Whether you know them as Druchii, Nagarrothi, or Dark Ones, there’s no mistaking the savagery and cruelty of Warhammer’s Dark Elves. Their leadership, army roster, and campaign mechanics reflect their twisted nature, so if you’re not a murderous slaver yourself, you’ll want a rundown of how they work. You’ll want this handy Total War: Warhammer II Dark Elves guide.
After something specific? We’ve broken our Dark Elf guide down into the following sections to make it easier for you to find your way around:
Dark Elves Legendary LordsMalekith, Witch King of Naggaroth
Malekith is the son of Aenarion the Defender, the High Elves’ first Phoenix King. Accordingly, he felt he should inherit the throne of Ulthuan, their island paradise, but its princes passed him over to elect Bel Shanaar, the Explorer. Malekith served Bel Shanaar loyally for a while, but eventually tired of it, had him poisoned, and tried to seize the throne for himself. A bitter civil war followed, in the midst of which Malekith stepped into the sacred flames of Asuryan, which anoint each Phoenix King. Contrary to his expectations, they rejected him, scarring him horribly. Eventually he and his followers were driven from Ulthuan to settle in the bleak and frozen land of Naggaroth, where they indulged their hatred, spite, and vanity, becoming the Dark Elves. Malekith has ruled them as their Witch King ever since.
Malekith is skilled in both might and magic, wields a number of powerful magic items, and rides a black dragon named Seraphon into battle. In Total War: Warhammer II, Malekith leads the Naggarond faction. Here are his unique effects:
Morathi, his mum
Aenarion the Defender rescued Morathi, a seemingly innocent elven damsel in distress, from a band of Chaos cultists. Given what happened next, she may have fallen to Chaos shortly thereafter, or may have been their leader all along.
Either way, it was Morathi who founded the Cult of Pleasure, an insidious sect dedicated to the Chaos God Slaanesh who ultimately caused the Sundering of the elven race. The Cult’s influence spread throughout Ulthuan, turning its nobility to indolent hedonism and sparking a civil war. After Morathi’s son by Aenarion, Malekith, was passed over for the throne in favour of Bel Shanaar, Morathi watered the seeds of resentment in his heart until he made an attempt on the throne. She threw her Cult’s weight behind her son, escalating the civil war, but they were ultimately defeated and driven to Naggaroth.
Morathi is now a powerful sorceress. She rides the dark pegasus Sulephet into battle and is protected by the favour of the dark gods, rather than, er, conventional armour. Or clothing. In Total War: Warhammer II, she leads the Cult of Pleasure faction. Here are her unique effects:
Dark Elves Slaves
Dark Elves use gold like other races, and they’ll aim to collect Scrolls of Hekarti in order to disrupt Ulthuan’s Vortex (the Elven pantheon is divided into negative and positive aspects, andHekartiis the negative aspect of magic).
But because they’re not very nice people and don’t like to get their own hands dirty, they have a unique third currency: Slaves. Yes, CA went there, so now we have to as well. You have the option to acquire slaves after battles or when sacking enemy settlements, which seems to be the most lucrative ‘source’.
Slaves are distributed around your empire’s provinces. The more a province has, the more gold its settlements will produce, but if you have too many, public order will suffer. Dark Elf settlements have some buildings that raise a province’s slave capacity, increase their slaves’ gold output, and decrease slaves’ rate of decline (nicer dungeons, I guess). You can manage slave populations in a new menu, giving provinces high, low, or normal priority as destinations for new captives.
This makes for some interesting choices. Got a province that’s high in public order? Kit it out to support slaves and get raiding, but keep them away from places where the populace is already unhappy. It’s a characterful nudge to stay appropriately violent when playing Dark Elves, as lots of slaves, correctly managed, will result in a supercharged economy.
Slaves are also the currency for the Dark Elves’ rites, which you can see above. New to Warhammer II, each race gets four of these campaign-level power moves. Currencies, cooldowns, and unlock conditions are as varied as their effects, but one obvious note to make about the Dark Elf rites is that these are how you’ll recruit Black Arks.
Dark Elves Black Arks
In the lore, Black Arks are colossal floating fortresses built on the backs of summoned sea monsters. They’re never seen in the tabletop game for obvious reasons, yet it wouldn’t have felt right for them to be absent from Total War – the new context of a grand strategy game presents intreresting challenges like that.
Black Arks are, essentially, mobile settlements; they have their own building trees, ten building slots, and can recruit units to an army of their own. They can also support nearby armies via the Dread Expansion stance, which projects a sphere of influence – all Dark Elf armies within it get +10% replenishment, and can recruit units directly from the Black Ark. The stance renders the Ark immobile, and slows its own replenishment.
