Nagash — After Strategy

Total War: Warhammer 3 — Lords of the End Times: Which of the Four Lords to Buy?

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Lords of the End Times launched on September 24, 2026, alongside Update 9.0 for Total War: Warhammer III. Creative Assembly presents it as the biggest DLC in the history of the ten-year-old Total War: Warhammer series. It adds four Legendary Lords to the Immortal Empires campaign, sold separately or as a bundle. Since launch, two patches have already reworked Nagash’s campaign. The useful question is no longer whether the content is substantial. It is which of the four packs deserves your money, and which one needed fixing.

What the DLC contains, by the numbers

Each lord has its own Steam page, priced at 8.99 EUR in France. Buying all four at the unit price therefore comes to 35.96 EUR. A bundle of the four lords exists with a 15% discount, according to the official announcement, and its exact price is not quoted here. Another series first: buying any of this content grants access to the Immortal Empires campaign, with no need to own any Total War: Warhammer game.

The tally from the Steam pages, which Creative Assembly’s overview backs up, gives four Legendary Lords, eight Legendary Heroes, 23 battlefield units and 12 Regiments of Renown. Generic lords and heroes come on top, such as the High Liche Priest, the Verminlord and the Priest of Ulric. Each pack therefore brings between five and seven new battlefield units.

The same day, the free Update 9.0 reworks part of the campaign. It is covered below, because it matters as much as the packs when deciding whether a new run is worth starting.

Nagash: the most ambitious, and the most patched since launch

Nagash is the pack with the most campaign novelty. His page describes a domination campaign: amass legions of undead, raise necropolises and turn the world into a vast Land of the Dead. He must gather the nine Mortarchs and reclaim the Books of Nagash to pursue godhood. In battle he is a spellcaster who can raise units from every Undead roster, including Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts and Vampire Coast.

That ambition came at a cost. On October 9, patch 9.0.3 stated that Nagash’s economy was not yet balanced between challenge and enjoyment. It cut upkeep on several units in the early Black Pyramid nodes, raised post-battle income on lower difficulties (from 5% to 20% depending on level) and sped up Sigil generation. Mortarch subjugation objectives, judged too restrictive, were loosened: a Mortarch now submits once Nagash has clearly surpassed its power.

The objective changes only apply to new campaigns. Patch 9.0.4, released days later, continued the work on the Nagash experience with a long list of fixes specific to that campaign.

Our reading is simple. Nagash remains the most tempting pick on paper, but he is also the one Creative Assembly has retouched the most since launch. GosuGamers’ reviewer sees perhaps the best power fantasy in the game, which matches his page. A buyer aiming at a first Nagash campaign now gets a better-tuned version than the first days offered.

The Glottkin: Chaos according to Nurgle

The Glottkin are a trio of Chaos champions marked by Nurgle. Otto and Ethrac ride the shoulders of their brother Ghurk and fight as a single monstrous combatant. Their campaign rests on Gifts of Nurgle, faction, character and settlement enhancements earned by harvesting souls, and on Gardens of Corruption. Those gardens transform conquered settlements, produce Plagues to spread, and give access to a higher proportion of Daemonic Nurgle units than any other Warriors of Chaos faction.

The pack brings four Legendary Heroes, more than the other three lords, and Regiments of Renown such as the Sons of the Last Plague. For a player who already enjoys Warriors of Chaos, it is the most direct route to a very resilient army. For anyone else, the Nurgle theme is a firm commitment.

Boris Todbringer: the simplest way in

Boris Todbringer, Elector Count of Middenland, defends the Empire and hunts his nemesis, the Beastlord Khazrak One-Eye. His central mechanic is Fervour: defeating the Empire’s enemies raises it, which lets him develop the Great Temple of Ulric, upgrade its six Sanctuaries and perform Winter Rites that energize his armies. Sanctuaries grant permanent bonuses and unlock the Elector State Troopers.

