Total War: WARHAMMER II: Campaign & Battle Guide

A guide to Total War: WARHAMMER II in 2026: which campaign to play, faction mechanics for the base and DLC races, an opening-turns playbook, economy and army rules of thumb, battle tactics, and how WH2 fits alongside Warhammer III and the new Mod Manager.

Researched September 2026 — the game is feature-complete (final DLC in 2021) and was most recently updated on July 28, 2026 with Early Access Mod Manager support. Check the linked sources if something differs.

Where WH2 Stands in 2026

• Warhammer II is finished. It received paid DLC from 2017 to 2021 and is no longer getting new content. Its successor, Total War: WARHAMMER III (February 2022), carries on with the combined Immortal Empires campaign.
• WH2 is still worth playing for the Eye of the Vortex narrative campaign, for Mortal Empires (its own combined map, for owners of WH1 and WH2), and for its large, mature modding scene.
• Mod Manager (July 2026): launching WH2 on Steam now offers three choices: the original launcher, the Early Access Mod Manager, or booting straight into the game.
• Owning WH2 also unlocks its races in WH3's Immortal Empires, so buying it on sale (it was up to 85% off in the August 2026 SEGA sale) has value even if you mostly play WH3.

Quick Start

• Start with the Eye of the Vortex campaign on Normal. It's focused, with clear goals (the rituals) and a real ending.
• Pick an easy starting lord. Tyrion (High Elves) or Kroq-Gar/Mazdamundi (Lizardmen) are forgiving. Skaven and Tomb Kings are more complex.
• Economy first, then armies. Build income buildings in your first settlements before overbuilding military buildings.
• Keep armies full. A 20-unit stack beats two half-stacks almost every time.
• Watch public order. Unrest leads to rebellions. Use buildings, lord skills, and commandments to control it.
• Don't auto-resolve everything. Auto-resolve is fine for easy wins, but fighting close battles yourself saves units.
• Use your Legendary Lord's quest items. Each has a quest chain for legendary equipment. The rewards are strong.
• Mind attrition and climate. Some races take attrition or suffer in certain regions. Check before expanding.
• Diplomacy is cheap peace. Non-aggression pacts and trade agreements with neighbors let you focus on one front.

The Campaigns

Campaign | What it is | Good for

Eye of the Vortex | The WH2 story campaign. Races compete to perform five rituals at the Great Vortex | First playthrough, focused goals

Mortal Empires | A giant sandbox combining the WH1 and WH2 maps | Long, open campaigns with every race you own

Eye of the Vortex rituals

Each race needs ritual currency to start rituals at ritual sites. When a ritual starts, enemy intervention armies (often strong) spawn to stop you, and you must defend your ritual sites for several turns. After the fifth ritual, you fight a final battle on the Isle of the Dead.

Tips:

• Build up before starting a ritual. Have garrisons and a spare army ready near ritual sites.
• Rival races also do rituals. You'll get the option to disrupt theirs. Sometimes it's worth it.
• Garrison buildings in ritual cities help a lot.

Races

Base game races

Race | Starting lords | Key mechanics | Style

High Elves | Tyrion, Teclis | Influence and court intrigue, trade | Elite infantry and archers, strong magic

Dark Elves | Malekith, Morathi | Slaves, Black Arks (mobile cities), loyalty | Aggressive, strong elite units

Lizardmen | Mazdamundi, Kroq-Gar | Geomantic web, blessed spawnings | Monsters and big dinosaurs

Skaven | Queek Headtaker, Lord Skrolk | Food, corruption, hidden settlements (Menace Below) | Cheap swarming units, artillery, weapon teams

DLC races

Race | Notes

Tomb Kings (January 2018) | Units don't cost upkeep, but army and unit caps apply. Dynasties unlock units. Books of Nagash as a special objective

Vampire Coast (November 2018) | Pirates. Pirate coves in other factions' settlements, infamy, treasure hunting, strong ranged and artillery

WH1 races (Empire, Bretonnia, Greenskins, Wood Elves, Beastmen, Dwarfs, Vampire Counts, and more depending on DLC) are playable in Mortal Empires if you own WH1. WH2 also added free and paid lords for several WH1 races.

Good starting picks

Lord | Difficulty | Why

Tyrion (High Elves) | Easy | Strong lord, good start, forgiving economy

Kroq-Gar (Lizardmen) | Easy | Powerful lord, strong monsters

Mazdamundi (Lizardmen) | Easy | Strong magic lord

Malekith (Dark Elves) | Medium | Aggressive, Black Ark support

Queek Headtaker (Skaven) | Medium | Aggressive melee lord. Skaven economy is tricky

Settra (Tomb Kings) | Medium to Hard | Unique economy, very different from other races

Opening Turns Playbook

A general approach that works for most races:

• Turn 1: Recruit to fill your starting army if you can afford it. Start an economy building in your capital.
• Turns 1 to 5: Take the nearby hostile settlement that your faction's starting quest points you toward. Your first quest battle is usually close.
• Turns 5 to 15: Take your home province and build its economy. Owning a whole province unlocks provincial commandments.
• Turns 10 to 20: Recruit a second lord when your income can support a second army.
• Throughout: Use heroes to assassinate enemy lords or damage enemy armies, and to boost your own settlements.

