Warhammer Total War: Warhammer 2

[tabacila]

CA said they initially wanted to release the first race pack DLC in December, but due to the Norsca fuckup they pushed it back to January 2018. Guess someone at Intel didn't get the memo.

 

[Vibalist]

Does anyone else think Chaos invasion has become pointless in ME? They show up so late that all the remaining factions are powerful enough to repel them without much effort. I liked it better when they showed up early and just tore through everything.

 

[Fedora Master]

Right now the old Norscan tribes are a bigger threat than the actual Chaos Invasion. In my games the northern part of the map usually ends up looking like a medieval Mad Max hellhole with nothing but roving bands of chariots.

 

[Vibalist]

Huh. It's always the opposite for me. Bretonnia and The Empire always end up invading the entire North, leaving Chaos with no chances.

 

[Maculo]

I stopped my skaven Vortex campaign for ME, but I am finding it too buggy. It randomly crashes at the end of turns, and I noticed various issues with unit control. My units, particularly ranged units, will sit idle after it receives an attack-order or will turn the opposite direction.

It is not game breaking, but it is annoying.

 

[Dayyālu]

They already confirmed that Tomb Kings will make it into the game eventually.

Fuuck, now I gotta play this. Simple questions:

1) Performance wise, how's the thing? Playable? Requires a monstrous PC or something?
2) AI is braindead as usual?
3) No End Times shenanigans, right?

 

[Vibalist]

1) the thing performs well enough, I'd say. My PC is five years old and can run it on medium settings
2) no, it's actually quite decent. it makes an effort to attack your weak settlements, defends its own settlements, makes alliances/declares war if it's actually in its own interest to do so, etc. in battle it has a solid grasp of basic tactics (flanking, using formations, using archers to kite, etc.), although it is by no means a mastermind.
3) im not sure what you mean by that. the game features a chaos invasion event, which happens towards the latter stages of the campaign. it's basically a horde faction that shows up and starts attacking everything (until the recent patch neutered them completely, that is).


Oh, and one more thing: Install the SFO mod immediately when you buy the game. It's a must, and it's completely effortless to add it.

 

[Maculo]

They already confirmed that Tomb Kings will make it into the game eventually.

Fuuck, now I gotta play this. Simple questions:

1) Performance wise, how's the thing? Playable? Requires a monstrous PC or something?
2) AI is braindead as usual?
3) No End Times shenanigans, right?

1) Playable, but not perfect. I do not have an SSD installed (yet), and the load times can be annoying. When I cranked up the settings too much, my PC would crash consistently in the Vortex campaigns. Once I dropped it back down, it settled down. Recently though, I have had trouble with Mortal Empires, but I may need to adjust my settings again.

2) AI is a mixed bag. I think the enemy AI has gotten better about attacking ranged units, heroes, and vulnerable units. On my Kroq-Gar Vortex campaign, the high elves were incredibly aggressive. Tyrion attacked my northern border, while Teclis attacked my southern border. They each sent 6-9 stacks each over the course of 30 turns, with typically a dragon or two attached. They would attack a single city with 2-3 stacks at a time if I was not careful. It made things interesting, especially when it overlapped with the chaos invasions (5 stacks of skaven/chaos spawning in the middle of my territory). Granted, this was with SFO installed and I do not know if it changed the enemy AI.

In contrast, I found unit control buggy in Mortal Empires, but not in the Vortex campaign. Specifically, when I load up a Mortal Empire campaign I notice units ignoring orders, sitting idle, or just moving in a strange manner (i.e., turning a full 360 degrees to face an enemy they were already facing). I cannot explain why it is different.

3) Not in TW2, although many expect TW3 to touch on the End Times.

 

[Raghar]

They already confirmed that Tomb Kings will make it into the game eventually.

Fuuck, now I gotta play this. Simple questions:

1) Performance wise, how's the thing? Playable? Requires a monstrous PC or something?
2) AI is braindead as usual?
3) No End Times shenanigans, right?

No navy, it's shit considering it's a map with two/three continents, one big island, and the ocean is paramount in the game.

