Total War: Warhammer - Playing as Chaos

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Rock, Paper, Shotgun explains what it's like to play as the Chaos Warriors faction in Total War: Warhammer.

Raze, sack, slaughter, burn, maraud. The life of a Total War: Warhammer [official site] Chaos Warrior is simple, with few diplomatic interruptions and little in the way of urban planning. There are buildings to construct, but they're part of the caravan of carnage that makes up your nomadic horde, and when you lay waste to a settlement, occupation isn't on the cards. The Old World map becomes a chain of battles and the core of any Chaos strategy is to build and maintain forward momentum as you carve your way through the factions.

Playing as Chaos, the game really is Total War, with no distractions. I've spent some time campaigning with Khorne and co to figure out if this barebones approach to the game is effective.

Total War: Warhammer's greatest strength lies in the diverse approaches demanded by the playable factions. I've fallen for the Dwarves, whose Book of Grudges delivers a steady stream of short-term objectives that serve to guide my efforts and provide a neat narrative context for the many minor wars and disputes that arise. They're a great faction for a first campaign partly because of the light hand-holding of the Grudges, and partly thanks to fairly well-rounded army composition. Compared to the Vampire Counts, whose lack of ranged units tears up the tactical playbook, dwarven troops are a cinch to manage.

Chaos Warriors are slightly trickier. While their entire ethos is based on destruction and warfare, the armies you can recruit in the early running of a campaign are a bit naff. Marauders, which make up the bulk of the first tier units, are feeble compared to many of their opponents, only elevated by the mounted units who can lob weapons over short distances, performing a microcosmic version of the hit and run raiding and razing that typifies the Chaos approach to warfare.​