Total War: Warhammer 3has been released on PC finally and fans can finally get their hands on the Chaos factions. Leading the Oracles of Tzeentch, players can rule the skies and pick their foes from afar with the Legendary Lord Kairos Fateweaver.
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The Oracles of Tzeentch faction are much similar to the other Chaos God factions inTotal War: Warhammer 3, being overpowered in one other particular department. Where the Seducers excel at blitzing cavalry, Khorne their infantry, and Nurgle their monsters, the Oracles find their niche in ranged units.
Starting The Campaign & General Strategy
Tzeentch begins the game at war with a Khorne faction to the south, and Cathay to the north. It is vital at this time to follow the missions provided, as they will net the player a load of favor and also help guide them through the particular campaign mechanics of the faction. The Oracles of Tzeentch have the following faction effects:
Kairos Fateweaver also provides the following Lord effects:
With this in mind, much like the otherChaos God factions, it is advised to play to the strengths and advantages that are netted to the player as much as possible considering the fragileness of their units. Generally, the player will want to have multiple armies made up mostly of ranged with supporting auxiliary infantry and beasts.
On the campaign map, the player is highly incentivized to use their unique ability Changing of the Ways as it will net the player free settlements without ever having to fire a shot. Players should do what they can to collect Grimoires in order to use these powerful benefits. Much of Tzeentch’s power will be coming from the campaign map, so it is vital that the player maximizes their abilities per turn.
The player should capture their first settlement by using this method as it is a mission that will reward favor, and then from there, the player may want to consider conquering by force. Tzeentch is capable of diplomacy and can make peace with the Khorne faction to the south, which is not at all a bad option or idea, and for a first playthrough, it is incentivized to go afterGrand Cathayinstead of waging war to the south anyway.
The player is going to want to build as many military buildings as possible first since the army is weak and will need considerable replenishing, and then with the captured territories, they should begin investing in infrastructure to gain favor to support more armies, as a lot of the strength of Tzeentch will be coming from numbers and tactics.
On the battlefield, the player will want to maintain distance from their foe, picking them off if they can. The player can use Kairos and other flying units to harass cavalry or any other threats to ranged units. The ranged units should be able to melt through enemy infantry with relative ease, just make sure to mind where they are shooting. If a unit is caught up, the Tzeentch units are at least hybrid capable, so switching the unit to melee mode when engaged is preferable to skirmishing, astheir lives are much more expendable.
Units
Legendary Lord Kairos Fateweaver
For the most part, the player is going to want to keep Kairos Fateweaver out of direct combat, as he is a very powerful spell caster. Players should make use of his maneuverability and fly him around the battlefield supporting troops where needed with buffs, debuffs, and immensely powerful AoE attacks.
Lords and Heroes
Like all the rest of the Chaos factions, the Tzeentch lords and heroes are essentially extra powerful versions of the other various troops. The Heralds of Tzeentch and the Exalted Lord of Change are going to work effectively the same as Kairos, although the Herald will be much more suited for cavalry/chariot combat and maneuvering, and the Exalted Lord of Changebeing capable of flight like Kairos.
The Cultists of Tzeentch are spell casting experts, capable of supporting troops with buffs and performing powerful spells against the enemy. The Iridescent Horror will be much the same, although in their case they are much more capable of holding their own in a melee engagement.
Infantry
The Oracles of Tzeentch sport a hybrid infantry capable of delivering immense ranged damage that can absolutely melt anyone who is not careful. Although they are hybrid infantry, they are definitely weighted more towards ranged than they are melee. They are capable of getting into melee engagement, and it is encouraged to do so rather than skirmish as the rest of the ranged units can pick off what is held up.
All the infantry units are generally the same, only getting more powerful with each tier of course. There is not a lot of variety in the Tzeentch army, so expect to field twenty unit stacks of mostly all the same unit.
Cavalry and Chariots
It will be absolutely vital to any of the armies that are fielded to have at least one or two cavalry units that are able to halt foes attempting to flank the ranged units. Chaos Knights are available first and should work fairly effectively, but it will be very worth it down the line gaining access to the Burning Chariots, as they are able to harass units through flight. The Exalted Flamers should be sought out for these chariots,as they have insane damage output.
Monsters and Beasts
As mentioned before, the Flamers and Exalted Flamers are going to be highly powerful damage output on the enemy. They should be protected at all costs in order to help melt the enemy. A good general strategy then is to have Flamers in the center of the army, with the hybrid units on the flanks allowing for chip damage against any of those foolish enough to get close, while the Flamers unleash bursts against designated stronger targets. Cavalry is also great in this case to prevent attacks from the back.
Like the other Chaos gods, Tzeentch has access to Chaos Spawn. These are best used as supporting monstrous infantry on a hybrid unit that is already engaged in melee. While they are caught up in that fight, bringing monsters like them or the Soul Grinder are perfect for bolstering the ranks and ensuring the line does not break.
While weak at first and highly encouraged to play strategically and diplomatically, the Oracles of Tzeentch faction are more than capable of reaching higher tiers and fielding armies capable of going toe to toe with eventhe mightiest Khorne infantry.
Total War: Warhammer 3is now available for PC.
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