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Total War: Warhammer |OT| WAAAGHcraft 4

S

ShadowSwordmaster

Banned
Pyros_Eien said:
They released some info on their new timeline and stuff.
https://www.facebook.com/TotalWar/p...800552028487/1226097520798779/?type=3&theater
https://www.reddit.com/r/totalwar/comments/5bu6da/our_freelc_array_has_been_updated_to_reflect/
The gist of it, Bretonnia the free faction is pushed back to February so it's more fleshed out(3lords, more units etc). Wood Elves are planned to be released before Christmas. More free stuff too inbetween, heroes and lores of magic and what not, the usual stuff.
Click to expand...

At least we know when the Brets are coming.
 
P

Pyros_Eien

Member
ShadowSwordmaster said:
At least we know when the Brets are coming.
Click to expand...

Well also know when Wood Elves are coming, or like, a reconfirmation that they're kinda soonish, I'd expect early december or so. The new heroes will probably just be empire mages for the wood elves lores of magic, so nothing too exciting there. There is however a decent gap between Bretonnia and Wood Elf(2 to 3months) where they might fit one more DLC, say giant rodents. Could also happen after, no timeline on the next game and what they'll be doing inbetween Bretonnia and the 2nd TW:W release. Do hope Skavens make it before the expansion though.
 
J

johancruijff

Banned
this is the time line for freeLC

CwwNWmfXAAAhj3M.jpg:large
Click to expand...
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
The post-Bretonnia factions from the leak all seem subterranean to me (I don't know much about them): Tomb Kings (DLC 8), Skaven (DLC 10), Chaos Dwarves (DLC 13), and Tomb Kings (DLC 15). The release order could have changed now. Also I've no idea how they'll fit on the map, short of expanding it somewhere (the Greenskin areas seem ripe for expansion).

I was going to suggest that they were an expansion alongside a subterranean submap a la Age of Wonders, but there's two expansions mentioned in the leak. Though they've probably changed a lot.
 
Stevey

Stevey

Member
Can someone explain how reinforcements work?
Like, I'll have two Greenskin armies stood right next to each other on the campaign map, Dwarves attacked one of them, but the other couldn't be used as reinforcement.
But when I attack, they always seem to have reinforcements of nearby armies.
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
Stevey said:
Can someone explain how reinforcements work?
Like, I'll have two Greenskin armies stood right next to each other on the campaign map, Dwarves attacked one of them, but the other couldn't be used as reinforcement.
But when I attack, they always seem to have reinforcements of nearby armies.
Click to expand...

Any army or settlement in either character's reinforcement range (IIRC it's a red circle around each army) will have included units come in as a reinforcements. The one exception to this is lightning strike battles.

If the attacker uses lightning strike (it's in the lord's blue utility skill tree) the battle is purely 1v1 with no reinforcements allowed on either side. It is a very powerful, almost necessary, skill against Greenskins' waaagh armies and Beastmen's brayherds, as well as against powerful massed armies like those of Chaos.

There might also be an exception based on ambush or underways/beastpaths, but I don't get many opportunities to really use them like that. Ambushes must be revealed to be attacked, but will be included as reinforcements as normal; this can lead to surprise 2v1's. Underways/beastpaths don't allow escape, meaning any defeat is a total rout; so I'm not sure if reinforcements work there.


IIRC hovering the mouse over any army will show arrows pointing from where reinforcements are, so use this to plan your attacks accordingly. (Though again note that hidden forces are not factored in.)
 
A

Aztechnology

Member
Detox said:
Presumably you only fight together when both your units are next to an enemy?
Click to expand...

You can always gift units to each other in co-op during a battle too. So you can take control of whatever your buddy wants to share and visa versa. You'll always be able to "fight" together.
 
Stevey

Stevey

Member
LurkerPrime said:
Any army or settlement in either character's reinforcement range (IIRC it's a red circle around each army) will have included units come in as a reinforcements. The one exception to this is lightning strike battles.

