Is It Worth Getting Into As A First-Timer?

Total War: Warhammer 3 is dangerously addictive. It feels like something that is normally sold on busy corners and back-alleys. It makes minutes feel like seconds and hours feel like minutes. It’s not a joke when they say you will stay up till 3AM playing this. I hadn’t done that in years, but this game can magically transport you from unwinding in the evening, to wide-eyed clicking before dawn.

So, is it worth it? For a certain type of player, absolutely. Let me spell it out for you:

• Have you played/enjoyed either the Sid Meier’s Civilization games, Total War franchise, or Crusader Kings series?
• Do you enjoy grimdark fantasy settings where you’re not always the “good” character?
• Does the idea of commanding an army of sentient dinosaurs sound appealing to you?

If you answered “yes” to two or more of these questions, I would say this game might be worth your time. However, I still would not recommend starting this journey before an important work project or college midterms. Unless you hate getting a good night’s rest…

Do I Need To Play Warhammer 1 And 2 First?

Nope. The only advantage to owning and playing those games (or their DLC) is that it unlocks more playable characters in Warhammer 3. While veterans of the series might have their own preferences, there’s nothing wrong with starting with the latest and most beginner friendly entry. 

Especially since these games are all still priced at $70+ CAD ($50 USD), starting with the newest one is more than fine. In terms of lore and story, you can catch up at any time via the in-game encyclopedia, the online wiki, or just watch a YouTube summary before bed.

Is it Worth The Price?

The biggest downside is definitely the cost, and this causes a common dilemma with these big-budget strategy games: Players who know they will play the game for hundreds (or thousands) of hours are comfortable with the large initial cost, but new players are very wary of it. 

The Warhammer series is also extremely DLC heavy, meaning that the high initial price is likely to still be much less than the total. So, even just dipping your toes in the water is a pricey endeavor. This makes an already less accessible game even harder to get into. 

But, is it worth the price? Potentially, very much so. If you aren’t worried about difficulty and learning curve and are prepared to play through your frustration and be patient with the game systems, then yes you could – somewhat – easily extract a 1000+ hours from this game. 

Let’s breakdown the price. Suppose the base game + a few DLCs might total to about $110 CAD ($80~ USD). If you play for 1000 hours, that means you might pay only $0.11 CAD per hour of entertainment. This is drastically cheaper than going to the movies, golfing, bowling, or any other “fun” activity you might think of. Theoretically, if you play the game long enough, it will seem like you didn’t pay for it at all!

Should I Play The Prologue For Warhammer 3? 

Yes, but you only have to play it until you feel comfortable with the basics. The prologue is basically the gameplay tutorial, but it also features a whole narrative for that faction. It’s totally fine to not finish that narrative (the prologue) if it doesn’t interest you, but make sure you stay long enough to learn how to move your lord around and do basic construction in your settlements. Don’t worry if you’re not absolutely hooked by the prologue, there’s so much more game to play.

What Are The Best Beginner Factions?

The game recommends “simpler” factions like:

• The Grand Cathay → Miao Ying
• The Empire → Tzarina Katarin
• The Ogre Kingdoms (DLC) → Greasus 
• The High Elves (WH2 DLC) → Tyrion

but if these high-fantasy tropes don’t interest you, pick something else. This game is all about player choice and customization. 

Also, by playing on easy and keeping advice frequency high (should be default), you’ll get a specialized tutorial that focuses more on the unique traits and mechanics of your faction. However, if you still don’t know the absolute basics like movement, stances, and UI navigation, I would run the prologue first or consult a YouTube video.

Some Underrated “Beginner” Factions:

• Exiles of Khorne → Skarbrand the Exiled
• Nurgle → Ku’Gath Plaguefather
• Followers of Nagash (DLC)  → Settra 

Settra can be especially forgiving because units have no upkeep cost, so you can have a large disposable army for free.

Beginner Tips?

I’m not gonna hold your hand through every button and mechanic, but here are some tips to make the game way less overwhelming:

• Worship the “End Turn” button, but remember that you can’t rely on it forever: This button will guide your camera to whatever “moves” you have available to you this turn, such as moving your army, constructing a new building, researching a new technology, etc. However, it only tells you what decisions you HAVE to make in order to progress, not what decisions you SHOULD make.
• Do not be ashamed to play the game on Easy/Easy: The game is about replay ability, it’s okay to make your first attempts very simple. You will still have plenty of time to raise the difficulty and prove yourself, after you know what the f**k is going on.
• Keep the tooltip/advice frequency high and READ EVERYTHING: Even if you think you’ve gotten one faction down, the next faction will present its own unique challenges.
• I can almost guarantee, there is nothing in this game that is so complex that you can’t eventually figure it out with in-game tutorials, some googling, and a youtube video.
• Use the save feature to try risky things without fear: Then just reload the game if it wasn’t what you expected, or just restart if you’re early in the campaign. For example, If you’re not yet confident in your real-time battle skills, save manually before entering the battle and save again with the “quick save” button at the bottom of the pre-battle screen. 
• It’s okay to rely on Auto-resolve at first, but not forever: If your army is already strong and you want to focus on learning the province management portion, feel free to auto-resolve. Especially if you’re playing the game on easy, as the enemy won’t provide a challenge to learn from anyway. However, if you come upon any quest missions in your campaign, the game will force you to manually command your army to finish them! 
• Remember to change your stances: When you have your lord and their army selected, in the bottom left corner of the screen, on the right-side of your lord’s character portrait is the stance selection button. Some stances allow you to travel further, recruit allies, ambush enemies, and even avoid attrition in enemy territory. Take a moment to read what your lord’s different stances do and use them to your advantage. 
• Don’t forget to equip items for your lords and heroes: You don’t have to put the perfect item on each hero, but equipping the item is usually better than leaving those buffs and stats on the table.
• Prioritize Income and Growth buildings: Regardless of which faction you pick, you will have to fund your “treasury” and grow your population. So, don’t get distracted by building fancy military buildings in every slot!
• Conquer carefully: Usually one province at a time and have settlements in defensible locations with the “suitable climate” buff.
• Walls are clutch and garrisons are not enough: If you’re worried about a settlement being taken over, park an actual army near it and build walls around it. Both these things drastically improve your defense.

In Summary?

This game can be extremely fun and fulfilling for hours upon hours, but only with the right mindset. If you’re still not sure, just wait for a sale. If you have any questions or if I’ve missed anything, let me know with a comment below. 

Not interested in having a micromanagement obsession? Click here to develop a loot addiction instead.