Total War: Warhammer 3introduces even more factions and features to the hit strategy collaboration between Games Workshop and Creative Assembly. As new armies are preparing to take the field, some old favorites are also being improved. The Champions of Chaos DLC forTotal War: Warhammer 3introduces four new Legendary Lords for players to take command of, each leading a hybrid Warriors of Chaos faction.
Each of the Champions of Chaos isdedicated to a single Chaos God, and the Champion of Slaanesh is Azazel. As a devotee of the Dark Prince of Pleasure, Azazel focuses on a combination of speed and seduction. On the battlefield, Azazel’s armies can use their Slaanesh-imbued powers to perform devastating flank attacks, while his Heroes can spread Slaanesh’s corruption among other factions, eventually turning them into unwilling vassals.
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Azazel’s Seductive Influence
Azazel is a corrupting force on thecampaign map ofTotal War: Warhammer 3, slowly bending other factions to his will without conquest. His particular focus is on human factions like The Empire, Bretonnia, and Grand Cathay, as he gains a massive+80 diplomatic favor with themas one of his faction traits. With the Seductive Influence mechanic, Azazel can subvert mortal factions from the inside. Unlike N’Kari and the Seducers of Slaanesh, Azazel cannot build Cults. He therefore must rely on diplomatic treaties, Slaaneshi Corruption, and Gifts of Slaanesh to spread his influence.
Defeating a Lord in battle or completing an Agent action against them will imbue that character with a Gift of Slaanesh.Each Gift gives Azazel 8 Influence a turn with that Lord’s faction, which will raise the Seduction level as long as it overcomes penalties based on the faction’s number of settlements andnatural aversion to Slaanesh. The only way to remove a GIft of Slaanesh is to defeat a Slaanesh army in battle.
Fully seducing a faction to the point that they can be automatically vassalized for 2000 Souls will take time, which means players should get started early on their seduction schemes. A good tactic is to pick an important but distant target like Reikland at the beginning of the game, and send a few Heroes down to start seducing them as soon as possible. Players shouldkeep a close eye on their target’s lands,looking for Lords that lack the Gift of Slaanesh. The more Lords that are given the Gift, the faster the target faction can be vassalized, bringing them into the service of the Dark Prince of Pleasure.
Dark Fortresses, Norsca, and Souls for Slaanesh
Although Azazel must rely on his Seductive Influence to vassalize most of the factions in the game, he canautomatically gain control over the Norscan tribes by occupying the Dark Fortresses in their homelands.Dark Fortresses are rare locations where the Warriors of Chaos can build theirmost powerful settlements inTotal War: Warhammer 3. Each Dark Fortress in Norsca and the Chaos Wastes is marked with an associated Norscan faction. If players take the Fortress, the faction will automatically be vassalized.
Of all the Champions of Chaos inTotal War: Warhammer 3, Azazel is best-placed to make full use of this mechanic. While his Heroes begin the process of seducing the southern realms of theTotal War: Warhammer 3map, it’s a good idea for Azazel to remain in Norsca for the early part of the game. By targeting the Dark Fortresses, players should be able tovassalize most of Norsca within 15 turns,creating some handy allies for future conquests.
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Fighting mortal adversaries like Norsca will also grant Azazel an early boost of Souls, the uniqueWarriors of Chaos resource.These Souls are used both for theGifts of Chaosmechanic, and to upgrade Azazel’s Lords and Heroes. Undivided characters can use Souls to devote themselves to Slaanesh, gaining new powers and abilities at the cost of half their levels. Alternatively, players can spend Souls to transform a high-ranking Lord into an immortal Daemon Prince, granting incredible power but again at the cost of half the Lord’s levels.
Building Armies as Azazel
Like all the Warriors of Chaos Legendary Lords, Azazel has several ways to recruit and upgrade his troops. The first isWarband recruitment,which can be done anywhere on the map, but is limited to what units are available in that province at the time. Each province has a small pool of units to recruit from, based on factors like climate andTotal War: Warhammer 3’s Chaos corruption. These units have a chance to replenish each turn, with rarer and more powerful units being less likely to replenish.
All Warband units can be upgraded once they reach certain ranks if the correct technologies have been unlocked. These upgrades will transform the unit to a higher-tier equivalent, with Marauders becoming Warriors and then Warriors becoming Chosen as an example. As a devotee of Slaanesh, Azazel can keep his Warband troops as generic Chaos Undivided, or alter them into Slaanesh-marked units, giving unique bonuses suited to the Prince of Pleasure. Each Lord will have a different Authority over Slaanesh or Undivided units, giving bonuses based on factors including Traits, Skills, and Heroes in the army.
As well as Warband recruitment, Azazel can alsoreceive daemonic units fromthe Seducers of Slaaneshroster using the Gifts of Chaos mechanic.Once a Gift of Chaos that gives units is slotted, players will regularly be able to recruit small numbers of that unit into their armies. Finally, Azazel can take advantage of his many vassals bybuilding Outposts in their settlements,giving him access to a limited number of units outside the Warriors of Chaos faction.
Azazel on the Battlefield
As a Champion of Chaos dedicated to Slaanesh, Azazel brings a unique and powerful hybrid roster of mortal and daemonic units to the battlefield. While N’kari may struggle againsttough factions like Cathaythrough having too many hammers and too few anvils for proper hammer and anvil tactics, Azazel’s forces are much more balanced.Chaos Warriors and Chosen,whether Slaanesh-marked or not, form the iron frontline of the Ecstatic Legion, while a mix ofHellstriders, Knights, and Chariotscan perform devastating flanking maneuvers.
Azazel’s Slaaneshi legions combine the staying power of theoriginalTotal War: WarhamerWarriors of Chaos with the speed and maneuverability of factions like the Seducers of Slaanesh and Beastmen. This deadly combination, further enhanced through the use of vassal units and powerful Sorcerers, will allow Azazel to dominate in both the open-field and in siege battles.
Total War: Warhammer 3is out now for PC.
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