If the attacker uses lightning strike (it's in the lord's blue utility skill tree) the battle is purely 1v1 with no reinforcements allowed on either side. It is a very powerful, almost necessary, skill against Greenskins' waaagh armies and Beastmen's brayherds, as well as against powerful massed armies like those of Chaos.

There might also be an exception based on ambush or underways/beastpaths, but I don't get many opportunities to really use them like that. Ambushes must be revealed to be attacked, but will be included as reinforcements as normal; this can lead to surprise 2v1's. Underways/beastpaths don't allow escape, meaning any defeat is a total rout; so I'm not sure if reinforcements work there.


IIRC hovering the mouse over any army will show arrows pointing from where reinforcements are, so use this to plan your attacks accordingly. (Though again note that hidden forces are not factored in.)
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks
 
Stevey

Stevey

Member
Tried another Eye For An Eye campaign last night.
Started off well, destroyed a few settlememts, but then both my herds were destroyed by one human army.
Feel like I need some sort of tutorial to play as Beastmen :V
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
Stevey said:
Tried another Eye For An Eye campaign last night.
Started off well, destroyed a few settlememts, but then both my herds were destroyed by one human army.
Feel like I need some sort of tutorial to play as Beastmen :V
Click to expand...

This was in the Grand Campaign, but my observations were that you've really got to abuse ambush mechanics, fighting when the enemy is weak or defenseless, and obey the cycles of the moon. Their horde playstyle makes them capable of ravaging an enemy's territory with no risk of retribution, retreating into safe territory at the drop of a hat.

And re: mechanics, the moon events in particular you're pretty much a slave to; they will decide when you're best off fighting and best recovering. Always choose what you need now, not later. The one thing to keep in mind is that replenishment and unit upkeep are king for Beastmen--it's very difficult to keep troop levels up without some event-based help on those fronts. Like, for the Grand Campaign, I had two armies for the majority of my campaign, on Very Hard. I only got a third one near the end.

Beastmen have a very distinct playstyle, even when compared to Chaos. (It's like a tidal wave vs. Chaos' tsunami.) I also think they have some of the strongest units in the game, with only Greenskin Warlords being stronger because they can focus on the combat skill tree.
 
L

LurkerPrime

Member
Stevey said:
Yeah, getting population/growth was my big problem, thanks for the tips, not giving up on them yet.
Click to expand...
Oh, that's a good point; I forgot about that. Growth will be your biggest limiting factor all game, even moreso than economy.

Aside from never losing a core army (that will be a huuuge setback) you basically want to "farm" cities and leave factions alive so they can rebuild; annihilation is not really your goal and it's better to keep everyone in the ropes and fighting. Like, fighting armies isn't really worth it unless you can win without many losses--better to just withdraw to less defended territory. (Although IIRC Eye for an Eye is more of a 1v1 deal, so this might not be as viable as it is in the Grand Campaign.)
 
P

Pyros_Eien

Member
Don't remember the timeline and too lazy to check, but trailer had release date right? Like 2weeks later kind of thing? Sucks that FFXV is at the same time.
 
Lord Phol

Lord Phol

Member
Sweet! They are going to be very different with their amber resource, customizable archers and ability to capture all settlements. Also love that the 2 lords have different starting positions and specializes in different units.
 
J

johancruijff

Banned
Palmer_v1 said:
Could you copy/paste the info for me? Can't see the steam stuff at work.
Click to expand...

ABOUT THIS CONTENT

New Wood Elves Race in the Grand Campaign
New additional Race-specific currency: Amber
Wonder-based Campaign victory condition
Wood Elves may conquer any region on the map
Two New Playable Legendary Lords: Orion and Durthu
Two new Lord types with deep-specialisation skill trees
Three new Hero types with deep-specialisation skill trees
Comprehensive Wood Elves army roster
Adds an additional campaign map to the game with the unique ‘Season of Revelations’ Wood Elves story Campaign
New Unique Monsters, Heroes, Magic and Game Features


To outsiders, the forest realm of Athel Loren is a brooding and malicious place. The creak and groan of living wood echoes from its dim interior, the canopy seems to absorb all light, and half-seen spirits dart between the twilit bowers. To enter is to place your fate in their hands.