According to the same reviewer, it is the simplest of the four campaigns, centered on defending Middenland against the Beastmen. He still finds it enjoyable and solid. With seven new units, it is also the pack that offers the most, including the Knights of the White Wolf, the Knights Panther and the Celestial Hurricanum.

Thanquol: plans that go wrong

Grey Seer Thanquol leads Clan Scruten of the Skaven and rides his bodyguard, the Rat-Ogre Boneripper, once it is unlocked. His campaign revolves around Masterplans: secret armies, dark rituals and daring heists. Complications can arise along the way, and the page states that things do not always go to plan. He casts spells from the Lores of Plague and Ruin and can reach the infamous Dreaded Thirteenth spell.

The pack adds five new units, including Stormfiends, the Warp-Doom Magma Cannon and the Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes, as well as the Skreech Verminking. According to GosuGamers, it is the most Skaven-flavored campaign, built on schemes that often fail. That gives it character but also risk: a player who dislikes surprises will feel less at home.

The free 9.0 content: Neferata, Vampire Counts and new end games

The free update brings Neferata, a Legendary Lord given to players at no cost. Her campaign rests on the Web of Power, where Heroes set up Vampire Covens that produce Manipulation and run covert actions such as theft, assassination or sabotage. Each coven has a Concealment value that drops when armies or Heroes are lost.

The Vampire Counts get a major rework. Raise Dead becomes the default recruitment method, costing unit capacity and Corpses, then Blood for higher-tier units. Vampire Lairs hidden in settlements let you awaken new Vampire Lords with customized traits. A new confederation system lets you bring the faction’s other Legendary Lords under your rule.

The change with the heaviest consequences concerns the end of the campaign. The old end-game scenarios become mid-game Crisis Scenarios. Three new end games replace them: the Chaos Invasion led by Archaon, the Vermintide led by Skreech Verminlord, and Nagash Rises. Players can opt out of end games and crises, or customize them. Victory conditions are also reworked to reflect each lord’s motivation.

Finally, 9.0 adjusts the campaign AI. The patch notes say that Warriors of Chaos and Archaon were underperforming under AI control, and that elite armies are now favored on higher difficulties.

Which pack to pick for your profile

You want the richest campaign and accept settling into a new system: Nagash. The most ambitious pack, better tuned since patch 9.0.3.
You like Chaos and corruption: the Glottkin. Four Legendary Heroes and a campaign built on Gardens of Corruption.
You want a readable first campaign or a solid defense: Boris Todbringer. The simplest of the four, with the most new units.
You enjoy risk and Skaven dark humor: Thanquol. Masterplans make each run less predictable.
You already own the game and play Vampire Counts: the free update is enough to try Neferata and the rework, with no pack purchase.
You own no Total War: Warhammer game: any pack grants access to Immortal Empires. At 8.99 EUR, Boris is the gentlest entry.

What to keep watching

Two points will decide how long this DLC lasts. The first is the future of Nagash’s campaign: after two consecutive patches, we need to see whether the economy stabilizes without becoming too easy. The second is the effect of the new end games on long Immortal Empires campaigns, since players can disable or customize them.

Our position is clear. At 8.99 EUR a unit, this DLC is a reasonable purchase and each pack has a distinct identity. Nagash is the most spectacular, Boris the most accessible, and the free update alone justifies a return for Vampire Counts fans. Stability and balance figures will have to be confirmed by long campaigns.

Going further

Sources

Main sources: official announcement of September 24, Creative Assembly’s DLC overview, free 9.0 content, patch 9.0.3 notes, patch 9.0.4 notes, Nagash Steam page and GosuGamers review.

Total War: Warhammer 3 Update 9.0 — End Times Crises, Glottkin, and Vampire Counts Rework Explained

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Immortal Empires has always had the same structural issue in the late game: existing crises arrive predictably, without the dramatic escalation a campaign spanning three continents deserves. Update 9.0, previewed at Creative Assembly’s WHAT’S NEXT livestream on June 30, 2026, targets that problem directly — and most of the changes ship free to everyone, regardless of whether you buy the DLC.

