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.
These tips go beyond the basics. They're the strategies experienced players use to play more efficiently, the hidden mechanics most people miss, and the optimizations that compound over a full playthrough. If you're just starting, check our beginner's guide first.
Essential Tips
1. Time your rituals around your army positions, because every completed ritual spawns Chaos and Skaven intervention armies at the settlements performing it
Time your rituals around your army positions, because every completed ritual spawns Chaos and Skaven intervention armies at the settlements performing it.
2. 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
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.
3. As Skaven, watch the food stocks constantly
As Skaven, watch the food stocks constantly. Falling to around 40 percent costs you growth, leadership and public order at the same time.
4. Plant Skaven Under-Cities beneath wealthy enemy settlements rather than conquering them, because a cove of income and corruption costs no garrison to hold
Plant Skaven Under-Cities beneath wealthy enemy settlements rather than conquering them, because a cove of income and corruption costs no garrison to hold.
5. As Dark Elves, never sit at peace for long
As Dark Elves, never sit at peace for long. Slaves come from winning battles and several quest chains demand specific slave counts to progress.
6. Use the Dark Elf Black Ark rite early, since a mobile city that recruits and repairs turns coastal raiding into a self sufficient campaign
Use the Dark Elf Black Ark rite early, since a mobile city that recruits and repairs turns coastal raiding into a self sufficient campaign.
7. As Lizardmen, expect Rampage on your own units when they take heavy losses, and keep a lord nearby to hold leadership together
As Lizardmen, expect Rampage on your own units when they take heavy losses, and keep a lord nearby to hold leadership together.
8. 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
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.
9. 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
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.
10. 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
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.
Advanced Strategies
Build Optimization
The difference between an average build and an optimized one is massive. See our builds guide for full breakdowns.
For High Elves (A-Tier):
- Focus on Eye of the Vortex ritual race combinations for maximum output.
- Core gear: Lothern Sea Guard
- Stat priority: Offensive stats first
For Dark Elves (A-Tier):
- Versatile approach that handles any situation.
- Core gear: Witch Elves
- Stat priority: Balanced stats
Mechanic Interactions
Understanding how Total War: WARHAMMER II's systems interact is where the real optimization lives. Our combat guide covers this in detail.
Eye of the Vortex ritual race + Rites: Each race performs five rituals to bend the Great Vortex to its will, gated behind a race specific resource. Combined with Rites, every race can pay gold for temporary faction wide effects, from campaign movement bonuses to recruitment discounts.
Skaven food and under-cities + Dark Elf slaves and Black Arks: Food is the Skaven currency of stability. When paired with 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.
Mortal Empires campaign scaling: 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.
Equipment Efficiency
| Equipment | Best Use Case | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lothern Sea Guard | Defensive High Elf lines that need to shoot while holding | High Elf infantry that carries both spear and bow, so one unit holds a line and shoots. |
| Witch Elves | Flanking charges into missile units and light infantry | Dark Elf frenzied infantry with no armour and enormous attack output. |
| Saurus Warriors | Pinning an enemy line in place while dinosaurs flank | The Lizardmen backbone, tough, armoured and slow, with high leadership that keeps them standing while faster units do the killing. |
| Hell Pit Abomination | Breaking an infantry block when your Clanrats are already losing it | The Skaven single entity monster, unpredictable, enormous and capable of resurrecting itself once mid battle. |
| Necropolis Knights | Tomb Kings armies that need a hammer to go with the skeleton anvil | Tomb Kings cavalry riding giant serpents, immune to psychology and effective against both infantry and other cavalry. |
Location Efficiency
Ulthuan (Turn 1 onward): 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 (Turn 1 onward): The frozen Dark Elf continent to the north west, where Malekith rules from Naggarond and the coastline supports Black Ark operations.
Lustria (Turn 1 onward): The jungle continent of the Lizardmen temple cities, contested by Skaven from below and by Vampire Coast raiders along the coast.
The Southlands (Turn 5 onward): The jungle and savannah continent south east of Lustria, crowded with Skaven, Lizardmen and Greenskins, and the main route north into the desert.
Nehekhara (Turn 1 onward for Tomb Kings): 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.
Mistakes Even Veterans Make
- 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.
Pro Quick Tips
- 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.
- Start with Dark Elves, switch to High Elves when ready
- Invest in Lothern Sea Guard above everything else
- Clear areas in order: Ulthuan → Naggaroth → Lustria → The Southlands → Nehekhara. See our maps guide
- Eye of the Vortex ritual race + Rites together are stronger than either alone
More Total War: WARHAMMER II Guides
- Total War: WARHAMMER II Total War: WARHAMMER II Overview
- 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 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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