Welcome back, Total War: WARHAMMER fans, to another instalment of the Immortal Empires blog series. This week, we’re taking a closer look at the changes coming to some of the Legendary Lords in Total War: WARHAMMER III: particularly those who previously shared their factions with other Lords in WARHAMMER I and II, but will now enjoy a force of their own on the Immortal Empires battlefield.
To kick things off, we’d like to introduce you to the one and only Be’Lakor: a key character joining the WARHAMMER III line-up as a fully-playable Legendary Lord.
BE’LAKOR
When talking about immortal beings within the WARHAMMER pantheon, few come close to the power or infamy of the first daemon prince of Chaos: Be’lakor. First introduced to Total War: WARHAMMER III as the moody antagonist of the Realm of Chaos campaign, his liberation from the Chaos God’s shackles left the Legendary Lord free to roam the Mortal Realms alongside the Warriors of Chaos.
As an undivided Daemon Prince, Be’lakor kneels to no specific god; instead, he leverages the power of all four to become a versatile fighting machine bestowed with powerful gifts from each. Those of you who have conquered the Realm of Chaos campaign will already know that he is a behemoth on the battlefield—capable of taking on almost any challenger. He is particularly unique amongst the Warriors of Chaos Legendary Lords in that he has access to the widest selection of Chaos Daemons, allowing him to assemble entire armies of daemonic might without the need for petty mortals.
Within the campaign, Be’lakor begins in the settlement of the Isle of Wight in Albion, where he has but one aim: to embark on a crusade of destruction. While the rest of his campaign mechanics will be revealed alongside the eagerly-anticipated Warriors of Chaos update, here are a couple of his key features to look forward to:
- Unholy Manifestations: Like the Daemon factions, Be’lakor has access to four powerful Unholy Manifestations. Each of Be’lakor’s abilities is aligned with one of the four Chaos Gods and can be unlocked by defeating an army aligned with a specific god or through sacrificing Souls (a new resource shared by all Warriors of Chaos). They offer powerful and unique benefits: for example, the Tzeentch-aligned manifestation grants the ability to spawn a unique shadow rift in the local province that Be’lakor’s forces can use to teleport across the mortal plain. In addition, every Unholy Manifestation used grants additional Daemonic reinforcements for his forces.
- Be’lakor’s Shadow: Be’lakor has the unholy ability to corrupt those who stand against him. When he defeats a human Lord in battle, he can mark them with Chaos: slowly corrupting their soul and eventually converting them into a Daemon Prince to reinforce the ranks of his army.
- Chaos Gifts: Dedication to the Dark Gods (or remaining Undivided) is sacrosanct to the forces of Chaos, and through their battlefield exploits, their warriors are bestowed with unholy gifts. By offering defeated souls to the Gods, Warriors of Chaos can unlock powerful (but limited) rewards which boost their proficiency in battle or grant daemonic reinforcements.
We look forward to sharing more about Be’lakor when he joins the Immortal Empires battlefield, so keep an eye out for more information as August approaches!
DEDICATED FACTIONS
If you’re a veteran of Mortal Empires, you likely know that a few of the iconic Legendary Lords at your disposal currently share factions and starting positions with other Lords, so we’re taking the opportunity to give several of them a role of their own:
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Volkmar the Grim – The Cult of Sigmar: Embarking on a pilgrimage of zealousness by abandoning the petty squabbles of the Elector Counts in favor of sealing away the abominable Books of Nagash, Volkmar now resides in the lower Southlands. Unlike the Tomb Kings and Mannfred Von Carstein, it’s not the books themselves that offer individual effects; rather, the act of sealing books away increases his Zeal, strengthening the boons and power granted to Volkmar.
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Grombrindal – The Ancestral Throng: Known for his hatred of the sadistic Dark Elves following Malekith’s instigation of the War of the Beards, Grombrindal moved to Naggaroth. There, he stages his armies to enact revenge upon the Witch King.
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Helman Ghorst – Caravan of Blue Roses: Ever clinging to the hope of discovering necromancies that could bring his brothers back to life, Helman Ghorst has moved eastwards in order to be closer to the coveted Nagashizzar fortress.
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Vlad and Isabella Von Carstein – Sylvania: Unlike the other Legendary Lords, this power couple will be staying together in undead matrimony, but will be playable within the same campaign. If you choose Vlad as your Legendary Lord, Isabella will be automatically unlocked as a hero and vice versa.
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Sigvald The Magnificent – The Decadent Host: Armed with his disturbing yet angelic beauty, Prince Sigvald is now a force unto himself within the Warriors of Chaos. He reclines in pleasure in the Northwestern Chaos Wastes, and has been bestowed with some tantalizing new features such as the ability to Seduce units, use Seductive Influence, and has access to Slaanesh’s daemonic breed.
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Kholek Suneater – Heralds of the Tempest: The ancient Dragon Ogre now resides north of the Mountains of Mourn, keen to seek out a monolithic settlement for his own dark designs.
UP NEXT!
Next week, we’ll be answering the questions you asked last month in a special interview with the developers; you won’t want to miss it! We’ll also be sharing details about another bit of content coming with Immortal Empires next week, so check back for more as we continue our march to August!