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

• Start with the Empire (Karl Franz) or the Dwarfs (Thorgrim). They're the most forgiving races for learning.
• Secure your home province first. Complete provinces unlock commandments and stabilize public order.
• Don't overbuild recruitment. One or two strong armies with good upkeep beat three weak ones.
• Income before military buildings. Economy buildings pay back quickly early on.
• 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.
• Use quest battles. Legendary Lords get unique magic items through quest chains.
• Watch public order and corruption. Rebellions and corruption can collapse a region fast.
• Prepare for the Chaos invasion. A huge Chaos force eventually invades from the north.
• Autoresolve easy fights, fight the hard ones yourself. Manual battles win lopsided odds.
• 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

• Form a line with infantry, ranged behind, cavalry on the flanks.
• Let the enemy come to you while artillery and missiles do damage.
• Engage infantry frontally, then charge cavalry into their rear. Charges cause huge morale damage.
• Protect your ranged units from enemy cavalry and flyers.
• Use magic and abilities at the key moment of the melee.
• 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
• Total War: WARHAMMER Steam achievements
• Total War: Warhammer on Wikipedia
• Steam News: WARHAMMER I and II Immortal Empires unlock (November 2025)