The first Total War: Warhammer update will be out on June 30—yes, that's tomorrow—and it is a big one. Highlights include the addition of five new multiplayer maps, unit rebalancing across all races, changes to enemy AI that will make sieges against it more difficult, and the coming of the Blood Knights.

“Once the order of The Knights of The Blood Dragon, these noble warriors were dominated and given The Blood Kiss by the vampire Walach of the Harkon family. In undeath, their skill is no less potent: they are among the most powerful cavalry in The Old World,” the very lengthy patch notes explain.

“Tier 5 Shock Cavalry, Blood Knights are recruitable from the Vampire’s Keep building (along with the Black Coach). Heavily armoured and shielded with a high Charge Bonus, they smash into infantry with ease, and with the Anti Large ability, they are apt to take on larger foes. They also have the Frenzy ability, meaning they deal more damage as long as their leadership is high. Blood Knights can also be directly improved with two technologies: Turning Knightly Orders (bonuses to Melee Attack, Melee Defence and Charge Bonus), and Delusions of Grandeur (Upkeep and Recruitment Cost reductions).”

Despite the amount of ground the patch covers, Creative Assembly said it's just the first in a number of planned updates, so it may not make all the changes you were expecting. “For example, while multiplayer has seen some attention in this update, it’s in line for more focused improvement, additional features and rebalancing in an upcoming update,” the studio wrote. “Many of these changes are in testing right now, and as long-term stability and balance are of principle importance to us all, we don’t want to rush the process.”

The release of the patch will also see the launch of Total War: Warhammer's DirectX 12 mode as an opt-in beta. There are “some outstanding issues still to solve” with the DX12 implementation, so it's being kept in beta for the time being. More information on that, including the system requirements, is on the Total War Wiki. And as long as you're here, you should probably also take a look at our rundown of the best Total War: Warhammer mods, right here.

