Total War Warhammer 3 patch 6.3 is upon us, and it’s bringing some very welcome changes to a couple of underloved factions in the colossal strategy game. The Tomb Kings and Lizardmen are at the top of the list, with the latter even receiving a fresh cohort of blessed units, but there’s more to be found elsewhere. Developer Creative Assembly has also overhauled its starting traits, introduced a new crop of unusual locations, and grimed up its battles with a little more blood.
For all its upswings and downswings, Total War Warhammer 3 remains one of the best strategy games on PC, and unsurprisingly you’ll find it among our pick of the best Warhammer games as well. Creative Assembly has been focused on polish and fixes of late, even pushing back its planned Tides of Torment DLC to ensure it can meet “the standards we’ve set in recent releases.”
For right now, TWW3 6.3 introduces some major adjustments to both the Tomb Kings and Lizardmen. Senior live QA technician Liam Newman says this, along with the traits rework later, is all part of a process of “Warhammer 3-ifying” older factions to make them feel a little more robust in the modern, combined game.
For the Tomb Kings, you can expect to have a much less frustrating time hunting down Books of Nagash – they won’t all be placed in Nehekhara, but you’ll find more clustered towards your starting location.The effects from several have been upgraded or redesigned; The Great Pyramid of Settra, for example, now makes your skeleton warriors and spearmen ‘expendable,’ meaning their loss in battle won’t dampen your army’s overall morale.
You’ll find similar alterations to the Tomb Kings tech tree as well, and all characters now have at least one skill. Their unique resource, Canopic Jars, are now earned from post-battle kills, and there are more ways to use them. Along with awakening units, unlocking techs, or crafting items, you’re now also able to cash them in for an injection of funds, a burst of research rate, or to boost your garrison sally.
Finally, the Tomb Kings can also force other leaders in their faction into a confederation by defeating them in battle. There are some restrictions to this – Khalida and Khatep can only do this to one another, while Arkhan and Settra can bring both Khalida and Khatep under their employ. “We believe this respects the lore around the Tomb Kings,” Newman explains, “while adding enough of what is available to other races in the game.”
The Lizardmen’s tech tree gets a “significant” overhaul; you’ll spot new effects, the removal of most building requirements, and improved consistency for what units gain effects from specific areas. Their economy should feel better in the early game, building costs, construction times, and outputs all get a touch-up, and all ‘beasts’ now finally have the ‘wallbreaker’ effect, allowing your giant dinos to crush through buildings as they should.
“Almost every” unique Lizardman skill has been looked at and either altered or given additional effects. There are minor blessings for heroes, Lord Mazdamundi now starts with the Soul Quench spell, and the capacities and rank of units should now feel “in line with that of races we have done full reworks and DLCs for.” You’ll also note adjustment to the coloration of different Lizardmen factions, which will help them feel distinct from one another.
On top of this comes a haul of new blessed units for Lizardmen, included free with the patch. These include Chameleon Stalkers, Skink Cohort (Javelin), Ripperdactyl Riders, Sacred Kroxigor, Terradon Riders, Razordon Hunting Pack, Salamander Hunting Pack, Ancient Salamander, and Ancient Stegadon.
To continue the “Warhammer 3-ifying,” starting traits for many non-legendary characters (and Alberic de Bordeleaux) have been rebalanced with additional effects and requirements. The development team has also deployed a skill update for the Greenskins, which affects characters that missed the boat in the Omens of Destruction overhaul.
Unusual locations, the random flavor encounters you’ll spot across the map, have been doubled in size. Principal designer Mitch Heastie says the focus this time was on creating events that felt more applicable across the board, as the initial batch of 20 was focused on the Old World and the Forces of Order. That existing group has been updated “to be a bit more liberal in their restrictions (where lore appropriate), and there are 20 more to uncover.
Rounding out the update are some extra aesthetic touches. The ‘camera blood splatter’ feature from Total War Pharaoh is now available as an optional extra in the graphics settings menu, making battles feel a bit more brutal. There’s also audio improvements, including full voicework for Alberic de Bordelaux, some additional inclusions for Wulfrik, and a totally new sound for Throgg that’s “more in line with the lore and feedback from forums.”
Total War Warhammer 3 patch 6.3 launches Thursday August 28. You can read through the patch notes courtesy of Creative Assembly.
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