Total War: WARHAMMER III

Total War: WARHAMMER III

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Katarin's Conquest on Legendary Difficulty (Up to Turn 100)
Por Laguna Queen y 6 colaboradores
Brutally conquer the North to protect the Motherland! Turn all enemies into delicious ice cream after flash freezing them!
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What makes this guide so special?
The information was battle-tested to find the most optimal choices for campaign pathing and rewards. Despite the new patch breaking the army upkeep, the superior battle tactics have generated more than enough rewards to cushion the doubled costs!

The guide focuses on three core objectives to guarantee a solid campaign:
  • Set optimal pathing to quickly conquer settlements with minimal chasing.
  • Rapidly develop important settlements to unlock late-tier units and secure strategic choke-points.
  • Maximize rewards with minimal casualty battles to sustain the war effort.

For easier viewing, sections about warfare, army composition, and research were written in a separate guide:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2782133378
Please click here for Dwarven Thane guide:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2872316052
How experienced are you?
I have been playing since the first version and on Legendary difficulty. The Dwarf faction was my favorite!

Why are you writing this guide?
I enjoy helping others and wanted to share and preserve the key findings. Other guides seem to be incomplete with lack of enough information, screenshots, and higher standards to guarantee successful runs.

Who is the intended audience?
The guide is for everyone, but much more friendlier to new players. The writing will be easy to follow and supported by plenty of screenshots for those who are too lazy to read everything! Everyone will be playing on the same level with the most experienced!

How experienced are you in writing guides?
I have written plenty of detailed guides. Here are some of them:

For Frostpunk,
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2612388028
For Crying Sun,
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1871229945
For Company of Heroes 2,
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664203139
For Infectonator : Survivors,
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=742714265
For Sheltered,
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=653696559
Game Settings & Proper Saving
Before starting the Legendary campaign, change unit size to Large instead of Ultra to have an easier time in capturing settlements. Large hybrid units can block each other and not attack the enemy. As for battle difficulty, hard is selected to have some consistency but can be adjusted to other desirable levels.

Extra backups are needed as strategic checkpoints before high-stakes battles or dealing with unwanted surprises later on. At times, enemies can march into vulnerable locations without early warnings and possibly end the game. This option bypasses the save limitation.

The location is: C:\Users\<userid>\AppData\Roaming\The Creative Assembly\Warhammer3\save_games
Introduction & Opening Turn
Tzarina Katarin starts south of the capital Kislev with a Norsca invader on the eastern border. There is also a hostile Kislev faction to the north called Ropsmenn Clan, and they will only send a small yet harmless army to raid to serve as a distraction only.

The first goal is to move east and blitzkrieg the entire province of Eastern Oblast. The targeted area is largely undefended with the exception that the Ropesmenn will build an army at either Volksgrad/ Igerov or both.

On the first turn, demolish the Kossar Hut to be replaced by Stall. Build Tribal Encampment and Tallow-Keepers Guild for faster growth to upgrade Kislev for early elite units. Then, use the Awaken the Land commandment to generate extra gold.


Begin the trade agreements with the three available factions and balance out the deal to get some extra measly gold.


Before attacking the Norsca invaders, turn off the research to potentially gain a student for faster research and turn back on before ending turn. The first research needs to be Ice Sculpting (Land) to recruit more characters, as they will help with obtaining more war equipment and gaining more followers.
1st Battle
The first battle will be on an open field and the enemy will charge first. Before deploying, there is an option to gamble the arcane winds for more energy.

The deployment is standard with the Kossars forming the first line and Ice Guard in the second with the cavalry on the wings.

Note: The ranged units form a large kill zone in front of them, which is shown by the green cones.


Lure the enemy cavalry and main formations into the kill zone with own cavalry. Katrin needs to cast Ice Sheet to slow them all down for inflicting max damage.


Use cavalry back and forth in the kill zone without engaging in any fight. Friendly fire does exist in the game.

Not One Step Back! (More Reward)
After the battle is won, all remaining enemy units will begin to rout and not return damage if attacked. Do not end the battle and hunt down every single one of them to maximize the rewards. The cavalry is best used for this purpose, along with Katrin's Ice Sheet to slow down their retreat.


There will be less enemy to deal in the next battle if they can retreat. Prioritize devotion over gold in the early game to build shrines and invocations.

Note: Only certain enemies like Norsca and others grant additional devotion rewards.

1st Settlement Capture
After the first victory, the quest is complete and rewards a free Ice Maiden (Tempest). Characters have 3 passive traits and need to be evaluated. Desirable ones are unique spell trait, no loss in vigor, or individual combat buffs. The entire campaign can be restarted if the Ice Maiden has no good traits.


Before ending the first turn, march towards Gerslev to be almost hugging the city and resume research.

Turn 2: Invoke Ursun and attack Gerslev!


The same kind of formation except place cavalry on a different side to either capture or go for enemy units with no anti-cavalry bonuses (avoid spears).


The Ice Guard has long enough range to shoot at enemy Guard Towers with ease.


The enemy garrison will put up a much tougher fight because of close quarter fighting. They can be lured out to fight in more open terrain where Kossars can inflict full damage.

After capturing Gerslev, build a shrine there to generate devotion and followers in the long run.


Recruit Kossars while in settlement since Katarin can no longer move. Resume the research and continue upgrading all buildings at Kislev (build Stall in the free slot) before ending turn.

1st Province (Eastern Oblast)
Turn 3. Move the army towards Igerov near its border to hire an Ogre mercenary.


Retreat a little bit and change stance to Ambush while staying in friendly territory. This will allow replenish and avoid triggering the Ropsmen to recruit a fresh army at Igerov.


Turn 4: Pause Research before attacking Igerov and resume afterwards. There will be no more reminders from now on.

Deployment will change a bit for Igerov. The newly recruited Kossars will form the 2nd line and the Ice Guard will now be the third line.


The ogres will join with the cavalry on a different front to attack. They will serve as their bodyguards as their anti-counters.


The first student should be gained after this battle and recruit 2 more Kossars. Continue upgrading buildings in Kislev for more growth and income generation.

Katarin needs to max skill Death Frost while the Ice Maiden gets Scouting.