 

[BrotherFrank]

I found Chaos maddeningly difficult, but I don't know how much of it is down to Steel Faith Overhaul, which I installed the minute I bought WH2. First of all, every AI settlement - almost from the very beginning - is walled (Norsca factions excepted). You're never attacking small settlements manned by a few units, but completely upgraded fortresses that have full stacks. Chaos' economy is 100 percent based on razing, so to avoid bankruptcy you must fight siege battles every other turn.

For the record, this is entirely down to SFO, this is actually one of the big key changes. Normally minor settlements cant get walls at all until they are max level and even then the walls are basic.
SFO dramatically boosts the defenses of all settlements and makes garrisons, particularly those of capitals, strong enough to beat off medium to large attacks on their own.

This is both for the players benefit (you can actually hope to defend settlements with just the existing garrison) and the ais (makes it so player needs to bring more to take cities).
These changes combined do make playing chaos in SFO a lot more challenging indeed even without other changes the mod brings.

1) Performance wise, how's the thing? Playable? Requires a monstrous PC or something?
2) AI is braindead as usual?
3) No End Times shenanigans, right?

1) My pc is medium range and has a cpu that's kinda on the weak side so a good system to gauge loading times i think. TW1 runs good but load times are long enough to put me off playing every battle. TW2 runs like a dream in comparison, my loading times are lightning fast there despite my weak cpu.
I have yet to dare try mortal empires though, mostly because i want to give them tons of time to fix things and optimize the game first.

2) Yup. Ai is brain dead for sure, but total war series has known worst.
I dislike some of the cheats ai has like it magically knowing the position of your armies and the status of your cities at all times (this is why ai will always go for your weakest settlements, especially if you have no army around. They magically know all your weakness) but if the choice is either that or the ai being worst, i guess this a compromise we have to live with...
If playing TW1 though, highly advise a mod to make the ai more aggressive or to modify march stance. Tw2 fixed this somewhat but in tw1 the ai had a horrible habit of acting cowardly even when it made no sense (my very first game of tw1..I chased archaon into the sea by a stack of nothing but empire spearmen and won the autobattle because there is no naval battles...And so dies the everchosen, champion of the chaos gods).
I have less experience with Tw2 then tw1 but my impressions is ai felt a lot less cheap in that and more enjoyable to play against overall.

3) Thank all the gods no. If anything i feel this is more of an alt universe kinda deal. Just like with multiverses in comics, we have 4 different warhammer timelines that i know of:
-Storm of chaos timeline where chaos got trounced hard. Gw retconned it but it still happened :3 So there's at least 1 warhammer timeline that knew a happy ending of sorts.
-Warhammer mmo timeline: people might spit on this but ill take this timeline over end times any day.
-End times: *spits*
-Total warhammer timeline

 

[Maculo]

What happened in the MMO timeline?

 

[BrotherFrank]

TLDR greenskins, dark elves and chaos team up as if they were the legion of doom, forcing humans, elves and dwarves to do the same.
As the chaos forces launch their big invasion on the empires of men, the dark elves invade ulthuan and the greenskins march on the dwarves, it's a coordinated three prong attack on the "forces of good".

Since this is a pvp focused mmo with an over arching faction goal of winning the war and pushing all the way to the main enemy capital (altdorf, and i think the chaos capital was called the infinite city or something like that?) and killing the enemy leaders there (karl franz+phoenix king+dwarf king for baddies, malekith+archaon+i think grimgor if goody), you can have a good guys win or bad guys win end of story depending on the server.

The mmo might not been entirely lore accurate (male dark elf sorcerers and women making up 50% of all factions military except the greenskins being obvious noticeable examples) but i thought it was fun enough and there's a lot of short stories and fluff that makes for decent reading. Its divergences only help cement that it's its own timeline anyways, totally different from end times therefore automatically better.

 

[Jimmious]

We got 3 opinions on the AI, one said it is good , one that it's a mixed bag and the third that it's brain dead. All 3 can't be right

 

[rashiakas]

There is campaign AI and thre is battle AI. For campaign AI there are different personality for the AI, sometimes chosen randomly at start, some are fixed. Depending on the personality, the AI is more aggressive, diplomatic, defensive etc. there is even a pasive personality that makes that faction doing nothing, not sure why it is even in the game. Depending on that personality and other factors the AI behavior of all the factions is vastly different, so you might say one is better then the other.

