Jumping into Total War: Warhammer Today
Entering Total War: Warhammer today is a vastly different experience than it was a decade ago. The original 2016 release has expanded into a trilogy, and the series’ flagship Immortal Empires campaign—a massive, world-spanning map of the entire Warhammer Fantasy setting—is now teeming with factions and Legendary Lords added across all three games. The sheer depth and variety are extraordinary: play as the aristocratic Vampire Counts, forge Mordor as the Chaos Dwarfs, uphold knightly chivalry with Brétonnia, or command a sprawling subterranean Skaven empire.
More Campaigns Than Ever—And Accessible to All
Even that description undersells the scale. Crucially, the most up-to-date version of Immortal Empires has been added for free to both Total War: Warhammer I and II. Players can deploy any Legendary Lord from the games they own—and the update even enables purchasing DLC from titles they don’t yet own.
Finding Your First Campaign
But where do you begin? For many, the main menu induces minutes—or hours—of choice paralysis. Fortunately, guidance comes straight from the source: Richard Aldridge, Senior Game Director of Total War: Warhammer 3, and Sean MacDonald, Associate Design Director, share their top recommendations for newcomers to Immortal Empires.
Skaven: The Quintessential Starting Point
MacDonald leads with confidence: “Obviously Skaven.” When pressed to name a specific Legendary Lord, he selects Queek Headtaker—a cunning, cowardly-yet-courageous warlord who bolsters the Skaven’s toughest frontline infantry and excels in battle when leading them directly.
“He’s a classic,” says MacDonald. “Anyone can enjoy and learn the Skaven experience with Queek. He’s quintessentially cowardly, but brave when he needs to be—and a leader who takes no backtalk from his troops: the perfect Skaven!”
He adds with a grin: “Everyone should enjoy Skaven the most because they are the most interesting race, and are the most fun to develop. Anyone who likes Lizardmen is a fool.”
Gelt: Magic, Reinvention, and a Fresh Start
Aldridge—whose fondness for Lizardmen is gently mocked—recommends Balthasar Gelt of the Empire. Once rooted in the Empire’s heartland, Gelt has undergone a major reimagining: Creative Assembly relocated him to the far-eastern realm of Cathay, granting him an entirely new starting position, new allies, and full integration with the Colleges of Magic system introduced in Warhammer 3.
“He’s a good first point of contact for Warhammer 1 players,” notes Aldridge. “He plays completely differently now—over in Grand Cathay, with new interactions and powerful wizard synergies. You can do all sorts of grand things with your various wizards, so I’d recommend him.”
Why Karl Franz Is No Longer the “Safe” Choice
For new players, the team now steers toward accessible yet rich experiences like Gelt or the High-Elf warrior Tyrion—a deliberate shift from the original recommendation of playing as Emperor Karl Franz. Once among the safest campaigns, Franz now faces existential threats on all fronts: Norscan raiders plunder his coasts; a Nurgle-worshipping army holds a fortress in nearby mountains; and Tzeentch’s Changeling spreads cults within the Empire’s borders.
Victory as Franz demands not only survival—but also reunifying the fractured Empire while avoiding civil war. External chaos compounds the challenge: if AI-controlled Dwarfs to the east fall, expect waves of Skaven and Greenskins at your gates. In essence, Franz has evolved into Warhammer’s Doomguy: besieged by otherworldly horrors and relentlessly pressured to endure.
Balancing Legacy and Evolution
Though Franz may have strong opinions about his heightened difficulty, he exemplifies how deeply the trilogy has matured. During the 2024 Thrones of Decay update, Creative Assembly closely monitored Franz’s viability—using automated campaign runs to assess how Immortal Empires changes impact faction survivability.
“There are always variations because that is the Total War sandbox,” explains MacDonald, “but we make sure that Franz is coming out [reasonably balanced] each time. There are a few staple campaigns that we try to keep tabs on as we develop more DLC—especially someone like Karl. When we make a new experience, we have some of our QA team go ‘Keep an eye on Karl, because he’s Karl!’”
Aldridge adds: “He’s a shining light, so it’s a testament to him when he does survive. He’s not the easiest campaign to play straight-in—we’ve tweaked things to allow players to access that experience earlier. But this is the beauty of Warhammer: with so many characters now, there is hopefully a character for everybody. Try different ones. The Jade Dragon is a great example—slightly easier to learn, more protected. And again—we keep mentioning Gelt. Gelt’s great!”
Your Path Awaits
So—ready to unleash a rat apocalypse? Play Queek Headtaker. Prefer to double down on arcane mastery? Choose Gelt. And if the vision of drowning the world in undeath as a power-tripping necromancer calls to you—seek help, then watch for Total War: Warhammer 3’s upcoming Lords of the End Times DLC, arriving in 2026.
With 25 years of Total War under its belt, Creative Assembly’s iconic strategy series has never had a stronger, more ambitious roadmap—“We’ve got the best roadmap we’ve ever had.”
