeur, the Fay Enchantress (Carcassonne), Alberic (Bordeleaux) | Chivalry; elite knights backed by peasant levies | | Warriors of Chaos (DLC) | Archaon the Everchosen and others | Horde race; raze rather than hold settlements | | Beastmen (DLC) | Khazrak One-Eye, Malagor | Horde; ambushes; Brayherd reinforcements | | Wood Elves (DLC) | Orion, Durthu (Argwylon) | Oak of Ages and Amber; ambush specialists | | Norsca (DLC) | Wulfrik, Throgg (Wintertooth) | Devotion to the monster gods; Monster Hunts | **DLC race packs:** Chaos Warriors (May 2016), Call of the Beastmen (July 2016), Realm of the Wood Elves (December 2016), and Norsca (August 2017). Bretonnia became playable in a free update in February 2017. Lord packs include The King and the Warlord (Belegar and Skarsnik) and The Grim and the Grave (Volkmar and Helman Ghorst). --- ## Campaign Economy ### Settlements and provinces - Each province has a **capital** and **minor settlements**. Capitals have more building slots and higher tier caps. - **Owning a full province** lets you issue a **commandment** (a province-wide bonus) and improves public order. - Building slots are limited, so specialize: one settlement for military recruitment, others for income and growth. ### Growth and tiers - Settlements grow over time. Growth unlocks higher settlement tiers, which unlock better buildings and units. - Early, build growth and income; the best units come from tier 4 and 5 buildings. ### Public order and corruption - **Public order** falls from enemy corruption, lack of garrison, and conquest. Low public order triggers rebellions. - **Corruption** comes from Chaos and the Vampire Counts. Some races spread their own corruption (Vampire Counts need vampiric corruption to thrive). - Use buildings, Lords' skills, heroes, and commandments to manage both. ### Trade Trade agreements add income from tradable resources. Having access to 4, 7, and 10 different tradable resources are milestone achievements ("Appraiser," "Factor," "Merchant"). ### Technology Every race has a tech tree. Economic and public order techs first, then the military tech for your core units. --- ## Opening Priorities by Race ### Empire (Karl Franz) - Start in **Altdorf** in Reikland. Unify Reikland and the nearby Empire provinces. - Karl Franz is a strong combat Lord; Balthasar Gelt is a battle mage. - Build income, then the Altdorf Colleges of Magic landmark (the "Scion of Volans" achievement), and upgrade Altdorf to level 5 ("Imperial Architect"). - Your mid-game backbone: halberds, handgunners, great cannons, and later Reiksguard and Steam Tanks. ### Dwarfs (Thorgrim) - Start at **Karaz-a-Karak**. Greenskins are your immediate problem. - **Grudges** accumulate when others wrong you; settle them by fighting the responsible factions, or public order suffers. - Use the **Underway** to move under mountains, but beware ambushes there. - Your army: Dwarf Warriors and Longbeards up front, Thunderers and Quarrellers behind, Grudge Throwers and cannons for artillery. ### Greenskins (Grimgor) - **Fightiness:** Greenskin armies must keep fighting or they lose cohesion. Plan constant wars. - A high-fightiness army spawns a **Waaagh!** army that follows and supports it. - Cheap Orc Boyz and goblins in numbers; Giants and Arachnaroks for monsters. - Take the Dwarf holds: occupying or razing Karaz-a-Karak earns "Waaagh! on da Stunties!" ### Vampire Counts (Mannfred) - Start at **Castle Drakenhof** in Sylvania. - **No ranged units.** Your damage comes from magic, monsters, and fast cavalry. - Spread **vampiric corruption** into regions before you invade them. Corrupted regions are easier to hold, and they wear down enemy armies passing through. - Raise the dead after battles to refill cheaply. Terrorgheists and the Black Coach are strong late units. ### Bretonnia (Louen) - **Chivalry** rises from honorable actions and falls from dishonorable ones. High chivalry buffs you. - Peasant units are cheap but penalize you if you field too many. Knights are the real army. - Grail Knights and the Grail Reliquae are late-game highlights. --- ## Battle Fundamentals ### Unit roles | Role | Job | |---|---| | Infantry (sword, spear, halberd) | Hold the line; spears and halberds counter cavalry and monsters | | Missile infantry | Damage from behind the line | | Cavalry | Flank and charge into the rear of engaged enemies | | Monsters | Break infantry blocks; vulnerable to anti-large units | | Artillery | Wear enemies down before contact | | Lords and Heroes | Strong single entities; use abilities and fight other characters | | Flying units | Hunt artillery and missile units | ### The basic battle plan 1. **Form a line** with infantry, ranged behind, cavalry on the flanks. 