Rules of thumb

• Upkeep grows with each army. Each additional army increases upkeep for all units. Don't recruit armies you can't afford.
• Keep a gold buffer for sudden threats.
• Build military buildings where you need them, not everywhere. Have one or two recruitment hubs.
• Don't expand into climates your race can't use early on. Check climate suitability on the map.
• Replenish between fights. Rest in your territory to heal units before the next battle.

Battles

Core principles

• Anti-large vs. large. Spearmen and anti-large units counter cavalry and monsters. Keep them in front of large enemies.
• Flanking wins. Attacking from the sides or rear breaks units quickly.
• Cavalry cycles. Charge, pull out, and charge again. Leaving cavalry stuck in melee wastes their charge bonus.
• Missile units need protection. Keep them behind your infantry line and away from enemy cavalry.
• Watch leadership. Units that rout run away. Wounded lords and flanking attacks lower leadership. Break the enemy's morale instead of killing every model.
• Magic matters. The Winds of Magic pool refills over time. Spend it on high-impact spells in key moments.
• Use terrain. Hills give an advantage. Forests hide units.

Army compositions

Race | Simple, strong composition

High Elves | Spearmen line, archers behind, mages, a couple of cavalry or monsters

Dark Elves | Spearmen and crossbowmen, Black Guard or Executioners as elite infantry, cavalry

Lizardmen | Saurus warriors, skinks for ranged, big monsters (Carnosaur, Stegadon)

Skaven | Clanrats in numbers, weapon teams, artillery (Warp Lightning Cannon), magic

Tomb Kings | Skeleton spearmen, archers, constructs and chariots

Vampire Coast | Gunnery units, artillery, big monsters, Deck Gunners

Sieges

• Siege weapons (rams, siege towers) need a turn or more to build.
• Artillery can breach walls and towers.
• Defending? Use towers and walls, but don't bunch up in the square.
• Monsters and flying units bypass walls.

Lords, Heroes, and Items

• Legendary Lords have unique skill trees and quest chains for legendary items.
• Generic lords are cheap and can be very strong with good skill choices.
• Heroes assassinate enemies, boost your settlements, or fight in battle.
• Items (weapons, armor, talismans, enchanted items) are found in quests and battles.

Skill priorities: take army-wide bonuses (upkeep reduction, leadership, damage) on lords, and combat skills if the lord fights in melee.

Mods and the Mod Manager

• The Steam Workshop supports WH2 mods.
• As of July 28, 2026, the Early Access Mod Manager works with WH2, alongside the original launcher.
• Popular mod types include UI improvements, unit overhauls, new lords, and campaign changes. Always check mod compatibility with the final WH2 patch.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Recruiting too many armies early. Upkeep will crush your economy.
• Neglecting public order. Rebellions cost time and armies.
• Ignoring rituals in the Eye of the Vortex. Falling behind means losing.
• Leaving cavalry in melee. Pull them out and charge again.
• Missile units in front. They'll get run down.
• Auto-resolving close battles. You'll lose units you'd have kept by fighting.
• Declaring war on everyone. Take on one enemy at a time.

Advanced Tips

• Use ambush stance for surprise attacks.
• Use heroes to hit armies before battles to weaken them.
• Raze settlements you can't use to deny enemies.
• Build horde and fleet races differently (Vampire Coast fleets, Dark Elf Black Arks).
• Watch Legendary difficulty for a real challenge: no manual saves, tougher AI.
• Try Mortal Empires once you know two or three races.

FAQ

Is Total War: WARHAMMER II still updated? No new content since 2021. On July 28, 2026, it got Early Access Mod Manager support.

Should I buy WH2 or WH3? WH3 is the current game with Immortal Empires. WH2 is still worth owning for Eye of the Vortex and because it unlocks its races in WH3's Immortal Empires.

What's the easiest faction? High Elves (Tyrion) or Lizardmen (Kroq-Gar, Mazdamundi).

What is Mortal Empires? A combined campaign for owners of WH1 and WH2, with every race you own on one map.

How do rituals work? You spend ritual currency to start a ritual at ritual sites, then defend them from intervention armies for several turns. Five rituals lead to a final battle.

Do I need DLC? No. The four base races are enough for a long time. Tomb Kings and Vampire Coast are strong additions.

Sources

• Total War: WARHAMMER II on Steam
• Total War Steam news — Mod Manager announcement (July 2026), SEGA sale (August 2026)
• Total War: Warhammer II on Wikipedia