Battle AI is the same for every faction/personality and it is verry predictable what the AI does with a given unit, but very rarely it surpises you with a smart maneuver. If both sides have the same battle strength, a victory is won easy however. To make battles harder, there is a battle difficulty setting that gives the AI bonuses on various stats like defense, damage and so on. Due to a bug however, the hardest setting right now does nothing (it counts as normal) and hard/easy are switched, so if you play on easy, the game is actualy harder.

In the end you have a typicall AI that cheats to compete and trys to attack your weak spots even if it shouldnt know where they are. As far as strategy games go its okay, but if you want it hard you have to install mods.

 

[Zboj Lamignat]

Calling AI in a modern strategy game "good" is pretty meaningless, since it usually means "not pants-on-head 'tarded" or simply "'tarded, but not more than normal 'tarded average". If you tried playing any recent TW game then you know what to expect.

Tactical AI doesn't play horrible, it moves in formation, tries to flank and harass, but with proper army composition and the grasp of the game's basics it's still ridiculously easy to beat and you need to be really overwhelmed numerically to be defeated.

Strategic AI... is there even one? It just cheats and plays to be as irritating as possible, declaring wars for no reason and running across the entire map to burn your unprotected settlements and then run away cheating on movement points and rules. Pretty much the only good thing that can be said about it is that the computer factions know when they are beaten and offer peace/tribute/even subjugation. This seems simple and obvious, but is in fact pretty rare, most grand strategy AI seems to be completely oblivious to the idea of power ratio.

 

[Maculo]

We got 3 opinions on the AI, one said it is good , one that it's a mixed bag and the third that it's brain dead. All 3 can't be right

It depends on what section of the game you are looking at (battle AI versus campaign map decisions). It improved in some areas, just not all. Furthermore, there are plenty of bugs that need to be worked out.

The enemy AI is more aggressive and can put up a better fight in my opinion, but it also cheats. It cheats in terms of income and being able to spot weak cities. For example, when you confederate you often notice the AI had an economy that could not possibility support the armies it fielded. As a consequence, Dwarves and Norsca can explode in aggression, because those factions can field so many armies and will send multiple stacks after you. It is one reason that Bretonnia on VH and Legendary is insane, because you are potentially caught in the middle of unending legions of Elves (of all kinds), Norsca, Skaven, and Brayherds. This is one way the AI can maintain aggression on the map. For some, that can be seen as a crutch rather than better AI.

Also, when I play mortal empires, there is an annoying tendency for units to drop or ignore orders, but that is for the player and not the enemy AI.

 

[tabacila]

More Tomb Kings hype.

 

[Vibalist]

We got 3 opinions on the AI, one said it is good , one that it's a mixed bag and the third that it's brain dead. All 3 can't be right

I said it was decent, not good. "Mixed bag" describes it pretty accurately.

Strategic AI... is there even one? It just cheats and plays to be as irritating as possible, declaring wars for no reason

It definitely does not declare war for no reason. The AI is almost too reasonable, in that it will almost never declare war on you once your strength ranking is higher than theirs. In my most recent campaign as the Wood Elves I remained allied with Bret, Dwarves and Empire all the way through.

This is also because certain factions are natural allies. Almost every campaign ends up being "good factions versus bad factions" after a while. A good faction is so unlikely to declare war on another good faction that you're almost guaranteed it will not happen.

and running across the entire map to burn your unprotected settlements

A sound strategy. Why would you not attack weaker settlements?

and then run away cheating on movement points and rules.

Does it actually do this? I've never noticed. In my experience hostile armies are easy to catch because they don't know how to stay out of your range.

Pretty much the only good thing that can be said about it is that the computer factions know when they are beaten and offer peace/tribute/even subjugation. This seems simple and obvious, but is in fact pretty rare, most grand strategy AI seems to be completely oblivious to the idea of power ratio.

