Warhammer: Chaosbane

Lore & Background

Chaosbane is set just after the Great War Against Chaos, two hundred years prior to the usual Warhammer Fantasy setting. The player character is a personal champion of Magnus the Pious, slayer of the Chaos Everchosen Asavar Kul and soon-to-be Emperor. The base game includes four characters: Konrad Vollen (Empire Soldier, sword and shield), Prince Elontir (High Elf Archmage, magic), Bragi Axebiter (Dwarf Slayer, twin-weapon melee), and Elessa (Wood Elf Waywatcher, archery). Two additional characters—Keela Gunnarsdottir (Dwarf Engineer, firearms and technology) and Jurgen Heider (Imperial Witch Hunter, pistols and blades)—were added in DLCs.

The main campaign begins with a Chaos sorceress, Helspeth Bale, cursing Magnus in Nuln. The player, aided by the High Elf archmage Teclis, hunts cultists of Nurgle, Khorne, and Slaanesh, each champion sacrificed to summon a Greater Daemon. Helspeth, revealed as a sorceress of Tzeentch, manipulates events to eliminate rivals and collect artifacts. The player pursues her into the Realms of Chaos, defeats the Daemon Prince Axarath, and confronts Helspeth in her tower. Helspeth is mortally wounded by her brother Heinrich Voss, but uses their bodies to summon a Lord of Change, which is defeated. Magnus is proclaimed Emperor.

A DLC storyline, The Tomb Kings, follows an expedition to Nehekhara led by Professor Johannes Dürer. Dürer, dying from warpstone exposure, seeks Nagash's Elixir of Life and awakens the Tomb King Nebmakhet, who kills Dürer. The player, with Margritte's help, finds scrolls and an amulet to weaken Nebmakhet, defeats him, and the expedition returns to Altdorf. Another DLC, The Forges of Nuln, involves headmaster Gustav Reichert swearing to Nurgle and building Chaos-infused steam tanks; the player sabotages the forges, kills Reichert, and Master Falke becomes the new headmaster.

Reader's Guide

Warhammer: Chaosbane is notable as a licensed action RPG set in the Warhammer Fantasy universe, released in 2019 for multiple platforms. Its significance lies in its attempt to capture the feel of Games Workshop's dark fantasy setting through a Diablo-style loot-and-level system. The game features six distinct character classes, each with unique skill sets, and a campaign that spans the Empire, Kislev, Norsca, and the Realms of Chaos. The narrative involves a sorceress of Tzeentch manipulating events to seize power, with the player eliminating her rivals across the Chaos gods. The Tomb Kings DLC expands the setting to Nehekhara, exploring the undead lore of the Warhammer world, while The Forges of Nuln DLC adds a steampunk element with Chaos-corrupted tanks. Reception was mixed to average on most platforms, with IGN praising the fun classes and boss fights, while other critics compared it unfavorably to Diablo III, citing dull combat and repetitive content. The enhanced versions for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 received generally positive reviews. The game's legacy includes its role as a mid-tier licensed ARPG that appealed to Warhammer fans but struggled to innovate within the genre.

Did You Know?

• The game is set just after the Great War Against Chaos, 200 years before the usual Warhammer Fantasy timeline.
• The main antagonist, Helspeth Bale, is revealed to be the sister of witch hunter Heinrich Voss.
• The Tomb Kings DLC involves the undead king Nebmakhet and the elixir of life created by Nagash.
• The Forges of Nuln DLC features steam-powered tanks corrupted by Nurgle.