Total War: Warhammer 3 Delays Tides of Torment—Finally, Real Accountability?

Creative Assembly hits pause-and finally says “sorry”

This caught my attention because it’s the first time in a while Creative Assembly has clearly said what players have been yelling for months: the campaign AI and faction bugs in Total War: Warhammer III aren’t just annoying-they’re game-breaking. Tides of Torment is now delayed to Thursday, December 4, arriving with Update 7.0 and a brand-new mod manager that replaces the creaky old Total War launcher. That’s a lot of change landing at once, and it could be the reset this game needs-or a messy pileup if they fumble the landing.

Key Takeaways

• CA delayed Tides of Torment to focus on campaign AI and faction bugs, calling the recent issues “showstoppers.”
• Update 7.0 arrives with major updates for Slaanesh, Norsca, and High Elves, plus the free legendary lord The Masque of Slaanesh with the Eternal Dance mechanic.
• A new mod manager replaces the old launcher at the same time, with a legacy option until 1.0.
• First gameplay is set for Thursday, November 6, with a 25th-anniversary showcase and “future of Total War” teases on December 4.

Why this delay actually matters

CA’s head of community Adam Freeman admits “it’s been a frustrating year,” and he’s not wrong. While the unit recruitment bug that bricked Tomb Kings and Lizardmen was fixed, similar problems still sting Beastmen and Chaos Dwarfs. The key line here: the studio is now classifying these issues as “severity-A” showstoppers—meaning future bugs of this kind should trigger urgent hotfixes, not wait for a big patch. That’s the right policy shift, but trust will hinge on how quickly they move the next time something breaks.

Total War players have long patience for complex systems; what they don’t tolerate is feeling ignored. Between community blowback over DLC pricing last year and a streak of rocky launches across the broader Total War slate, CA needs a strong, clean delivery. Delaying Tides of Torment again hurts in the short term, but shipping it alongside a stability-focused 7.0 is the smarter play if it prevents another “we’ll fix it later” cycle.

Breaking down Update 7.0 and Tides of Torment

The expansion focuses on Slaanesh, Norsca, and High Elves—three factions that either thrive on momentum (Slaanesh), have lagged behind modern design (Norsca), or sit in that “good but safe” zone (High Elves). CA says 7.0 brings “major updates” for all three, which is promising, especially for Norsca. They’ve needed love since their late-stage arrival back in Warhammer I and their uneven carryover into Immortal Empires.

The freebie is strong: The Masque of Slaanesh enters as a Legendary Lord with the Eternal Dance mechanic. Described as “fast-paced” and rewarding aggressive play, it sounds like a push-your-luck system that escalates bonuses if you keep moving and attacking. That fits Slaanesh thematically and could be a welcome shift from the turtling meta. My only concern is campaign snowballing; in Immortal Empires, any mechanic that stacks momentum can get out of hand fast if AI fixes aren’t truly solid.

One notable omission so far: pricing. After the Shadows of Change backlash, it’s surprising CA hasn’t set expectations up front. If they’re confident in the value, they should say so now. Otherwise, even a good content drop risks being drowned out by déjà vu arguments about cost vs. substance.

The mod manager might be the real MVP

Quietly, the most impactful change for daily players could be the new mod manager replacing the old launcher. Warhammer III lives and dies on mods—balance tweaks, UI fixes, full faction overhauls—and the existing launcher has been a headache: slow to load, flaky with dependencies, and prone to breaking after patches. CA says you’ll be able to bypass the launcher entirely or use the new tool, with the legacy version sticking around until 1.0 to protect in-progress campaigns.

If the mod manager delivers fast load times, clear load order control, and stable profiles per save, that’s a genuine quality-of-life win. It’s the kind of “boring” infrastructure work that keeps a live-service strategy game thriving, and frankly, it should have happened years ago. Still, rolling it out on the same day as a major patch and a DLC is bold. Contingency planning—and hotfix speed—will be tested hard.

All eyes on December 4—and the bigger picture

CA is pairing the release with a 25th-anniversary showcase that promises the “future of Total War,” including new historical and fantasy titles. That timing is deliberate. If Tides of Torment and 7.0 land clean, CA walks into the showcase with momentum and goodwill. If they stumble, the event becomes a distraction from unfinished business in Warhammer III—never a good look when your most popular series is still under repair.

We’ll get the first gameplay look on Thursday, November 6. That’s the moment to judge whether the faction updates are substantial reworks or light touch-ups, and whether Eternal Dance adds engaging decision-making or just more numbers on numbers. After a year of turbulence, “show, don’t tell” is the only language the community believes.

TL;DR

Tides of Torment slips to December 4 so CA can fix campaign AI and ship a hefty 7.0 patch alongside a new mod manager. The apology and “severity-A” policy are the right moves—now they have to prove it with fast hotfixes, smart faction updates, and a stable launch. If they nail this, Warhammer III gets its groove back. If not, no showcase will save the mood.