As you have very likely realized, Total War: Warhammer is a very complex game with a vast number of factions to choose from. It would be quite easy to say that there is no best or worst faction in Total War: Warhammer 3. However, that is not the case! There are many things to consider when picking a faction for your next play-through. This article will take a look at several of the popular choices for good faction variation and begin taking a look at what makes these factions so great.
Table of Contents
Khorne
Khorne is one of the most powerful factions in Total War Warhammer 3. Khorne is known for attacking quickly and destroying entire factions in a single turn. The faction also benefits from many unique traits such as “Bloodthirsty,” which allows them to cause more damage when attacking enemy units with less than 10% health remaining, and “Berserk,” which increases attack speed by 50%. Khorne’s starting location is also conveniently located near several ruins, making it easy for players to control early game resources such as gold mines and charcoal pits
In terms of units, Khorne has some of the best lords and regular units in the game. Bloodthirsters can kill almost anything in the game with just a little support and many hero units can summon them (so you don’t even have to waste income on buying them!)
Khorne, like other Chaos Lords, can only build units that belong to the Khorne roster. The benefit of this is that you counter certain enemies like Tzeentch, which relies on hit and run, however, you are countered by Nurgle units as they can outlast your damage and eventually overwhelm you.
Without a doubt, Khorne is the best faction in Warhammer 3.
Tzeentch
The best factions in Total War Warhammer 3: Tzeentch is all about magic. They are the most magically inclined of all the factions, using their magic to create creatures, destroy enemies and bring chaos to the world.
In addition, they have a lot of advantages over other factions, including a powerful shield on all of their units which recharges over time. This means that Tzeentch focuses on hit-and-run tactics so they don’t end up taking too much damage. Because of this, they primarily use magic and ranged attacks to whittle away at the enemy.
Their disadvantages include low health and armor, making them vulnerable when fighting against other factions such as Chaos Dwarves or Greenskins. However, this weakness can be an advantage by using spells like Fireball or Lightning Bolt on your opponents before they reach you.
Tzeentch is one of the best factions in Total War Warhammer 3 but they, much like the other Chaos factions, are countered by one of the other factions. Khorne is nearly a direct counter to Tzeentch as they focus on dealing damage quickly and not allowing for any time to recharge their shields.
That being said, Nurgle struggles against Tzeentch. Nurgle units do low damage and are slow, the worst combo to deal with fast-moving units that regenerate shield constantly.
Kislev
Kislev is the basic human faction of Warhammer 3.
The Kislev Faction is one of the main factions in Total War: Warhammer 3 and even though it has one of the worst starting locations, they have many tools available to make this less of an issue. Also, through the use of the Motherland Mechanic, you can confederate Kostaltyn, the other legendary lord of the faction, and double your strength. Few other factions have another legendary lord available to do that with.
You will want to have many Ice Witches and Frost Maidens in this roster to help out your infantry troops or setup for your cavalry.
One thing that Kislev lacks, is the ability to field and flyers. That might not sound like a good thing, but they make up for it with their artillery and ranged units that can make short work of most enemy flyers.
Ogre Kingdoms
Ogres were part of the pre-order purchase of Warhammer 3 and are one of the most unique factions coming to the game. They made a small appearance in Warhammer 2 towards the end, offering themselves as mercenaries, which funnily enough, is a mechanic you will be using in Warhammer 3.
Almost all of the units you will be fielding in the Ogre faction will be monstrous units. Go figure. They have access to Gnoblars which are goblin-like units, however, they are weak and will only be good for fodder in most circumstances.
Grand Cathay
The Grand Cathay is one of the best factions in Total War Warhammer 3. They are very powerful in the late game and have some of the best siege weapons. Cathay can field powerful heroes like the Astromancer which has access to Lore of Heavens, one of the strongest lores of magic in Warhammer.
The Grand Cathay is one of the most powerful factions in Total War: Warhammer 3. Besides the Astromancer, they also have siege weapons like the Fire Rain Rocket that can quickly decimate enemy armies from afar.
In terms of monstrous units, they have the Terracotta Sentinel, which is unbreakable and very powerful.
Grand Cathay’s units alone aren’t very strong sadly, as they focus more on the Yin-Yang campaign mechanic. That means individually, every unit is more or less inferior to other factions. That being said, Cathay is certainly one of the best factions if you properly utilize this feature.
