The next Total War Warhammer 3 DLC will bring a notorious legendary lord to the tribes of Norsca. In a new developer update, Creative Assembly head of community Adam Freeman is ed by Warhammer 3 DLC game director Todor Nikolov, art director Stoyan Stoyanov, and Tides of Torment lead designer Vasil Nikolov to discuss the expansion and, in particular, the introduction of Sayl the Faithless. The team also talks about greater Norsca reworks that are on the cards, as well as more changes for Slaanesh.
Following the previous reveal of strategy game, although it does come at the price of an ever-increasing list of angry rivals.
Sayl will offer two spell lords to choose from, making him among the most versatile spellcasters Total War Warhammer 3 has seen. As a Norscan, he'll be able to occupy settlements, raze them, or dedicate them to the Chaos gods. His main trick, however, is planning and executing treacheries. Nikolov says that the team initially explored more of a rework of the diplomacy system, but decided "this is kind of a dangerous thing to do to a live game, and this is why we opted for a specific feature."
The team also gives us a look at some of the headline units. Among these is the Nightmaw, a terrifying creature fused from "several of Sayl's unfortunate sorcerer pals," which the sorcerer is able to unleash upon his foes. Alongside that comes the Fimir Noble, a hero unit that can use magic to walk in the shadows and surprise opponents, while also providing benefits to other Fimir units in your army. Another popular addition will be the Chimera, a classic three-headed flying monster (or four if you count the tail).
"We've been hearing people saying, 'Please update them [Norsca], they're in need of love,'" Nikolov remarks, "and we've decided to give them this kind of love right now." Along with the introduction of Sayl comes two more big overhauls for the group. The Monstrous Arcanum, used to track, hunt, and recruit fearsome creatures, is getting a makeover including a greater range of hunts; the ability to pledge specific allegiance to one of the four Chaos gods is being updated; and there are tweaks being made to dilemmas for to the tribal confederation.
The other Norscan factions are being individually adjusted as well. Wulfrik's signature ship Seafang has been expanded from an ability to an actual presence on the campaign map, giving him an easy way to cross long distances and become the "ultimate raiding machine." Throgg, meanwhile, will get a new mechanic that allows him to use his influence on monsters to call for their aid in battle. Both legendary lords are also getting a fresh set of voice lines, in particular adjusting Throgg's tone to reflect his status as "perhaps the most intelligent troll in existence."
With all the excitement around Dechala's reveal, Freeman its the team forgot to discuss the wider Slaanesh reworks in its previous developer chat, but notes that you can expect some love to be given to N'Kari as well. "We've looked at how to improve and tweak some of the more controversial aspects of Slaaneshi benefits," Nikolov teases, "for example, their replenishment and their usability in battle."
Total War Warhammer 3 update 6.2 is "right around the corner somewhere," Nikololv notes, and this will bring a variety of changes to ancillaries to improve those that don't feel useful while retaining the status of fan favorites. "We have been thinking about it for quite a while, and we've decided that now is the proper time to release it." He adds that the plan for major patches is to focus on specific gameplay aspects for each one, to ensure the team doesn't overreach its development capacity.
Total War Warhammer 3 Tides of Torment is set to release in summer 2025. It will include Dechala, Sayl, and one more paid legendary lord, along with a fourth released free to all players. Each legendary lord will be made available for purchase separately.
While we wait for more news on what the future holds, take a look through the best grand strategy games out now.
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