Creative Assembly

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 Reign of Blood adds Gore

20th June 2019 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Warfare is a pretty violent and bloody affair. And if that’s your idea of strategy fun, then you’re in luck. The Total War: Three Kingdoms Reign of Blood DLC is a gory blood effects pack for the new strategy game from Creative Assembly.

Even the Total War: Three Kingdoms Reign of Blood loading screen makes the difference clear

Enable the pack via the Advanced Graphics Settings, and you’ll get several new mature-rated effects, animations and kill-moves to both Campaign and Battle Modes.

The campaign screens also get a gorier makeover with Reign of Blood

So if your idea of calmly calculating strategies and organising your troops also includes charred corpses, beheadings and limbs being removed, then you’ll want to grab the Reign of Blood pack on Thursday, June 27th, 2019 for £1.99 via Steam.

Or you can just watch the trailer for the DLC right now:

And that’s it – Reign of Blood is purely about adding more violence and red liquid to the game. Total War: Three Kingdoms is available via Steam for £44.99. Or for £46.99, you can pick up the Limited Edition physical copy via Game, which includes a deluxe case, and a double-sided campaign map / character poster. Amazon has the Limited Edition for £1 less, along with the Collector’s Edition listed at £299 for the game, Yellow Turban Rebellion content and a statue. Which seems a bit much when the Yellow Turban DLC is £6.99 on top of the standard game!

Anyway, here’s some more pictures of the gore for those inclined to view them…

That’s going to need more than an aspirin…

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.

New – A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Gaelic Kingdom Trailer

26th February 2018 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

We’ve previously mentioned the announcement of A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia. It’s a new approach by Creative Assembly to focus on a particular area in more detail, rather than covering an entire region and time period. And the first of the Saga games will cover the British Isles in 878AD, which comes after the Viking Great Heathen Army has invaded and Alfred the Great has become the King of Wessex. And now here’s an interesting new A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Gaelic Kingdom trailer.

So it’s a pretty interesting time in British history, and also a tense one. And to build excitement, Creative Assembly and publishers Sega have now released a new in-engine cinematic video. The Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia Gaelic Kingdom trailer introduces Flann Sinna. He’s the King of the Gaelic Kingdom of Mide.

If you’re not up on history, Mide was an Irish kingdom for more than 1000 years, and the name literally means middle, which is exactly where it was located. It was composed of the whole of County Meath Westmeath, and parts of Cavan, Dublin, Kildare, Longford, Louth and Offaly. Flann Sinna was born in either 847 or 848 and lived until 916 as both King of Mide from 877 and the High King of Ireland from 879.

In addition to being one of the more successful kings of Ireland, Flann Sinna also managed to be married to at least three different women, and his recorded children included 7 sons and 3 daughters.

So a pretty interesting alternative to his English contemporary Alfred the Great.

A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia will be out for the PC in 2018. In the meantime, Amazon is starting to list the game for pre-order, and there are always the existing Total War games to enjoy.

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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: Warhammer 2 Norsca Race Pack Pre-Order Details

27th July 2017 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Sega and Creative Assembly have revealed the new Norsca race for Total War: Warhammer 2 and the bonus available if you buy the game before release. So read on for the Total War: Warhammer 2 Norsca Race Pack pre-order details as we try and make sense of the somewhat convoluted news.

So Total War: Warhammer 2 will be released on September 28th, 2017. And if you pre-order the game before that date, or buy it during the first week of sale, you’ll receive the Norsca Race Pack for free. For the first Total War: Warhammer title. Not the new one.

And you’ll be able to use them in the first Total War: Warhammer game from August 10th, 2017.

Norsca is a reworked faction for the Old World with new units including unique new monsters, 2 new Legendary Lords with unique skill trees, quest chains and unique starting positions. They include commanding War mammoths and Skin Wolves, and being able to build towering monoliths to gain the favour of the dark gods.

Barbarians with war mammoths can never be a bad thing.

After the second Total War: Warhammer title has launched, there will be a major update for both existing titles for free, which will include a new combined campaign map to let players conquer both the Old and New World as any race from both base games and any DLC racers you might own. And this will then be updated again to include the Norsca for all players for free. In the old and new games.

Make sense? Buy the new game early, and you get to enjoy the new race in the old game, until the new race arrives in the new game for everyone.

Oh, pre-orders. How much fun you bring.

