The title that keeps on making great fan service content has done it again. Right before the Christmas Holidays Creative Assembly’s Total War Warhammer 2 will be getting its 4th lord pack DLC. This pack will feature Malus Darkblade for the Dark Elves, and Deathmaster Snikch for the Skaven giving both major factions their 5th Legendary Lord each. In this overview I’ll be going over what is being added to the already content-packed Total War game on December 12th when this DLC is released.
Dark Elf Additions:
Legendary Lord:
Starting off with the Dark Elves we have new Legendary Lord Malus Darkblade. Malus’ Campaign is geared towards helping Malekith complete the vortex ritual. In exchange the Witch King will supply Malus with an elixir to combat his possesion by the daemon Tz’arkan. Possession is the main shtick for Malus as the further he falls to the daemon the more unruly the populace gets, but the stronger Malus personally becomes. In addition Malus will also get quests given by Tz’arkan for unique rewards like items or even followers.
In battle Malus is a combat machine even compared to other expert fighters in the Warhammer games. Once per battle he can also call upon Tz’arkan to take over his body. This refills Malus’ health and gives him access to powerful abilities at the cost of his health gradually decreasing so use it sparingly. Malus’ quest item is for the Warpsword of Khaine which will grant him very strong regeneration as long as he’s in melee combat. Darkblade also has a cold one mount named Spite, which serves as his only mount option.
Malus’ campaign start is a weird one. He starts off with the city of Hag Graef near Naggarond, but his army starts in the very southeastern corner of the map in the Sea of Dread. When he starts you will be given an option to keep Hag Graef or to give it up for a hefty sum and continue in the south. This in a way gives Darkblade 2 starting locations which is a 1st in the Warhammer series. This also carries on in the Mortal Empires campaign where his army starts in the Dragon Islands next to the Last Defenders and Lybaras.
Lord and Hero:
In addition to Malus, the Dark Elves also get a new lord and hero with this DLC. The High Beastmaster is the new lord who specialises in buffing large units. In addition he also has a bonus vs large himself and can be mounted on a cold one, a chariot, and a manticore
the new hero is the Master. another anti large unit that has high melee defence and is good at holding the line as well as going after large beasts and cavalry. In addition to anti large he also boast armour piercing damage so can be used on armoured monsters as well.
New Units:
The Dark Elves will get 3 new units in this DLC, and starting off we have the Scourgerunner Chariot. This is an anti large ranged chariot that fires large bolts at opposing units and can fire whilst moving.
Next up is the Bloodwrack Medusa who is a ranged monster. She is very fast and is best suited for flanking due to her low Melee defence and armour. She has a very powerful ranged attack though that’s near impossible to dodge.
Finally we have the Bloodwrack Shrine. Unlike the blood cauldron for Witch Elves the Bloodwrack Shrine can utilise the Medusa’s ranged attack. However you only get the leadership buff if the shrine is engaged in melee combat.
Regiments of Renown:
There are also 3 new Regiments of Renown for the Dark Elves, Starting with the Crows of Khaine. These are Harpies with the ability to regenerate while in combat making them much more durable.
After that comes the Ravagers of Rakarth. This Scourgerunner Chariot has an ability that slows down opposing units around it. In addition this unit also has poison attacks, further amplifying it’s damage potential.
Lastly we have the Siren of Red Ruin. This Bloodwrack Medusa has buffed melee capabilities. On top of that she also has an area of effect ability that damages combatants around her.
Skaven Additions:
Legendary Lord:
Now for the other benefactor of this DLC, the Skaven. Unlike Malus and the Dark Elves who are very anti large focused, Deathmaster Snikch and the Skaven are more geared towards anti infantry. The Deathmaster himself however is a far greater threat than anyone realises. Befitting of a master clan of assassins, Snikch’s campaign revolves a lot around assassination contracts. Assassin lords and heros in clan Eshin can undergo missions that will remove them for a few turns but will always be successful. These can range from theft and espionage all the way up to the Deathmaster himself being able to destroy cities and even entire factions when he’s a high enough level. This mechanic is completely unbalanced albeit lore friendly as no matter how strong the opposition is Snikch can wipe out 1 faction instantly every 100 turns.
On the Battlefield Snikch is a lord and hero nightmare. perhaps the greatest character killer in the game as he is fast, attacks quicker than any other single entity model, and deals more damage the more health a character is missing. Tying him down is no easy task either as he has stalk and vanguard deployment meaning he can be deployed almost anywhere, and you won’t see him until he’s right in your lords face. Snikch has access to 2 quest items in the Whirl of Weeping Blades and the Cloak of Shadows which will give him physical resistance coupled with a 50% armour shred. In short the only lords who can take him down are lore of Death mages on flying mounts as Snikch doesn’t get a mount.
On the campaign map Snikch starts in the Land of Dervishes, right next to Arkhan an Tik Taq’to. On the Mortal empires map though he’s in the very far East near the Plain of Bones. Funny enough the closest Legendary Lord to Snikch in Mortal Empires is Malus Darkblades’ army who would start of just south of Clan Eshin.
Lord and Hero:
Joining Snitch for the Skaven is the Master Assassin. Basically a dubbed down version of Snikch the Master Assassin also excels at duelling other characters. If he gets into a pinch he can also throw shurikens from a distance.
Clan Eshin’s new hero is the Eshin Sorcerer. This new caster uses a new lore, the lore of Stealth and is great at concealment and diverting enemy forces. A perfect aid to an already unpredictable force.
New Units:
The Skaven also received 3 new units starting with the Eshin Triads. These infantry are a more mobile Stormvermin who have access to vanguard deployment and stalk. This can lead to some very nasty surprises.
The next little tool of mayhem is the Poisoned Wind Mortars. This sizeable group of mobile artillery provides quick support to the troops on the battlefield. In addition to their initial impact, the mortars also leave an AoE damage over time effect.
Finally we have the Warp Grinder Weapon-Team. These nasty contraptions can drill through siege fortifications. They can also drill the ground causing damage and slowing enemies down.
Regiments of Renown:
Lastly we get 3 new Skaven Regiments of Renown, 1st up is the Ishka’s Triads. These buffed up Eshin Triads can create a clone of itself, and while it does no damage it can disrupt enemy charges.
Up next is Viskrin’s Death Squad. These elite Death Runners are lightly armoured but hard to hit and output great deals of armour piercing damage.
Arguably the most powerful new unit in this DLC is The Avalanche Mortar. This Death Globe Mortar work differenly as the projectiles explode in mid-air. This then carpet bombs the enemy for massive damage plus a lingering poison effect.
New FLC Legendary Lord:
As is the case with all Total War Warhammer 2 Lord Packs, aside from the 2 DLC lords you pay for there is also a 3rd free one available. This one brings Bretonnia’s 4th Legendary Lord in Repanse De Lyonesse. Repanse will start in the Coast of Araby just above Arkhan and Snikch in the vortex campaign, and will be just below Sartosa in the Mortal Empires map. She has 1 quest item in the Sword of Lyonesse and gives buffs to peasant units. In addition she also starts with a legendary Paladin hero named Henry le Mastiff.
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What do you think of the new DLC coming to Total War Warhammer 2. Let us know in the comments below.