Three End Times crises replace the flat endgame

Creative Assembly is replacing the current crisis system with three staged End Times events. An upgraded Vermintide acts as a mid-campaign pressure point. A Nagash-led invasion follows as the central escalation — even if you do not own the Undead Legions faction. The final stage is an Archaon-led assault built around what the developers describe as a true endgame state, not just another crisis pop-up.

The Archaon twist is notable: play as him and you can position yourself as the campaign’s final boss, with a win condition built around world-ending domination rather than the standard territorial objectives.

The risk here is balance. An End Times system that triggers too early breaks long campaigns; one that arrives too late becomes irrelevant. Creative Assembly has historically struggled to calibrate crisis timing across the enormous map of Immortal Empires.

Vampire Counts rework: Raise Dead scales with casualties

The Vampire Counts overhaul is the most concrete free change in Update 9.0. Raise Dead no longer operates at a fixed rate: the mechanic now scales with casualties taken during battles. Costly engagements unlock larger resurrections; comfortable wins give you less.

The tradeoff is real. Reaching maximum Raise Dead power requires lair investment and dedicated resources — turning the faction into an active economy rather than a passive snowball. In theory, Vampire Counts stay competitive late but demand deliberate management earlier.

Whether this fixes the polarizing swing between early dominance and mid-game fade-out that Mannfred and Isabella von Carstein produced in extended campaigns depends entirely on implementation. The full patch notes, expected closer to September, will tell the real story.

Individual victory conditions for every legendary lord

Update 9.0 replaces the generic campaign win conditions with unique objective checklists for each legendary lord. Depending on the lord, requirements might include leveling specific units, confederating with named factions, or constructing their most famous landmarks.

For players running multiple long campaigns, this is probably the change with the most long-term impact. Having a lord-specific narrative direction gives Immortal Empires the sense of purpose that open-ended sandbox runs often lack past the 150-hour mark.

Lords of the End Times: what September brings

The DLC is scheduled for September 2026 with four legendary lords. Three are confirmed:

Nagash — the Great Necromancer as a playable legendary lord for the Undead Legions, a new playable race
Boris Todbringer — Elector of Middenheim, joining the Empire with a fortress-lord identity
Glottkin — the Glot brothers, marked by Nurgle, joining the Warriors of Chaos with new units: Putrid Blightkings, Basilisk, and a Chaos Siege Giant

A fourth legendary lord, widely expected to be a Skaven character, has not been officially confirmed. Neferata will arrive as a free legendary lord (FLC) for the Vampire Counts.

What to watch before September

The free patch alone makes a case for returning to Immortal Empires in September. The End Times crisis overhaul addresses the structural endgame problem directly, and individual victory conditions change how every run feels regardless of which DLC you own.

The tension is in the execution. If the Nagash crisis and the Archaon assault land as genuine pressure rather than another checkbox, Update 9.0 could push Immortal Empires into its best state since the Chaos Dwarfs expansion. If the balance misses, expect community pushback.

For a current read on faction standings before the meta shifts, the Immortal Empires tier list is the place to start. The original DLC announcement from earlier this year is in our Lords of the End Times preview.

Sources

Total War Warhammer 3: Nagash and Lords of the End Times DLC Coming Summer 2026

Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Nagash Is Finally Here — The DLC Set to Reshape Immortal Empires

Announced at Warhammer Skulls 2026 on May 21, the Lords of the End Times DLC is officially the next major expansion for Total War: Warhammer III. Creative Assembly is placing the Great Necromancer Nagash at the head of four new Legendary Lords, backed by unprecedented campaign mechanics and a free update that will permanently reshape the Immortal Empires map.