Within dwell the Asrai, the Wood Elves. Though they hail originally from Ulthuan to the west as all Elves do, they spurn the sanctimonious arrogance of the Asur, the High Elves, and the murderous decadence of the Druchii or Dark Elves. The Asrai consider themselves to be the only true Elves left in the world, as they embrace all aspects of their nature – both light and dark – and for thousands of years, they have lived in harmony with the sentient forest.

The Asrai share the wilds of Athel Loren with its spirits and protectors: the Dryads, Branchwraiths and the ancient guardian Treemen. They adopt its steeds, hawks and Great Eagles for their warhosts, and even rare Forest Dragons may deign to join them when the need is dire. Peerless archers and riders, the Wood Elves pay fealty to the demigod Orion, who dies in flame each midwinter, only to be reborn into thunderous life in spring beneath The Oak of Ages.

Wild, lithe, and utterly ruthless in defence of their land, only a fool would goad the Wood Elves and their spirited allies to conflict. For those who witness the awesome spectacle of an Asrai host marching out of the woodlands on a Wild Hunt, it is likely the last thing they will ever see.

CAMPAIGN PLAYSTYLE

The Wood Elves campaign offers a uniquely different campaign experience to the other playable races of Total War: WARHAMMER. Their major infrastructure is housed in the Wood Elf settlements of Athel Loren, though they are capable of expanding outwards, capturing settlements and building limited outposts, known as Asrai Lookouts, in their stead. The heart of the campaign is The Great Oak, a unique 5-tier building related to the new Wonder victory condition.

In battle, the Wood Elves are swift and deadly, fielding many ‘glass cannon’ style units. While less physically robust than most other races, and with smaller unit sizes, they make up for this with excellent melee and ranged capabilities. They field some of the best archers in the game, many of whom can move and fire, and may later be upgraded with a range of specialised ammunition. They are often accompanied in battle by the woodland kin of Athel Loren, such as Dryads, Eagles and Treemen. Their spellcasters wield the Lores of Life, Beasts and Shadows.

New Story Campaign: The Season of Revelation
Set across a beautiful and highly-detailed campaign map of Athel Loren and the surrounding Duchies of Breton, The Season of Revelation is playable as either Durthu or Orion, the Wood Elves’ two Legendary Lords. This campaign tasks the player with uniting Athel Loren in the face of Bretonnian incursions and, later, from a series of fearsome, climactic attacks by the Beastman warlord Morghur, and his corrupted bray-herds.

THE OAK OF AGES

The vast, ancient bowers of The Oak of Ages mark the spiritual heart of Athel Loren and the source of its sacred power.

In the Grand Campaign, The Oak of Ages is a unique 5-tier Wonder building sited in Athel Loren which the player must grow over the course of the campaign. As the Wood Elf player advances it to each new tier, they will receive increasing bonuses to their campaign.

Growing The Oak to tier 5 initiates The Battle of The Great Oak, a climactic multi-stage assault on Athel Loren’s spiritual centre by the combined and massed hordes of the Beastmen and Chaos Warriors. Victory (or survival!) marks the completion of the Wood Elves’ key campaign objective.

New additional currency: Amber
Alongside Gold, the Wood Elves require Amber to recruit certain elite units, to unlock certain technologies, and to expand the Oak of Ages. This is a finite resource in the world however, and can only be gained by capturing settlements and setting up Asrai Lookouts.

As Amber is limited, this presents the player with a constant choice over whether it should be spent on faction development, military might or achieving their key victory condition.

WOOD ELF SETTLEMENTS AND OUTPOSTS

The Wood Elves are capable of capturing any province in The Old World, regardless of its race origin. However, these settlement locations can only ever house Asrai Lookouts with very limited building options, turning them into army replenishment stops, recruitment stations (with access to the global recruitment pool but at local recruitment pricing), or as centres to exploit any regional trade resources. Major building chains will need to be built in the regions of Athel Loren itself, the only true home of the Wood Elves. Settlements in Athel Loren have 10 building slots, providing space to explore the Wood Elves’ extensive building trees.


