Warhammer is a game about little plastic Orcs fighting little plastic Dwarfs, but let's be honest: for some people, it's mostly a game of lovingly painting and customizing little plastic Orcs and little plastic Dwarfs, then putting them back on the shelf. It's only fitting that Total War: Warhammer would have a thriving mod scene months after release, with hundreds of mods out there for customizing units in true tabletop fashion. Of course, there are also mods for tweaking the rules of war and telling Chaos to hold its damn horses for a minute so you can get ready for the End Times.

The point is, there are a ton of great Total War: Warhammer mods, and we've updated our guide with the best of them. The following are available via the Steam Workshop and new mods are being uploaded there all the time, so keep an eye out.

In the Total War: Warhammer mod manager you'll see some mods have an exclamation mark signifying that they're “out-of-date”. This means they haven't been updated since the game's most recent expansion but doesn't necessarily indicate a conflict. Have a look at the comments on the Steam Workshop to see if these mods still work, then check the “enable out-of-date mods” box to continue using them. The main actual conflicts occur between mods that alter starting positions in the campaign or add new factions. Bigger overhauls also cause a lot of conflicts, but Total War: Warhammer is easy to tweak with a personalized selection of individual mods like the following.

Page 1: New units

Page 2: Unit reskins

Page 3: Rule tweaks and changes

Page 4: Visual Enhancements

New units

Closer to Tabletop

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If you want some extra units that fit the official Warhammer background, Closer To Tabletop adds several. It includes Dwarf Dragon Slayers, Reiksguard footsoldiers, and the Imperial Flagellants. Remember those guys from the movie Jabberwocky who were really into whipping themselves? Now you can field units of them. It also tweaks a few rules relating to units, such as giving Steam Tanks magic resistance and increasing the morale bonus enjoyed by Stubborn troops.

Modular Factions - Unlocker

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If you're curious about the Old World's smaller states like the French vampires of Mousillon or the Renaissance Italians of the Tilean City States, this makes them playable in the grand campaign. See how things look from the NPCs' side, complete with their own tech trees and legendary leaders. Modder Lokerian has also cooked up complimentary mods like the Bretonnia Overhaul Pack and Skaeling Overhaul – Feature Pack which add new units, buildings, items, and so on to make these factions as flavorful as the main ones.

The Southern Realms

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Another mod that's compatible with Modular Factions is The Southern Realms, which significantly expands the Border Princes, Estalia, and Tilea, rounding out their armies with units like Border Rangers and Sartosan Pirates as well as new Heroes. Normally these factions seem like reskinned versions of the Empire, but once modded they feel unique.

Southern Hordes

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In tabletop Warhammer the Orcs and Goblins have a diverse roster full of weird creatures like tiny Snotlings and the bouncy Squigs, which are basically space hoppers with fangs. Southern Hordes rounds out the Greenskins with units like these as well as Stone Trolls, Spider Swarms, Savage Giants and more. It's such a significant addition it's likely to crash your campaign but it works fine in custom battles.

All Tabletop Lords

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A growing mod that aims to eventually add new Lords based on every possible general available in the wargame, All Tabletop Lords adds characters like the Lahmian Countess, Light Wizard Lord, Daemon Slayer, and Savage Orc Warboss. It's fully compatible with the Call of the Beastmen expansion, so now the Doombull and three new Shaman Lords can lead their stacks. You'll need to start a new save for this mod to work.

Goblins (Swords and Axes) and Skeleton Warriors (Scythes)

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The board game HeroQuest introduced lots of kids to Warhammer, and if you have fond memories of its Goblins and Skeleton Warrior miniatures then this pair of mods recreates them. They also add new loading screen art and quotes from the board game. Those Skeletons look pretty intimidating with long-handled scythes.

Vampire Counts: Human Levies and Additional Vampire Counts Units

Download here and here

There are humans who live in the cursed land of Sylvania as well as undead, because somebody has to sweep the floors in all those brooding gothic castles. The Human Levies mod lets you field units of those poor peasants, mortals with swords or spears as well as hunters with bows, giving the undead their first ranged weapons. You're limited to a maximum of two units of archers to prevent them from being too unbalancing. The Additional Vampire Counts Units mod is similar, but adds crossbows and powerful halberdiers if you're less worried about balance.

Chaos Dwarf Warrior Units

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You'll need the Warriors of Chaos DLC to use this one. In an unmodded game the heavy metal berserkers of Chaos keep Dwarfs around to look after the artillery, but with this they can field entire units of the angry bearded chaps – some with horns and others with ace pointy Babylonian helmets. They carry burning brands for their fire attacks and have high stats, but are costly and need to be recruited via a new building called the Tower of Darkness.

Bugman Thrower Unit

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You'll need The King and the Warlord DLC for this one, which gives the Dwarfs yet another artillery unit, albeit one with a twist. It launches burning barrels of Bugman's Brew, and though it's not an accurate weapon when it does hit the damage can be significant. It also buffs the Dwarfs around it, who can't be stopped from taking cheeky sips even if the stuff they're drinking is highly explosive.

Ogre Leadbelchers

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The Imperials get a new unit in the chubby shape of the Ogre Leadbelchers, mercenaries who give the expression “handcannon” new meaning by lugging around actual cannon barrels to fire at the enemy. They're slow to shoot, but effective when they do.

Screaming Skull Catapults

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Giving artillery to the Vampire Counts may not be great for game balance but they certainly look cool. These bone contraptions launch screaming skulls, and even the skeletons who crew them flinch and cover their earholes at the noise.