Turn 5. Attack the Chaos rebels outside of Igerov twice and select Devotion reward for both.


The battle will be much similar to the first except Katarin has another spell called Bitterness of Winter to complement the Ice Sheet to further slow down the enemy in the kill zone.



Being training of the Frost Maiden in the Ice Courts that is located right above the research button. Select Cold Storage Research and refer to the separate guide for the full research tree.

In normal stance, stay on route to Fort Jakova but stay within friendly territory to replenish.


Turn 6: Take Fort Jakova. Nothing too different with the battle except using Death Frost spell. Demolish Hallowed Wood and replace with Shrine after.

Turn 7: Recruit a new Lord (Boyar) at Igerov and select a trait that gives more campaign movement or combat buffs. He needs to move into the settlement to locally recruit and transfer Ancillaries for +2 rank and cheaper recruitment costs.

Katarin needs to temporarily transfer injured units to Boyar to heal more for one turn. She needs to march back to Igerov and preferably north of it.


Ignore the Ogres for now since declaring war will disband the Ogre mercenary.

Turn 8: Katarin takes all the units back and sets up an ambush in the forest.


The solo Boyar needs to be in march stance and within Katarin's ambush radius shown in red.


The enemy army will be baited out of Volksgrad for easier capture next turn. Choose the gold reward option.


Turn 9: Attack Volksgrad. Once captured, demolish the stables, and select Awaken the Land commandment. The first Ataman will be available and select traits with more income and possibly a growth combo as an added bonus. Place him in Kislev and see below for more details.

Katarin recruits 2 more Kossars while in the settlement and transfer the ancillaries back to her for +2 rank units. March the 2nd Lord (Boyar) north by himself towards Sepuzky in preparation of its capture.


Before ending turn, do a check on quick deals with trade agreements and one can be made with Stirland.

Ataman
Ataman is a passive Boyar who serve as governors for the chosen province and one is given for every 2 provinces owned.

The most important traits are:
  • Income & Growth
  • Corruption
  • Control
Growth is equally important as the trait allows for faster landmark buildings.

If the first two traits are not available an Ataman with a combination of control and corruption is desirable for the late game when rifts open.
2nd Province (Dukhlys Forest)
Turn 10: Volksgrad builds a shrine in the free slot and needs to change commandment to The Power of Church for additional +2 rank for the Frost Maiden who will be recruited there next turn.

An event might trigger that will allow you to get a free Patriarch. If given, he needs to be equipped with the student for bonus research speed and sent into Katarin's army.


March Katarin north right on the border between the two provinces, and move the Boyar above her. Their circle of influence will block the raiding Baersonling army from going east to rejoin up with others.


Turn 11: Recruit the Frost Maiden at Volksgrad and change back to Awaken the Land commandment. She will also join up with Katarin's army.


The capture of the Sepuzky settlement can now begin with the Ursun Invocation still active for one more turn.

Battle of Sepukzy
The enemy Lord in the settlement will swap places with another who has an almost full army. Their major weakness is that their army is all melee mixed with some cavalry and few short-ranged javelins.


The settlement will most likely have a side that has two long vertical lanes. The narrow lanes will make perfect killing zones with the Ice Guard and Kossars taking out the nearby tower.


The army will slowly advance up each lane to chip away at the enemy forces. The enemy will pour into both lanes and retreat back. They can be lured closer and held within in the kill zone with Katarin and her Frost Maiden.

The last part of the battle is when the most of the army ran out of ammunition and turns into a melee slugfest. The majority of the enemy will be too injured for any prolonged melee combat. This is when the cavalry and the Ogres come in to play to finish them off and chase them down.


Losses will be minimal for a Decisive Victory! There will be a small lead of supporters over the Orthodox.


After the battle, recruit 2 more Kossars in Katarin's army after transferring 4-6 Kossars to the Boyar. He will need to walk east of the settlement then click on her army to transfer. They will be heading to Novchozy to temporarily repel them to safely capture Praag after.


Note: The settlement can build the market for more income but no shrines. This area is difficult to defend and can be sold off to the Brotherhood faction later if the enemy comes back.
Battle of Novchozy
Turn 12: Both armies will march towards Novhozy and hug the settlement. There are no additional moves to attack the city in same turn.

The Ataman will be given a promotion through an additional of a bonus trait. Select a bonus that benefits the city like growth or income improvement. Upgrade Volksgrad settlement when there is enough growth.


Turn 13: The enemy Lord with 1-2 units will flee the settlement and only the garrison needs to be fought. Katarin needs to absorb the new characters of Patriarch and second Frost Maiden before attacking the settlement directly.


The battle will have less enemies to deal with but they are too stubborn to come out with this kind of settlement. It has too many horizontal lanes and only two entrances. Fighting will be a bit more difficult because the army will need to get closer to draw them out.


After the capture, Katarin needs to recruit 2 more Kossars and build a Cinnabar there.

Note: This is the only exception for this province because of more income before transfer.

The Boyar needs to march back into Sepukzy for the invader. He will have enough moves to walk directly into the settlement to garrison.


Katarin will finally be Rank 12 and use the saved 6 skill points to fully obtain the Ice Mistress line. The army will now have a permanent 8% damage reduction.


Kislev is now a level 3 settlement and upgrade all existing buildings. Fill the new slots with Temple of Ursun I and Bokha Palace I. The first will help with income and growth while the second unlocks Tzar and Ice Guard recruitment.
Moving West to Praag
Turn 14: On the way back to Praag, Sepukzy needs to be protected but the enemy will most likely flee. Set up an ambush that is close to the enemy and also within Katarin's army radius. This will stop him from escaping and attacking Volksgrad later on.


The enemy will trigger the ambush and will not attack despite the 3x difference. Instead, he will try to flee to the green flag regardless and inflict as much damage as possible. Select the devotion award of 30.


Before wiping out their army, select the mission that is targeting their Lord from the Brotherhood of Bear faction in the diplomacy.


The battle is not worth describing in details and choose devotion reward of 30 again to build landmark building in Kislev.

Turn 15: Volksgrad is now a level 2 settlement to upgrade shrine and build Wood building for more income.

Issue War Coordinates to the Brotherhood faction to protect Novchozy while away.


