Game intel
Total War: Warhammer III
The ‘Tamurkhan – Thrones of Decay’ pack introduces Tamurkhan the Maggot Lord, a new Legendary Lord for Nurgle, usable in both the Realm of Chaos and Immortal E…
Creative Assembly is lining up a big December 4 one-two punch for Total War: Warhammer III: Tides of Torment, a new content pack with three Legendary Lords (High Elves, Slaanesh, Norsca), and Patch 7.0 with the Masque of Slaanesh as free-LC plus legacy updates for those same factions. As someone who’s played Immortal Empires to death and watched CA stumble and course-correct in recent years, this combo reads like a deliberate attempt to both sell something new and fix some long-standing pain points. That’s why it matters.
The press language promises “maritime might, serpentine slaughter, and arcane ambition.” Fun, but vague. Practically, this is a three-Legendary-Lord pack spanning High Elves, Slaanesh, and Norsca. Expect each Lord to ship with a themed unit roster expansion, bespoke campaign mechanics, and a narrative chain that ties into Immortal Empires. That’s the now-familiar format that CA landed on after the community backlash around content value; the recent pattern has been fewer filler units and more faction-defining mechanics.
The big unknown is price and depth. After the Shadows of Change debacle (too little content for the tag), CA did better aligning scope with expectations. If Tides of Torment matches the stronger, meatier packs we’ve seen since-each Lord rewiring a campaign loop rather than just dumping a stack of reskinned troops-then it’ll be worth watching. If not, expect the community to be, well, vocal.
Patch 7.0’s free Masque of Slaanesh Legendary Lord is the kind of goodwill move that actually changes how the sandbox plays, not just for buyers but for everyone. A free LL adds new AI opponents, fresh start positions, and different army compositions popping up in your campaigns. Even if you ignore Slaanesh, you’ll feel this one in Immortal Empires.
Then there are the legacy updates for High Elves, Slaanesh, and Norsca. This is where long-time players lean forward. Norsca in particular has been crying out for modernization—its mechanics were designed in an earlier era of the trilogy, and you can feel the dust. High Elves, meanwhile, still play great but their empire management could better reflect all the interesting global meddling they’re supposed to excel at. Slaanesh sits in a weird spot: brilliant micro-focused battles, occasionally clunky campaign pacing. If Patch 7.0 streamlines tech trees, cleans up skill bloat, and tightens economy flows while refreshing unit trees where needed, that’s value you don’t need to pay for.
There’s a tease about maritime themes. Total War still doesn’t do full naval battles in Warhammer, so if “maritime might” is more than marketing flair, expect coastal-focused mechanics: sea lanes, raiding economies, or event chains tied to oceans and ports. That would suit High Elves (lore-wise, they’re everywhere on the seas) and could finally give Norsca more to do than beeline south and torch the map. If sea-centric mechanics show up as campaign events, stances, or resource layers rather than a whole new battle system, that’s both realistic and potentially impactful.
From a player perspective, this faction lineup is smart. Norsca has been the most outdated for a while, and any overhaul that modernizes monster hunts and tribal unification could make them a top-tier chaos-adjacent pick again. High Elves are evergreen: give them new global levers or coastal domination tools and suddenly Ulthuan’s politicking has sharper teeth. For Slaanesh, a free Masque LL and a paid LL inside Tides of Torment (if that’s how the pack shakes out) could broaden the faction past “glass cannon doomstack” into more diverse campaign paths. The trilogy thrives when faction identities push you into new strategies; that’s what I’m hoping these reworks reinforce.
CA says the showcase will unveil “what’s next,” spanning both fantasy and historical. Great—now give us clarity. After a rocky stretch and hard-earned improvements, players want three things: a transparent post-launch roadmap, realistic timelines, and pricing that lines up with scope. Whether the future is a return to a big historical era, a fresh fantasy partnership, or something experimental, the message that lands will be the one with dates, scope, and commitments, not just trailers.
Keep an eye out for pre-release blogs that break down each Lord’s mechanics and rosters. Check the Patch 7.0 notes for the nuts and bolts—skill tree trims, tech revamps, settlement or economy tweaks, AI behavior, and mod compatibility are the real quality-of-life deciders. And, yes, wait for the price-to-content rundown before you slam that buy button. If you’re a Slaanesh enjoyer, the Masque being free means you’ll have new toys regardless; everyone else should judge Tides of Torment by how much it genuinely changes your campaign loop.
Tides of Torment brings three new Lords for High Elves, Slaanesh, and Norsca on December 4, while Patch 7.0 drops a free Masque of Slaanesh and long-awaited legacy updates. If the paid pack pairs real mechanical depth with those fixes, we’re in for a strong end to the year—just make sure the scope matches the sticker before you dive in.
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