After three years of waiting, Creative Assembly has finally confirmed thatTotal War: Warhammer 3will launch in 2021. The final title in theTotal War: Warhammertrilogy was announced with an action-packed trailer on the officialTotal WarYouTube channel. While the trailer confirmed a lot of popular community theories about the third game, it also featured more than a couple of big surprises.
Both of the previousTotal War: Warhammertitles were announced with similar cinematic trailers, introducing the world and key players. However, the new trailer bears the most similarity to the announcement ofTotal War: Warhammer 2, which revealed three of the four launch factions. While the rat-like Skaven didn’t appear in that trailer, a red-eyed rat appearing at the end was enough to confirm their inclusion for most players. Similarly, thenew trailer forTotal War: Warhammer 3has kept what is perhaps its most surprising reveal a little more subtle. To help those who are less familiar with the vast, chaotic monster that isWarhammerlore, here’s a complete breakdown of the new trailer.
The Ice Queen of Kislev
The trailer begins on a snow-covered battlefield with an army of Kislev. Kislev istheWarhammerworld’sequivalent of Russia, though it also borrows from other cultures such as Poland and Mongolia for its art direction. Being the human nation on the edge of the Chaos Wastes, Kislev is the Old World’s first defense against the predations of the Chaos Gods.
The Kislevite people are a hardy, practical, and age-old ally to the Empire further south. In fact, while Kislev appears asa faction inTotal War: Warhammer1and2, they use the same generic Empire troops as their southern neighbors. The trailer quickly reveals that Kislev will finally be getting a full roster inWarhammer 3, with a pair of Kislevite Ice Guards standing guard at the entrance to the Tsarina’s tent.
Inside is Tsarina Katarin Bokha, also known as the Ice Queen of Kislev. A powerful Ice Witch, the trailer shows Tsarina receiving word of her father’s failed attack against Chaos, and presumably his death. If the letter from Tsar Boris Bokha that serves as the trailer’s narration is accurate, and there is some doubt about that which will be covered later, then it means thatWarhammer 3will be set over a decade after its predecessor.
Total War: Warhammer1 and 2begin in the year 2502, coinciding with the election of Karl Franz as Emperor. However, in Games Workshop’s established lore, Tsar Boris doesn’t make his fateful attack on Chaos until fifteen years after that. This would put the start date ofTotal War: Warhammer 3at around the year 2517. However, even if Tsar Boris isn’t really out of the picture, Katarin is still guaranteed to be one of the Legendary Lords available for Kislev.
The Chaos Gods
The letter that Tsar Boris sent to his daughter in the newTotal War: Warhammer 3trailer warns that his sacrifice was in vain, and that it will fall to her tohold back the Daemons of Chaos. During this narration, the trailer shows a representative of each of the four Chaos Gods in the Tsarina’s mirror. These are all Greater Demons, and likely the Legendary Lords of their respective factions. This confirms a popular theory in theTotal War:Warhammercommunity, that the third game in the series will divide Chaos into four separate armies.
While theWarriors of Chaos factionhas been inTotal War: Warhammersince the very first title, their units have always been restricted to mortals and beasts twisted by the ruinous powers, rather than outright daemons. InTotal War: Warhammer 3, the most potent servants of the Chaos Gods will finally be taking the field, each with their own roster.
They might all be creatures of the Chaos Realms, but the daemonsdedicated toWarhammer’s four Dark Godsare more often interested in fighting each other than attacking the Mortal Realm. Therefore, players can expect each roster to heavily reflect the Chaos God it’s dedicated to: Whether that’s Khorne, the god of war, murder, and violent death, Nurgle the Plaguefather, Slaanesh the god/goddess of pleasure and pain, or the devious Tzeentch, god of change and deceit.
It’s the daemons of Khorne that Tsarina Katarin goes up against in the trailer, with her bear cavalry and winged lancers charging against Skullcrushers, Bloodletters, and even a Bloodthirster. This Greater Daemon of Khorne is most likely the Legendary Lord for his faction, and the most popular theory is that he’s Skarbrand the Exiled One, most powerful of all Khorne’s daemons.
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The Sixth Faction
Thetrailer for the newWarhammertitlewas released alongside an official FAQ, where Creative Assembly revealed that six factions will be playable at the game’s launch. With the forces of Kislev and the armies of the four Chaos Gods already accounted for, that leaves one unknown. Very little guesswork is required however, as a reveal at the very end of the trailer practically confirms the surprising sixth faction.
In the reveal, the hooded figure who entered Katarin’s tent right at the beginning of the trailer moves aside some papers on her desk to reveal the lands of Cathay. The Empire of Grand Cathay is Warhammer Fantasy’s equivalent of China, and an area that has been only hinted at in the lore until now. Given that there has never been an official Cathayan army forGame Workshop’s tabletop game, many players were certain that the far-eastern nation couldn’t possibly be making its first real appearance in Creative Assembly’s series.
However, the inclusion of Grand Cathay is confirmed on the game’s Steam page, which mentions the empirefighting against the forces of Chaosalongside Kislev. In addition, a new post on the officialWarhammersite talks about the creative process that has allowed Games Workshop and Creative Assembly to work together on the brand-new faction.
A Final Mystery
With Cathay confirmed, this only leaves the mystery of the hooded figure who reveals the map. While some argue that he’s the advisor from the previousTotal Wargames, the only evidence for this theory appears to be that they both wear brown robes. A more convincing suggestion is that he’s the Chaos-tainted Light Wizard fromTotal War: Warhammer’s announcement trailer. This is not just because of their very similar appearances, but also because they both end their respective trailers by staring into the camera with a smirk.
If the hooded man truly is the corrupted Light Wizard, then it raises the possibility that Tsarina Katarin is being led astray, and that perhaps her father’s letter is a fake. While unlikely, this could even mean that Tsar Boris himself might be available as Kislev’s secondLegendary Lord in the newTotal War. Whatever the answer, we can expect more reveals and releases from Creative Assembly over the coming months, leading up toTotal War: Warhammer 3’s release.
Total War: Warhammer 3is currently in development, and due to release for PC in late 2021.
