With the launch of the Curse of the Vampire Coast campaign pack comes a new update for Total War: WARHAMMER II. This will be applied automatically to the game when you log into Steam.

The Aye Aye! Patch introduces some significant changes for the traditional Vampire Counts factions in Mortal Empires, chief of which is the new Bloodlines mechanic. It also grants Heinrich Kemmler a faction of his own, a new campaign start position and extra bonuses.

New Free-LC content is also available in the shape of Legendary Lord Lokhir Fellheart, the Krakenlord. A Dark Elf of noble birth, he is a terror of the sea lanes and rightly feared for fielding many dread Black Arks. Fellheart can be downloaded from his own Steam page here.

The Aye Aye! Patch update also brings a plethora of balance changes to factions, Legendary Lords and units, along with numerous tweaks, fixes and improvements to a great many areas of the game. Please see below for exhaustive details.

The Vampire Coast sets sail!

The Vampire Coast have arrived, and has bought with it the terrors of the deep… Playable for owners of the new campaign pack, but also present in the Mortal Empires and Eye of the Vortex campaigns as AI-controlled factions for those players who don’t.

Adding a huge new threat, or indeed ally, to the game, the Vampire Coast promise to shake up your game experience and introduce a new range of opponents to match yourself against.

Island and Black Ark Battles

As we mentioned in our announce FAQ, we have two new battle types coming free with the Aye Aye! Patch which bring you an active alternative to autoresolving naval encounters: Island battles and Black Ark battles.

When two armies meet in battle at sea, you can choose to autoresolve as usual, or fight the battle. If you choose the latter, all belligerents will disembark from their ships and fight on a nearby island. This means that your armies will be able to fight with their full land-based battle capabilities, and under your full control. To support this, we’ve created a series of island maps with their own geographical idiosyncrasies, broadening the gamut of battle types in the game and, of course, providing a platform to let armies at sea fight with all the bonuses you’ve designed into them.

The same is true of Black Arks. When attacking – or defending – a Black Ark at sea, a land battle will be fought on the vast rocky slopes and ledges of the Black Ark itself, surrounding by towering Dark Elf architecture

New Vampire Counts Mechanic: Bloodlines

Vampire Counts factions in Mortal Empires can now awaken powerful Lords of the five ancient Vampire Bloodlines: the Lahmians, the Von Carsteins, the Blood Dragons, the Necrarchs, and the Strigoi.

Up to three of these Arch-Lords may be awoken from each Bloodline, and with each awakening, a new wave of powerful faction-wide bonuses is unlocked reflecting the character and focus of their Bloodline. These Lords also have unique skill trees designed around their Bloodline’s nature.

These Lords are not easily awoken, however, exacting an increasingly heavy price in Blood Kisses. These unique new tokens are granted by vassalising other factions, slaying faction leaders, and wounding or assassinating characters through Hero actions. For each Lord awoken, the Blood Kiss toll for the next Lord in the same Bloodline rises. Unleash the Banshees!

All Legendary Lords (including Vampire Coast Legendary Lords) have also undergone balance changes and tweaks. Please see Faction Changes below for details.

Heinrich Kemmler

Heinrich Kemmler has left the service of the Vampire Counts at long last. Bidding Sylvania adieu, He strikes out west to pursue his destiny! Now a faction leader in his own right in Mortal Empires, he commands the Barrow Legion from Blackstone Post, the new Province Capital of the Northern Grey Mountains bordering Bretonnia.

Kemmler now gains a mount for the first time (Barded Nightmare) and his army is now immune to the attrition usually caused to Vampire Counts armies by Untainted territory. He can also use the new Bloodlines mechanic to awaken the fabled Vampire Lords of yore.

Free-LC: Lokhir Fellheart

The Druchii sea-scourge Lokhir Fellheart leads the faction of The Blessed Dread, and is now playable in the Mortal Empire and Eye of the Vortex campaigns (in which he follows the Vortex storyline). He begins play with ownership of the island of Chupayotl, just south of the Star Tower of Arch Mage Teclis in Lustria.

The Krakenlord does not need to perform Rites in order to raise Black Arks. He can recruit one for each major port settlement he captures, ultimately amassing a fleet of them with which to terrorise the Lustrian coastline and beyond. In addition, his armies enjoy a 50% upkeep cost-reduction for any Black Ark Corsairs they recruit. In place of the usual Black Ark rite, he can perform a sacrifice to Anath Raema, granting Black Ark Corsairs the Cause Fear and Stalk traits, plus bonus AP missile damage, and conferring bonus armour for Kharibdysses.

Lokhir Fellheart is not technically part of the Aye Aye! Patch, and must be downloaded from his Steam page here.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the wealth of changes in the Aye Aye! Patch, it’s highly likely that any existing multiplayer campaign saves you have will no longer work. If you’re midway through a multiplayer campaign therefore, and wish to continue, we’re keeping the Reinforcement Update (the last major patch) live under the Betas tab in Steam. This will enable you to conclude your multiplayer campaign before updating the game from the Reinforcement Update to the Aye Aye! Patch.

New multiplayer campaigns begun when both players have the Aye Aye! Patch installed will work as normal. Single player campaign saves are unaffected, and any you have from before the Aye Aye! Patch will be compatible with the updated game.

