Total War

Total War Adds Dynasty Mode and Chinese Distribution

5th August 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Creative Assembly and Sega Europe are busy with Total War related announcements at the moment. A new free game mode is coming to the latest title, Total War: Three Kingdoms. And a new Chinese partnership with NetEase has been announced.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode:

The new free Dynasty Mode has been designed in collaboration with Intel. And it’s a bit different, as you control an army made up of just three hero units.

Your trio need to take on a horde-style survivial challenge against waves of enemies with increasing levels of difficulty.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode

In your favour is the fact that characters in Dynasty mode are legendarily powerful and have a host of unique abilities. Plus defeating enemy generals in every third wave will give you bonus points to spend on new skills.

Or you can make things tougher, by choosing to increase the standard unit size from the normal 80 men up to a maximum of 950 soldiers per unit.

Total War Coming to China

Creative Assembly have also sealed a long-term partnership with NetEase to see the Total War series published in China.

The deal includes previous and current games, plus a new collectable card game for PC and mobile in China, named Total War; Elysium.

Tim Heaton, Creative Assembly Studio Director and EVP of SEGA Studios, said: “For nearly two decades, the Total War franchise has been a leader in the strategy games genre, thanks to its trademark gameplay and a focus on authenticity. We are excited to bring the historical titles of the franchise to the Chinese market where we have already seen a huge appetite for Total War. Our partnership with NetEase is an ideal pairing with our shared mission for bringing quality gameplay experiences to our passionate fans across the globe.”

Gary Dale, President and COO of SEGA Europe, added: “We are very excited for Creative Assembly to partner with a leading company like NetEase. SEGA Europe are looking forward to expanding the business in China, as it is the fastest-growing market in the industry.”

“NetEase is very pleased to work with Creative Assembly, a leading game developer in the strategy games genre, to bring the critically acclaimed Total War series to players in China. We see great potential in this long-term strategic partnership,” said Ken Li, Vice President of NetEase Inc. “Since its initial release in 2000, the Total War Series has given players an extraordinary game experience, allowing them to feel the thrill and excitement of various historical wartime battles. This is exactly the type of high-quality content NetEase has been and will continue to offer our users.”

It’s an interesting time for Creative Assembly. Mainly known for the Total War series, the company acquired a Bulgarian studio from Crytek in 2017, and is currently working on nine projects. That includes an unannounced tactical team-based shooter as a new IP.

Total War: Three Kingdoms Adds Han Warlord Dong Zhuo

11th February 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

There’s now a 12th faction to choose from as Total War: Three Kingdoms adds Han warlord Dong Zhuo. The military general and warlord lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China and took control of the capital in 189 for a brief but bloody reign.

His reputation was made by torturing captured enemies during lavish banquets and then placing them in the middle of the food, and killing thousands of public servants and civilians.

Should you want to take on the role of the evil tyrant Dong Zhuo, you just need to either defeat him in battle, or reach the rank of Emperor. And your forces will include his adopted son Lu Bu, who is the greatest warrior in the land (And also the person that eventually assassinated Dong Zhuo in 192.)

Total War: Three Kingdoms Adds Han Warlord Dong Zhuo and his adopted son/bodyguard Lu Bu

If that’s wetted your appetite for bloodshed, fear and intimidation, check out the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu cinematic trailer below:

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu Trailer:

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu trailer and discover why he wasn’t a very nice chap

In other Total War: Three Kingdoms news, the release date for the game has been slightly delayed. The game will now be available from May 23rd, 2019.

“We’re lucky to be in a position to do the right thing for our games, and in this case, it means taking the time to get everything ready for you,” said Rob Bartholomew, Studio Brand Director at Creative Assembly. “It’s important that we give you a game that you can enjoy to the fullest, and we’re excited for you to see what we have in store.”

You can buy the game as a Steam pre-purchase here to have it unlocked on May 23rd. The physical edition is available on Game, and pre-orders receive the Warlord Pack DLC for free. And Play-Asia have the European Limited Edition available, with the game, Premium Deluxe Case, and Double-sided campaign map and poster.

Curse Of The Vampire Coast Comes To Total War: Warhammer II

5th October 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

It might be slightly after Halloween. But there will be undead fun aplenty as the Curse of the Vampire Coast comes to Total War: Warhammer II on November 8th, 2018. The DLC pack will introduce new Legendary Lords, creatures and monsters, and new game mechanics.

The setting is the east coast of Lustria, originally claimed by the undying lord Luthor Harkon. And now there are more undead sea admirals with crews of zombies, vampires, syreens and mournguls.

That’s before you come across Amanar, a vast and ancient Merwyrm which attacks ports and summons colossal sea-storms. The only way to control the beast would be to locate and power the Star-Metal Harpoon, which is the aim of each of the Legendary Lords.

Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC Contents:

The full list of new Total War: Warhammer II content in the Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC is:

4 new Legendary Lords
New Lore of Magic: The Lore of the Deep
New roster: command towering constructs, ghastly pincered sea-beasts, ghoulish horrors and musket-wielding piratical zombie hordes in battle!
A suite of all-new campaign mechanics:
- Treasure Maps: Find treasure maps and dig for booty
- Ship Building: Upgrade each Legendary Lord’s unique ship
- Infamy: Rule the waves to become the most infamous pirate of all
- Pirate Coves: Establish hidden enclaves in your enemies settlements
- Fleet Offices: Reward your undead Admirals with positions of power to improve their loyalty
- Pieces of Eight: Sail the seas to unlock eight new Regiments of Renown
New battle mechanics:
- More Powder: Use your Heroes to keep your gun-lines topped up with ammo
- Extra Powder: While black powder is plentiful, each unit will benefit from a variety of missile-related buffs

Although there’s obviously a big naval aspect to the Curse of the Vampire Coast, full ship battles won’t be coming to Total War: Warhammer II. Instead if you decide to fight a battle after encountering enemies on the water, you’ll both disembark to fight on a nearby island.

Curse Of The Vampire Coast Trailer

The Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC will be available for the PC on November 8th, 2018, with MacOS and Linux versions coming soon after. It’ll cost £13.99 at release, but you can save 10% by pre-ordering for £12.59. The base Total War:Warhammer II game itself is on sale until 8th October, 2018 on Steam down from £39.99 to £26.79.

Players who don’t purchase the Curse of the Vampire Coast pack will still see the pirate captains and their forces as AI controlled enemies, the Vampire Counts in Mortal Empires will get an update, and there will be some free content to accompany the launch, including a new Legendary Lord.

More Curse of the Vampire Coast Screens:

Total War: Warhammer II is also available via Game and Amazon.

Total War: Rome II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack Out March 8

22nd February 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

The Total War: Rome II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack arrives on March 8th, 2018, bringing new playable factions and environments. And it will be accompanied by a free update to the base game which will introduce new playable characters for the existing forces and campaigns in the game.

The Desert Kingdoms pack brings four new playable factions to wage war across the shifting sands of Africa and Arabia. The quartet are the Kingdoms of Kush, Saba and Nabatea, and the Masaesyli of Numidia. Each army has unique new rosters with different strengths, building chains and technology trees. All of the new factions will get a bonus to morale in desert battles and bonus income from agriculture. But they’ll also have a penalty to their research rates due to their deep-rooted traditions.

So expect new warriors, mounted elephants and armoured camels to use. And getting accustomed to using the sandy environments to your advantage. The Meroe (Kingdom of Kush) benefit from better archers and a disciplined workforce. Whereas the Nabataeans were literate builders who can construct faster, cheaper buildings, and get incense trade bonuses. The Saba also benefit from incense, and also a close relationship to hired forces with access to cheaper and stronger mercenaries. And Numidia specialise in desert ambushes.

So there’s plenty in the Total War: Rome II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack to get your teeth into. It’s released on March 8th, 2018, and you can pre-order for a 10% discount on the normal price of £6.99.

Total War: ROME II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack Trailer:

Total War: ROME II Female Leaders Free DLC Update:

In addition to the Total War: Rome II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack, there’s also a free Female Leaders DLC update for the base game. It will make Cleopatra and Teuta fully playable as faction leaders and generals. And important female characters have been added to all campaigns and across all factions. It follows the general historical culture, with some women limited to politics (Rome/Greece), some able to fight alongside men and become generals, and some following a special path to show their influence behind the scenes.

It also allows for special events surrounding women coming to power, and for faction leaders of opposite gender to marry as a diplomatic action.

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A Total War Saga – Thrones of Britannia Announced

15th November 2017 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

The Total War series has covered epic swathes of history since Shogun: Total War introduced feudal Japan to players back in 2000. Since then the series has covered Rome, medieval Europe, Napoleon, and more. But with A Total War Saga – Thrones of Britannia announced, Creative Assembly and Sega are letting you focus in on a particular time period.

More specifically, the game will focus purely on the British Isles in the year of 878AD. It’s a tense time, following the Viking Invasion by the Great Heathen Army just over a decade earlier, and the ascension of Alfred the Great to the King of Wessex, en route to becoming the dominant ruler in England.

So you’ve got the various kingdoms fighting for control across what would become the UK. And a sizeable force of Vikings who had already caused Mercia to collapse, and was now starting to move across the rest of the country with the aim to conquering and settling. In reality, this led to the establishment of Danelaw across East Anglia.

But maybe things will turn out differently?

Obviously it ties in with recent interest in historical dramas, including the Vikings TV series based around Ragnar Lothbrok and his sons, who led the Viking Army to Britain to avenge Lothbrok’s death.

And most interesting is the fact that the campaign maps will obviously focus on a smaller area, enabling them to be much more detailed than in previous Total War games.

“Our aim with Total War Sagas is to explore key flashpoints at distinct places and times in history”, said Series Director, Mike Simpson. “Unlike our era-spanning titles, we’re putting defined geographical areas under the microscope, building super-detailed campaign maps with a strong cultural focus and flavour that players can dive into. This will complement our broader-scope titles perfectly”.

With A Total War Saga – Thrones of Britannia announced, you can expect it out for the PC in 2018.

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Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode:

Total War Coming to China

Watch the Total War: Three Kingdoms Dong Zhu Trailer:

Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC Contents:

Curse Of The Vampire Coast Trailer

More Curse of the Vampire Coast Screens:

Total War: ROME II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack Trailer:

Total War: ROME II Female Leaders Free DLC Update:

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