The new Thrones of Decay add-on is live for Total war: Warhammer III

Sega and Creative Assembly’s latest strategic take on Warhammer just got bigger, with new heroes and a host of updates.

The stench of Nurgle

This new downloadable content pack could take its name from one of two of its stars. That’s to mean either the (sorta) Ogre Tyrant known as Tamurkhan, or the Empire’s Elspeth Von Draken. The “Decay” might be a little more obvious when looking upon the rotting hero of Chaos, but the Dark Lady of Nuln is herself no stranger to the word or its meaning. Necromancy will do that after all.

And nudging the foul form of Tamurkhan to one side, it’s Von Draken who takes the limelight in the release trailer for the pack. Though with all this Decay flying around, don’t forget that there’s another star in this pack, and Dwarf engineer/Slayer Malakai Makaisson is just itching for a good scrap.

Scroll down to check out how the trio of new characters will break down in combat, plus get a look at all the little bonuses and extras that will factor in. There are more than a few of those, as the DLC pack brings the game additional units past the headliners, plus new campaign features.

All of what’s printed below is fresh from the press release:

Elspeth Von Draken, the Dragon Riding Magisterix (Empire)

The Dark Lady of Nuln, Elspeth Von Draken is one of the most powerful Amethyst Wizards of the age. It is said that she is so suffused with magical power that she stands on the periphery of life and death. 

Campaign Features:

• Imperial Gunnery School: As the armoury of the Empire, Wissenland & Nuln offer special unit upgrades and powerful abilities in return for Schematics earned from the damage such units inflict on the battlefield.
• Gardens of Morr: A vigilant protector of the Empire, Elspeth establishes these sacred sites in limited number across visible friendly or neutral Empire settlements, providing instant travel to those locations at a cost and with a cooldown. ​ 

Battle Playstyle:

• Riding her powerful Carmine Dragon, Elspeth is deadly in every sense of the word. She manipulates the battlefield from range with her innate magical abilities from the Lore of Death before charging into the enemy ranks with her dragon and two-handed Pale scythe. 

New Units:

• The Empire ranks are being bolstered by an assortment of arms such as the Marienburg Landship, Steam Tank Volley Gun, Nuln Ironsides, Hochland Long Rifles, Knights of the Black Rose, Master Engineer (Lord), Engineer (Hero) and the indomitable Theodore Bruckner (Legendary Hero).

Tamurkhan, the Maggot Lord (Nurgle)

A sentient maggot within the rot-bloated corpse of a powerful Ogre Tyrant, Tamurkhan is one of the greatest ever champions of Nurgle. He has but one aim; to spread death and disease in the name of the lord of pestilence. 

Campaign Features:

• Tamurkhan’s Chieftains: Tamurkhan must amass an unstoppable warhost that will bring ruin to the world. As such, he embarks on a deadly journey to dominate and recruit powerful warlords from across the Chaos and Norscan tribes to increase the power of his faction.

Battle Playstyle:

• Besieging the battlefield atop his mighty Toad Dragon, and wielding a mighty two-headed axe, Tamurkhan is a tank of a warrior who is deadly in combat. His Feast of the Maggot Lord ability triggers upon death, dealing life-sapping damage upon the enemy to keep him in the thick of battle a little longer.

New Units:

• The bloated ranks of Nurgle ooze strength with the addition of units such as Kayzk the Befouled (Legendary Hero), the Chaos Lord of Nurgle (Lord), the Chaos Sorcerer of Nurgle (Hero), Plague Ogres, Rot Knights, Toad Dragons, Pestigors, and Bile Trolls. 

Malakai Makaisson, The Slayer Engineer (Dwarfs)

A defiant mixture of brain and brawn, Malakai Makaisson was once a member of the legendary Engineers Guild before disaster saw him ejected. Eternally shamed, he took up the Slayer’s Oath with the sole aim of seeking redemption through a dignified and bloody death. ​ 

Campaign Features:

• Spirit of Grungi: Malakai’s armies march beneath the airborne machine known as the Spirit of Grungi, a legendary airship that the Slayer Engineer can upgrade on the move to increase his battle prowess and even call upon in battle. 
• Malakai’s Adventures: As he seeks the glorious doom that all Slayers desire, Malakai Makaisson uses his deadly exploits to test and improve his latest engineering innovations in the most perilous battles he can instigate.

Battle Playstyle:

• Malakai primarily serves the Dwarfs as a ranged support Lord, tossing explosives toward the enemy with the Cinderblast Cluster Bomb, blasting them to bits with his shotgun, and, if anyone gets too close for comfort, smacking them in the face with a massive spanner. ​ 

New Units:

• Engineering excellence meets bearded bravery, the dwarf ranks are bolstered by Garagrim Ironfist (Legendary Hero), Daemonslayer (Lord), Dragonslayer (Hero), Doomseekers, Goblin Hewer, Thunderbarge, Grudge Raker Thunderers and Slayer Pirates.

Sega press release

Don’t forget that free content

Along with the meaty paid drop that we went into above, there’s also some free stuff to add onto your copy off Total War: Warhammer III. That’s included in Patch 5.0, which yes, does serve up a host of “quality of life improvements and bug fixes”. There’s much more to it though, as Patch 5.0 also packs some bona fide cool stuff.

Chief among that are the legendary lord Epidemius and a new hero, the gold Wizard. There’s also a campaign feature that comes to the game in the form of the Nemesis Crown, plus campaign mechanic updates for all three of the paid DLC’s featured races. That’d be the Empire, Nurgle, and Dwarfs, if you weren’t paying attention.

Even better, all of the above should be out right now to add onto your copy of Total War: Warhammer III. So, you know, get to it.