Campaign Changes

Heinrich Kemmler Start Position Update

Moved Heinrich Kemmler to Blackstone Post in Mortal Empire with new faction The Barrow Legion, removing him from the Vampire Counts faction

Made Kemmler’s army immune to non-vampire territory attrition

Made Blackstone Post capital of Northern Grey Mountains province in Mortal Empires

Added base level of Vampiric Corruption to Northern Grey Mountains, Bastonne and Forest of Arden provinces

Campaign Map Changes

Added Heart of the Jungle province and Bowmen of Oreon AI faction to Mortal Empires campaign

Added Land of the Dervishes province and Sudenburg AI faction to Mortal Empires campaign Adjusted other provinces and settlements to accommodate these changes

Added Chupayotl settlement to the Headhunter’s Jungle province in Mortal Empires campaign (owned by Lokhir Fellheart)

Added The Galleon’s Graveyard province to both Eye of the Vortex & Mortal Empires campaign

Faction Select and Ordering Changes

Re-ordered factions in the campaign faction select screen: base game factions shown first, followed by the newest DLC in order, or WH2 then WH1 factions

Re-ordered factions in the Custom Battle faction select dropdown menu to match with campaign’s new ordering

Re-ordered factions end-turn ordering, to match with the faction selection screen when starting a new campaign; playable factions go first, followed by minor factions, followed by other unique faction types

Legendary Lord and Faction Bonus Changes

High Elves

Tyrion Faction: +30 diplomacy with High Elf factions NEW -50% build time on Shrine of Khaine building chain NEW Lord: +3 recruit rank for Lothern Sea Guard NEW



Dark Elves

Morathi Faction: -50% upkeep for Heroes and Hero action costs ( CHANGED FROM -50% hero action cost) -25% Construction cost for Sorcery buildings (moved from Lord to Faction effects)



Skaven

Tretch Lord: +13 MA during ambushes (moved from Faction to Lord effects) +13 MA after retreating (moved from Faction to Lord effects)



Vampire Counts

Heinrich Kemmler Faction: Suitable climate mountains NEW +30 diplomacy Beastmen and Warriors of Chaos NEW -25% raise dead cost REMOVED -50% upkeep necromancers (UP FROM -25%)



Helman Ghorst Faction: +30% Research (UP FROM +10%) – also moved to correct Faction effect position now) +3 Corpse cart recruit rank NEW +12 Corpse cart Charge Bonus NEW Lord: Poison Attacks (moved to correct Lord effect position now)



Isabella Von Carstein Faction: +1 Blood Kiss on campaign start NEW Lord: Undying Love +15 MA and MD when Vlad and Isabella reinforce each other (moved from Faction to Lord effects)



Mannfred Von Carstein Faction: +10% movement range (UP FROM +5%) +2 recruit rank Grave Guard and Black Knights ( UP FROM +1) -15% upkeep Grave guard (UP FROM -10%) +1 Blood Kiss on campaign start NEW Lord: +30 WoM reserves NEW +10 leadership vs Men (UP FROM +5)



Vlad Von Carstein Faction: +10% movement range ( UP FROM +5%) +1 Blood Kiss on campaign start NEW +30 diplomacy with Arkhan the Black, all Vampire Counts and Vampire Coast factions NEW Lord: Undying Love: +15 MA and MD when Vlad and Isabella reinforce each other (moved from Faction to Lord effects)



Norsca

Throgg Faction: +15% Physical Resistance for Trolls ( UP FROM +10%) -20% upkeep for Trolls ( UP FROM -15%)



Wulfrik Faction: -15% upkeep for Marauders ( UP FROM -10%) Lord: +30% reinforcement range ( UP FROM +20%)



Bretonnia

Alberic Faction: -1 recruitment time for cavalry NEW +25% income from trade (UP FROM +5%) Lord: +10 MD knights of the realm ( UP FROM +5)



Louen Leoncoeur Faction: +50% aura size all characters when attacking ( UP FROM +25%) Lord: +8 MA vs enemies of The Lady NEW +12 Leadership vs enemies of The Lady NEW



Empire

Balthasar Gelt Faction: -50% upkeep reduction battle wizards (UP FROM -25%) +2 wizard agent cap (UP FROM +1) Lord: -20% Winds of Magic cost NEW +10% artillery missile damage NEW Whiter grill, no less chill NEW



Karl Franz Faction: +10% movement range ( UP FROM +5%) -15% Reiksguard and Greatswords upkeep ( UP FROM -10%) +10 diplomacy with Empire factions ( UP FROM +10) – moved to correct Faction effects position now Lord: +8 Leadership ( UP FROM +2)



Volkmar Faction: -30% upkeep Flagellants ( UP FROM -15%) +20% ancillary drop chance ( UP FROM +10%) Lord: +30% casualty replenishment Flagellants NEW +12% Physical Resistance Flagellants NEW +14 MD Flagellants NEW



Greenskins

Grimgor Faction: +10% Movement Range ( UP FROM +5%) -15% upkeep Black Orcs ( UP FROM -10%) Lord: +12 leadership Black Orcs ( UP FROM +6) +10 Armour Black Orcs ( UP FROM +5) +30% post-battle loot NEW



Azhag Faction: +25% Sacking income ( UP FROM +10%) +25% Research ( UP FROM +10%) -1 Construction time (settlements) NEW -25% Construction cost (settlements) NEW Lord: +75% aura size ( UP FROM +15%)



Wurrzag Lord: -50% recruit cost Savage Orcs NEW



Skarsnik Lord: +14 Charge Bonus Night Goblin Squig Hoppers NEW



Dwarfs

Thorgrim Faction: -25% military recruitment building cost (UP FROM -10%) +3 recruit rank Hammerers (UP FROM +1) +10 diplomacy with Dwarfs NEW -15% upkeep Hammerers and Longbeards (UP FROM -10%) Lord: +75% aura size (UP FROM +15%)



Ungrim Faction: -50% Slayer recruitment cost (UP FROM -25%) -75% construction cost Slayer & Landmark Buildings NEW Lord: +10 MA Slayers (UP FROM +6) +30% casualty replenishment Slayers NEW -25% upkeep Slayers (moved from Faction effects)



Belegar Lord: +10 leadership VS Skaven and Greenskins NEW +30% Tunnel evasion chance REMOVED



Grombindal Faction: +60% tunnel evasion chance ( UP FROM +40%) +20% WS all units vs Elves NEW Lord: +10 army leadership NEW +50% reinforcement range (UP FROM (+30%)



Chaos

Archaon Faction: +10 Chaos Warrior leadership ( UP FROM +5) -30% recruit cost Chaos Warriors ( UP FROM -15%) -30 diplomacy with all faction ( UP FROM -20) Lord: +50% Raze income ( UP FROM +25%) +5% Ward Save for all units ( CHANGED FROM Chaos Knights only physical resistance)



Kholek Suneater Faction: +4 chaos corruption NEW -60% recruitment cost Dragon Ogres ( UP FROM -50%) Lord: -30 upkeep dragon ogres ( CHANGED FROM -30% recruit cost) +8% Speed Elven units REMOVED

