Total War: WARHAMMER II moves the trilogy south to the New World, where High Elves, Dark Elves, Lizardmen and Skaven race to seize control of the Great Vortex above Ulthuan. The Eye of the Vortex campaign is a five ritual sprint with a final defensive battle at the end, which makes it far tighter and more directed than the sandbox of WARHAMMER III's Immortal Empires. Tomb Kings and Vampire Coast arrived as paid races with their own rules, one paying no upkeep but capped by unit limits, the other chasing Infamy and a star metal harpoon to kill the merwyrm Amanar.
This guide covers everything you need: core mechanics, the best builds, equipment worth investing in, location progression, and the tips that actually make a difference.
Core Mechanics
Eye of the Vortex ritual race
Each race performs five rituals to bend the Great Vortex to its will, gated behind a race specific resource. Completing the fifth gives you five turns before the final battle, which you fight as the defender while everyone else tries to stop you.
Rites
Every race can pay gold for temporary faction wide effects, from campaign movement bonuses to recruitment discounts. The Dark Elf Black Ark rite is the standout, since it creates a mobile floating city rather than a timed buff.
Skaven food and under-cities
Food is the Skaven currency of stability. Drop below roughly 40 percent stocks and growth, leadership and public order all suffer. Skaven also plant Under-Cities beneath other races' settlements, siphoning income and corrupting from below.
Dark Elf slaves and Black Arks
Slaves come from winning battles and drive the Dark Elf economy, with several quests requiring specific slave counts or sacrifices. Black Arks are mobile cities that recruit, repair and bombard coastlines.
Mortal Empires campaign
Owning both WARHAMMER I and II unlocks Mortal Empires, a combined map covering the Old World and the New World with every race from both games. It is a sandbox with no ritual clock, which is the opposite experience to the Vortex campaign.
For a deeper dive into how these systems interact, see our Total War: WARHAMMER II combat guide.
Builds Overview
| Build | Tier | Playstyle | Key Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Elves | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Dark Elves | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Lizardmen | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Skaven | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
| Tomb Kings | A | Versatile approach | Balanced stats |
For full build breakdowns with gear and stat priorities, see our Total War: WARHAMMER II builds guide. For rankings, check the tier list.
Equipment Guide
| Equipment | Why It Matters | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Lothern Sea Guard | High Elf infantry that carries both spear and bow, so one unit holds a line and shoots. | Defensive High Elf lines that need to shoot while holding |
| Witch Elves | Dark Elf frenzied infantry with no armour and enormous attack output. | Flanking charges into missile units and light infantry |
| Saurus Warriors | The Lizardmen backbone, tough, armoured and slow, with high leadership that keeps them standing while faster units do the killing. | Pinning an enemy line in place while dinosaurs flank |
| Hell Pit Abomination | The Skaven single entity monster, unpredictable, enormous and capable of resurrecting itself once mid battle. | Breaking an infantry block when your Clanrats are already losing it |
| Necropolis Knights | Tomb Kings cavalry riding giant serpents, immune to psychology and effective against both infantry and other cavalry. | Tomb Kings armies that need a hammer to go with the skeleton anvil |
Lothern Sea Guard: High Elf infantry that carries both spear and bow, so one unit holds a line and shoots. It is the reason a High Elf army can field fewer unit types than anyone else.
Witch Elves: Dark Elf frenzied infantry with no armour and enormous attack output. They shred unarmoured targets and evaporate against anything that hits back properly.
Saurus Warriors: The Lizardmen backbone, tough, armoured and slow, with high leadership that keeps them standing while faster units do the killing.
Hell Pit Abomination: The Skaven single entity monster, unpredictable, enormous and capable of resurrecting itself once mid battle.
Necropolis Knights: Tomb Kings cavalry riding giant serpents, immune to psychology and effective against both infantry and other cavalry.
Full breakdowns in our Total War: WARHAMMER II weapons guide.
Location Progression
| Location | Level Range | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Ulthuan | Turn 1 onward | High Elf starts, Vortex proximity, Influence economy |
| Naggaroth | Turn 1 onward | Dark Elf starts, slave income, Black Ark access |
| Lustria | Turn 1 onward | Lizardmen starts, Geomantic sites, contested three way expansion |
| The Southlands | Turn 5 onward | Skaven expansion, contested provinces, route to Nehekhara |
| Nehekhara | Turn 1 onward for Tomb Kings | Tomb Kings starts, Books of Nagash, Canopic Jar sites |
Ulthuan: The ring shaped High Elf homeland with the Great Vortex at its centre, split into inner and outer kingdoms and defended by the best missile infantry on the map.
