Total War: Warhammer 2 – Empire Undivided

Summon the Elector Counts, there’s a massive new update for the Empire alongside the new The Hunter and the Beast legendary lord pack. See what’s new!

Total War: Warhammer 2 Players have seen many a legendary lord come through the DLC pipeline, as well as massive updates for their favorite factions, except one. Until now. The Empire gets some much anticipated attention in The Empire Undivided a free, automatic update released alongside the new legendary lord pack, The Hunter & The Beast which introduces the Huntmaster as well as many new Lizardmen dinos.

But we’re here for the Empire, and so let’s dive in to what keeps it Undivided in this latest expansion.

via Total War

By popular demand, the factions of the Empire race have undergone a grand-scale overhaul for Mortal Empires. This grants them a new and richly-themed level of gameplay variety, in line with more-recently introduced races and factions.

• Territory rework: Empire territory now features 12 new regions. Many provinces have been upgraded from three to four regions, representing in aggregate a significant enlargement and variety in Empire holdings.
• The enemy within: Three new provinces can be found in Empire territory. The Forest of Laurelorn next to Nordland plays host to the Wood Elf faction of the same name, while the Misty Hills north of Middenland and Solland in the south (Balthasar Gelt’s new home province) are subject to Greenskin incursions.
• New Fort settlements: Three new regions are the sites of newly-designed Empire fort settlements. These settlements are Helmgart, Fort Soll and Fort Bergres. In battle, forts are deeper than normal cities, offering multiple, increasingly higher fallback positions for defenders, and bringing new challenges and opportunities to siege gameplay.
• Balthasar Gelt: The Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic gets his own campaign start-position! Leading the Golden Order faction from his base in Pfeildorf, he is in close proximity to the Greenskin-infested region of Solland to the east.
• Tech tree: Empire factions now have access to the comprehensively reworked Empire tech tree. The new tree removes all building locks, offers far greater choice and variety, introduces more diplomacy-enhancing techs, and unique techs which interact with the new Imperial Authority system.
• Imperial Authority: The Empire Offices system is gone. In its place, Empire players can now extend their authority across the empire by engaging in internal politics and quelling agitators in their efforts to confederate or go to war with the Elector Counts leading other major Empire factions.
  • Prestige: Prestige can be used to manage the player’s Imperial Authority, and is acquired through winning battles and constructing ever-more impressive edifices. High Authority grants enhanced growth, tax rate, and increases the chances of improved Fealty from the Elector Counts. Low Authority incurs the reverse, plus reduced public order and leadership. If your Imperial Authority falls too low, you risk the Elector Counts turning against you en-masse in an Imperial civil war!
  • Fealty: Fealty is an overall measure of an Elector Count’s loyalty towards the Empire and is influenced by many factors, including (but not limited to) Imperial Authority, your overall tech-level, diplomatic attitude, and the new Political Events. When an Elector Count’s Fealty reaches a certain height, they will pledge their unswerving loyalty to the Empire with an offer of confederation. If their Fealty drops low enough however, they may secede from the Empire altogether.
  • Summon the Elector Counts!: The new Elector Counts panel displays the characters which occupy Elector Count roles and tracks their Fealty towards the Empire. Should you own an Empire State’s capital city, you can assign a character as its Elector Count (for example, you may own Bechafen in Ostermark, and choose to assign Wolfram Hertwig to the position). This will unlock one of the legendary Runefang weapons (The Ostermark Runefang: Troll Cleaver in this case), and grants access to an elite, unique Empire unit variant (Ostermark grants the Knights of the Everlasting Light).
  • Political Events: Political Events are a new type of event which can trigger during the course of an Empire campaign. These can directly impact your Prestige, Imperial Authority, your economy, or the Fealty of the Elector Counts – for good or ill! These events can drive meaningful real-world consequences. For example, if a civil war ensues, you’ll have to choose sides between the Elector Counts. From time to time you may be called upon by an Elector Count, via a Political Event, to assist them militarily against roaming invaders. Whether you choose to do nothing, offer money to fund mercenary assistance, or choose to fight directly alongside them against their aggressors, there’ll be a relevant impact on their Fealty.
  • Territory: If you capture a settlement considered to be the rightful property of an Elector Count, you may gift them that settlement as a post-battle option, increasing their Fealty towards you. If you capture one of the Empire province capitals, you may instead install a new Elector Count of your own choosing.
  • The Empire reforged: Though usurped long ago, Sylvania and Marienburg are still considered rightful Empire territory. If they are liberated, players may install their own Elector Counts there.
  • Flummox the Elector Counts!: Through the new Electoral Machinations panel, players can expend some of their Prestige to influence relations between the Elector Counts, increasing bonds, inciting wars, or ostracizing bad eggs as appropriate. This works in a similar way to the High Elves’ Intrigue system.

Alongside these updates you’ll also find more bugfixes and quality of life updates that make your autoresolve battles make more sense, as well as making sure units actually do the things they’re supposed to do.

Good luck, Generals!

Author: J.R. Zambrano

Bell of Lost Souls Staff Writer and DM, J.R. covers RPGs of all stripes and on occasion eats sandwiches. You can ask him about either at [email protected]