Total War: Warhammer Reveals Realm of the Wood Elves DLC
By Fergus O'Sullivan 25 November 2016
New expansions for Total War: Warhammer add a playable faction, new units, and hours of gameplay to the strategy hit set in a world of swords and sorcery.
Just in case players were getting bored with Total War: Warhammer, Creative Assembly yesterday launched its biggest expansion yet. The Realm of the Wood Elves DLC adds the eponymous race to the grand campaign, gives them a smaller campaign of their own, and also adds a new victory condition, among smaller changes. The DLC is launched together with two free updates which expand existing factions’ spell-slinging abilities.
The Realm of the Wood Elves DLC is the sixth expansion pack to Total War: Warhammer and the third to introduce a new playable faction, just in case the usual assortment of Dwarves, Elves and Orcs wasn’t enough. In the original tabletop incarnation by Games Workshop the Wood Elves were known as a powerful faction that excelled at both hit-and-run attacks as well as pitched battle, making for some interesting gameplay options. The new race also has its own currency, amber, and comes with two new Lords to bolster its armies. The new campaign, Season of Revelations, will also introduce new heroes, monsters and magic.
The two free updates that have been made available at the same time with Realm of the Wood Elves are both wizards that fill out any army’s magic roster. The Grey Wizard deals mostly with illusion that buffs allies and weakens enemies while the Jade Wizard is a healer that will bolster any unit buckling under the pressure of the front lines. According to PC Gamer, owners of the Call of the Beastmen DLC will also receive a new general and a new flying unit to terrify opponents with.
All three DLCs show off the lore-friendly approach that Total War: Warhammer has promised ever since it was first teased over two years ago. The blend of the franchise’s signature strategy gameplay and the rich world built up by tabletop veterans Games Workshop seemed like a heady combination that could either work well or fail horribly. After release, reviews lauded the way in which Creative Assembly married its own style to that of Warhammer, creating a game that struck the perfect balance between fan expectations on both sides. Sales figures reflected this, showing that the developer had creatively and commercially recovered from Total War: Rome II and returned to the heyday of Shogun 2: Total War.
Ever since the original Shogun 16 years ago, Creative Assembly has always been known for adding huge expansion packs to its games and giving fans even more bang for their buck. Realm of the Wood Elves as well as its two companions fits in well with this strategy of keeping up a rolling series of DLCs that keep these strategy games fresh and interesting for veteran players.
Total War: Warhammer is now available on PC.