Sigvald Faction: +15 Armour for Lords and embedded Heroes (UP FROM +10) +15 leadership VS Men (UP FROM +5) Lord: +3 Horde growth (UP FROM +1) -60% Marauder upkeep NEW +3 Marauder recruit rank NEW



Wood Elves

Durthu Lord: +10 Charge Bonus for Dryads, Tree Kin, Tree Men NEW -30% upkeep Dryads, Tree Kin, Tree Men NEW



Orion Faction: -15% upkeep for all cavalry CHANGED FROM just Wildwood Riders -20% upkeep Lord: +8 Charge Bonus Wild Riders NEW +20% WS Wild Riders NEW



Beastmen

Khazrak Faction: +40% Raid bonus (UP FROM +10%) +10 Leadership vs Men ( UP FROM +5) Lord: -30% upkeep Bestigors NEW +3 recruit rank Bestigors NEW -50% recruit cost Bestigors ( UP FROM -30%)



Malagor Faction: +2 Bray Shaman cap ( UP FROM +1) +30 diplomacy with Beastmen factions (UP FROM +20) +2 horde growth NEW Lord: +3 Bray Shaman recruit rank ( UP FROM +1) -8% enemy replenishment (local province) NEW -8 enemy leadership (local province) NEW



Morghur Faction: +30% upkeep Minotaurs (DOWN FROM +40%) -30% Spawn upkeep ( DOWN FROM -40%) +3 Chaos Corruption spread (UP FROM +2) Lord: +12% Chaos territory attrition (UP FROM +8%) +8 spawn MD NEW +20% missile resistance for Spawn NEW



Vampire Count Changes

Vampire Count Heroes

Moved Wight King to level 2 Binding Circle building chain from level 3

Added +2 Wight King Hero rank to level 3 Binding Circle building chain

Added ability to recruit Necromancer Heroes to level 2 Boneyard building chain

Added +1 Necromancer Hero rank to level 3 Boneyard building chain

Added +2 Necromancer Hero rank to level 4 Necromancy building chain

Vampire Count Mounts

Reduced all Nightmare and Barded Nightmare mounts to be unlocked at level 5

Reduced all Hellsteed mounts to be unlocked at level 10

Reduced all Zombie Dragon mount to be unlocked at level 20

Reduced all Corpse Cart mounts to be unlocked at level 10

Reduced all Corpse Cart (Balefire) mounts to be unlocked at level 13

Reduced all Corpse Cart (Unholy Lodestone) mounts to be unlocked at level 16

Heinrich Kemmler can now unlock Barded Nightmare mount

Vampire Count Techs

Added new techs: Rotten Flesh Unnatural Strength

Added effects to all four initial branching techs The Book of Arkhan Liber Necronomica De Noirot’s Blasphemous Bestiary The Lahmian Book of Blood

Reworked, reduced research time and reordered numerous techs relating to Zombies and Skeletons within the Book of Arkhan tech branch

Increased Enshrine Ancient Lords attrition bonus to 30%

The Ravenous Dead follower – Includes new ability “The Ravenous Dead”

General Campaign Changes and Fixes

Blessed Spawnings for Lizardmen now trigger as intended.

Loyalty Dilemmas for Dark Elves and Skaven now trigger. In some cases they may now trigger too often – we are currently balancing their frequency.

Fixed several rare end-turn crashes

Fixed a rare instance where the player could end turn before the campaign flyover had finished resulting in a crash

The Tier 3 and Tier 4 Dark Elf entertainment buildings can now be constructed by those who do not own The Queen and The Crone

Fortress Games, Skavenblight, Hell Pit and Occupied Elven Colonies can now be upgraded by those who do not own Tomb Kings

Sisters of Slaughter are now recruited from Tier 3 Halls of Ravaging

Skeleton Warriors and Skeleton Spearmen are now available to recruit from the Infantry Level 1 building Open Graves

Lords will now correctly be removed from the army when wounded by attrition

Fixed various instances of lines in diplomacy being delivered without consideration for the character’s gender

Fixed a rare instance where ambushes could be discovered when armies were not near the ambush

Thorgrim’s Grudge Against Undead skill now also applies to Tomb Kings

The overcast version of Command of the Unliving has been added to campaign

Fixed all engage_force_army_invading mission conditions so they will now trigger

Fixed Hellebron’s early game mission to upgrade Har Ganeth to point at the correct region

Fixed Alarielle’s early game mission to upgrade Gaean Vale with the correct building requirements

Boris Todbringer now has access to Imperial Pegasus and Imperial Griffon mounts in campaign

Boris Todbringer now has Middenland Runefang & White Cloak of Ulric as starting campaign magic items

Moved Clan Eshin faction leader to Axlotl from Marks of the Old Ones settlement in Mortal Empires campaign

Clan Eshin now has control of Axlotl settlement from the start of the Mortal Empires campaign

Reduced the initial army strength of the Southern Sentinels in the Vortex campaign

Skeggi’s landmark building can once again be constructed

High Elf wood resource buildings now also affect Shadow Warriors and Sisters of Avelorn

Dark Elf pasture resource buildings now also affect Doomfire Warlocks

Dark Elf medicine resource buildings now also affect Sisters of Slaughter

Bretonnia can now construct their own variant of the Archecclesiatium of Myrmidia

The Archecclesiatium of Myrmidia now gives more corruption reduction and public order

The Couronne Tournament Grounds income is no longer affected by Farm buildings

The Tower of Hoeth correctly applies its bonuses to Swordmasters and Battle Wizards now

The Dark Elf ‘Daylight Denied’ technology now affects the income of the correct buildings

The Dark Elf ‘Harnessed Fury’ technology now also affects Kharibdyss units

The Dark Elf ‘Hardship & Cruelty’ and ‘Masters of Murder’ technologies now also affect Doomfire Warlock units

Various High Elf technologies now also affect Sisters of Avelorn and Shadow Warriors

The Vampire ‘Decipher Nehekhara Manuscripts’ and ‘Incantations of Nagash’ now properly increase the income of the associated buildings

