Warhammer II has been unveiled

Let’s face it, the Beastmen haven’t gotten a lot of attention since they were included in the first Total War: Warhammer game. Their hordes mostly rampaged across the Empire’s lands, razing and pillaging on a whim. That’s about to change thanks to a free update that releases alongside The Silence & The Fury DLC. This Beastmen rework for Total War: Warhammer II is bound to make them very formidable and interesting to play again.

For starters, this horde-type faction retains three unique stances. Beastmen Ambush provides a chance at waylaying opposing armies whenever you initiate an attack. Meanwhile, using the Beast Paths lets you cross major obstacles such as mountains (similar to the Underway). Lastly, the Hidden Encampment stance allows you to recruit units and construct improvements without fear of getting attacked once you end your turn (assuming that rivals don’t discover you).

Total War: Warhammer II‘s free Beastmen rework

Part of Total War: Warhammer II‘s free Beastmen rework is the faction’s ability to establish Bloodgrounds. At the start of your campaign, you should have a Herdstone resource. Then, once you’ve captured a settlement, you’ll see the “Raise Herdstone” option which uses that resource. This will then create a Bloodground encompassing a massive, red-colored area on the campaign map. Ideally, you’d want to win battles, raid, and grab more settlements within the Bloodground to wreak devastation.

As devastation in a province increases, so too will your means of accruing Marks of Ruination (from a rite) and Dread. The former confers campaign-wide boons such as your unit recruitment and army capacity. The latter, meanwhile, can be used to purchase boosts such as extra unit caps and upgrades. You may also use Dread to obtain other Beastmen lords like Khazrak, Malagor, Morghur, and Taurox provided that you own the DLCs that add them. Do note that the first three require Call of the Beastmen and Taurox requires The Silence & The Fury.

Moreover, there’s another resource called Favor (emphasizing how the Beastmen don’t need gold and are marked by the Chaos Gods). As you win more battles and accrue the Favor of the Dark Gods, you’ll be able to grab items and auxillaries that provide buffs when equipped. Lastly, there are Research Challenges for you to consider. Instead of just selecting a tech and letting turns elapse, the Beastmen need to complete certain challenges to unlock these boons. For instance, a tech called “The Strong Survive” increases all Dread gains by 20%. However, you’ll need to reach level 15 with three characters first.

We’ll see the Beastmen rework go live once Total War: Warhammer II‘s The Silence & The Fury DLC releases on July 14. Oh, and don’t forget that the update also includes freebies such as Thorek Ironbrow and Ogre Mercenaries.