The Hunter & The Beast is the latest Lords Pack for Total War: WARHAMMER II. Introducing two rival Legendary Lords from the world of Warhammer Fantasy Battles, each with their own objectives, mechanics, units and playstyle, for use in both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaigns, and custom/multiplayer battles.

The Hunter & The Beast includes:

Two richly themed new Legendary Lords: Markus Wulfhart leads the Huntsmarshal’s Expedition (Empire), and Nakai the Wanderer opposes him as the leader of the Spirit of the Jungle (Lizardmen)

Two new Lord types: Hunter Generals and Ancient Kroxigors

Four new unique Hero units for Empire (see Wulfhart’s Hunters)

New unique faction mechanics, quest chains, legendary items, skill trees and campaign narrative (Vortex Campaign only)

New units for the Empire: Archers, Huntsmen and War Wagons

New units for the Lizardmen: Dread Saurians, Sacred Kroxigors and Razordon Hunting packs

New Regiments of Renown for both the Empire and the Lizardmen

For full details on all you’ll get in The Hunter & The Beast, head over to Steam to read more (and get 10% off if you pre-order).

FAQ

When will The Hunter & The Beast be released?

The Hunter & The Beast will be released on the 11th of September 2019.

Is there a pre-purchase discount?

You’ll get a 10% discount if you pre-purchase The Hunter & The Beast via Steam before its release.

Do I need to start a new campaign?

If you want to make the most of the recent plethora of changes then yes, we’d advise that you do start a new campaign.

Can I keep my mods?

We advise that you remove all mods until their respective creators have updated them in alignment with the update.

Why can I see Gotrek and Felix in my campaign but not interact with them? Is this a bug?

It’s not a bug. Gotrek and Felix have been included in the Free-LC patch but can only be recruited by AI factions to cause mischief. You can only access the characters by redeeming them on Total War Access on October 17th, or earlier if you purchase a September edition of White Dwarf. Read more about them here.

Steam is not installing the DLC or the Free-LC – what’s happening?

Be patient. If there’s an issue with the DLC, we will communicate this via our official social channels. If you don’t see anything there, you should clear your cache and restart Steam.

Additionally, make sure you are not currently opted in to the public beta.

I don’t want to start a new campaign or have the free content.

If you don’t want all the free content and improvements that are part of the Empire Undivided Update right now, you can opt in to the public beta by following the below instructions:

In Steam games library, right-click Total War: WARHAMMER II and select Properties In the Properties window, select the Betas tab Select public_beta from the Select the beta you would like to opt into: drop-down box Total War: WARHAMMER II will then update to build 10846.1659377

You can find the The Empire Undivided Update patch notes here, and you can find the master feedback thread here.

Why can’t I see Gor-Rok?

Because you need to click Download on the Gor-Rok Steam page.

Will the new Legendary Lords be fighting for control of the Vortex?

Both Markus Wulfhart and Nakai will be playable in the Eye of the Vortex campaign, but our new Legendary Lords have their own destinies to fulfil and do not fight for control of the Vortex itself.

Will the new Legendary Lords be available in the both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires Campaign?

Yes, The Hunter & The Beast will be available to play in both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires Campaign.

What new units will be in The Hunter & The Beast?

The Hunter and the Beast will feature the following new units for the Empire: Archers, Huntsmen and War Wagons and Dread Saurians, Sacred Kroxigors and Razordon Hunting packs for the Lizardmen.

For the full details on these and to see them in action, keep an eye on our YouTube and Twitch announcements.

What new mechanics will Markus Wulfhart bring to The Hunter & The Beast?

Markus Wulfhart will bring with him the following brand-new mechanics:

WULFHART’S HUNTERS

Scattered throughout Lustria are four of the finest Hunters that ever lived. Wulfhart may attempt to track them down and acquire their services to aid in the expedition’s success, and subsequently developing each Hunter’s unique attributes and learning the tales of their past deeds.

Jorek Grimm is a brilliant Master Engineer. Shunned for his eccentric ideas, he has struck out alone to seek his fortune in Lustria…

Rodrik L’Anguille was once a renowned Paladin. Disgraced and exiled however, he is haunted by a past he cannot escape…

Hertwig Van Hal, a skilled physician and Witch Hunter, has travelled far from home on his quest for ultimate vengeance…

Kalara of Wydrioth, the eminent Waystalker, has traded the forests of Athel Loren for the jungles of Lustria in pursuit of redemption…

EMPEROR’S MANDATE

Wulfhart’s campaign progress is measured by how effectively he fulfils the Emperor’s Mandate. Expansion, successful military operations, and other campaign activities increase his Acclaim, which is tracked on the Emperor’s Mandate bar.

This will dictate the quality of units available to Wulfhart via the Imperial Supplies system, which dispatches higher quality units that can be recruited. As the Mandate bar fills, he will also unlock bonuses to further improve these units, plus higher tiered recruitment buildings not initially available to Wulfhart’s faction. This also increases diplomatic tension and resentment from the Lizardmen.

In the Eye of the Vortex campaign, filling the Emperor’s Mandate bar will cause Nakai the Wanderer to issue a final challenge to Markus Wulfhart! With Mortal Empires being a sandbox experience, we like to leave how you complete the campaign up to you.

HOSTILITY

Wulfhart’s plundering will inevitably stir up hostility and prompt retaliation from the natives. Prolonged aggressive activities, such as military actions and raiding, can raise Hostility through five levels. Conversely, a more passive approach to the campaign will cause Hostility to fall.