The Vampire ‘Vampiric Revivification’ and ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ no longer incorrectly affect Blood Knights

Altdorf now has a proper garrison when occupied by Dwarfs or Greenskins

The Pyramid of Nagash now has a proper garrison when occupied by Skaven, Lizardmen or Dark Elves

Increased priority of High Elf Dragon Princes, Bolt Throwers and Chariots in garrisons

Fixed Wulfrik’s innate reinforcement range bonus being applied twice

Fixed some Norsca events using Chaos event pictures instead of Norsca specific ones

Fixed a number of effects that were not applying to the correct unit rank restrictions

Fixed army upkeep penalty not showing for Norsca

Fixed Dark Elf Sorceress (Beasts) Hero using Lord magic skills

Fixed Dark Elf Supreme Sorceress (Death) Lord using Hero magic skills

Fixed Tomb Kings Tahoth rite not applying unit recruitment rank bonus in local recruitment

Fixed Alarielle’s Spiritual Defender applying melee defence instead of melee attack to Sisters of Avelorn units

Fixed Warriors of Chaos quests not triggering if the advisor was not available

Fixed the Dark Elf Assassin ‘Shroud of Darkness’ skill not reducing vigour loss correctly

Fixed the Handmaiden’s ‘Resistant’ trait not applying its effects properly

Fixed Avelorn Treemen/Dryads/Treekin and Shadow Walkers recruitment issues

Fixed Strigoi Terrorgheist mount transferring issue

Fixed missing Immortality skill on Norsca Marauder Chieftains

Fixed missing attrition immunity for some Norsca units

Changed sacking bonus to razing bonus in the Eye Opens Wider dilemma for Warriors of Chaos

Changed Heinrich Kemmler’s Chaos Tomb Blade effects, removing the Skeleton Warriors upkeep reduction and replacing it with Chaos attrition immunity

Fixed Norsca ritual armies being able to occupy settlements

Fixed a rare soft lock where Alarielle’s Star of Avelorn quest would not start if she had been confederated

Brayherds and Waaaghs no longer feature Lords and Heroes as regular units

Fixed a rare case where the player could not declare war on the Crooked Moon Mutinous Gits faction if they had re-emerged

Fixed Kholek’s unique skill and quest item not applying replenishment bonus correctly

Fixed Tree Spirit building chain not appearing in Crag Halls of Findol

Fixed Forest Spirit building chain not appearing in Wydrioth

Fixed Slayer shrine tier 5 having lower untainted effect than tier 4 building

Fixed inconsistent population requirements for Wood Elf settlements, Savage Orc minor settlements, and Savage Orc and Norscan occupied settlements (Black Crag, Karak Eight Peaks, Karaz-a-Karak)

Fixed Norsca technologies granting immortality to all characters (including garrison commanders) rather than distinguishing between Lords and Heroes

Fixed Wurrzag’s Squiggly Beast stage 2 mission not accepting other Night Goblin variants

Fixed a number of minor settlements having more than 4 building slots

Fixed Wood Elf technology ‘Lileath, the Maiden’ not applying magic resistance to all units

Reinstated upgraded version of Command of the Living for Strigoi Ghoul Kings

Unit stats now show context bonuses (e.g. improved Melee Attack when fighting against Bretonnia) when appropriate on the pre-battle screen in campaign

The Rite of Sotek can now be unlocked by winning defensive ambush battles

Fixed inconsistencies in Bretonnian Warhorse mount naming

Fixed Grombrindal’s Cloak of Valaya quest battle pre-battle screen not showing any enemy units

Fixed Morathi’s quest chain getting stuck on an incompatible rite if she had been confederated into Crone Hellebron’s faction

Frosty Beginnings mission should no longer trigger for Crone Hellebron is she is at war with the faction

Fixed Norsca not being able to occupy settlements that were added in recent patches

Phrase ‘Pirate Booty’ now freely interchangeable with ‘Pirate Dooty’

Fixed an issue where loading an autosave after confederating as Norsca on legendary difficulty would not save the confederation

Fixed an instance in the event feed where Brayherds could be referred to as Waaaghs

Dark Elves now receive event messages when a Black Ark building is constructed or demolished

Morghur’s Stave of Ruinous Corruption quest will now correctly proceed when the quest is aborted as a result of the Greenskins faction being destroyed

As Warriors of Chaos, awakening a tribe in a region that was under rebellion no longer produces amalgamations of unimaginable horror

Adjusted Campaigner trait so that it will no longer trigger when close to the faction capital

Vlad’s Blood Drinker quest stage two has been changed to defeat an Empire army

Dwarf campaigns will no longer start with -36 public order in their home province

Changed the skill ‘Renowned & Feared’ to be gender-neutral so that it makes sense in both male and female characters’ skill trees

Clicking on the resources in the Mortuary Cult to zoom to the nearest one should now work correctly for all resources

Norscan garrison leaders can no longer be wounded and subsequently return from duty

The second and third tier slave building chain for Norsca now correctly give bonuses to sacking

The Norscan tech ‘Longer Hulls’ will now correctly give 10% bonus to sacking

Players can no longer declare war on their own Blood Voyage

Shadow Walkers and Shadow Warriors will no longer gain the 10% missile resistance of Favourable Winds prior to rank 7

Skaven factions are no longer invisible to the player after being vassalised

Alith Anar will no longer trigger an advisor message about Dark Elves when none are present

The advisor now correctly shows for Vlad and Isabella

The advisor will no longer incorrectly trigger when playing as Skaven informing the player of technologies being available when there are none

The faction summary for Naggarond will now show the correct faction symbol when referencing Exiles of Nehek

Fixed an issue with Kislev names not displaying properly

Added a tooltip to the Toggle Notification options on Lords and Heroes to clarify the functionality better

The tooltip for amber will no longer advise the player to demolish buildings to regain amber when the only buildings that require amber cannot be demolished

Tooltips will no longer stay stuck on screen when turning a locked overlay on and exiting the overlay screen

The Skaven mission Evil Knsqueevel will now ask the player to recruit a Doomwheel rather than a Chariot