Move both armies west toward Praag.


The total number of supporters will reach beyond 50 next turn and gives military buffs with control.


Turn 16: Continue moving to Praag and proceed to capture on next turn.
3rd Province (Praag)
Turn 17: The walled settlement has a weak point at the corner where no towers are firing. Praag can be taken without the need of siege weapons.


Deploy the troops on the weak spot and get as close as possible without blocking fire. The wall itself can be used as cover from enemy fire while shooting down the defenders.


After their wall defenders are weakened and removed, place own troops who have ammunition on the wall and begin firing inwards. Send in the characters and the Boyar inside to safely combat the remaining defenders and lure them out in the kill zone.


The result will be a close victory!


Praag is the least impressive settlement of the 3 key ones. Demolish the stables and lookout buildings.


The Ropsmenn main army will come from the south across the bridge to attack Praag regardless of odds. Set up an ambush with the Boyar and put him in ambush stance right below Katarin. With Katarin, tell her to transfer all healthy units to the Boyar for a full 20 complement to him, and this will not break his stance.


Every battle with a Kislev faction will lose 2 supporters each. It is best if the battle is from a failed ambush to do a full wipe in a single battle versus two.


As for buildings, upgrade the Timber Mill in Volksgrad to level 2 and another settlement in the same province to level 2.

Katarin can work on the 5th line of skills to reduce upkeep of her army. She should max the Reassuring Presence skill.


Before ending turn, another trade agreement can be made with a quick deal check.

Moving Towards Hell Pit
Turn 18: Praag needs to build Marble and Tallow-Keepers Guild for cheaper buildings here later on.


The Orc Red Eye faction has trespassed and is walking towards Fort Jakova. Send a warning to temporarily move the enemy back as this action will buy time. They will declare war on next turn and instruct the Brotherhood faction to protect Fort Jakova.


Before entering into Hell Pit, there will be 3 Skaven lords with only 2 of them having an almost full army. An ambush needs to be set up at the border with the full army being in ambush stance while the other is in regular stance standing next to the other. Both the armies need to be on own territory to still replenish.


The Skaven Legendary Lord will most likely be the one to attack after setting up two other lords/armies next to the target.
Ambush (Hell Pit Skaven)
Ambushes are much more punishing to the ambushed army in WH3 than in WH2 because they can only return damage in the small green box marked by a green flag. They have two options to either escape or fight.

The army deployment needs to form a sandwich to pick off any routing enemy since retreats are in random directions. The Ice Guard are the hardest hitting units with magical damage needs to be positioned near the green box and aiming for the enemy lord or tough targets like beasts/monsters.


The lord and characters will rush in and start attacking the enemy Lord immediately while the rest focuses on the regular column. The goal of the battle is to severely cripple the enemy to have an easier siege of Hell Pit. To prolong the battle, tanky units like the Lord and characters can be sent in to the green box after a minute has passed.


If lucky, a magical item that gives health regeneration is rewarded and can be spammed constantly with Lords who can withstand massive damage that a regular unit cannot.

The Skaven Legendary Lord,Throt the Unclean, should not be killed so the second Lord can engage in the next battle for the permanent health bonus trait.

4th Province (Hell Pit)
Turn 19: The Lord who does not have the permanent health boost trait needs to attack Throt the Unclean. Straggler armies outside of the settlement will draw out its garrison into the open field. The battle will be fighting multiple armies but joining the battle about 2 minutes later.


The battle is tough and may lose an unit or two. The purpose of the battle is to severely weaken the garrison and any other remaining enemy armies. Since Throt is being attacked, quickly destroy his army before the reinforcements come in then position again towards the direction of enemy reinforcement.


The reinforcements will consist of the garrison and the second army. Katarin and others can deal with the abomination in the frontline but the real threat is the garrison's two catapults. They can be disrupted later with cavalry once the enemy's core are further away from their artillery.


After the battle, Hell Pit can be attacked with less defenders but the resistance will still be fierce. This is the toughest early battle and redos are recommended if the previous battle had too much casualties.


Similar to Praag, Hell Pit has a vulnerable at the corner and their walls can be used as cover for incoming fire except the artillery and Warp Lightning spells. Use the ranged to attack all enemy units sitting on the wall first before getting close.


Order the Lords and Characters to attack the gate then hold the choke position in the gateway. The ranged units gets close to the wall then shoots over to attack the defenders. The cavalry will be too injured to fight and order them to retreat off the battlefield except the ogres.


The army will sustain very heavy damage and the likelihood of losing units are high. The enemy catapults have a preference to shoot the Ice Guard and should dodge the shots by going back and forth.The last few minutes of the battle will be fought with Katarin and the Boyar as they are tanky with some health regeneration items. Characters will be too injured to fight them directly and can only support through ranged and area of effect spells.


Clan Moulder is now completely eliminated after 2 large battles in the same turn. The Skaven will now longer be a threat in the future and the northwest corner is secured. Redo the battle if Lords/Characters or Ice Guard units are lost.


After capturing, the second army will still have some movement to march back to Kislev for Tzar Guards. While Katarin is resting in Hell Pit, put skill points in Quartermaster to reduce army upkeep costs.


The province of Volksgrad needs some upgrades and switch commandment to the Power of Church for +2 ranks of Frost Maiden and Patriarch (can be recruited now if there is another student ancillary) next turn. The Brotherhood faction can be ordered to switch target and protect Fort Jakova because of possible attack from Greenskins.


If there are any remaining Ropsmenn, they will do a suicide attack on one of the settlements.

Saving Ungol Kindred (Special Option)
In the same turn (19), a second Ataman will be available and place him in either Praag or Volksgrad before giving away Hell Pit (reduces max limit of Ataman back to 1).

Note: Keep in mind that the early capture of Hell Pit has unlocked this option.

Another Kislev faction called Ungol Kindred is discovered to the northwest at Fort Straghov. They are under siege and will be wiped out by the Aesling Norsca in the next turn. Hell Pit needs to be sold to them to keep their faction alive and develop a settlement that has unpleasant climate (expensive to develop).