Lastly, Black Arks can also provide bombardment support for nearby Dark Elf land battles. The system is exactly the same as it was in Shogun II: Total War, lead writer Andy Hall says – you can see it in action in this battle.
In summary, whenever you fight a battle within range of a Black Ark, you’ll be able to target bombardments much as you would spells. Several types are offered via a menu at the side of the screen, from concentrated fire attacks to wide-ranging splash damage – it’s likely that building upgrades on the Ark will unlock new bombardment types. Each appears to have three charges, and to be on an eight-second cooldown.
Dark Elves Names of Power
Speaking with PCGamesN at Gamescom 2017, Hall also revealed a neat mechanic for Dark Elf characters.
“The way Dark Elves name themselves – it’s not hereditary,” he says. “That’s why they’ve got all these cool names like ‘Soulstealer’ and ‘Knifestabber’. You can name your Dark Elves, and you can give them a Noble Name, or a Warrior Name, or – I think – a Sage Name. You then have to perform. You’ve got to live up to the expectation of that name, and if you do, you get these big buffs.”
Those three Names of Power are mutually exclusive choices in your Lords’ skill trees, and you’ll be able to pick one when the Lord reaches a certain level. Martial names buff your character’s combat skills, Revered names buff their army, and Aristocratic names buff either the local province or the faction as a whole on the campaign map.
One Aristocratic name we see in this Dark Elf campaign gameplay confers +8 local public order, and +5% gold income from settlements in all regions.
And yet, it seems that these Names of Power can go to your characters’ heads; Hall confirms that “Dark Elves have the same loyalty problems” as the Skaven (though a loyalty meter, like we saw on Skaven Lords, isn’t obvious in the Dark Elf gameplay).
Dark Elves Army Roster
The Dark Elves have a lot of similar units to their High kin – whether they want to admit it or not – but most have a nastier, more aggressive twist. For instance, the Black Guard of Naggarond are the harder-hitting counterparts of the Phoenix Guard – though they both share the same role in their respective armies, the Phoenix Guard are more defensive in nature.
But the Dark Elves aren’tsolelyan angrier mirror of the Asur. They have some monsters and iconic units that are all their own, such as quick-healing Hydras, frenzied Witch Elves and seafaring Black Ark Corsairs. For a full run-down, check out theTotal War: Warhammer 2 Dark Elf army roster.
Dark Elves Murderous Prowess
In battle as the Dark Elves, you’ll notice apurple bar at the top of the screen. That represents progress towards the ‘Murderous Prowess’ ability, which triggers when enough enemy units die, representing the Dark Elves’ tendency to lapse into an orgy of killing. When Murderous Prowess pops, it grants +25% melee attack, +15 leadership, +25% charge bonus, +20% armour piercing missile damage (if applicable), and +30% vigour. Some units have a higher tier of this ability, called Murderous Mastery, which means they also cause Fear.
This is obviously massive, especially the bit about vigour – units are significantly less effective when they’re tired. It should be possible to hold back a deadly spell or a high-impact charge until you’re right on the edge of Murderous Prowess, so as to pop it at a crucial time – you can see this in action in this Let’s Play, where a Black Ark bombardment triggers Murderous Prowess just as a unit of Dark Riders smashes into a group of High Elf archers. That’s a whole flank gone.
In the pre-release hype for Total War Warhammer 2's release in late September, developer Creative Assembly has been slowly teasing all the playable factions that fans can look forward to in the game. First came the Lizardmen, then the Dark Elves and High Elves -- and just recently, the company revealed the Skaven as well.
Along with these teasers, Creative Assembly has also released the unit rosters for each playable faction. So players can see exactly what they'll have at their disposal when they dive into this new Warhammer experience. In this short guide, we've collected the rosters for every faction in the game. From Dinosaurs, Giant Rats, all the way to Dragons, here's everything you need to know about these units.
Skaven Unit Roster for Warhammer 2
The Skaven are a divided race. Seldom do they agree upon anything any -- even more seldom do they offer assistance to other clans without the threat of force. These Ratmen will have two playable Lords to choose from in Warhammer 2. There's Queek Head Taker (the most infamous and powerful Warlord clan Mors has ever known), and Lord Skrolk (a plaguelord from clan Pestilen).
Below is the full roster for the Skaven faction and its units:
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Skaven Grey Seers can either be on foot, or mounted on Screaming Bells -- an unholy battle altar that empowers the lesser Skaven hoards, while instilling dread in the foes who hear its morale-shattering tolls. Warlords can either be on foot or mounted on Bonebreaker Rat Ogres. Plague Priest Heroes can be mounted on Plague Furnaces.