Developer : Creative Assembly
Publisher : Sega
Planned release : Summer 2026
Platforms : PC (Steam, Epic Games Store, Microsoft Store)

Four New Legendary Lords
Nagash’s Mechanics: Unifying the Undead
The Free End Times Update
A Busy May for TW WH3

Four New Legendary Lords

The DLC introduces four Legendary Lords, with three confirmed so far:

Nagash — the Great Necromancer, the supreme lord of undeath in Warhammer Fantasy lore. Never playable in the trilogy until now, his arrival has been demanded by the community since the game’s 2022 launch.
Neferata — the first of the Vampires and queen of the ruined city of Lahmia, one of Nagash’s historic Mortarchs.
Archaon the Everchosen — a second incarnation of the Chaos Eternal Champion in the context of the End Times events.
A fourth Lord yet to be revealed.

A free Legendary Lord will also be released alongside the paid DLC, continuing Creative Assembly’s Free-LC tradition.

Nagash’s Mechanics: Unifying the Undead

Nagash comes with a unique spell lore inspired directly from the tabletop game. His central mechanic revolves around the Mortarchs: he can draw nine Mortarchs — Legendary Lords already present in other undead factions — away from their own campaigns to serve as his personal lieutenants.

His roster merges units from Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts, and Vampire Pirates, creating unmatched tactical flexibility. Gameplay revolves around domination, conversion, and reshaping the world in Nagash’s image — a thematic match that will feel instantly familiar to lore veterans.

The Free End Times Update

Alongside the paid DLC, Creative Assembly will release a free update that permanently transforms the Immortal Empires campaign:

Cataclysmic events: volcanic activity and Warpstone corruption visibly deforming continents.
Ravaged provinces: entire map regions can be destroyed as the campaign progresses.
Apocalyptic scenarios: new win/loss conditions tied to the arrival of the End Times.
Campaign customisation: new options to dial in the intensity of events and game pacing.

Players who don’t own the DLC will still benefit from this campaign overhaul — consistent with the studio’s Free-LC policy. Creative Assembly has also confirmed that Lords of the End Times is not the end of TW WH3 support, with more content planned beyond this release.

A Busy May for TW WH3

Warhammer Skulls 2026 (May 21) also saw the launch of the Bhashiva Character Pack ($4.99), introducing Bhashiva, the White Tiger, as a new Legendary Lord for Grand Cathay. This smaller, single-lord format offers an accessible entry point while the community waits for the full DLC.

For players preparing their undead strategy ahead of Nagash’s arrival, our Total War Warhammer 3 hub gathers all our guides and news on the game, including faction breakdowns and Immortal Empires strategy.

Conclusion

Lords of the End Times may be the most ambitious DLC in the Warhammer trilogy since Immortal Empires launched in 2022. Nagash’s arrival — long-demanded and now confirmed — combined with a permanent apocalyptic overhaul of the campaign map marks a genuine turning point for TW WH3’s endgame. The confirmation that this isn’t the last piece of content should ease concerns from a community that’s sometimes been left waiting.

Summer 2026 can’t come soon enough.

Sources: Windows Central · GamesRadar · Warhammer Community

Nagash — After Strategy

Total War: Warhammer 3 — Lords of the End Times: Which of the Four Lords to Buy?

What the DLC contains, by the numbers

Nagash: the most ambitious, and the most patched since launch

The Glottkin: Chaos according to Nurgle

Boris Todbringer: the simplest way in

Thanquol: plans that go wrong

The free 9.0 content: Neferata, Vampire Counts and new end games

Which pack to pick for your profile

What to keep watching

Going further

Sources

Total War: Warhammer 3 Update 9.0 — End Times Crises, Glottkin, and Vampire Counts Rework Explained

Three End Times crises replace the flat endgame

Vampire Counts rework: Raise Dead scales with casualties

Individual victory conditions for every legendary lord

Lords of the End Times: what September brings

What to watch before September

Sources

Total War Warhammer 3: Nagash and Lords of the End Times DLC Coming Summer 2026

Nagash Is Finally Here — The DLC Set to Reshape Immortal Empires

Table of Contents

Four New Legendary Lords

Nagash’s Mechanics: Unifying the Undead

The Free End Times Update

A Busy May for TW WH3

Conclusion