Total War: Warhammer 3 is getting a new DLC with Bhashiva and her Beast Warriors – or a “Mini-DLC,” as this time only a new Lord is added. MeinMMO editor and Warhammer expert Benedict Grothaus has played it before (almost) everyone else and completed a campaign in personal record time. Bhashiva is dangerously fun.
My Steam clock says that I’ve spent 874 hours in Total War: Warhammer 3. This makes it one of my most played games on Steam – and about 150-200 hours more added with the Gamepass version I played at release. I own all of its DLCs, which make the game absurdly expensive as a whole. So it can definitely be said… I like this Total War.
Now Creative Assembly has announced a new DLC that is cheaper at 4.99 than all previous ones: the “Character Pack” for Bhashiva and her Tiger Warriors. The new legendary Lord will be a sub-faction of the Grand Empire of Cathay, a faction I haven’t touched in ages.
Already in advance and before almost all other testers in Europe, possibly worldwide – my contact couldn’t tell me exactly – I got to play Bhashiva and even before everyone else was allowed to play, I had already finished the campaign. Yes, the new faction really captivated me that much. And that’s despite the fact that it forced me to do something I usually like less.
Bhashiva, the cat, where you should preferably buy the right food
Although Total War mixes genres, I prefer to play Warhammer 3 more like turn-based strategy (like the tabletop counterpart) and less as real-time strategy. I often resolve battles via “Auto Resolve” and simply throw enough armies at the opponent to secure victory.
With Bhashiva, it’s different: she starts between Ogres and Greenskins in the east, a bit west of Cathay, right in the mountains. Her initial enemy faction is tough, but the proximity to Grimgor is really bad, traditionally one of the strongest Lords in the game.
To secure victories here, I had to fight most of the battles myself and demonstrate strategic skill. Luckily, because here the DLC completely captivated me. Bhashiva herself, as well as her Tiger Warriors, are delightful to control.
They dash across the battlefield (faster than most infantry) and shred everything that comes before their whiskers with their blades and claws. Bhashiva is the most elegant of them, with whom I even dismantled the mighty WAAAGH-boss Grimgor in a one-on-one.
I don’t want to go too much into gameplay, as the developers have already shown an impressive 90 minutes of Bhashiva in the game. More importantly, what Bhashiva made clear to me.
A long-lost love rekindled
Cathay was the first people I played in the base campaign of Total War: Warhammer 3 and only picked up again when Juan-Bo eventually joined – and even then only briefly.
To give you a brief insight into what makes the Tiger Warriors so special: while they belong to Cathay and their units are available to all Cathay Lords, they bring completely unique mechanics with them. It even starts with the units:
- Bhashiva can only recruit Tiger Warriors unless she rises in the “Iron Favor” of the Dragon Emperor of Cathay. Then she gains very limited access to Cathay units, similar to how Chaos Dwarfs operate.
- This Favor can also be used to buy individual buffs, which can then be attached to units – like the Orcs do with their scrap.
- Commanders are similarly restricted: as with the Beastmen, additional armies must be unlocked with the same currency before you can recruit new Lords.
- Through the “Tigerhof,” the warriors unlock global campaign buffs and even active abilities or new positions for all commanders or their armies… a bit like the compass of Cathay.
- However, Bhashiva must find relics scattered across the world, which are displayed over the cities, comparable to the treasure hunts of Ironfist or the Nagash books of the vampires.
This makes Bhashiva play like a completely new faction, yet one that fully retains its Cathay identity. And yes, all the comparisons with other factions are intentional, because:
Total War: Warhammer 3 focuses more on “remix” than on new content…
… and that’s a good thing. The Character Pack is a “Mini-DLC” that brings only a new faction and not even a whole one. Just one Lord with new mechanics that are completely different from the faction to which he belongs.
Creative Assembly manages to deliver new content without disturbing the entire balance. The developers do not need to change the map and start points of other Lords too much and do not have to adjust their strength excessively. With now 24 factions and over 100 playable Lords, that is quite a feat.
Previously, Aislinn brought similar fresh air into an old faction by playing completely differently from all other High Elves (by the way, also thanks to his pretty brutal lore) or Dechala, who borrows mechanics from other factions and slightly alters them.
Of course, I still want large DLCs with completely new factions, and the map is large enough for a few expansions in certain directions (cough India and Nippon). The Tiger Warriors even dip a bit into that here, as the cats themselves follow the gods of India and a bit of Indian lore is also present in the new campaign.
Mini-DLCs like the Tiger Warriors will come more often if you want them
After my initial playthrough, I talked for another 20 minutes with Richard Aldridge, the Senior Game Director, and Josh King, the Game Director, about the new DLC. My question about whether more of these “remix” ideas would come was answered quite elaborately. The short version is: Yes, if it is well received and the players want more.
When I asked why Bhashiva and her Tiger Warriors play similarly to Cathay, yet at the same time do not, Richard Aldridge answered me:
We wanted to provide players with a new experience, as we always do. We want to implement fan favorites, new and famous characters, and Bhashiva is somewhat of a prime example: she is not well-known, but she offers something different. She allows you to live out that fantasy, to act outside the confines of Cathay, while all past characters have tended to stay within.
She was meant to be more offensive. Still protective, but with a special twist. She has these missions from Zhao to go out and be proactive. Josh and the combat team tried to find a niche for her and her Tigers.
Richard Aldridge, Senior Game Director of Total War: Warhammer 3
The goal was with Bhashiva and her Tiger Warriors to highlight their wildness while marrying that with a certain order – something that, in my opinion, has been well accomplished. As for new factions and a possible map expansion, however, the two developers were still unable to say anything.
Feel free to comment on what you think of the Tiger Warriors and what new factions you’d like to see in the game, or which are still painfully missing.
Even though Bhashiva is set to release at the for Total War DLCs cheap price of 4.99 on May 21, the two developers rather see her as a character for advanced players, just because the Hard Horde tends to knock at the door early. Beginners are better served here: Here are 5 factions with which you can ideally start in Total War: Warhammer – And 3 you should avoid
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