Fimir Balefiend skill Power Drain has been renamed Magical Reserves to better reflect its functionality

Fixed a typo in Alith Anar’s Spectre skill

Fixed a typo in Arkhan the Black’s flyover

Fixed a typo in Tyrion’s Dragon Armour of Anarion quest battle event message

Fixed a typo in Vlad von Carstein’s Blood drinker quest chain

Fixed a typo with the magical item Pigeon Plucker Pendant

Fixed edge-cases in AI vs AI autoresolver which favoured one side too much

Fixed a typo on the Pearl of Infinite Darkness

AI is now far less likely to construct two of the same building in the same province

Port settlements will now show a port icon on the city info bar

Vampiric Corruption will no longer overlap in the tooltip at certain percentages

Kilhar the Tormentor will no longer stand in a T-pose on the campaign map

Fixed a typo in the Forbidden Library flavour text

Norscan long-term victory message should be more relevant to the faction now

Fixed typos in Lucky Skullhelm’s flavour text

Confederating as Norsca by defeating a faction lord will no longer results in the incorrect even message from being displayed

Fixed a typo in the Gathering of Might skill tooltip

Fixed an anomaly with the autoresolve bar display resetting in strength when adding more units

Added income to Bretonnian settlements

The button to disband the lord in the Character Details panel is now greyed out for Legendary Lords

Fixed an issue where Malagor’s entire army could be lost if he was wounded

Gor Grazen will no longer load the Shrine of Khaine battle from campaign

General Battle Changes and Fixes

Added a new Host Spectator toggle to multiplayer battles, in order to improve Tournament battle viewing and broadcasts. In this mode, the host can set up the battle but not join it as a contestant. When the match begins, the Host can freely spectate while the battle between players commences. This mode is currently in beta. Host has visibility over armies of all players The host and all players must ready-up in order for the battle to commence Currently, AI armies cannot be assigned to player slots Currently additional spectators cannot be added to the battle

Fixed some rare battle crashes

Added The Barrow Legion faction to custom battles

Reinforcements should now enter the battlefield from the expected direction

The timer in replays will now count up rather than down

Fixed an issue where the game could freeze and crash when hovering over “Multishot Ammunition” on Reaper Bolt Throwers

Updated War Hydra and Kharibdyss unit category descriptions

Reduced likelihood of artillery marching towards greenskin and high elf towers when given an attack order against these towers

AI will now use Realm of Souls Ushabti and Menace from Below on non-ranged/artillery units

If The Menace Below is used inside a settlement as the attacker, the towers will no longer fire inside the settlement

Encourage attribute has been added to Goblin Great Shaman when mounted on a Giant Wolf

Encourage attribute has been added to Night Goblin Shaman

Norsca units (Trolls, Frost Wyrm and Manticore) now have siege attacker attribute

Malekith now has the siege attacker attribute when on a dragon mount

High Elf dragon mounts now correctly show the siege attacker icon

Chanted “Decapods” thrice into a mirror while turning around and OH MIGHTY SIGMAR LOOK AT THE MESS WE’RE IN

Fixed issue with siege attacker icon not appearing for High Elf lords mounted on dragons in custom battles

Wulfrik now correctly has 15% missile resistance when mounted on his mammoth

High Elf Noble will no longer incorrectly do damage on collision

Added missing loading screen quotes for some units

Ulthuan battle maps will no longer incorrectly be used when fighting in Badlands area of the Vortex campaign map

Fireball can no longer be cast without it costing Winds of Magic and ignoring its cooldown

Fixed scale of Wood Elf Heroes

Fixed an issue where Beastmen models would appear too large compared to the Razorgor Chariot they were occupying

Zooming limits adjusted – min camera height is lower, allowing for a ground-level cinematic angle, and max cam height is 17% higher, allowing for a slightly wider overview

Lords on flying mounts should now respond correctly to movement orders after being interrupted or knocked back during duels

Fixed an issue where invalid movement orders could be issued on several siege maps

Heinrich Kemmler now has his Krell summon ability in his quest battles played via the front end

Alith Anar will now use a Giant Eagle in his Moonbow quest when started from the front end to match the campaign starting army

Rage is no longer removed when disabling Foe-Seeker or Fight or Die! from Marauder Chieftain Lord in custom or multiplayer battle

Bjarke Black Raider will now display the correct model

Dark Elf Manticore’s faceplate is now positioned correctly

Templehof Luminark now displays the correct model and VFX when destroyed

Fixed a graphical stretching issue shown on Dark Elf Manticore’s legs

Fixed an issue where the Supreme Sorceress would clip through the seat on the Manticore mount

Fixed an issue where Ushabti’s heads could show as small triangles when zoomed out

Fixed an issue with Necropolis Knights where the main body would clip through the head

Fixed an issue where Lothern Sea Guards shield’s kelp would not display correctly

Blood should no longer appears as vertical lines on the Hydra and Kharibdyss’s necks

Blood will no longer disappear on ranged units’s bows during their firing animations

The Kharibdyss heads should no longer be so offset during the Kharibdyss matched animation

Fixed various issues with elf units when weapon switching, which included weapons flickering or disappearing and holding swords and bows at the same time

Dark Riders (Repeater Crossbow) and Raven Heralds (Repeater Crossbow) will no longer change their bow model during their firing animations

Pistoliers, Outriders and Outriders (Grenade Launcher) will no longer swap their sword between their hand and hip while idling

Mounted Yeoman will no longer change their bow model during their firing animations

Dark Riders (Shields) will now hold their shields correctly during charges

The Handmaiden’s spear will no longer detatch from her hand during some attack animations

The Blessed Legion of Phakth will no longer incorrectly hold spears and shields when the user is zoomed out a great distance from the unit

Fixed an animation synching issue during Helstorm Rocket Battery’s firing animation

Fixed an issue where low tier Empire and Bretonnia units would play the wrong animation during a moving attack