If that’s not enough for you, then there’s also the Total War: Warhammer 2 Serpent God Edition. Coming in at £99.99, you’ll get:

Serpent God ‘Lizard Skin’ Tome Packaging
Integrated Art Book
Embossed Metal Case
Exclusive Strategy Guide
Sticker Sheet
Canvas Map with Exclusive Lizardmen Artwork
Stone Effect ‘Puzzle Sphere’
Carved Bone Effect ‘Teeth’ Totems
‘Saurus Blade’ USB with Black Library E-Books

Plus the aforementioned Norsca Race Pack for the first Warhammer title.

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Two New Warhammer Games Coming Soon in 2017

10th April 2017 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

Good news for video game fans who also enjoy tabletop strategy. And for Games Workshop fans who don’t want to paint 1,000 lead miniatures to have a quick fight. There are two new Warhammer games coming soon in 2017. So whether you prefer the fantasy world of Total War: Warhammer 2, or the futuristic space marine violence of Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3, you should be very happy indeed.

And here are some videos and details to inspire your happiness

Two New Warhammer Games Coming Soon in 2017

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3

The third instalment in the series will be released on April 27th, 2017. But before then, you can take part in the Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War 3 Open Beta, which runs from 10am PST on Friday, April 21st until 10am PST on Monday, April 24th, 2017. You’ll need to register on the Dawn of War website to take part. Just promise you’ll come back and read the rest of this post afterwards?

So the Open Beta, and the Assemble the Troops video below, will both focus on th tense and chaotic multiplayer.

If you haven’t played the previous games in the series, and you’re not familiar with Warhammer 40,000, then congratulations on making it this far. Dawn of War 3 lets you picks from the three factions in the game, Space Marines (humans), Eldar (space elves) and Orks (orks). Each species has strengths and weaknesses. And they also have a selection of powerful elite heroes. So you can find certain characters which can turn the tide of a battle.

If you pre-order Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3, you’ll receive the Masters of War Skin Pack, which will be used during the open beta and includes the Dark Queen skin for Lady Solaria (Imperial Knight), the Ghost Seer skin for Farseer Taldeer (Wraithknight) and the Big Kustom skin for Beauty (Morkanaut).

Total War: Warhammer II Announced:

Not enough Warhammer-based real-time-strategy for you? Prefer old school weapons and spells? Then you’ll be pleased to know Games Workshop and Creative Assembly have announced Total War: Warhammer II will arrive for the PC in 2017.

The new game will add continents to the west of the Old World, with four new races taken from the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world. The High Elves, Dark Elves and Lizardmen have been confirmed but the fourth race has yet to be revealed. What we do know is that players will need to fight for control over the Great Vortex which has swirled for a millennia about the elven homeland of Ulthuan. So you may be attempting to save it or disrupt it in the campaign mode to decide the fate of the world.

But there’s more. If you already own the original Total War: Warhammer (Or buy it now), then owning both games will all you to play on a huge combined campaign map in a free update shortly after release.

“Total War: WARHAMMER II represents the next step in our trilogy, our vision for the most incredible fantasy strategy series ever made,” said Game Director, Ian Roxburgh. “The success of the first game has increased our ambition; we’re not only going to deliver a thrilling campaign in the sequel, but also an additional combined campaign, the biggest so far, for owners of both.”

So there you go. More warhammers than a dwarven armory before the Christmas present rush. From fantasy Elves to space Eldar.

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Total War: Warhammer Gets Gory With Blood for the Blood God

2nd July 2016 By Dan Thornton Leave a Comment

The new Total War: Warhammer Blood for the Blood God DLC pack is out now, and brings a whole world of gore and dismemberment to the game.

Until now, Total War: Warhammer has had a lower age rating, but the new content gives an optional Blood Effect which makes it likely to be only for Mature or 18-Rated gaming. Because no-one ever ignores age ratings.

For the cost of a couple of pounds, you get new events, blood-spattered deaths, and all sorts of more violent ends for your troops, with new particle effects adding to the aesthetics.

The release of the DLC is accompanied by the first patch for the game, available for all players, which includes unit rebalancing, gameplay improvements and the new Vampire Counts cavalry unit, the Blood Knights, which will be free to all players.

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:

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Total War: ROME II Desert Kingdoms Culture Pack Trailer:

Total War: ROME II Female Leaders Free DLC Update:

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Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 3

Total War: Warhammer II Announced:

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