Creative Assembly has published update 5.1 for Total War: Warhammer 3, another sizable patch with frequently requested changes. In addition to many adjustments and smaller feature updates, it heralds the arrival of Karanak as a free Legendary Hero.
Karanak can be recruited while playing as Skarbrand, Archaon, Valkia, Kholek, Be'lakor, and the Daemon Prince. This three-headed hellhound provides you with a fast and lethal option that can hunt down specific targets, taking out one of the most dangerous elements of the enemy army while your own troops finish the rest of the battle.
Khorne’s favorite hunting dog is not the only highlight of update 5.1 for Total War: Warhammer 3, though – check some of the other top changes made in the patch notes below.
Total War: Warhammer 3 update 5.1 – Conquest Mode
Conquest Mode has been added to multiplayer, giving players a brand-new option to choose for their PvP battles. In Conquest Mode, a single area on the map provides Victory Tickets when a player holds it. This capture point is unlocked a minute after the battle starts, so players have a bit of time for initial maneuvers and skirmishing before the grand prize is available.
“We implemented this game mode to create a more competitive multiplayer friendly version of Land Battle,” Creative Assembly wrote about the addition. “Classic Land Battle, as it stands, is plagued by several degenerate strategies, such as corner camping (where one player boxes up their army into a corner and cannot be flanked), so with the addition of a capture point that serves as an alternate win condition, we incentivise players to fight in the center of the map; rendering some of the more egregious degenerate strategies ineffective.”
Total War: Warhammer 3 update 5.1 – Domination Mode
Total War: Warhammer 3’s Domination Mode – the classic multiplayer mode of the game – has seen a bit of an overhaul as well when it comes to its rules. However, one of the biggest changes is probably that you can now challenge the AI in this arena, so if sweaty and adrenaline-filled PvP is not your thing but you’d still love to dive into a Domination Mode battle from time to time, you can do so against AI opponents now.
In addition, five community-made maps as well as four maps made by Creative Assembly have been added to the Domination Mode map pool.
AI opponents have been unlocked for Free-For-All Mode as well – plus, the Daemons of Chaos are now playable in Quick Battle Mode.
Total War: Warhammer 3 update 5.1 – wall changes
While “wall changes” may not sound super exciting at first, they are one of the biggest additions of this update. Previously, if you placed gunpowder units requiring a direct line of sight to targets on walls, the protective merlons of the structure would obstruct their vision, rendering their guns useless.
However, update 5.1 removed the collision from these merlons, meaning they no longer count as solid obstacles that can block sight and projectiles – to sum it up: Your gunpowder units can now shoot down walls again, hitting approaching enemies from above.
Of course, this also means that merlons have lost all of their defensive properties, which is why the developers gave them a set Missile Block Chance, which affects all units docked to the wall in lieu of the removed collision behavior. This should make defensive siege battles a lot better.
Total War: Warhammer 3 update 5.1 – more Bolt Throwers
Long have the Dwarfs complained about how terrible their Bolt Throwers perform on the field of battle – and it looks like Creative Assembly has heard their prayers: Instead of having only four artillery pieces, each unit of Bolt Throwers now consists of eight models, giving them double the amount of firepower.
Bolt Throwers have also been slightly reworked, specializing them as counters to cavalry and monstrous infantry units. While most of the cannons Dwarfs have access to should still be the better option in the later stages of a campaign, the cheap Bolt Throwers are now an alternative for garrison forces or themed armies that won’t disappoint.
Update 5.1 contains a metric ton of balance changes for most factions available in the game, so you can check them out in full on the official blog.
For Total War: Warhammer 3, a DLC featuring Khorne, Ogres, and Greenskins is next. Details are expected to be revealed on June 26, 2024.