Fixed an issue where Morghur would occasionally use a whip when attacking

The Kharibdyss’s main head will no longer snap during any attacks

The Kharibdyss will no longer cross its jaw during sweeping attacks

Increased shadow map resolution on medium, high and ultra settings

Added collision to some buildings that lacked it on Khemri siege map

Troops will now hide correctly in the Khazid Irkulaz map

Fixed an area in Eagle Gate map where troops could not be deployed

Fixed multiple instances of floating walls and props on Port Elistor siege map

The walls are no longer slightly floating above the terrain in the Ancient City of Quintex siege map

Props will no longer flicker on Karak Zorn siege map

Fixed an issue with the lighting in Kazark Izor siege map

Ruination of Cities will no longer appear textureless

Fixed some smoke VFX that appeared to be 2D

VFX will now be properly displayed when the Sunmaker is destroyed

Norscan Warhounds are now using the correct unit card

The Branchwraith provided in the army for Sword of Daith stage one quest battle will no longer use the incorrect unit card

Upgraded spells with a -15% miscast chance will now display the miscast chance in the tooltip

Frost Breath now has the correct tooltip

Sound will now correctly play when clicking on the unit info arrows in custom battle

Wood Elf and High Elf archers will no longer swap bow models when firing Artillery will no longer be able to shoot beyond its intended range when forcing it to shoot at the ground

Framerate drops should be less frequent during battle when units appear or abilities are used

Lothern Sea Guards (Shields) should now correctly display on their backs when they are in missile mode

Wood Elf and High Elf lords’ swords will no longer disappear and reappear during their firing animations when mounted on horses

Individual archer units should no longer be killing an excessive number of enemies compared to the same units in the army

Heroes will no longer die when flying over a wall that gets destroyed

Order and movement VO no longer play as a spectator in multiplayer battles

Order and movement VO no longer play during replays

Projectiles now correctly show VFX when projectile trails are set to off

Audio Changes and Fixes

Reworked group vocalisation system and added new assets for most humanoid units: Blood Knights thirst for blood more Bretonnians (Knights and Peasants) are now overly honourable Dark Elves (Male, Female, and Witch Elves) are now extra malevolent Dwarfs now hold even more grudges Empire State Troops are now more disciplined Goblins are now extra stabby High Elves (Male and Female) have increased in arrogance Orcs now Waaagh! harder than ever Warriors Chaos and Norscans (Chosen, Marauders, and Chaos Warriors) worship the Dark Gods more intensely Wood Elves (Male and Female) are now wilder

Tweaked and improved Individual Vocalisations New assets for Chaos (Chosen, Marauders, Chaos Warriors), Dwarfs and Ghost Horses Improved distinction between roars and screams for animations (battle and campaign), and retagged animations to use the suitable events Tweaked probabilities of individual vocalisations triggering

Legendary Lords have all received the new Cinematic Kit 2 impact sounds for their melee attacks, appropriate to their weapon or attack of choice

Improved the audio mix when music is enabled

Rebalanced the mix of multiple larger creatures

Improved the audio feedback on the magic and ability targeting Reduced spamming of targeting UI sound when moving between targets

Reduced cannonball impact spam

Blasting Charge limiting updated

Reworked Empire and Norsca battle environment ambience

Set Alarielle, Alith Anar, and Crone Hellebron’s campaign lord details panel VO to 2D

Front End ambiences now crossfade when switching between backgrounds

Front End lord portrait videos now play once at full volume, then reduce volume for subsequent loops

Malekith has had a bit of a lie down, is feeling much better now thank you, and will no longer scream incessantly in raiding stance

Sound will now correctly play when clicking on the unit info arrows in custom battle

Character and Unit Balancing

Beastmen

Malagor: +400 mass, +1 run speed, +100 mp cost, +10 melee attack, +10 melee defence, +10 ap melee damage, +15 base melee damage.

Gorebull: +200 mass, +5% hit reaction ignore chance, +5% knock interrupt ignore chance. No longer has terrain penalties in Shallow Water.

Khazrak – Razorgor Chariot: +10 armour

Morghur: +50 mass

Feral Manticore: -100 cost

Gor Herd (dual): -50 mp cost

Minotaurs: -50 cost

Minotaurs (Shields): -100 cost

Minotaurs (Great Weapons): -100 cost

Razorgor Herd: -50 cost

Giant: +35 ap melee damage, +15 base melee damage, +1 splash attack max targets

Dwarfs

Belegar: -50 mp cost

Runelord: +50 mp cost

Grombrindal: -100 mp cost

Thorgrim: -50 mp cost

Thane: +4 melee defence

Bugman’s Rangers: -2 health per entity

Hammerers: +2 health per entity

Peak Gate Guard: +2 health per entity

Gyrobomber: +200 health, +20 clattergun ammo

Skyhammer: +200 health, +20 clattergun ammo

Quarrellers (GW): +2 melee defence

Greenskins

Skarsnik: +300 mass

Grimgor: +600 mass, +5 armour, +7 melee defence.

Night Goblin Shaman: added encourage

Goblin Great Shaman – Wolf: added encourage

Night Goblin Archers: -25 cost

Night Goblin Archers – Fanatics: -25 cost

Squig Herd: +10 health per entity

Orc Boar Chariot: +4 melee attack

Savage Orc Boar Boyz Big Uns: now truly Bigga’ and ‘Arder with +5 bonus vs. large, -2 charge bonus.

Giant: +35 ap melee damage, +15 base melee damage, +1 splash attack max targets

Empire

Royal Altdorf Gryphites: +50 cost, +8 health per entity, -2 charge bonus

Demigryph Knights (Halberds): +8 health per entity, -2 charge bonus

Demigryph Knights (Lances): +8 health per entity, +2 melee defence

Helblaster Volley Gun: -50 mp cost

Helstorm Rocket Battery: -100 mp cost

Captain: -50 mp cost

Crossbowmen: -25 cost

Pistoliers: +8 charge bonus, +2 melee attack

Witch Hunter: -10 ammo

Greatswords: +2 leadership

Halberdiers: +2 leadership

Spearmen (no shields): +2 bonus vs large

Steam Tank: +3 bonus vs infantry, +35 ap melee damage, +5 base melee damage

Knights of the Blazing Sun: +1 ap melee damage, -1 base melee damage

Great Cannon: improved accuracy

Dark Elves

Malekith: +300 mass on foot

Sorceress (all) – Cold One mount: -50 mp cost

War Hydra: -150 cost

Chill of Sontar: -50 cost, Frost Breath is no longer flaming.