2. **Let the enemy come to you** while artillery and missiles do damage. 3. **Engage infantry frontally,** then **charge cavalry into their rear**. Charges cause huge morale damage. 4. **Protect your ranged units** from enemy cavalry and flyers. 5. **Use magic and abilities** at the key moment of the melee. 6. **Rout chains:** once units start fleeing, nearby units lose morale too. Press the advantage. ### Magic - The **Winds of Magic** give you a pool each battle. Different Lores (Fire, Heavens, Death, Metal, Vampires, and others) suit different jobs. - Watch for **miscasts** on overcast spells. - Some units are weak to fire; the "Fire Dragon" achievement asks you to exploit that weakness. ### Sieges - Ladders and siege equipment get you over walls. Dwarf Miners and monstrous units can break gates. - Capture the victory point to win ("Capture the Zoggin' Flag!"). - Defending walled settlements, spread ranged units along walls and keep a reserve at the victory point. --- ## The Chaos Invasion - At some point, a massive **Chaos invasion** arrives from the north, including Archaon's forces. - Build up your defenses and armies before it hits. Walls and garrisons in northern settlements help. - Alliances with neighbors matter here: let other factions absorb some of the damage. - Kislev and the northern Empire are usually hit hard first. --- ## Common Mistakes to Avoid - **Too many armies too early.** Upkeep rises with each army; income dries up. - **Ignoring public order** after conquest. Garrison, use commandments, and pick public order techs. - **Leaving Lords unleveled** or with scattered skill points. - **Letting cavalry get stuck in frontal fights.** Charge, pull out, and charge again. - **Autoresolving close fights.** Manual control often wins battles autoresolve would lose. - **Being unprepared for the Chaos invasion.** - **Fighting with no anti-large** against monster-heavy enemies. --- ## Advanced Tips - **Cycle-charging cavalry** (charge, withdraw, charge) deals repeated charge bonuses. - **Ambush stance** sets up ambush battles. Winning 5 in one campaign earns "Charnel Valley"; the Beastmen ("Surprise! You're Dead...") and Wood Elves ("The Undergrowth Advantage") each have a 10-ambush achievement. - **Raiding stance** gives income from enemy land, which matters for Greenskins and Beastmen. - **Hero spam** (sending heroes to assassinate or sabotage) keeps enemy Lords from escalating. - **Quest items first:** a Legendary Lord with his quest weapon wins battles single-handedly. - **Use terrain.** Fight on hills, funnel enemies through forests and chokepoints. - **Horde races** (Chaos, Beastmen) grow their army's buildings instead of cities; plan routes that keep them fighting and razing. --- ## FAQ **Is Total War: WARHAMMER still worth buying in 2026?** Yes, if you want its focused Old World campaign or its races for the combined-map campaigns. Owning it also gets you WARHAMMER III with Immortal Empires unlocked (since December 4, 2025). **Do I need WARHAMMER I to play its races in Immortal Empires?** The WARHAMMER I races are tied to owning WARHAMMER I, and owning I or II now adds WARHAMMER III with Immortal Empires. Check the official FAQ in the December 2025 announcement for DLC details. **Which race is best for beginners?** The Empire or the Dwarfs. **How do I beat the Chaos invasion?** Prepare armies and walls in the north, keep allies, and focus on killing the invading Lords. **What's Fightiness?** The Greenskin mechanic: armies need to keep fighting to stay cohesive, and high fightiness spawns a Waaagh! army. **What are Grudges?** The Dwarf mechanic: grievances against other factions that you settle by fighting them. Unsettled grudges hurt public order. **Is there multiplayer?** Yes: head-to-head battles and a multiplayer campaign. --- ## Sources - [Total War: WARHAMMER on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/364360/Total_War_WARHAMMER/) - [Total War: WARHAMMER Steam achievements](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/364360/achievements) - [Total War: Warhammer on Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_War:_Warhammer) - [Steam News: WARHAMMER I and II Immortal Empires unlock (November 2025)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/364360)