WOOD ELVES INFRASTRUCTURE

The Wood Elves have unique tech trees and buildings, and as a highly developed and somewhat aristocratic race, the Wood Elf Council presides over matters social and military.

This Council has a number of Offices to which characters may be appointed, and is subtly connected to the Wood Elves’ infrastructure. Certain buildings unlock Offices for example: if the Wild Heath building is unlocked in the tech tree, it can be built in a settlement, thereby unlocking the Herald Of The Hunt office. If one of the player’s Lords is appointed to this role, he will periodically call a Wild Hunt. This gives the Herald and his army a series of very significant bonuses for the turns in which the Wild Hunt event is active, heightening their marshal prowess and encouraging aggressive actions. Players are advised to explore these interconnections in order to get the most out of their Wood Elf campaigns.

The two Wood Elves legendary Lords, Orion and Durthu, both have Offices to which only they can be appointed, providing them with further campaign bonuses.

NEW LEGENDARY LORDS

A Wood Elves Grand Campaign may be led by one of two Legendary Lords: the demigod Orion, The King in The Woods, or the ancient Treeman, Durthu. Each begins play in a different starting position, controlling a different Athel Loren faction, and bring their own suite of campaign bonuses.

ORION THE KING IN THE WOODS

Orion is the immortal demigod-king of Athel Loren and the Wood Elves. When his realm is threatened, he is the first to take up arms and fight in its defence. Every Elf feels the lure of their king’s wild summons, and many are overcome by their primal urges, abandoning civilised concerns and for the thrill of the hunt, and the heady tang of blood upon the wind.

Orion is a powerful melee warrior who also can deal sizeable ranged damage with his long-range spear attacks. He also has two unique area-effect abilities: Hounds of Orion, a magical vortex, and Hawk’s Talon, a magical bombardment. These attacks are bound to Orion and do not consume Winds of Magic.

Orion has two combat skill trees, two battle skill trees, and a campaign skill tree. This great range of skills, many of which are unique, allows him to specialise as he levels up. In particular, he can bring numerous improvements to the many bow units in the Wood Elves roster. When recruiting forces, Orion must pay an extra cost in Amber to hire woodland spirit units.

DURTHU

Most ancient of the might Treemen of Athel Loren, Durthu was once a benevolent creature who found joy in the weave of forest life. It was he who first bound the spirits of the woodlands to the fate of the Asrai. And for a time, things existed in balance and harmony.

After many bloody incursions into Athel Loren however, with countless tress felled by outsiders for fuel, or merely out of spite, Durthu has become embittered. Worse still, he believes the Wood Elves themselves invited many of these calamities. Now, he does not consider them friends: merely allies in a common cause.

In the grand Campaign, Durthu leads the woodland spirits of the region of Argwylon in Athel Loren. When recruiting forces, he must pay an extra cost in Amber to hire Wood Elf units. A powerful warrior and spellcaster, Durthu also wields the Lore of Beasts, and may summon Manticores into the thick of battle using The Transformation of Kadon.

NEW LORDS

Wood Elves armies may recruit two new types of Lord to command their armies: Glade lords and Treemen.

GLADE LORDS

The Highborn lords and ladies of Athel Loren have ruled the Wood Elves for millennia, and when the race goes to war, it is these nobles that direct their forces. Powerful warriors and excellent archers, they have two personal combat skill trees, each of which brings improvements to their archery and melee abilities. Likewise, their Battle trees augment their armies along two different paths – mell and ranged. They may also unlock three mount options as they level up: the Elven Steed, Great Eagle, and Forest Dragon.

ANCIENT TREEMEN

Ancient Treemen are colossal in stature. Revered by Elf and forest-creature alike, their strength rivals that of even the dragons of the deep glades. The true guardians of the forest, these mighty woodland spirits are Spellcaster lords who wield the Lore of Beasts. While they have no mount options (there are few creatures in the world big enough to accommodate them), they have unique skills which grant increasing protection to all Tree Kin units in their armies.

