Total War just made Immortal Empires free for WARHAMMER vets — but there’s a catch

Immortal Empires Is Going Free (Sort Of) – Here’s Why That Matters

This caught my attention because Immortal Empires is the Total War: WARHAMMER experience most of us actually play. It’s the giant, anything-goes sandbox that glues together three games of factions, grudges, and busted synergies – the thing that eats entire weekends. On December 4, Creative Assembly is letting owners of WARHAMMER I or II jump into Immortal Empires for free, plus the Lost God prologue. That’s a big barrier coming down for anyone who bounced off buying WARHAMMER III just to access the mode everyone talks about.

Key Takeaways

• Free on Dec 4: If you own WARHAMMER I or II, you get access to WARHAMMER III’s Immortal Empires and the Lost God prologue.
• The asterisk: You can only play the races and Legendary Lords you already own across the trilogy. The rest are present on the map, but not playable without ownership.
• Want everything? A paid WARHAMMER III Upgrade Pack unlocks the Realm of Chaos campaign and its ten base Legendary Lords.
• Expect a hefty download, long end-turns on midrange rigs, and the usual same-store ownership rules.

What You Actually Get for Free

Immortal Empires is the mega-campaign that merges the trilogy into one collosal map with up to 23 races and roughly 100 Legendary Lords represented. It’s the sandbox where your High Elves can bully Lizardmen while Norscans raid the south and Cathay tries to hold a thin line against Chaos. The free access also includes The Lost God prologue – a surprisingly solid, story-led tutorial that eases players into WARHAMMER III’s mechanics without dumping you straight into a 270-settlement slapfight.

Here’s the important bit: this isn’t a limited-time trial. It’s a new on-ramp for lapsed or Warhammer II-only players to join the main mode without buying WARHAMMER III up front. If your group’s co-op died because not everyone upgraded, this could revive it.

The Catch: You Only Play What You Own

Creative Assembly tucked an asterisk into the announcement: your playable roster is determined entirely by what you own across the trilogy and DLC. So if you bought WARHAMMER II back in the day, you’ll have access to its base Lords in Immortal Empires — think Tyrion and Teclis for High Elves, Morathi and Malekith for Dark Elves, the usual suspects — and any DLC Lords you purchased. But the shiny WARHAMMER III factions like Grand Cathay, Kislev, and the Daemon monogods won’t be playable without upgrading. They’ll still show up on the map (and happily steamroll your borders), but you won’t be able to pick them on the campaign select screen.

If you want the full WARHAMMER III package — the Realm of Chaos story campaign plus its ten base Legendary Lords — CA is selling a WARHAMMER III Upgrade Pack on Steam and Epic. That’s the upsell, and honestly, it’s not a bad funnel: try the big sandbox with what you own, then decide if the newer rosters and the separate story campaign are worth it to you.

Why This Move Makes Sense Right Now

Total War is celebrating 25 years, and this feels like a goodwill play that actually benefits players. The community’s been loud about DLC pricing and value over the last couple of years, and CA’s had to rebuild trust. Letting more people into Immortal Empires — the crown jewel — is a smart way to get lapsed fans talking positively again, juice multiplayer lobbies, and give the mod scene a fresh wave of users. It also extends the life of WARHAMMER II purchases, which is a rare, consumer-friendly sentence to write about a modern live game.

I’ve sunk ungodly hours into Mortal/Immortal Empires since WARHAMMER II, and the magic has always been the “what if?” campaigns — Volkmar purging the coasts, Skaven burrowing under Ulthuan, Tomb Kings quietly teching into unstoppable constructs. Opening that playground to more veterans is the right kind of anniversary flex.

What Gamers Need to Know on December 4

– Expect a big download. Immortal Empires isn’t lightweight, and WARHAMMER III’s assets add up. Free access still means installing the WARHAMMER III client and content.

– Platform matters. As usual with Total War: WARHAMMER, ownership is store-specific. If your WARHAMMER I/II library lives on Steam, plan to access this on Steam; don’t expect cross-ownership to carry from Epic or vice versa.

– Performance expectations. Immortal Empires has improved since launch, but end-turns can still drag on CPU-bound systems, especially with lots of active factions. Lock your FPS in campaign, trim ultra settings you won’t notice (shadows and AA are prime candidates), and keep your mod list lean on day one.

– Onboarding tip. The Lost God prologue isn’t just a tutorial; it teaches the rhythms of WARHAMMER III’s battles and magic in a controlled space. If you’re coming straight from WARHAMMER II, run the prologue before diving into a 250-turn saga.

So, Is There a Gotcha?

The only real catch is the obvious one: this is a gateway to sell you on WARHAMMER III’s factions and campaign. But compared to classic “free weekend” tactics, this is way more player-friendly. You keep access to Immortal Empires, you play the stuff you already bought, and you decide if Cathay’s artillery caravans or Kislev’s hybrid rosters are worth paying for. That’s a fair shake — and frankly a healthier model for a game built on DLC.

TL;DR

On Dec 4, Creative Assembly opens the doors to Immortal Empires for anyone who owns WARHAMMER I or II. You can only play the races and Lords you own, but you get the full sandbox to stomp around in, plus the Lost God prologue. If you want WARHAMMER III’s Realm of Chaos and its ten base Lords, that’s what the Upgrade Pack is for — and now you’ll know if it’s worth it.