Total War: WarhammerIII
PREVIEW
Cathay,meanwhile,arethefirstfaction
ever fully depicted from Warhammer’s Far
East, led by a dynasty of dragons capable
of taking human form. Naturally, they’re
analogous to Ancient China; sky lanterns
halberds, elegant armour adorned with
robes and dragon imagery, and
towering terracotta sentinels
defending the Warhammer world’s
answer to the Great Wall. So seeing
this bright demonic force raining blue
and pink fire over the high walls and ornate
roofs of a Far Eastern fortress – it’s all
pretty unexpected.DAEMON DAYS
My preview of Total War: Warhammer III
gave me a glimpse into the Tzeentch army,
but the main focus was on Cathay, a
faction that’s never had a miniatures
range on the tabletop, never had an army
book or codex, and is being expanded by
Games Workshop in tandem with the
development of Total War: Warhammer III.
It’s testament to the series’ success that
they now get to see – and contribute to- Games Workshop’s Warhammer Studio
building out a faction before their eyes.
Game director Ian Roxburgh gives a
little insight into this. “When you’re seeing
that process from the beginning and
you’re able to input into those chats early
on it’s a really rewarding experience for us,
and something we’ve never done before,”
he says. “It’s a compliment to the way our
relationship with Games Workshop has
developed over these eight years that
there’s enough mutual trust for us to work
in this way together.”
One key concept that Creative
Assembly plucked from reality and turned
into an in-game system is Yin and Yang –
the Taoist belief that reality is shaped by
opposing forces existing in constant
complementary balance with each other.
Both in battle and in the campaign,
maintaining the harmony between Yin and
Yang is critical for Grand Cathay.
Buildings, technologies and units all tilt
the balance towards Yin or Yang, and you’ll
need to be mindful when managing your
economy and armies to gain those
Harmony bonuses. In battle, the law of Yin
is associated with the Moon Empress and
affects mainly melee units, while Yang
applies to ranged units, so keep these
troops together to get those buffs.IN TUNE
Another benefit of Harmony is Spell
Mastery, whereby the more of
Cathay’s spellcasters you have on the
battlefield, the more powerful their spells
become. While Cathay is by no means a
magic-oriented faction, this gives them a
little edge over enemies, whose magic
usually draws from a single mana pool.
The theme of balance is fitting for an
army that, according to Whitston, is the
crucial jack-of-all-trades in a Warhammer
game that will otherwise feature some of
the most out-there factions in the series.
“The Cathay are a great faction,
particularly for newer players or those
familiar with the Empire roster, because
they cover all bases pretty well without
necessarily excelling at some of the
top-end stuff,” says Whitston. “But they
have got some amazing special units.”
Back on the battlefield, the Tzeentch
aerial forces make their move – flying
purple stingrays called Screamers, and
Doom Knights, aerial cavalry that surfs
through the skies aboard magically
propelled hoverboards. They make quickA
s I watch the Tzeentch forces bear down
upon the fortress defended by Cathay,
I’m blown away by how different it all
looks to any Warhammer battle I’ve seen
before. The Tzeentch are alluring with their
palettes of neon purples, blues and greens,
brightening up the battlefield with colours from
well beyond the earthy Warhammer spectrum.Adding a whole new faction to a
forty year old settingTOTAL WAR:
WARHAMMER III
MAINTAINING THE HARMONY
BETWEEN YIN AND YANG IS
CRITICAL FOR GRAND CATHAYRELEASE
2022DEVELOPER
Creative AssemblyPUBLISHER
SegaLINK
warhammer3.totalwar.comNEED TO KNOWNEW
INFOI
The Celestial Dragon
Guard are the pride of
Cathayan infantry.