Total War: Warhammer 3 – Lords Of Slaanesh
Slaanesh’s forces are here, they’re sinewy, and their powers are beyond comprehending. Until you read about what they do, that is.
The roster has been revealed and today we’re taking a look at the Lords, Legendary and otherwise, of Slaanesh’s armies. From N’Kari to Heralds, there are a lot of claws and sculpted, spiked plates and then some. Take a look at the daemons and daemonettes in charge of Slaanesh’s forces.
First up, let’s get an overview of the Dark Prince’s faction mechanics. These include powers that let you spread Slaanesh’s seductive wiles, and turn anyone into a fledgling cultist to help ensure Slaanesh is always ahead of the great game.
- Gifts of Slaanesh: Lords and Heroes of Slaanesh can impart gifts on enemy characters by defeating them in battle or through hero actions, thus imposing a bundle of negative effects on the unit.
- Seduction: Prior to battle, Slaaneshi armies can seduce one or more enemy unit into switching sides for the battle duration.
- Devotees: Slaaneshi armies can capture Devotees from battles, from Chaos cults, and from other dark acts. Devotees are used for creating cults, the raising of Disciple Armies, and to create vassals.
Then we have Slaanesh’s Legendary Lord, N’Kari. Chief among Keepers of Secrets, N’Kari is the Arch-Temptor. An ancient Keeper of Secrets that hates elves even more than people sitting on the other side of the table from them. In combat, N’Kari is fast and furious, and is the character assassin/hunter of your dreams or nightmares, depending on which end of N’Kari you’re on.
With a unique passive ability that gives him incredible sustainability in prolonged battles, and with a debuff that makes it easier to hunt down heroes.
- Harvester of Souls (Passive Ability): “Distributor of pain… your loss shall be my gain.”N’Kari’s health regenerates when enemy units have been destroyed nearby and this stacks when multiplied.
- Willing Prey (Active Ability): “Some beings, in their darkest heart, have a deep-seated desire for an agonizing death.” N’Kari blesses the enemy unit with a generous debuff to their melee attack and melee defense.
- Witstealer Sword (Active Ability): “One touch from this enchanted blade and the poor soul won’t know where they are and why they are here, let alone be able to defend themselves”. This ability significantly improves N’Kari’s base weapon damage and armour piercing weapon damage, empowering him to take on anyone.
If you don’t want to take N’Kari though, you’ve got two options for a Slaaneshi lord: an Exalted Keeper of Secrets or a Herald of Slaanesh. But within these two options you’ll find a surprising amount of flexibility, which seems appropriate for Slaanesh. The Exalted Keeper of Secrets is a powerful unit, capable of tearing through waves of infantry with scything claws but also they’re your magic Lord.
They have the Lore of Shadows or the Lore of Slaanesh, which include these spells:
- Lash of Slaanesh
- Hysterical Frenzy
- Slicing Shards
- Acquiescence
- Pavane of Slaanesh
- Phantasmogoria
The Herald of Slaanesh, meanwhile, is the workhorse Lord. They have access to the Lore of Shadows or Slaanesh (though not to the same power as a Keeper), but they also have three special “Locus abilities” that can help keep them or their allied units alive:
- Grace – A ward save that greatly improves melee defence and physical resistance.
- Swiftness – An augment which greatly improves charge bonus, speed and charge speed.
- Beguilement – A hex which reduces leadership and melee defence.
They can also be mounted on a Steed of Slaanesh, Seeker Chariot, or Exalted Seeker Chariot.
And those are your Lords if you play Slaanesh in Total War: Warhammer 3.