Overall, the Skaven seem to be rather polearm heavy with their melee units. They also have quite an extensive and interesting ranged roster that seems to be dominated by clan Eshin soldiers -- including all Night, Gutter, and Death Runners.
High Elves Unit Roster for Warhammer 2
The two playable lords for the High Elves are the Twins Tyrion and Teclis. Tyrion rose to power through skill and valiance, he is fiercely loyal to the Phoenix King Finubar. His twin brother, Teclis, is regarded as one of the world's most powerful sorcerers.
Tyrion can engage in battle either on foot or mounted upon Malhanhir -- an Elven steed. The same is true for Tecils, except he may ride upon a Barded Ithilmar Steed. Princes, Princesses, and the Mage hero units may ride upon Elven steeds -- though the Mage may also mount Great Eagles or dragons.
Warhammer Total War 2 High Elves Guide
It certainly seems as if the strength of the High Elves will come from their cavalry and flying units, since there's only a small variety of infantry to choose from.
The Dark Elves Unit Roster for Warhammer 2
Leading the Dark Elves is Malekith, who has lived for thousands of years -- gaining magical power longer than most mortals can comprehend time. Having tried to claim Ulthuan millennia ago, he was scoured by fire and near death. That is when his own mother, Morathi, seared black metal plates onto his skin and used dark magics to keep him alive.
Malekith can be mounted upon a Dark Elf Steed, a Chariot, or Seraphon (a Black Dragon). Morathi is always mounted on Sulephet -- a Dark Pegasus. Various generic lords can be mounted on standard Cold One horses, chariots, or a black dragon.
The Dark Elves are going to have battle lines that will be hard to address, because their roster is dominated by Hybrid Infantry -- units with a mixture of melee and ranged capabilities. (That is, if you can get past the heavy cavalry screens and Hydras.)
Lizardmen Unit Roster for Warhammer 2
This faction's units are lead by Lord Mazdamundi -- the oldest living Slaan. His ability to control the winds of magic is rivaled only by the most powerful of all beings. The other lord, Kroq-Gar, is the only survivor of the temple-city of Xhotl. Having been bred for the sole purpose of war, he a master of direct combat.
Like all Slaan, Lord Mazdamundi never directly touches the ground -- as that would interrupt his ability to channel the winds of magic. He can be mounted on a standard platform or atop the ancient Stegadon, Zlaaq. Kroq-Gar can enter battle on foot, upon a Cold One or a Horned one, or on the back of Grymloq (a Carnosaur).
Riding giant dinosaurs into battle sounds pretty awesome. It's exactly what the Lizardmen do -- and boy, do they do it well. Their monster-packed and cavalry-heavy unit roster means that the Lizardmen are going to be able to dish out and take a pounding.
Mods Are a Wonderful Thing
If you think that this current list is impressive, just wait until mods add even more creatures and units into the fray. I'm sure the Lizardmen alone will be the target for a modding campaign to add even more lovable dinosaurs to use in the future. Giant Ratmen and Triceratops-looking creatures doing battle while a giant Toad floats by sounds like a pretty epic confrontation.
Total War: Warhammer 2 launches in less than a month. So be prepared to do battle, pick your sides, and get ready to place yourselves into a world of Total War.
(Redirected from Warhammer II)
Total War: Warhammer II is a turn-based strategy and real-time tacticsvideo game developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega. It is part of the Total War series and the sequel to 2016's Total War: Warhammer. The game is set in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy fictional universe. The game was released for Microsoft Windows-based PCs on 28 September 2017. Feral Interactive released the game on macOS and Linux on 20 November 2018.[2] The game requires a Steam account to play.[3]
Gameplay[edit]
Total War: Warhammer II features turn-based strategy and real-time tactics gameplay similar to other games in the Total War series.[4]
In the campaign, players move armies around the map and manage settlements in a turn-based manner. Players engage in diplomacy with, and fight against, AI-controlled factions. When armies meet, a real-time battle happens. The game also has a custom battles mode where players can create customised real-time battles, as well as online multiplayer battles. Those who own races from the first game will have the same races unlocked for multiplayer in the second game.
The game's announced races in the campaign include the Lizardmen, High Elves, Dark Elves and Skaven. The Tomb Kings and Vampire Coast (a faction of undead pirates) debuted later as paid downloadable content factions.[5]
The main campaign of the game is called Eye of the Vortex. It is a narrative-focused campaign where each of the playable races has its own story and cutscenes. In addition, players who own both Total War: Warhammer and Total War: Warhammer II have access to a huge combined campaign called Mortal Empires, which is more of a sandbox experience. Mortal Empires must be downloaded manually from Steam, but is free for players who own both games.
