After three years of waiting, Creative Assembly has finally confirmed that Total War: Warhammer 3 will launch in 2021. The final title in the Total War: Warhammer trilogy was announced with an action-packed trailer on the official Total War YouTube 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 previous Total War: Warhammer titles were announced with similar cinematic trailers, introducing the world and key players. However, the new trailer bears the most similarity to the announcement of Total 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, the new trailer for Total War: Warhammer 3 has 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 is Warhammer lore, here’s a complete breakdown of the new trailer.
The trailer begins on a snow-covered battlefield with an army of Kislev. Kislev is the Warhammer world’s equivalent 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 as a faction in Total War: Warhammer 1 and 2, they use the same generic Empire troops as their southern neighbors. The trailer quickly reveals that Kislev will finally be getting a full roster in Warhammer 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 that Warhammer 3 will be set over a decade after its predecessor.
Total War: Warhammer 1 and 2 begin 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 of Total War: Warhammer 3 at 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 letter that Tsar Boris sent to his daughter in the new Total War: Warhammer 3 trailer warns that his sacrifice was in vain, and that it will fall to her to hold 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 the Total War: Warhammer community, that the third game in the series will divide Chaos into four separate armies.
While the Warriors of Chaos faction has been in Total War: Warhammer since the very first title, their units have always been restricted to mortals and beasts twisted by the ruinous powers, rather than outright daemons. In Total 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 daemons dedicated to Warhammer‘s four Dark Gods are 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.
The trailer for the new Warhammer title was 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 for Game 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 empire fighting against the forces of Chaos alongside Kislev. In addition, a new post on the official Warhammer site talks about the creative process that has allowed Games Workshop and Creative Assembly to work together on the brand-new faction.
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 previous Total War games, 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 from Total 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 second Legendary Lord in the new Total War. Whatever the answer, we can expect more reveals and releases from Creative Assembly over the coming months, leading up to Total War: Warhammer 3‘s release.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is currently in development, and due to release for PC in late 2021.
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