Naggaroth: The frozen Dark Elf continent to the north west, where Malekith rules from Naggarond and the coastline supports Black Ark operations.
Lustria: The jungle continent of the Lizardmen temple cities, contested by Skaven from below and by Vampire Coast raiders along the coast.
The Southlands: The jungle and savannah continent south east of Lustria, crowded with Skaven, Lizardmen and Greenskins, and the main route north into the desert.
Nehekhara: The desert Land of the Dead in the north of the Southlands, home to Khemri, Zandri, Numas and Quatar, and the Tomb Kings starting region.
See our maps & locations guide for detailed area breakdowns and our walkthrough for the optimal progression path.
Tips That Actually Matter
- Time your rituals around your army positions, because every completed ritual spawns Chaos and Skaven intervention armies at the settlements performing it.
- Do not start the fifth ritual until you can win a defensive battle, since finishing it gives you only five turns before the final battle arrives at your door.
- As Skaven, watch the food stocks constantly. Falling to around 40 percent costs you growth, leadership and public order at the same time.
- Plant Skaven Under-Cities beneath wealthy enemy settlements rather than conquering them, because a cove of income and corruption costs no garrison to hold.
- As Dark Elves, never sit at peace for long. Slaves come from winning battles and several quest chains demand specific slave counts to progress.
- Use the Dark Elf Black Ark rite early, since a mobile city that recruits and repairs turns coastal raiding into a self sufficient campaign.
- As Lizardmen, expect Rampage on your own units when they take heavy losses, and keep a lord nearby to hold leadership together.
- As Tomb Kings, build unit cap buildings before anything else, because recruitment costs nothing and upkeep is zero, so caps are your only real limit.
- Hunt the nine Books of Nagash as Tomb Kings for faction wide bonuses, and spend Canopic Jars in the Mortuary Cult on items and Regiments of Renown.
- As Vampire Coast, build Infamy first, because legendary pirates only surface once your Infamy exceeds theirs, and each one carries a verse needed for the star metal harpoon.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Completing rituals as fast as possible without garrisons in place, then losing the ritual settlements to the intervention armies they summon.
- Playing Skaven like a normal race and letting food fall below the threshold where public order and leadership start collapsing.
- Sitting at peace as Dark Elves, which starves the slave economy that funds the whole faction.
- Recruiting endless free Tomb Kings units without building the cap buildings that would let you field more of the good ones.
- Occupying every Vampire Coast port instead of establishing pirate coves, which trades free income for provinces you then have to defend.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is WARHAMMER II different from WARHAMMER III?
WARHAMMER II is built around the Eye of the Vortex, a race to complete five rituals on a map covering Ulthuan, Naggaroth, Lustria and the Southlands. WARHAMMER III is set in the Chaos Wastes with Kislev, Cathay and the Chaos gods, and its Immortal Empires campaign is a sandbox rather than a timed race.
Which race is best for a first campaign?
High Elves. Tyrion starts on Ulthuan with strong missile infantry, a manageable neighbourhood and an Influence system that lets you buy your way out of wars you are not ready for.
Do I need WARHAMMER I to play?
No. The Eye of the Vortex campaign is self contained. Owning the first game as well unlocks Mortal Empires, the combined Old World and New World sandbox map.
Are Tomb Kings and Vampire Coast included?
No, both are paid race packs. Tomb Kings recruit without cost or upkeep under unit caps and use the Mortuary Cult and Canopic Jars, while Vampire Coast chase Infamy, plant pirate coves and hunt the star metal harpoon to kill Amanar.
What happens when I finish the fifth ritual?
You get five turns of warning, then a final battle in which you are the defender. Every other race gets a chance to stop you, so bank a full army and a defensible settlement before you start it.
More Total War: WARHAMMER II Guides
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Best Builds
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Tier List
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Walkthrough
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Beginner's Guide
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Tips & Tricks
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Weapons Guide
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Combat Guide
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Boss Guide
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Maps & Locations
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Crafting Guide
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Classes & Characters
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