Uh, no. The CAI is very aware of your power. In ME I've only had one instance where my enemy refused to accept a peace treaty after I decimated him. Usually they sue for peace/accept a peace offer as soon as you've beaten their strongest armies.

The AI is also much more liable to accept non-aggression pacts/trade agreements/alliances if you are stronger than they are. Recruit 5 or 6 units in a turn and watch how they all of a sudden want to be your friends.


EDIT: I'm starting to think our different experiences with the AI has something to do with modding. Like I said, I exclusively play with SFO installed, and that may have something to do with it.

 

[Raghar]

We got 3 opinions on the AI, one said it is good , one that it's a mixed bag and the third that it's brain dead. All 3 can't be right

It's Creative Assembly we are talking about. They surely can make AI that is both capable and brain dead. Aka mixed bag.

 

[Maculo]

FAQ Posted: https://www.totalwar.com/blog/tomb-kings-announcement

Spoiler

What is Rise of the Tomb Kings?
Rise of the Tomb Kings is a Campaign Pack DLC for Total War: WARHAMMER II that introduces a brand-new race to the fold from the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world: The Tomb Kings.

Across the arid deserts of Nehekhara, vast legions of skeletal warriors rise from beneath the baking sands to slaughter those who trespass into their domain. It is a lifeless realm of endless dunes, stained red from the blood of savages and barbarians. This is the Land of the Dead, where mummified kings are cursed to rule in perpetual unlife. But it was not always thus.



There was a time when the ancient kingdom of Nehekhara stood as a crown of human civilisation; a golden age when its cities shone with majestic splendour, its armies conquered entire nations and its kings ruled as gods among men. But this realm was razed millennia ago by the treacherous sorcery of the reviled Nagash: in a stroke, the living perished and the dead rose from their tombs.



Death is no barrier to glory for the Tomb Kings however. In unlife, they will see the empire of Nehekhara restored to greatness!



Rise of the Tomb Kings introduces four new playable factions, each with their own Legendary Lord and a bunch of new campaign mechanics. Rise of the Tomb Kings will also bring a comprehensive roster full of unique and exciting new units.

Is Rise of the Tomb Kings a Campaign Pack?
In response to player feedback, Rise of the Tomb Kings does not contain a supplementary story campaign, but instead 2 additional Legendary Lords for a total of four, with their own skills, traits, quest-chains, legendary wargear and situational challenges.

Which Legendary Lords come with Rise of the Tomb Kings?
Settra The Imperishable

Settra is the king of all Tomb Kings. He is a ruthless leader whose thirst for conquest knows no bounds. Unlike other Tomb Kings, his unyielding will is such that he never needs to return to his sarcophagus to rest. The immortality he so desired in life is now his, and the civilisations that flourished in his absence now feel his wrath.



Settra is a great leader, bringing bonuses to growth and public order, while reducing construction time. He also confers bonus armour to Skeleton Chariot and Tomb Guard units, and has a selection of unlockable mounts, including the Khemrian Warsphinx and the flame-wreathed Chariot of the Gods.





High Queen Khalida

The Warrior-Queen of Lybaras was famed for her intelligence, honour and bravery. Her reign was cut tragically short by her cousin Neferata, who had attempted to create the Elixir of Life. Instead of true immortality though, Neferata’s flawed potion granted the twisted form known as Vampirism, and as the first Vampire slew her cousin in combat, she granted her the Blood Kiss. With her last breath, Khalida cried out to Asaph, the serpent goddess, who purified her of the taint. She is now the Goddess’ chosen, with Asaph’s divine venom coursing through her veins.



Khalida reduces all forms of corruption, enjoys a diplomatic relations bonus with other Tomb Kings factions and grants a hefty bonus to ammunition for all ranged units across her faction She also confers poison attacks on all units in her army and suffers considerably less from attrition effects.