Warning: Kostaltyn will need to be protected from complete destruction as he will be fighting the northern enemies and the occasional clash with this Kislev faction. The sale of Hell Pit will also effectively end the supporter competition because he will be unable to catch up.

Before selling Hell Pit, conduct individual ones like trade agreements and etc to get additional gold.


Then, do a defensive alliance and gold deal as part of giving Hell Pit. Be sure to issue war coordinates to reduce the likelihood of attacking Kostaltyn.


The settlement will now be a buffer zone and saves manpower/resource. Construct an outpost here after the sale to bolster their garrison. They will do the same and construct an outpost at Novchozy.


The confederation later on is optional to take back Hell Pit, but an extra faction is useful in late game against Chaos rift hordes.
Back to Fort Jakova
Turn 20: Recruit Patriarch at Gerslev and Frost Maiden at Fort Jakova. The Patriarch gets the usual skills and can be recruited in the previous turn if level boost is not important. They will equip with student ancillaries if there are extras.

The new maiden will get very different starting skills to farm for 10 devotion points for each successful action that includes stealing technology for faster research. Max Specialist skill to use the least amount of gold then the rest in scouting.


Kislev needs to change commandment to Relief Columns for the Boyar to recruit cheaper Tzar Guards on the next turn and switch Volksgrad commandment back to Awaken the Land.

Novchozy is now a level 2 settlement and upgrade the Cinnabar, along with extra garrison (Palisade). Only improve this settlement until it is level 3.


Katarin's army marches directly to Fort Jakova.

Turn 21: The new specialist maiden can now conduct her first mission and assault the Fort Jakova Ogre camp.


Recruit 4 great weapon Tzar Guard on the road at the northern border with Volksgrad. Embed the 2nd Patriarch into the Boyar army. Send Frost Maiden to scout past Karak Ungor and to Khazid Irkulaz.


If lucky, there will be a Mother Earth event that halves devotion cost for any invocation. Invoke Salyak to boost growth in Kislev for a level 4 settlement. The Ice Guard can be recruited soon to deal with the rifts.


Turn 22: Before marching Katarin to Karak Ungor, have one of her Frost Maidens be transferred to the other army in Kislev to embed the new Frost Maiden later. The preferable traits for the leaver is anything that boosts the settlement like growth, income, and etc.


The extra boost is temporary as the Lord or character with such traits reside in the local province.


Optional: The new Frost Maiden can still assault the Ogre camp but failures will waste gold. If the current turn yields no success, the turn can be undone by going into the menu since it only saves after ending turn.

Turn 23:The Boyar's army has finished recruiting and can now join Katarin's march to Karak Ungor. He will move to the outskirts of Volksgrad first.

Turn 24: March the Boyar army into Igerov while Katarin marches directly to Karak Ungor. The split movement will move the Orc faction back to its settlement.


Optional: If an extra student ancillary is available, another Patriarch could be recruited to equip for faster research.
5th Province (Worlds Edge Mountain)
Turn 25: Attack Karak Ungor with just Katarin's army after embedding the new Frost Maiden. The full Red Eye army have retreated back into their settlement and can be wiped out completely in the same battle.


Deploy the army on the side that has two vertical lanes with minimal horizontal lanes. The enemy has almost all melee supported by a few weak archers. The advance will be slow but gradual as their units will go back and forth.


Remember to take out their nearby towers and can be destroyed while they are being rebuilt. A tower demolishing icon will appear if it can be attacked.


After conquering the settlement, demolish the Kossar hut and replace it with a market later on. Form a defensive alliance with Druzhina Enclave if it is available around this time.

Turn 26: Kislev now can be upgraded to be a level 4 settlement! Sell extra and junk Ancillaries for extra gold if there is insufficient funds.

Note: The Ataman got lucky with a faster construction trait.


Continue marching both armies to The Silver Pinnacle.


Turn 27: Katarin's army will move and fortify to replenish for one turn while the Boyar catches up.


Turn 28: Attack the city with Katarin and the Boyar after he marches within the settlement radius. If there is no army within, auto-resolve the battle. This area is an important choke point to seal off the area on the Eastern front. Gem Mineshaft is very valuable and build one if such building does not exist.

The Norsca invaders have came back to Novchozy with now 1.5 full armies! The settlement has an additional garrison with an outpost from an ally, along with protection from Brotherhood faction. There is enough time for the Boyar army to go back to help.


Kislev should be a level 4 settlement by now. The Bohka Palace II can now be built if there is enough gold.

Turn 29: Rebels might spawn at the Silver Pinnacle right after its capture in the previous turn. Attack the rebels together with both the armies for additional experience and supporter gain while the Sayak Invocation is still active. Choose devotion reward if available and better choice.


Transfer 2 of the Tzar Guards to Katarin's army, as well as characters. Katarin needs the best units for the upcoming rifts. Take careful note of which units are being swapped. Afterward, the Boyar marches to Novchozy going back through the same way.


The Norsca are now attacking Novchozy and their smaller army will be lured away by the Brotherhood faction.


Before ending the turn, Katarin needs to set up an ambush to the east of the settlement to make it appear empty. The previous owner will march both of his armies close to the eastern outskirts.

Silver Pinnacle Battle (2 Options)
There are two options of either ambushing the enemy on the road that leads into the settlement or in the forest that is southeast. The second option is recommended to wipe out their entire Vampire armies.

Option A: Road
The ambush can be set up somewhere in the eastern vicinity but not too far out.


On the enemy's turn, their main army will be caught in an ambush without the second army nearby after the battle.


The deployment of the army is still the same except the Tzar Guards attack the 3rd/4th unit and the cavalry attacks the very last unit. The Ice Guard shown on the right targets the Lord and the unit behind him.


Katarin and her maidens will do the same to slow their entire column down. The Ice Sheet spell is very useful for this.


Only the ambushed army will be wiped out.

Option B: Forest
Katarin should set up near the forest but close enough to the eastern road to engage both armies.


On the next turn, their armies can either be both in march stance or one of the two. Katarin is in range to wipe both of them and needs to get closest one first.


5th Province (Plain of Zharr)
Turn 30: Katarin needs to march to their last settlement to the east before entering the rifts. She will either encounter an unguarded settlement or their second army, depending on which options were chosen.