The campaign can also be played online with another player in co-operative or head-to-head modes.[6][7]
Plot[edit]Battle for the Vortex[edit]
The Old Ones, powerful godlike beings, created races in the Warhammer world to fight the forces of Chaos. The stellar gates which the Old Ones used to enter the world collapsed, leading to a flood of Chaos that was held at bay by the Lizardmen. Two High Elf heroes in Ulthuan responded to this threat. Aenarion 'the Defender' mustered armies whilst Caledor Dragontamer planned to drain magical energy from the world, thus stopping the Chaos invasion. This manifested itself as the Great Vortex, accomplished with the help of the Lizardmen leaders, the Slann. It drained Chaos energy at the expense of locking Caledor and his mages in time, eternally casting spells to maintain the vortex.
Millennia later, in the time when the game is set, a Skaven rocket disguised as a twin-tailed comet disrupts the Great Vortex. The four main playable factions respond to this in different ways. The High Elves and Lizardmen seek to stabilize the Vortex, while the Skaven and Dark Elves seek to use its power for world conquest. The Skaven launched this rocket to provoke rituals from these four major factions. The Skaven could then harness this ritual energy to allow the Skaven god, the Great Horned Rat, to enter the world and thus conquer it. When the player completes the fifth ritual, their race fights a 'final battle' in the Isle of the Dead to determine the fate of the Vortex and thus the world. Winning the 'final battle' results in winning the race's objectives. The High Elves and Lizardmen stabilize the Vortex. The Dark Elves use the Vortex's power to transform their leader Malekith into a god. The Skaven summon the Horned Rat and conquer the world.
Rise of the Tomb Kings[edit]
Several millennia ago, the desert kingdom of Nehekhara was once the greatest human civilization in the Old World. However, Nehekhara was destroyed by Nagash, the first necromancer. Through the power of his Black Pyramid, Nagash enacted a great spell that would kill all that lived in Nehekhara and raise them as his undead servants. Before the spell could be completed, Nagash was slain by the last Nehekharan King Alcadizaar with the aid of the Skaven (who had initially allied with the Great Necromancer, but betrayed him after they realized how great a threat Nagash was). The Nehekharan dead returned as the Tomb Kings, but because Nagash's ritual was incomplete, many of the Tomb Kings retained their free will and intellect.
In the current day, the false twin-tailed comet has stirred the Black Pyramid from its slumber and courses with power. It is discovered that 5 of the 9 books of Nagash are needed to control the Black Pyramid. Four Tomb King factions battle to control it: Settra the Imperishable, first and greatest king of Nehekhara, seeks the pyramid's power to regain control over all of Nehekhara and begin global conquest. The exiled Grand Hierophant Khatep seeks to use the pyramid to fulfill his promise to Settra to transform him and the Nehekharan nobility into immortal golden beings. Queen Khalida seeks the pyramid's power to destroy all vampires in the world and to take revenge on her cousin, Neferata (the first vampire). Arkhan the Black, the Liche King and Nagash's second-in-command, seeks to control the Black Pyramid and use its power to resurrect his master.
Development and release[edit]
Total War: Warhammer II was developed by UK-based video game studio Creative Assembly.[8] The game was announced in London at EGX Rezzed in March 2017.[9] It is the second installment in a planned trilogy of Total War: Warhammer games.[1] The game was released for Microsoft Windows-based PCs on 28 September 2017,[10] with Sega publishing.[1]
Downloadable content[edit]
Creative Assembly has released several paid and free DLC packs for the game, which expand its content.
Reception[edit]
Total War: Warhammer II received 'generally favorable' reviews upon release, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.[11]
Eurogamer ranked the game tenth on their list of the 'Top 50 Games of 2017'.[13] It won the award for 'Best Strategy Game' in PC Gamer's 2017 Game of the Year Awards,[14] and was nominated for 'Game of the Year'.[15] It was also nominated for 'Best PC Game' and 'Best Strategy Game' in IGN's Best of 2017 Awards.[16][17]
Awards[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Total_War:_Warhammer_II&oldid=903403175'
This guide will give you a brief description of each faction from both Warhammer I and Warhammer II. Other TWW2 Guides:
The EmpireStrengths
Weaknesses
DwarfsStrengths
Weaknesses
GreenskinsStrengths
Weaknesses
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