The latest DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 does not bring any new playable factions. Nevertheless, it costs a hefty 25 €. This has caused some frustration. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus played the DLC and spoke with the boss. Benedict understands the annoyance, but can also say: there is a lot of fuss about nothing.
When Total War: Warhammer 3 was released in 2022, it was almost immediately a big success with over 166,000 players at peak (via steamcharts).
The big, free update Immortal Empires dared to do what no other strategy game has done before: unite 3 games and absurdly enlarge the map. Over 280 factions that fight each other for victory.
Since then, Total War: Warhammer 3 has become a well-known title on Steam and actually has good ratings. However, in mid-August 2023, they fell sharply: a measly 14 % of the reviews are still positive, and the game is now one of the “worst” on Steam.
The reason for this is the new DLC “Shadows of Change,” which has upset fans. It is a “Lords Pack”, which means it doesn’t bring new factions, but only new commanders for existing peoples.
These traditionally cost between 10 and 15 Euros, not 25. An explanation from the devs followed, but it only caused more frustration and negative reviews. The communication was really poor here, because I can say: the pack is significantly more than “just” 3 new commanders.
No new factions, but completely new mechanics
I was able to play Shadows of Change in full beforehand, both unlimited at home and live at gamescom 2023. There, the Game Director Richard Aldridge was even available for questions. The new contents in the DLC are:
- The Changeling, a legendary Lord for Tzeentch
- Mama Ostankya, a witch and legendary Lord for Kislev
- Yuan Bo the Jade Dragon, a legendary Lord for Cathay
Veterans of Total War: Warhammer know such DLC packs and know that the Lords usually just slightly expand a core mechanic of the faction. This is also the case with the Jade Dragon. While there are cool, new buffs, at its core, it plays exactly like Cathay.
The Changeling and the witch, however, are something completely different. Ostankya starts far away from Kislev, north of Lustria, has new units with spiders, and a completely new mechanic with which she can mix curses and blessings. A bit like Nurgle’s Plague Cauldron, just less disgusting and with more focus on witchcraft.
With the Changeling, things get really crazy. The idea behind the Lord is not to simply defeat all others. He simply wants to sow chaos and enjoys causing as much unrest as possible. To do this, he utilizes several mechanics that are unknown from Tzeentch and which are partly completely new:
- The Changeling has no cities, only cults. He must cling symbiotically or parasitically to existing settlements to benefit from them.
- The cults roughly function like the under-cities of the Skaven, but are far more complex and require much planning. A Lord for advanced players.
- The leader himself has the ability to copy the form of any legendary Lord and hero – including their abilities. This makes him the most versatile character in battle.
In addition, the Changeling can research completely different things than, for example, Kairos, the original Lord of Tzeentch. The most important thing: portals that allow armies to teleport to other areas to stir up unrest there. This is even crucial for victory, which is not determined solely by combat.
Not only new Lords, but also new victory conditions
The boss explained to me that many new factions in the past still have the victory condition of “painting the map red,” as it is called in the community. This means: occupying territories, defeating opponents. That’s how victories are usually achieved.
The Changeling and Ostankya, however, have new victory conditions that only apply to them. Ostankya can perform witchcraft. When she reaches the last one, she can summon armies that can essentially wipe out an entire faction immediately.
For the Changeling, the special victory is even more interesting. He sees the world as a stage where he performs plays. Here he has different acts or “plans” in which he must complete specific tasks, such as: pit all the realms of the empire against each other, blow up the Great Wall of Cathay with Skaven technicians, or corrupt the High Elves.
After completing 5 “Great Plans,” he can initiate the “Ultimate Plan,” basically a world war. Depending on how much groundwork is done, there are more or fewer allies available to both sides. If the Changeling wins this battle, he wins the campaign.
From the descriptions in the game and in the blog so far, however, this only seems to be conditions for the long victory.
Aldridge, however, spoke with me about the fact that these achievements actually trigger a campaign victory. Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten that far yet – but I really hope it’s true. In any case, the system offers a lot of new strategic options.
With Immortal Empires, Total War: Warhammer 3 became the huge game it is today:
25 € is okay, but please don’t make it the new standard
I can understand why fans would get angry at the announcement of 25 € for three new Lords. I would too. However, now that I’ve seen how much is really included, I have to say: that’s completely okay.
The boss also told me that such special mechanics will probably be used more frequently in the future. A ritual of the Wood Elves, for example, would be a pretty fitting victory condition.
Nevertheless, I have to say: that shouldn’t become the standard. If the DLCs continue to be as extensive as Shadows of Change, it is fine. But for Lord Packs from the past, where there were at most a different focus on units and a few novelties, the price would be absolutely unacceptable.
Shadows of Change will be released on August 31 as a paid DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 on Steam, in the Epic Games Store, and in the Microsoft Store. From then on, you can see for yourself.