Kislev can now be developed more with the battle loot. The 2 new slots should be filled with more income buildings, preferably the Grand Citadel I and Hunting Camp.


Novchozy is still under siege by Norsca but the second army is distracted by the Brotherhood faction. There is still enough time for the Boyar to march north to help with the defense.


Turn 31: Katarin moves to the Howling Rock settlement and needs to encamp for a quick replenish. The new Frost Maiden has enough movement to steal technology and gain an additional 10 devotion.


Turn 32: The Frost Maiden rejoins Katarin's army before taking the Howling Rock settlement. The battle can be auto resolved if the two armies were wiped out earlier.

After capturing the place, sell it to the Karak Kadrin for defensive alliance and military access. They are the strongest Dwarf faction and can repel the Orcs coming from the east.


The Boyar army will continue marching towards Novchozy. He needs to temporarily use the best equipment, along with his Patriarch. They will be outnumbered and fighting 1.5 Norsca armies.


Recruit another Patriarch at Gerslev to send to Kislev for boosting income and reducing corruption!
Defending Novchozy
Turn 33: The Novchozy settlement attacks the invaders after the Boyar army stands within its radius without being in marching stance, if possible.

The battle is much different because the garrison will be deployed first before the Boyar army gets involved. The battle will be quite difficult against anti-infantry units and fighting with a half army.


There is a rear area that is supposed to represent entrance into the settlement and serves as an excellent choke point. Form the Armored Kossars and Spear Kossars as the first line with the regular Kossars in the second.

The garrison army is expendable and needs to take almost all the damage..


The cavalry garrison splits up the enemy by charging behind their formation and going in circles around the map. Some enemy units will be lured away and make their advance less clumped up.


Before the actual fighting, order the Boyar to solo charge the Enemy Lords. His equipment allows him to take heavy punishment and more with the lucky healing potion.


The battle will be mostly be a melee fight with some ranged attacks later. Use Kossars to focus fire each one that comes within their range.

Choose devotion as reward for more invocations.


Katarin's army marches back west in the direction to Kislev through the Gnashrak's Lair. She will be entering into the rift first that will spawn nearby.
1st Ice Guard Recruitment
A turn before the Bokha Palace II is complete, change the commandment to Relief columns for cheaper recruitment. Invoke Dazh while Mother Earth event is still active for half the devotion cost.


Recruit a temporary 3rd Lord to recruit 5 Ice Guards (Glaive) with a total of 10 over 4 turns. He needs two ancillaries of +2 unit rank and cheaper recruitment. This will save time for the second army that needs to engage the enemy while Katarin is away.


The new Ice Guards can be picked up at Kislev by the second army, just like ordering take-out food.


Deliver the last 5 Ice Guards with the temporary Boyar.

1st Rift (Dark Prince)
Turn 35: Rifts do not have an exact time of occurrence and only Legendary Lords can fully use them. Katarin needs to enter the rift right away to reduce the competition with other factions. Choose the Dark Prince's realm because Slaneesh are much more difficult later on and there will be less battles due to the enemy being locked on the current ring.

Note: Rifts can be entered in encampment stance if close enough.


For others, regular lords can only close rifts and the early battles can be auto-resolved for more gold and devotion rewards.

Note: Battles can also be triggered in march stance when closing rifts.


Turn 36-43: Katarin needs to reach the very bottom and preferably use a circle gateway for each turn with any stance, She needs to avoid battles as much as possible and can evade them even with the small wiggle space.


She will be bribed every time a circle gateway is used except the very first. There are two options to either accept the bribe or collect the soul before difficulty is increased. The latter is recommended for a faster and manageable victory.

If the bribe is needed, select the very last one that is randomized with either a very strong weapon and/or a personal sycophant (campaign movement and auto experience gain).


The very last battle can be auto-resolved at the cost of few Kossars (if injured).

Babysitting during 1st Chaos Rift
When there is a spawning enemy army in the rift, there will be two parts of defeating the enemy and closing the rift. there will be massive gold and devotion awards when added up.

Turn 36: The Boyar army continues to Kislev but detours to Gerslev to close a rift. The temporary Boyar recruits another 5 Ice Guards.

Turn 37: The Boyar picks up the first 5 Ice Guards at Kislev, and closes the rift.

Turn 38 The temporary Boyar will deliver the next Ice Guards and disband after transfer.

Clan Gritus (Skaven) declares war and triggers defensive alliance to have them distracted while doing chaos rift.


Turn 39-43: The Boyar will police the realm by closing the rifts and attacking rebels that are hurting allies. Use the battle rewards to continue improving settlements and also invoke Dazh for more income per turn. Remember to spam the same invocation after it expires.

Around this time, Sylvania (Vampire) will declare war that will be joined by defensive allies. If allied with dwarves, the Moon Howlers (Orc) will declare war on them and pull you in.
Meeting the Khorne Enemy
One of the toughest enemies to have stacked buffs from previous victories. Their Lord keeps the army together and his death will trigger a demonic decay faster that will automatically kill most units.

Their hardest-hitting unit is their Lord with magical flame attacks and summons demons in the flank like the Skaven. However, he likes to chase down whoever attacked him first and can be lead away from the main battle to avoid his AOE damage.

Their army will normally be composed of fast-moving AP units and will melt the front line with bloodletters. A cavalry unit is recommended to split their army up and distract some units away.

If the enemy lord is about the same level as yours and have a blood carnage level above one, they have alot of stopping power. Move the army to the very rear after starting the battle.


When the Ice Guards are not in danger, focus on the enemy Lord to destroy their backbone.


Choose gold reward if the benefit is much greater than devotion and above 1k.

Back to Kislev
Turns 43-50: Katarin returns back to the world after collecting the Dark Prince's soul. She needs to make her way back to Kislev to pick up 10 more Ice Guards to replace the Kossar for more firewpower. The temporary Boyar who was dismissed earlier can be recruited again for free.


If she passes the Fort Jakova Ogre camp, she can send out Frost Maidens to farm for more devotion without triggering a war.


The Boyar's army can stay in the north to farm more gold by closing more rifts, fight isolated enemy armies, and go in the ocean off to the northwest of Erengrad to do treasure events. If given the option to battle, choose it for more rewards.


