After 20 minutes spent looking at the
faction select screen, I decide to play
as Dwarfs. This is a very dwarfy thing
to do—change is bad—but I promise
I’m not just being boring. One of the
things I love most about Total War
games is how stories spring up as you
play, adding context to
the perpetual conflict. I
want to experience
how the new races and
expanded map in the
Mortal Empires mode
feel different to my
very first campaign in
Warhammer. And I
want to discover new
stories, about what happens when I
shoot vampire crabs with a cannon.
I choose Belegar Ironhammer of
Clan Angrund because I love his
probably-doomed quest to retake the
hold of Eight Peaks. There’s nothing
dwarfier than inevitable failure. His
starting area is also nearer the coast,
so there’s increased chance I’ll tangle
with pirates. But first, orcs. Lots of
N
ow is a good time to go back to Total War: Warhammer II.
It’s had a steady flow of updates since release. The
construction of the world has altered. You’re now as likely
to be sacked by crab-wrangling vampire pirates as you are
orcs or beastmen. So this is a great opportunity to step
outside my comfort zone and get a feel for how the landscape has evolved.
orcs. Every dwarf campaign begins
with the removal of local greenskin
tribes, and Ironhammer’s is no
different. There’s a horde nearby led
by a warboss called Vishus Gobspit, a
name so almost-rude it makes me do
a double take every time I read it.
Luckily, he’s more
concerned with
bothering my Border
Prince neighbors, so I
head south to retake
my lost holds and
reclaim an area known
as The Vaults. Once
that’s done, I can start
building an army to
retake Karak Eight Peaks. Cool.WAAAGH!
I love getting back into the Total War
loop: Neatly reclaiming areas,
researching new perks, managing
resources. Right now it feels the same
as the first game, except now there
are so many factions I can grow a
handsome beard between turns. It’stroubling starting as Ironhammer,
because unit upkeep is higher until
you retake Eight Peaks. This is
exactly the sort of thing that stresses
me out, but that hard goal also makes
for a more interesting campaign.
Before long, I’m taking part in a
battle that will see me retake the last
settlement in The Vaults, so I can
begin my quest in earnest. It’ll all be
fine so long as Vishus Gobspit and his
massive army stays away from my
lightly-defended capital.
Vishus sacks my capital, and ruins
my campaign before I’ve shelled a
single crab. It’s my own fault—I tried
to rush ahead before my army was
ready—but it also feels like the gods
are telling me to try something new. I
start again as Luther Harkon, a
vampire pirate. It’s different, distant,
and exhilarating—a reminder of just
how huge and dense Warhammer II’s
world now is. Perhaps I’ll pay
Ironhammer a visit and see the
crustacean vs cannon battle from a
fresh perspective.NEED TO KNOW
WHAT IS IT?
The grandest high
fantasy strategy game
ever made
EXPECT TO PAY
$19
DEVELOPER
Creative Assembly
PUBLISHER
SEGA
REVIEWED ON
Intel Core i7-7700 CUP
@ 3.60GHz, 16 GB RAM,
NVIDIA GeForce GTX
1070, Windows 10
MULTIPLAYER
Yes
LINK
http://www.totalwar.com/
games/warhammer-ii90
This is still a stellar
strategy game and the
best representation of
the Warhammer
world-that-was.VERDICTSHELLFISH BEHAVIOR
Abandoning tradition in TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER II
There’s nothing
dwarfier
than
inevitable
failureGamenamexxxxOLD GAMES REVISITED by Matthew Elliott
THEY’RE BACK
Ironhammer is accompanied by vengeful
ancestral spirits. Ghostlads, if you will.I’m only including this screenshot to
prove I didn’t make ‘Vishus Gobspit’ up