Warhammer Total War 2: High Elf Showcase
The High Elves in Warhammer: Total War 2 (this time it’s personal) take to the fields with deadly grace.
That’s right. The High Elves are on parade today, storming the jungles of Lustria as they muster for battle against Lord Mazdamundi and his Lizardmen. We’ve got a glimpse of an early battle–so the footage you’ll see in the video below is representative of a work in progress. Some of the visuals and the like are subject to change–but this gives you a good idea of where the game is headed.
One of the devs walks through a 10ish or so minute game while showcasing the roster of the High Elf Army. There’s a Phoenix on display, as well as a unit of Dragon Princes, and Prince Tyrion himself. The game itself looks epic–you’ll see a lot of classic units return to the battlefield.
There’s the Frostheart Phoenix, whose magic frost aura slows down and pierces the armor of enemies nearby. And then units like the Swordmasters of Hoeth.
These warriors can slash arrows out of the air (reflected in their ‘deflect shots’ ability seen in their unit profile.
The Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower is the sole type of artillery available to the High Elves, but they are flexible and can have anti-armor or anti-infantry rounds.
And these are just standard, run of the mill Spearmen–but what I really like about this is that they showcase the scale of the game. Warhammer Total War is all about HUGE battles taking place in the realm of Warhammer Fantasy. Hundreds of troops come crashing together in ever-swirling melees of steel and blood. And you can get a sense of the sheer size of some of these units. As big as this unit of spearmen looks–there are equal numbers on the other side.
And, having learned from their community, we’ve got a sneak peek at some of the upcoming changes you’ll be able to make to shield patterns and armor variants.
We finish out the tour of the High Elf Roster with the Lothern Sea Guard, the Phoenix Guard, and the Dragon Princes.
There are plenty more units not pictured up close like this, but here’s the stats we’ve seen so far. We got a look at Prince Tyrion, but never got to see his final unit card or anything like that. Also featured in this battle are units of Pteradon Riders with Fire Bolas:
Who swoop down and rain terror on the field of battle. And you can get a look at some of the magic and combat in action.
Again, this is all continually being worked on–but the game looks amazing. They’ve improved on the AI and strategies that were available in Warhammer Total War 1. Which is good, the first game was fun, but after a while it just sort of bogged down–and it looks like they’re well on their way to fixing the slog. The battle I watched was dynamic and needed attention and really showcased how players feel (or at least how they should feel) when making tactical decisions on the battlefield.
Warhammer Total War 2 is scheduled for release Septermber 28, 2017.
Stay tuned for more news, assuming we don’t all get eaten by Cold Ones.
