February turned out to be an unusually busy month, with multiple major releases vying for our limited time and attention. Total War: Warhammer 3's delay late last year saw it (fittingly) contributing to the chaos, but the final entry in Creative Assembly's wildly popular trilogy has already managed to secure a spot for itself among 2022's best strategy games.
Total War: Warhammer 3 successfully builds upon the foundations set by its predecessors, but tweaks a number of gameplay elements, making it the best the trilogy's been at launch. At the forefront are its seven playable races, five of which finally give the forces of Chaos the treatment they deserve while two others focus on Kislev and Grand Cathay, both empires acting as a bulwark against the Dark Gods' corruption.
Each race has its own mechanics and visual identity, catering to vastly different playstyles. As Khorne, you mostly care about razing settlements in your path and claiming skulls with an aggressive roster that's almost devoid of ranged units. On the other hand, Tzeentch mainly focuses on spellcasting and fighting from afar, while being able to take over settlements through devious manipulation.
The Daemons of Chaos bring forth the combined rosters of all four Chaos races while also having access to a customizable lord that can freely swap limbs, armor, and weapons before fights. Cathay then plays defensively, using a balanced roster, and thrives when achieving harmony by pairing units and buildings aligned to Yin and Yang.
Total War: Warhammer III's campaign sees players juggling between empire management and real-time tactical battles, so a lot of it will feel familiar. At the same time, you also need to prepare incursions into the Realms of Chaos whenever temporary rifts open, turning everything into a race against time and other factions who're out to reap the rewards found within.
A siege battle rework that lets defenders build towers and barricades to harass and block opponents, alongside multiple tweaks to diplomacy that make allies feel more responsive than ever are two more reasons why Warhammer III is the best the trilogy's been at launch. If you need a deeper dive into what makes it great, you can give our review a read.
If, instead, you're ready to serve Chaos or fight against it, you can pick up Total War: Warhammer III from Fanatical, where it's discounted by 21%, bringing its price down to €47.39 or your regional equivalent.
Purchasing the game at any point until February 24 also gets you the eternally hungry Ogre Kingdoms race as an early adopter bonus.
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