After encountering Khorne earlier, he may go north to capture settlements from them. The area is too dangerous to waste gold in developing the settlement and needs to be sold off to Kislev allies for gold.


The settlements can be sold off again if they are recaptured from the enemy, especially ones with a seaport.


Around Turn 49, Kislev can finally be upgraded to its final tier!. The settlement upgrades will be easier with the quest rewards. The last two building slots are for Animal Dens and Construction Halls.

Saving Kraka Drak (Optional)
The dwarf ally to the north may need to be saved like the Kislev faction, Ungol Kindred. An exact timing is unknown because every game is different. They are only interested in Novchozy and the settlement could be sold to them. Sepukzy can also be sold afterwards.

They can serve as the buffer for the northeast corner while Katarin attacks the vampires in the south. The catch is that the income generated will be slightly less for not having Cinnabar to trade.

6th Province (Sylvania)
Turn 50: The vampire will be advancing north and get very close to own territory after the earlier war declaration. However, the human factions will try to engage them and discourage their advance since they have to cross through Ostermark.

In the meantime, the Skaven enemy will be a thorn in the side and start raiding the front line settlements or attack the minor ones. They can be scared off or destroyed by issuing war coordinates to the powerful dwarf faction, Karak Kadrin. The same can be done with any human faction.


As Katarin reaches Kislev, she may be lucky with catching one of their armies in march stance.


After destroying one of their armies, have the temporary Boyar travel to Katrin to deliver the Ice Guards on the next turn. The vampires may decide to just attack Ostermark first and can be recaptured to be sold back.


Turns 51-52: As Katarin gets her Ice Guards, she will need to make room by disbanding Kossars and detaching Frost Maidens. They will be farming for devotion when gold is available.

She will continue going south and heal for one turn with encampment stance. Her army needs to be positioned towards the north of the enemy armies to possibly move them back to their own land.

If their legendary lord decides to go past Katarin for Fort Jakova, the Frost Maidens can weaken their army with constant assaults and target their highest tier units. This will buy time for Katarin to come back and save as she goes straight for their settlements.

If he still decides to attack, a peace treaty can be made with them to stop the siege and save the trouble of rebuilding.

Note: Breaking military access with defensive allies have no effect, and the penalties only apply if the conditions were not part of a peace treaty.


Turns 53-60: The order of capturing the three settlements does not matter except getting their capital last. A tier 4 settlement is most likely being constructed and needs time to build.

Note: Be aware that any nearby human army could start taking any of the settlements.

The numerous Ice Guards will make the battle much easier when taking Castle Drakenhof. They will make quick work of enemies on the walls and within. Send only Katarin and the characters through the gate to fight instead of the Tzar Guards to take less friendly fire damage from ice arrows.


After taking control of the entire province, transfer an Ataman who has an income trait and the optional Patriarch to further boost one of the richest areas due to gold production. Palisade can be built later as the final slot for chaos rift and possibly ogre invasion. The area is mostly secure because it is landlocked at the southern edge of the map.
Northeastern Border
Turns 61-62: Begin recruiting a third army at Kislev after switching commandment to Relief Columns. Ice Guards will be the core with Little Groms as artillery support. There is enough income now to field a third army but ~2/3 the size.


Turns 63- 66: The Norsca comes back again to Novchozy and may decide to skip the buffer settlements. Their armies now consist of multiple elephants that are problematic. Frost Maidens in the area can begin to weaken their units and their Lord for easier fights.


Katarin will also help in cleaning up the area before jumping into the second chaos rift. She needs to rescue both own and friendly settlements that are under siege.

If Volksgrad is attacked, an army needs to be in ambush stance when close to the settlement to avoid scaring off the enemy. This can be done for any enemy army that will most likely run away.


On the next turn, the Norsca army can be wiped out after not knowing he is being chased. If lucky, the Nurgle may be in the same range and both armies can be wiped out at once. A manual battle is recommended to minimize the number of casualties and embed a nearby Frost Maiden if available (disband a Kossar unit if no space) for more levels.


Turns 67-76: The second army will now be guarding the northeastern border and clearing all enemy armies in the areas near and above Novchozy. After the clean up, he captures Sjoktraken to disrupt Norsca invasion and sell to the Brotherhood faction for new buffer zone.

He will then march westt to liberate Kraka Drak and build diamonds there for more income.


Continue west for Kraka Dorden and sell to Ungol Kindred, so they focus efforts on north instead of attacking Orthodoxy.

2nd Rift (Khorne)
Around Turn 65 or earlier, Ursun will roar again to open another round of chaos rifts. Katrin selects the Blood God realm and needs to max the bloodletting level by defeating various neutral factions and others that enter. The soul can be collected in 4-5 turns, counting the turn to enter the realm.

Note: Battles are much easier with Ice Guards versus Kossars since this is the second realm.

Depending on entrance, Katrin needs to avoid the corner with the hydra army lead by Grizgutz. His army is usually located at the right of the Brass Citadel and will do enough damage to make auto-resolving the final boss unfavorable.


Turns 66-68: Katarin will need to visit every other corner and also be in march stance to have enemy armies attack on their turn. A trick is to march towards an enemy army to trigger them to attack.

Once the blood bar is filled, the Brass Citadel should be entered from the opposing side pposite of hydra army.


The great weapon treasures are a waste of time because they only last for ~30 turns up until the next Ursun's roar. Some of them are meant for Legendary Lords only, which is a waste for Katarin since she is already using Frost Fang.

With a healthy army, the final realm boss battle can safely be auto resolved with only losing the obsolete Winged Lancers. If not, try to avoid losing more than 1-2 Ice Guards. Choose gold reward.

Back to Kislev II & 3rd Army
Turns 69-71: Katarin moves back to Kislev while closing rifts and eliminating armies that spawn out of them. Her final army composition needs more Ice Guards and Little Groms to attack Ogres and every other late game enemies. She will then work her way south to Castle Drakenhof to clean up any leftover rift enemies.


At Kislev, the third army has finished recruiting and needs to close nearby rifts as he heads to Praag. He will then march northwest to Castle Alexandronov to stabilize the northwestern front. There will be plenty of Khorne, Chaos,and Slaneesh armies to fight as they come from the rifts and the sea.