Each level has a negative effect on Wulfhart’s campaign, but Hostility is also a measure of his aggression against the local inhabitants. As he ascends through the Hostility levels, reinforcements are dispatched more frequently via the Imperial Supplies system. The strength of these reinforcements is still dictated by the Emperor’s Mandate bar.

When peak Hostility is reached, a variety of penalties will be imposed on Markus along with the dispatch of a special Lizardmen taskforce with the sole aim of defeating the expedition. He will instantly receive an Imperial Supplies drop and will need to survive for a number of turns before the Hostility bar resets.

What new mechanics will Nakai the Wanderer bring to The Hunter & The Beast?

Nakai the Wanderer will bring with him the following brand-new mechanics:

WARMBLOOD INVADERS

In the Eye of the Vortex campaign, Nakai must fight to keep Lustria in the rightful hands of the Lizardmen. Several Empire colonies have been established, and each is encroaching on the jungle. They must be dealt with!

Four extremely dangerous Hunters co-ordinate the efforts of the warmbloods. Hunt them down to draw out their leader, then defeat them all in a final, epic confrontation (Vortex campaign only)!

NEW HORDE MECHANICS

Nakai’s faction, the Spirit of the Jungle, offers a unique variation on Horde gameplay. Each army in his faction, when placed in the Encampment stance, may develop its settlement infrastructure much as a standard settlement would. That infrastructure is preserved when the horde moves off, and may be further developed during future periods of Encampment. If a horde is destroyed in battle, all its infrastructure is lost along with the army.

However, only Nakai’s personal horde can unlock units for recruitment. Other hordes in his faction may then recruit unit types Nakai has unlocked using the Global Recruitment option. These ‘minor’ hordes still have their own infrastructure and building trees, though some of these are focused on reducing Global Recruitment times rather than unlocking units.

These changes are designed as a quality of life improvement for horde gameplay. Unifying recruitment-building choices under Nakai saves the repetition, cost, and time that would otherwise be required to construct the same recruitment buildings across multiple hordes.

DEFENCE OF THE GREAT PLAN

Nakai begins play with a vassal faction called the Defenders of the Great Plan – the caretakers of the great Temple Cities. When one of Nakai’s armies captures a region, it may be gifted to the Defenders. When a region is gifted thus, Nakai must choose which Old One that region’s temple should be dedicated to.

As more temples are dedicated to a specific Old One, the more powerful the rewards bestowed upon Nakai and his faction.

These temples generate a unique resource called Old Ones’ Favour. Nakai may expend this Favour to provide assistance to his vassals through unique Rites, boost the income the vassals provide and visibility over them, and recruit Blessed Spawning units or Heroes and Slanns at higher ranks.

UNIQUE RITES

Nakai has a selection of new Rites focused around his units, faction mechanics and campaign focus.

Rite of Allegiance: Performing this Rite will cause attrition to the enemies of Nakai’s vassals – the Defenders of the Great Plan – when in their regions

Rite of Rebirth: This Rite spawns an army for Nakai’s vassals – the Defenders of the Great Plan – at their capital to help protect the Lizardmen

Rite of Mastery: This Rite increases the recruitment rank of Kroxigors, Sacred Kroxigors and Kroxigor Ancients, while improving their weapon strength and armour

What’s the free content that will be released alongside the DLC?

The free content that will be released alongside The Hunter & The Beast DLC includes the Lizardmen Legendary Lord Gor-Rok, a campaign map region rework for Mortal Empires, Empire Fort Battles, a new starting position for Balthasar Gelt and an Old World update for the Empire. Keep an eye on our social channels in the coming weeks for more info.

What’s in the free Old World update that will be released alongside the DLC?

CAMPAIGN MAP REGION REWORKS

Various parts of the Mortal Empires campaign map have been reworked and improved, focused mainly on the regions within the Empire.

New provinces (Solland) and regions have been added within the boundaries of the Empire

New mountain pass regions have been added between the Empire and its neighbours, complete with all new Empire Fort settlement battlefields similar to High Elf gates

New province and regions have been added for Albion

New Greenskins and Wood Elves factions have been added in the Drakwald and Wasteland area of The Empire

NEW EMPIRE FORTS

New spectacular settlement battlefields exclusively for the new forts added in the mountain passes on the borders of the Empire.

NEW START POSITION

Balthasar Gelt has a new starting position of Solland in the south of the Empire and a new faction – The Golden Order to command.

EMPIRE CO-OP CAMPAIGN

Empire co-op campaign is now available.

EMPIRE OLD WORLD FEATURE UPDATE

The Empire Office system is being replaced with the new Elector Counts system. This new political feature will make it possible to confederate the Empire without going to war with the other counts if you play your cards right.

New resources of Prestige and Imperial Authority will be used to improve Fealty with other Elector Counts via Electoral Machinations and imperial dilemma’s and to exert your command over the Empire

13 Elector Count positions to command (Includes the Wastelands and Sylvania)

Unique rewards (Runefangs) and exclusive units when commanding a state’s capital

THE PREVIOUS OFFICER SYSTEM IS NOW DEFUNCT IN ALL OLDER SAVES

When will the free content be available?

On the release day of The Hunter & The Beast – the 11th of September 2019.

Will The Hunter & The Beast be released on macOS and Linux?

This will be coming shortly after the release of The Hunter & The Beast – stay tuned!

For more information about The Hunter & The Beast, check out our The Hunter & The Beast hub!