Campaign Map | The Basics Total War: Warhammer II Guide

The world of Total War: Warhammer II encompasses three continents: Southlands, Lustria and Naggaroth and the great island of Ulthuan. These territories lie on the south and west of the Warhammer land, which sort of corresponds to Africa and the Americas. The players can control one of the four races:

1. High Elves - a proud race of long-living elves, with their capital in Ulthuan.
2. Dark Elves - a rebel faction of the elves (Druchia), who support the Witch King.
3. Lizardmen - an ancient race inhabiting the jungles of Lustria, culturally similar to Idians.
4. Skaven - mad Lizardmen, concealed from other races.

Apart from these, you will also find a set of other factions known from the prequel (humans and dwarves, for example). Additionally, each of the main races was divided into smaller factions, and in the core version of the game, each race has access to two playable factions (this is due to change in the future via DLCs). This often creates conflicts in the campaign, where you will need to merge these factions into yours, either peacefully or by force. The starting positions of each faction (with the playable ones highlighted) can be seen on the map above.

The main goal of the Total War: Warhammer It's campaign is to master the great vortex.

The mechanisms underpinning the core gameplay are generally identical to those from previous entries of the Total War series. The player has to develop their territory, defend it, and conquer new lands. Same as in the prequel, there's also the aspect of magic in the campaign. Additionally, in this part, the campaign is enhanced with a story-based element - fighting for the control over the Great Vortex.

Same as in Total War: Warhammer, the battles in this game contain three general types of characters:

Legendary Lords - they are powerful faction leaders. In the core game, there are two for each faction. They all have different skillets and starting positions, which influences the difficulty of their campaigns. Each of them also has their own quest line, which can yield some unique items. They're also immortal, so even if you lose them in a battle, they'll be able to return after a few turns.

Lords - these are mainly army leaders. They lead the armies and can recruit new units. They personally take part in battles, being able to use skills that boost their units. Additionally, after developing the right abilities, they will be able to influence the way your country works as well. Contrary to the Legendary Lords, they are mortal.

Heroes - the heroes are basically what the agents were in previous Total Wars. They can traverse the world on their own, perform sabotage, assassinations, or boost your units. They can also join the army, where they become powerful mages and warriors. Same as the Lords, they are mortal.