If he needs to encamp to heal, he can get free units in a single unit from allied recruitment.

Little Groms
Kislev's only artillery units are unique because of having close combat protection with bears and upgrading their range beyond the standard. Their line of fire must not be blocked by trees and used on an almost flat-like terrain for its trajectory.

The ideal targets are both static and mobile units with medium speed or slower. Slaneesh are the most difficult race to shoot at with their fastest speed and needs to be slowed down.

For certain races like Khorne, the Lords should be targeted first to start demonic disintegration sooner after their death.


Note: This army has extra artillery to transfer over to others. 2-3 Little Groms are enough for each army.

When in close combat, point-blank shots are also possible against the enemy by repositioning own units to expose their front.
Crystal Cloak Quest
The battle will always be an ambush and still difficult for Katarin after upgrading her army. She will be attacked from 4 sides with one in front, one in middle left, and two in the rear from both sides. The biggest challenges are not to panic and fight the enemy while evenly distributing the damage.

Right when the battle starts, turn off skirmisher mode for all Ice Guards to prevent them from running around in circles like headless chickens. They need to be reorganized into square formations to shoot enemies that are on the move and static. The front section will be the exception and can fight them without blocking their line of fire.

The front part of the army with Katarin (~5-6 units) needs to immediately engage without retreating. Katarin and her Patriarchs will charge into the center of their formations, cast spells, and summon beasts to disrupt their attack. She will need to cast Death Frost on their Lord and try to take him down fast to stop spells.


The artillery in the rear will get charged by enemy cavalry and melee units. They will get eventually stuck but can be freed with a temporary retreat order. The Ice Guards can shoot them off of them while keeping pressure on their ranged with 1-2 units.

Meeting the Ogre Enemy
The Disciples of the Maw faction is from the southeast corner of the map and will expand towards the north and east. Their military strength will rank in the top 5 and eventually #1. Their exact timing for war declaration is between the first and second chaos rifts. Do not call for help to avoid Kislev allies breaking their alliance because outposts will be destroyed.

They will initially send about 2-4 armies to skip over the buffer zone and directly into Kislev or Praag. After defeating them, they will retreat back and focus on capturing more settlements from the humans. A good indication to predict their behavior is if their armies are in constant march stance and not laying siege to the settlement in front of them.


The Ogre race is unique because of having a low unit size with high HP pool. This translates to each Ogre taking more punishment before dying. Their weaknesses are having less armor on most units and being slower that includes their cavalry.

Similar to the very first battle, they need to be severely weakened at range before engaging in melee combat. Ice Guards and Little Groms will make quick work of the new threat. Spells that slow movement are needed like Ice Sheet for multiple targets or Death Frost for singles.

Katarin and the characters with their Bear mounts and can buy time by going in zig zag in front of the enemy. They can also fight the enemy head on within the range of Ice Guard, while the Patriarchs heal her and themselves. If Dazh invocation is upgraded, summon the elemental bear when they are in range of Ice Guards to further slow them down from getting into melee range.

Frozen Landing
Turns 77-85: The new target will be Norsca's capital, the Frozen Landing settlement. They will still have about 2.5 armies to either try to defend or take back Sjoktraken. Ignore them and only engage in battles if they are on the way.

The Norsca settlement battle has a much different setup and the image below shows the best side to attack from.


As several waves of different enemy factions arrive, the army needs to stay there to stop them from causing major disruption. They can be handled one by one through ambushes and good positioning.


After defeating their armies, the Temple of Heimkel settlement needs to be captured and sold to Dwarves. Then, the army heads northeast to Sabre Mountain, which is a natural choke point to deal with the waves of Nurgle and Tzeentch armies.
Meeting the Tzeentch
These alien-looking demons were first encountered during the Crystal Cloak quest and are unique for having a rechargeable shield before taking any real damage. Their attacks are magic heavy but have the same weakness as demons. Their Lord holds the entire army together and the rest will decay after his death.

Unlike other battles, chasing their enemy units down are not recommended if they have Bolt of Change spell (army ability). This high damage AOE spell can still be cast after their Lord's death and even during the chase. Ice Guards will be easily destroyed when targeted.


Most of them will be crossing the ocean from the north and head towards the area near the Frozen Landing settlement. They will most likely be allied with the other enemies like Nurgle and advance directly without much interferance..
7th Province (Hochland)
Before attacking the Ogres, Katarin needs to swap out the 2 Ice Guards (Swords) for Glaives with the new 4th army to save more gold on upkeep with her traits. She can also delay her advance to allow the Ogres control more human territory before recapturing them as her own.


When picking the first Ogre settlement to capture, be sure to pick the nearest one and preferably a capital. Some planning is needed to capture settlements in a certain order to limit going back and forth. She can go for the minor settlements afterwards.


To remove competition, human factions who are defensive allies can be ordered to guard the newly captured settlement from Ogres and stop their army for several turns.
The Silver Pinnacle
Around Turn 84, two Nurgle armies will approach the Silver Pinnacle with one of them being close enough to lay siege immediately. The settlement can engage them in open field and is most likely a win if it displays Close Defeat or Valiant Defeat. Be sure to fight one of their armies alone before both attack the settlement at same time.

Note: The Ataman from Praag can be transferred over here for extra protection and allies can only deter if they are at war with them.


The second army cannot be repelled if it displays Decisive Defeat and the new fourth army needs to be sent to deal with them.
Orthodoxy Confederation & 5th Army
Around Turn 86, the Ice Court wins the supporter race and confederates the Great Orthodoxy. The unification also increases the pool of recruited Lords that include Kostaltyn and trained Ice Witches.

A fifth army is needed to accompany Katarin and guard her flank. This new army is special because of having an Ice Witch Lord who has reduced upkeep in infantry/artillery or increased missile strength for Ice Guards/Little Groms. The composition will be slightly different with 4 artillery units and a Tier 3 Gyrobomber.



The Orthodoxy settlements must be sold off to the Druzhina Enclave to eventually free up the army stationed at Castle Alexandronov. The army must stay until the waves of Chaos and Khorne forces are dealt with.