Kharibdyss: +5 bonus vs large

Feral Manticore: -100 cost

Supreme Sorceress (all) – foot & dark steed: +150 mp cost

Supreme Sorceress (all) – cold one: +50 mp cost

Supreme Sorceress (all) – dark Pegasus: +100 mp cost

Doomfire Warlocks: -1 health per entity, +100 cost.

Slaanesh’s Harvesters: -1 health per entity, +100 cost.

Sisters of Slaughter: -1 melee attack, -1 melee defence.

Cold One Knights: -12 charge bonus, +8 melee attack, +2 melee defence.

Dread Knights: -6 charge bonus, +4 melee attack, +2 melee defence.

Knights of the Ebon Claw: -6 charge bonus, +4 melee attack, +2 melee defence.

Shades (all): +2 health per entity

High Elves

The Fireborn: -50 mp cost, -5 physical resistance

Dragon Princes: -50 mp cost, -5 physical resistance

Silver Helms (both): +4 charge bonus

Handmaiden: -50 mp cost, increased projectile speed, increased projectile penetration

Sisters of Avelorn: +2 ap missile damage, -2 base missile damage

Everqueen’s Court Guards: +2 ap missile damage, -2 base missile damage

The Grey: -100 mp cost

Storm Riders: -50 mp cost

Tyrion: +100 mp cost, -2 melee attack, +90 ap melee damage, -110 base melee damage.

Alarielle – Eagle: -8 melee attack

Alith Anar: projectile slightly more accurate, increased projectile penetration.

Tiranoc Chariot: added Martial Prowess, -4 melee defence

Ithilmar Chariot: added Martial Prowess, -4 melee defence

Bretonnia

Blessed Field Trebuchet: -50 mp cost

Field Trebuchet: -50 mp cost

Alberic: -100 mp cost

Fay Enchantress: direct damage aura deals 20% less damage.

Lord – foot, warhorse, Pegasus: -50 mp cost

Foot Squires: +25 mp cost

Green Knight: +4 melee attack, +2 melee defence

Battle Pilgrims: +1 melee defence

Holy Wardens of La Maisontaal: +1 melee defence

Lizardmen

Cold Blooded: Now stops rampage and gives +16 leadership. No longer has max uses, removed stat penalties and healing.

Cold One Riders: Added Primal Instincts ability, +50 mp cost, -10 charge bonus, +10 melee attack, +2 melee defence, +4 ap melee damage, +2 base melee damage.

Cold One Spearriders: Added Primal Instincts ability, -10 charge bonus, +10 melee attack, +2 melee defence, +6 ap melee damage, +2 base melee damage.

Horned Ones: -12 charge bonus, +6 melee attack, +2 melee defence, +6 ap melee damage, +2 base melee damage.

Feral Cold Ones: -12 charge bonus, +5 melee attack, +2 melee defence, +4 ap melee damage, +2 base melee damage.

Kroxigor: +5 ap melee damage, +1 base melee damage.

Skink Skirmishers: +1 base missile damage

Saurus Scar Veteran – cold one: -100 mp cost

Ancient Stegadon: +3 bonus vs infantry, -50 cost

Stegadon: +3 bonus vs infantry, -50 cost

Feral Stegadon: +3 bonus vs infantry, -50 cost

Carnosaurs: +3 melee attack

Skink Chief – Stegadon & Ancient Stegadon: -100 mp cost

Skink Priest (both) – Stegadon & Ancient Stegadon: -100 mp cost.

Bastiladon (Rev. Crystal): -25 mp cost

Lord Mazdamundi – Zlaaq: now uses Ancient Stegadon weapon strength.

Lord Mazdamundi – Palanquin: + 516 health

Slann Mage Priests: +2 melee defence, +516 health

Saurus Spearmen: +2 melee defence

Saurus Spearmen (Shields): +2 melee defence

Saurus Warriors: +1 melee attack

Saurus Warriors (Shields): +1 melee attack

Temple Guard: +2 health per entity

Vampire Counts

Strigoi Ghoul King (foot): -100 mp cost

Helman Ghorst – Corpse Cart: +400 health

Vampire Lord – Nightmare: +10 armour

Devils of Swartzhafen: +2 melee attack

Vargheists: +2 melee attack

Terrorgheist: -2 charge bonus

Cairn Wraiths: +2 melee attack

Crypt Horrors: +1 melee defence

Mortis Engine: direct damage aura deals 20% less damage

Warriors of Chaos

Kholek: increased projectile intersection radius to 0.95, -5 armour, +100 mp cost

Archaon: +100 cost, +145 ap melee damage, -205 base melee damage

Sigvald: +20 missile block chance, +10 armour, +5 leadership

Dragon Ogres: -50 cost

Feral Manticore: -100 cost

Chaos Giant: Giant: +35 ap melee damage, +15 base melee damage, +1 splash attack max targets

Swords of Chaos: +2 ap melee damage, -2 base melee damage

Chaos Knights: +2 ap melee damage

Wood Elves

Wildwood Rangers: -50 mp cost

Wardancers RoR: -50 cost

Wardens of Cythral: +50 mp cost

Waywatchers RoR: -50 cost, -1 ammo

Waywatchers: -1 ammo

Waystalker: +17 melee attack, +3 melee defence, +15 ap melee damage.

Treemen: +190 ap melee damage, -260 base melee damage.

Ancient Treemen: +154 ap melee damage, -225 base melee damage.

Sisters of the Thorn: +100 cost, -10% physical resistance.

Norsca

Feral Mammoth: increased acceleration, -1000 mass, -11 melee attack, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown (re-introduced collision damage for mammoths)

War Mammoth: increased acceleration, -1500 mass, -12 melee attack, -2 melee defence, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown.

War Mammoth (Warshrine): increaseed acceleration, -1000 mass, -12 melee attack, -2 melee defence, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown.

Soulcrusher: increased acceleration, -1500 mass, -12 charge bonus, -12 melee attack, -2 melee defence, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown.

