Archaon's Crusade

Lore & Background

Archaon stands as the avatar of the four Chaos Gods, a being forged from their combined malice to bring about the end of days. In this survival battle mode, players experience the culmination of his ambition not through a progressive march, but through a desperate, all-out confrontation in the heart of Chaos itself. The lore draws from the concept of the Black Crusade, but here the focus is on the final, apocalyptic clash rather than a step-by-step campaign of conquest.

Reader's Guide

This scenario places players in command of Archaon, the Everchosen, leading a massive force of Chaos Undivided warriors across the known world. The narrative premise follows the historic Black Crusade, where the goal is to breach the defenses of the mortal realms and bring about the end times. Players must navigate political maneuvering while maintaining the loyalty of their daemon princes and warlords during the march. Win conditions typically involve destroying major enemy factions or capturing specific strategic cities that symbolize the heart of human resistance.

Failure occurs if Archaon is killed in battle or if his forces are scattered before reaching these critical objectives. The campaign features unique difficulty modifiers, often starting with a massive army but limited resources to sustain such a vast horde over time. Historical events trigger as players advance, unlocking special lore battles that reflect key moments from the grimdark timeline. These engagements test tactical prowess against combined arms of the Old World.

Difficulty spikes significantly due to enemy alliances forming against the inevitable doom approaching their borders. Success requires balancing aggression with logistical survival in a world united against you.

Did You Know?

• Total War: Warhammer III was released on 17 February 2022.
• The game was developed by Creative Assembly and published by Sega.
• It is the third Total War game set in Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy universe, following 2016's Total War: Warhammer and 2017's Total War: Warhammer II.
• The game was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for British Game at the 19th British Academy Games Awards.
• Immortal Empires, a combined world map, released as a Beta on 23 August 2022 with patch 2.0.