During the sale, trade for their settlements in the Northern Oblast and gold. The remaining settlements in that province can either be obtained for free or at a very cheap price (less than 10k). The assumption is that selling settlements count as gifts. A third Ataman will also now be available to choose.

8th Province (The High Pass)
Kostaltyn may or may not be available on the same turn of confederation. He needs to replace the lowest level Boyar because they only have one starting trait unlike the Ice Witches who possess three. The replacement will most likely be the Boyar of the 4th army and all equipment (magic items and ancillaries) must be removed beforehand.


If Kostaltyn does have his own army already, examine the quality of the units before deciding to disband everyone. When he is dismissed, he can directly replace the Boyar of the 4th army after a few turns during their march to save Silver Pinnacle.


The invading Nurgle army will lift the siege and move away. He can be finished off in the next turn.


Within Silver Pinnacle territory, his characters should equip multiple ancillaries of Ataman's Adminstrator to upgrade the settlement in a single turn.


Then, he can begin moving north to capture Seep-Gore settlement and the rest of the province from the Skaven. Be sure to use war coordinates with the Kislev Brotherhood and Dwarf factions to target their armies and/or protect newly captured settlements. These measures save time for Kostaltyn to focus on capturing their settlements only.
Sabre Mountain
Before attacking the settlement, an ambush is needed to remove one of the Nurgle armies as several of them are going south.


The settlement can be difficult to take, if they have artillery. The settlement is a large hill with the only the outer ring having an artillery-friendly area. The enemy will most likely place them closer to the front that can be within Ice Guard range from the outside.

After its capture, multiple Tzeentch armies may immediately put the settlement under siege. An option will be available to control large army, if friendly reinforcements are joining the battle. Uncheck this option to limit the units in the battle to 20 for each side. This is recommended if the main army is strong and reinforcements are weak, especially the garrison. The other option is lightning strike to get rid of the first army only.

The battle will require sheer aggression to destroy the first enemy army before the next one joins. The Lord can charge in the middle of their army while the rest gives ranged support.


More of their armies will invade afterwards, and they can be dealt with lightning strikes to get more magical items from separate battles instead of a single big battle.

Second Front Against the Ogres
The northwest army guarding Castle Alexandronov will be able to move south and strike at the Ogre settlements from the north. He marches southwest of Erengrad to advance into Middenland province. The plan is to slowly push the Ogres into a corner and avoiding chases.


Katarin will go straight for Altdorf after securing the Hochland province.


The 5th army will be protecting her rear.


She will then capture any Ogre settlements to the east of Altdorf.

3rd Rift (Tzeentch)
Around Turn 98, the Chaos Rifts will open again for the third soul. Katarin is already at max level for the most campaign movement and can handle the Realm of the Sorcerer. The only word of warning is that Katarin can easily make a wrong turn and not reach the Impossible Fortress in time. She needs to find the red sigil.


The Tzeentch enemy may decide to freeze all army movement on the same turn the rifts open. If there is such delay, attack any factions that have entered already to eliminate all competition.


Although the map is randomized every time, the furthest teleport locus have better odds but does not always guarantee faster soul grab. Choose the victory reward of revealing teleport sigil to find the red one.


As with previous soul, her army needs to be at almost full health to safely auto resolve the boss.
Epilogue
More information will be added about the final rift battles to complete the game.
Copyright Notice
This guide was written by Laguna Queen et al. (2022) on Steam, and not to be republished without crediting the authors and gaining their permission. We can be reached through the the guide comment section below.

We have no guide sites outside of Steam and please contribute to the actual creators, not plagiarism websites!
36 comentarios
Kylvan 20 ABR 2023 a las 14:45 
Look at the comment of Xautos. Also Katarina possess by default Ice Sculpting (Land). Also Valkia is coming quickly to Volksgard (turn 18-20). And i'm pretty sure there is more changes to the walktrough afterwards.
Laguna Queen  [autor] 19 ABR 2023 a las 9:54 
May I ask what changed exactly? I think restart may mean that I need to write a fresh guide from scratch since everything is in chronological order.
Kylvan 19 ABR 2023 a las 9:18 
Laguna i think it is mandatory to do a new run and understand the new changes if you want to keep this guide up to date with the right informations.
Laguna Queen  [autor] 18 ABR 2023 a las 11:15 
That would explain why my other Kislev guide is more popular. Hm...

Do I do a fresh run? I am confused.
Kylvan 18 ABR 2023 a las 4:18 
Hello Laguna !
Thank you for your guide but it is actually not up to date. Maybe due to the many changes of the severous patchs chains that has been made since you've written your guide.

Was hoping to follow this one to obtain Ulrika as well but i think i'll have to be patient :p
Laguna Queen  [autor] 11 MAR 2023 a las 16:36 
Did the patch changes things? I may have to do a fresh run.
Xautos 11 MAR 2023 a las 14:54 
playing on the free weekend and it's just the base game.

I followed the early part of the guide to spec but unfortunately it's largely pointless after taking Volksgrad, because the Skaven forces has reduced Bolgasgrad to ruins and there was a massive rat army heading for Kislev and had to head it off quickly. If i don't deal with Bolgasgrad quickly, more of them are gonna come out and play. Meanwhile the Norsca have a large army on raiding on the border on one turn and have tale Volksgrad. So that's game over right there.

i also didn't see the option to recruit the ogre mercs.
Xautos 11 MAR 2023 a las 14:54 
Looks like your guide requires specific circumstances to happen for all the stars to align along the same walkthrough you provided. Doesn't mean your walkthrough is a problem in any way. There are variables that change the board.

That reminds me, as you are writing your guide you have neglected the tecnologies you were researching in order and the building order for Kislev and outlying settlements, i mean do you upgrade the settlements and spend a lot of devotion doing it or do you save some back for bigger things later on?

I write all that because the variable change even more if those aren't a little more aligned with the way you did your walkthrough.
Laguna Queen  [autor] 30 NOV 2022 a las 10:28 
Then just skip research to the next skill as explained in the Advanced Kislev Warfare guide.
Dholo 28 NOV 2022 a las 17:06 
Katarin starts with "Ice scuplting" as of 2.2. This changes the starting moves a bit, I think.