Total War: Warhammer 3 introduces even more factions and features for the successful strategy collaboration between Games Workshop and Creative Assembly. As new armies prepare to take to the field, some old favorites are also being upgraded. The Champions of Chaos DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3 introduces four new Legendary Lords for players to take command of, each leading a hybrid Warriors of Chaos faction.
Each of the Champions of Chaos is dedicated to a single Chaos God, and the Champion of Slaanesh is Azazel. As a follower 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-infused powers to unleash devastating flank attacks, while his heroes can spread Slaanesh’s corruption among other factions, eventually turning them into unwilling vassals.
The Seductive Influence of Azazel
Azazel is a corrupting force on the campaign map of Total War: Warhammer 3, slowly bending other factions to his will without conquest. His particular focus is on human factions such as The Empire, Bretonnia, and Grand Cathay, as he has a huge +80 diplomatic favor with them as one of his faction traits. The Seductive Influence mechanic allows Azazel to undermine mortal factions from within. Unlike N’Kari and Slaanesh’s Tempters, Azazel cannot build Cults. He must therefore rely on diplomatic treaties, Slaaneshi Corruption and Gifts of Slaanesh to spread his influence.
If you defeat a Lord in battle or complete an Agent action against him, that character will receive a gift from Slaanesh. Each ability gives Azazel 8 Influence a turn with that Lord’s faction, which will increase the temptation level as long as it overcomes punishments based on the faction’s number of settlements and natural dislike of Slaanesh. The only way to remove a gift from Slaanesh is to defeat a Slaanesh army in battle.
Fully tempting a faction to the point that they can be automatically vassalized for 2000 Souls takes time, which means players should start their temptation schemes early. A good tactic is to pick an important but distant target at the start of the game, such as Reikland, and send down a few heroes to seduce them as quickly as possible. Players must keep a close eye on their target’s country, looking for gentlemen who lack Slaanesh’s gift. The more Lords get the Gift, the faster the target faction can be vassalized, putting them in the service of the Dark Prince of Pleasure.
Dark fortresses, Norsca and souls for Slaanesh
While Azazel must rely on his seductive influence to retain most of the factions in the game, he can Automatically take control of the Norscan tribes by occupying the Dark Fortresses in their homeland. Dark Fortresses are rare locations where the Warriors of Chaos can build their most powerful settlements Total War: Warhammer 3. Each Dark Fortress in Norsca and the Chaos Wastes is marked with an associated Norscan faction. When players take the fortress, the faction is automatically vassalized.
Of all the Champions of Chaos in Total War: Warhammer 3, Azazel is best placed to make full use of this mechanic. As his Heroes begin to seduce the southern realms of the Total War: Warhammer 3 map, it’s a good idea for Azazel to stay in Norsca at the beginning of the game. By targeting the dark fortresses, players should be able to: vassalize most of Norsca within 15 turns, creating some handy allies for future conquests.
Fighting mortal foes like Norsca also gives Azazel an early boost of Souls, the unique Warriors of Chaos source. These souls are used for the Gifts of Chaos mechanic as well as to upgrade Azazel’s Lords and Heroes. Undivided characters can use Souls to dedicate themselves to Slaanesh and gain 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.
Build armies like Azazel
Like all Warriors of Chaos Legendary Lords, Azazel has several ways to recruit and upgrade his troops. The first is warband recruitment, that can be done anywhere on the map, but is limited to the units currently available in that province. Each province has a small pool of units to recruit from, based on factors such as climate and Total War: Warhammer 3Chaos corruption. These units have a chance to replenish each turn, with rarer and more powerful units being less likely to be replenished.
All Warband units can be upgraded once they reach certain ranks if the appropriate technologies are unlocked. These upgrades transform the unit to a higher level equivalent, with Marauders becoming Warriors and Warriors Chosen as an example. As a follower of Slaanesh, Azazel can keep his Warband troops as generic Chaos Undivided, or turn them into Slaanesh-marked units, granting unique bonuses suitable for the Prince of Pleasure. Each lord has a different authority over Slaanesh or undivided units, which grant bonuses based on factors such as traits, skills, and heroes in the army.
In addition to Warband recruitment, Azazel can also: receive demonic units from Seducers or Slaanesh’s roster using the Gifts of Chaos mechanic. Once a Gift of Chaos that grants units is placed, players can regularly recruit small numbers of that unit into their armies. Finally, Azazel can take advantage of his many vassals by: build outposts in their settlements, giving him access to a limited number of units outside the Warriors of Chaos faction.
Azazel on the battlefield
A Champion of Chaos devoted to Slaanesh, Azazel brings a unique and powerful hybrid roster of mortal and demonic units to the battlefield. While N’kari may struggle with hard factions like Cathay by having too many hammers and too few anvils for proper hammer and anvil tactics, Azazel’s powers are much more balanced. Chaos fighters and chosen ones, whether they are Slaanesh marked or not, they are the iron front of the Ecstatic Legion, while a mix of Hellstriders, Knights and Chariots can perform devastating flanking maneuvers.
Azazel’s Slaaneshi Legions combine the staying power of the original Total War: Warhamer Warriors of Chaos with the speed and agility of factions like the Seducers of Slaanesh and Beastmen. This deadly combination, further enhanced through the use of vassal units and powerful wizards, will allow Azazel to dominate in both the open field and in siege battles.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is out now for PC.
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