Grand Hierophant Khatep

The head of the Mortuary Cult’s Hieorphantic Council, Khatep is the oldest and wisest of the Liche Priests, and the first of them to deny death’s embrace. It was Khatep who awoke Settra to unlife after Nagash’s Great Ritual levelled Nehekhara, but Settra’s distrust of the Mortuary Cult led him to exile Khatep. Now he roams the Land of the Dead, assisting the Tomb Kings where he can and seeking a way to restore himself in the eyes of Settra.



Khatep grants a bonus to Dynasty research rate, and improves casualty replenishment and army movement factionwide. He can also recruit a higher number of Liche Priest Heroes, and recruits them at a higher rank.




Arkhan the Black

Nagash’s principle lieutenant, Arkhan helped lead the coup which brought the hated arch-necromancer to initial power. He led many armies against Nagash’s enemies, and was finally slain in a suicidal counter-attack against the Priest King’s soldiers that enabled Nagash to escape. He was raised again by his master to become the Liche King, and for countless generations since Nagash’s death at the hands of King Alcadizaar, he has vented his wrath on the lands of the living.


Arkhan enjoys bonus diplomatic relations with Vampire Counts factions, and his regions never suffer public order penalties from Vampiric corruption. Heroes embedded in his army gain melee attack and melee defence bonuses, and all his armies factionwide gain a boost to their Winds of Magic Power Reserve.

Will the Tomb Kings factions be available in both the Eye of the Vortex campaign and Mortal Empires?
Yes, the Rise of the Tomb Kings campaign pack will be available to play in both the Eye of the Vortex campaign and Mortal Empires from Launch.

Will the Tomb Kings be fighting for control of the Vortex?
While the Tomb Kings can be played in the Eye of the Vortex campaign, they do not seek to influence the Vortex itself, and therefore do not engage in the race for control of it. Instead, they seek the nine cursed Books of Nagash, a search culminating in an epic battle at the Black Pyramid of Nagash. Each of these books grants a unique campaign bonus, and puts the player a step further along the road to victory.

What Campaign Mechanics will the Tomb Kings bring to Total War: WARHAMMER II?
The Tomb Kings will have access to a host of new game-changing new campaign mechanics, inspired by their lore. Players will be scouring the map for the legendary Books of Nagash as the driving central narrative of the Tomb Kings campaign. Along the way they will be able to research and uncover the mysteries of ancient Nehekharan Dynasties to further expand their armies, combine exotic trade goods and Canopic Jars – the Tomb Kings’ unique resource – to craft magic items and raise fabled Legions of Legend at the Mortuary Cult, and unlock the power of their unique rites to turn the tide of conflicts with powerful abilities like shrouding their territory in deadly sandstorms.

As Nehekharan warriors fall in battle, their essences flow to the realm of souls. As certain thresholds are reached, mass-healing and resurrection waves are triggered, reinvigorating the Tomb Kings’ armies.

For more information about how the Tomb Kings play, have a look at the Rise of the Tomb Kings Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/617870

When will Rise of the Tomb Kings be available to purchase?
Total War: WARHAMMER II – Rise of the Tomb Kings will be released on the 23rd of January 2018 but you can pre-order the campaign pack on Steam now to receive a 10% discount on your purchase.

To claim the Rise of the Tomb Kings DLC now, head over to the Steam page here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/617870

Steam store pages seems to show start positions for each legendary lord:

Spoiler

 

[FreeKaner]

"Wizard Caliph's Palace"

WE

 

[Dayyālu]

I'll be honest, I almost shed a tear with "We do not serve, we rule."

It has been years.

And holy fuck what's up with all the retarded last edition units, where the fuck are muh skeleton archers

 

[FreeKaner]

They will be in probably and they wanted to show off the more "epic" units.

 

[Maculo]

I'll be honest, I almost shed a tear with "We do not serve, we rule."

It has been years.

And holy fuck what's up with all the retarded last edition units, where the fuck are muh skeleton archers

They have those:

Spoiler

The unit I found derpy was the skellies standing on top of the cobras. They have normal skeletal cobra monsters as seen in the pic below, which look nice, but then someone had to take it a step further. Who thought a skeleton standing on a cobra was a good idea?

Spoiler

 

[FreeKaner]

It's the whole theme of Sphinx, animal with human face.