Wulfrik – Mammoth: increased acceleration, -1500 mass, +15 missile resistance, -12 melee attack, -2 melee defence, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown.

Marauder Chieftain – Mammoth: increased acceleration, -1500 mass, -12 charge bonus, -12 melee attack, -2 melee defence, -30 ap melee damage, +14 bonus vs infantry, +30 base melee damage, +4 collision attack max targets, 2 collision attack max targets cooldown.

Feral Manticore: -100 mp cost

Fimirs (Great Weapons): +50 mp cost

Skinwolves: -50 mp cost

Marauder Berserkers: -1 melee defence

Brutes of the Hound: -1 melee defence

Marauder Champions (Great Weapons): +2 melee defence

Norscan Giant: +35 ap melee damage, +15 base melee damage, +1 splash attack max targets

Frost Wyrm: Frost Breath is no longer flaming damage.

Marauder Hunters (axes): increased projectile mass for more knockbacks

Skaven

Clanrat Spearmen: -25 cost

Clanrat Spearmen (Shields): -25 cost

Clanrats: -25 cost

Clanrats (Shields): -25 cost

Death Globe Bombardiers: -50 mp cost, +2 ammo

Poison Wind Globadiers: -50 mp cost, +2 ammo

Warpfire Throwers: -50 mp cost

Hell Pit Abomination: +15 ap melee damage, +5 base melee damage, Summoned Skavenslave Spears now have Scurry Away and Strength in Numbers abilities.

Warlord – Rat Ogre Bonebreaker: +400 health

Queek Headtaker: +19 bonus vs. infantry

Stormvermin (Halberds): +2 melee attack

Tomb Kings

Screaming Skull Catapult: -50 mp cost

Casket of Souls: increased projectile accuracy

Khatep – Casket of Souls: increased projectile accuracy

Settra – Chariot of the Gods: +3 melee defence

Necrosphinx: +200 health

Sphinx of Usepkh: -200 health

Sepulchral Stalkers: +1 melee attack, projectiles deal +1 ap melee damage each.

Eyes of the Desert: +1 melee attack, projectiles deal +1 ap melee damage each.

Battle Abilities Balancing

Dreaded Thirteenth Spell: Summoned Stormvermin now have Scurry Away and Strength in Numbers abilities

Soul Rain: increased ap explosion damage by 50%

Soul Storm: increased ap explosion damage by 50%

Soul Torrent: increased ap explosion damage by 50%

Venom Staff: Increased ap explosion damage by +18

Skarsnik’s Prodder: Venom Staff: Increased ap explosion damage by +18

Comet of Casandora: +6 ap explosion damage

Comet of Casandora Upgraded: +12 ap explosion damage

Flame Storm: now drags entities towards it rather than pushing them away

Vambraces of the Sun: now applies -22% flame weakness

Shield of the Old Ones: Replaced 44% magic resistance with 22% Ward Save

Pearl of Infinite Bleakness: added +8 leadership

Dark Mail: changed to a passive self buff active in melee that adds +24 armour and +22% magic resistance

Lance Formation: -12% charge speed, -10% acceleration, -10% deceleration

Hunter of Champions: -1 melee defence

Regrowth: Removed physical resistance, replaced with +100% vigour. Cost tweaks

Regrowth Upgraded: Removed physical resistance, replaced with +100% vigour. Cost tweaks

Shield of Thorns: Replaced missile resistance with 22% physical resistance. Reduced duration to 22 seconds

Shield of Thorns Upgraded: Replaced missile resistance with 22% physical resistance. Reduced duration to 22 seconds. Reduced cost.

Ballistics Calibration: reduced duration from 57 to 32

Curse of Da Bad Moon: contact effect now reduces melee defence rather than melee attack

Gork’ll Fix It: changed -24% movement speed to -48% movement speed, no longer affects vigour. Increased duration to 24 seconds

Waagh!: Reduced melee attack increase from 26 to 20

Scarecrow Banner: increased morale penalty for flying units from -4 to -8

Light of Battle: added 40m effect radius, reduced duration to 22 seconds, +1 power cos

Light of Battle Upgraded: increased duration to 44 seconds, -1 power cost

Glittering Robe: removed morale increase, increased armour bonus to +60, duration reduced to 44

Glittering Robe Upgraded: removed morale increase, increased armour bonus to +60, duration reduced to 4

Rune of Hearth and Home: increased effect range to 45m

Destroyer: now adds only +15 ability recharge per 90 seconds

Cursed Blade: fixed the re-application of the direct damage

Heart of Avelorn: now activates when Tyrion goes below 20% health

Crown of Domination: increased effect radius to 55m

Transformation of Kadon: Manticore unbinds 40% slower, reduced casting cost by -2

Tomb Swarm: reduced direct damage by 25%

Death Frenzy: increased duration to 28

Death Frenzy Upgraded: increased duration to 2

Skitterleap: now has a 40m radius, duration reduced to 41, +5 power cost

Skitterleap Upgraded: now has a 40m radius, duration reduced to 82, +8 power cost

Night Shroud: now has a 40m radius, duration reduced to 41, +5 power cost

Night Shroud Upgraded: now has a 40m radius, duration reduced to 82. +8 power cost

Eadbutt: -2 power cost

Eadbutt Upgraded: -2 power cost

Daith’s Sword: added 2 max uses, increased casting range to 100m

Sneaky Stabbing: reduced wind-up time to 1

Gaze of Malice: changed to an uncommon ability, max 3 uses, cost increased to 152, recharge time changed to 90

Djaf’s Incantation of Cursed Blades: -1 power cost

Djaf’s Incantation of Cursed Blades Upgraded: -1 power cost

Sakhmet’s Incantation of the Skullstorm: -1 power cost

Sakhmet’s Incantation of the Skullstorm Upgraded: -1 power cost

Gaze of Nagash: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory

Shem’s Burning Gaze: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory

Vindictive Glare: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory, -1 power cost

Vindictive Glare Upgraded: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory, -1 power cost

Gaze of Mork: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory, -1 power cost

Gaze of Mork: increased accuracy, changed to a higher ballistic trajectory, -1 power cost

Updated: 9/11/2018