HEROES

Wood Elves armies may recruit three new types of Hero units to support their armies and perform Campaign Map actions. Each offers strong specialisation paths via their skill trees.

SPELLSINGERS (MAGE FOCUS)

Wood Elf mages have a unique relationship with Athel Loren. Connected to the deeper intelligence of the forest, they are highly attuned beings, sharing a bond with their surroundings in much the same way the Dryads, sprites and Treemen do. Spellsingers may be recruited to wield the Lores of Life, Shadow and Beasts.

BRANCHWRAITHS (MELEE/MAGE FOCUS)

Eldest of the Dryads, Branchwraith serve as handmaidens to the ancients of Athel Loren. Before the coming of the Elves, it was they who ruled the forest and tamed the Winds of Magic to bring sustenance to the wild woodlands. There is no love lost between Branchwraiths and the Asrai, though the uneasy peace continues, and these skilled practitioners of The Lore of Life can be found in many Wood Elf warhosts, casting spells in the thick of battle one minute, striking down foes with their powerful limbs the next.

WAYSTALKERS (SPY, RANGED FOCUS)

The most skilled marksmen of the Waywatchers, Waystalkers are obsessed with The Hunt. Taciturn, solitary individuals, they show a dedication to their path that puts them in closer touch with the forest than their Elven kin. Expert snipers, they can move – and even remain hidden – while firing, singling out targets for the kill with a ruthless precision that no other archer can match.

UNIT ROSTER

The Wood Elves roster contains many skilled archer units. When certain structures have been built, Glade Guard, Deepwood Scouts and Glade Riders may be recruited to fire three specialised ammunition types:

Starfire shafts (Fire damage)
Hagbane Tips (Poison damage)
Swift Silver Shards (Magical damage)

MELEE INFANTRY

Eternal Guard Eternal Guard (shields)
Wardancers
Wardancers (Asrai spears)
Wildwood Rangers

RANGED INFANTRY

Glade Guard Glade Guard (Starfire Shafts)
Glade Guard (Hagbane Tips)
Deepwood Scouts
Deepwood Scouts (Swift Shiver Shafts)
Waywatchers

MELEE CAVALRY

Wild Riders Wild Riders (shields)

RANGED CAVALRY

Glade Riders Glade Riders (Hagbane Tips)
Hawk Riders (flying)

MAGICAL CAVALRY

Sisters of The Thorn (may cast bound spells)

WOODLAND SPIRIT UNITS

Dryads Treekin
Treeman

MONSTROUS UNITS

Great Eagle (flying) Forest Dragon (flying)
 
P

Pyros_Eien

Member
I wonder if you'll be able to recruit both legendary lords. I think it'd be more interesting if you can't. Apparently, when you play them, they have the same concept they did in Skarsnik campaign, where you can only recruit units affiliated to your LL, and unlock the others differently. Specifically, if you play Orion, you have access to all elves units, but using any of the treefolk units requires spending Amber, the new campaign ressource that is also used to upgrade your main tree thing that is your victory condition. And vice versa if you play Durthu, you have access to tree folks, but need to spend Amber on elves. If you can't unlock the other LLs for a while/at all, it means you'll have 2 fairly different playthroughs in that campaign, which is pretty cool.

And the gameplay in combat of the army looks way different than other stuff, there's a short video detailing a demo battle they gave access to. It seems that all the archers can fire while moving(similar to ranged cav) and some units can fire from the woods without becoming visible(both cool thematically and super strong in some maps) or can fire at 360° without having to rotate first. On top of that you can customize arrows for your army(not sure if it's per unit or army), with it seems armor piercing/fire/shrapnel magical things. So kinda like, anti chaos/dwarfs, anti undead and anti greenskins.

Price is kinda high, wish they'd have split the mini campaign, but I guess it might also be fun to play. I think I'll buy it, I liked elves more than beastmen, and it looks like it has more content.
 
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