Total War: Warhammer II

Total War: Warhammer II is a strategy game in which you lead one of four races in a campaign to stabilise or disrupt the Great Vortex, an arcane force whose failure threatens the world. Its two main parts are a turn-based, open-world campaign and tactical real-time battles across the New World. You can play the campaign, fight custom battles or challenge other players in multiplayer.

The Great Vortex

Millennia ago, a conclave of High Elf mages created the Great Vortex to draw the Winds of Magic from the world and drive the Daemonic hordes back to the Realm of Chaos. Now it is faltering, and the forces seeking to repair it or harness its power are racing to decide the world's fate. The campaign spans Lustria, Ulthuan, Naggaroth and the Southlands, and builds to an endgame in which you perform arcane rituals to stabilise or disrupt the Vortex while hindering the other races.

The four races have different motives. Prince Tyrion leads the High Elves in their effort to stabilise the Vortex above Ulthuan, while the Lizardmen, directed by Slann Mage-Priest Mazdamundi, march north from Lustria to prevent catastrophe according to the methods of The Old Ones. The Witch King Malekith and his Dark Elves emerge from Naggaroth and their Black Arks, seeking to exploit the Vortex's weakness. Queek Headtaker leads the Skaven, who multiply in subterranean tunnels and look toward the surface.

Build your empire

On the campaign map, you manage statecraft, diplomacy and exploration as you expand your empire turn by turn. Capture, build and manage settlements, recruit armies, and level up Legendary Lords and Heroes with mythical weapons and armour. You can negotiate alliances or declare Total War against those standing in your way.

Each of the four races offers its own campaign mechanics, story, methods of war, armies, monsters, Lores of Magic, legendary characters and battlefield abilities. The eight Legendary Lords each begin in a distinct geographical position, and each race has a different playstyle.

Command real-time battles

In real-time battles, you command armies of thousands across varied landscapes. Send monsters and fire-breathing dragons into combat, use powerful magic, set ambushes or rely on brute force to turn the fight in your favour.

Campaigns and multiplayer

Each race can be played in single-player or multiplayer campaigns, as well as in custom and multiplayer battles. Two players can play a co-op campaign as the same race, since each race has two Legendary Lords with different starting positions. In multiplayer, owners of both Total War: WARHAMMER and Total War: WARHAMMER II can play as any race they own.

Owners of both games can also access a third, large campaign on a single open-world map covering the Old World and the New World. It allows monumental campaigns as any race they own from either game.