Hello Total War: WARHAMMER fans! Welcome to the latest instalment of the Immortal Empires blog series. This week, well be focusing on start positions! More notably, well use this opportunity to kick off a gradual reveal over the coming weeks of where each of your favorite races will begin their conquest within the vast and unforgiving landscape of Immortal Empires.

WHATS IN A STARTING POSITION?

As war-hardened veterans, youre (likely) already aware that start positions are more than where your campaign begins; they set the tone for what you experience and the level of difficulty you'll encounter due to a variety of factors: from the number of enemy factions surrounding your settlements to the availability of resources and type of terrain (or corruption) that envelops your land. While the starting positions for most of our Legendary Lords will be unchanged in Immortal Empires, weve altered where 29 factions begin their journey based on a variety of factors. The key reasons for these changes? While some were made to be more lore-friendly, add racial diversity to certain regions, or to spice up your familiar battles, it's worth remembering that authenticity is key! So, you wont be seeing any crazy or drastic changes: such as Karl Franz starting in the middle of Lustria-bowl (even if that would be fun to watch...).

A BUSTLING BATTLEFIELD...

There are few better races to kick off this set of reveals than The Empire. The poster-boys of the original Total War: WARHAMMER, The Empire is the largest and most important Human race in The Old World (dont tell Kislev) and have been fighting all forms of foul beasts encroaching upon its borders for millennia.

• KARL FRANZ: It wouldnt be the Empire without an Emperor; Karl Franz continues his ambitions to unite the Elector Counts from the starting settlement of Altdorf.
• BALTHASAR GELT: The Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic continues his own fascination with alchemy from the starting settlement of Pfeildorf.
• MARKUS WULFHART: Leading his motley crew of warriors known as Wuflharts Hunters, the Huntsmaster continues his expeditions within the dangerous jungles of Lustria, starting in the settlement of The Creeping Jungle.
• VOLKMAR THE GRIM: The Grand Theogonist for the Church of Sigmar has abandoned the petty squabbles of the Elector Counts in favor of a zealous crusade within the Southern Realms. His starting settlement will be Sudenberg, where rumor has it that hes hellbent on finding certain dark artifacts...

To provide context for WARHAMMER IIIs starting positions, we should also include the locations of the games poster daemons. Thats right: the hellspawn of the Chaos Gods will all enjoy new starting positions in Immortal Empires:

• NKARI: Defeated by the High Elves of Ulthuan long ago, Nkari has returned to the Shrine of Kurnous where he seeks his vengeance after waiting for an eternity.
• KAIROS FATEWEAVER: The Oracle of Tzeentch has invaded from the Southern Wastes and conquered the Fortress of Dawn, though his designs are an unknowable as ever.
• SKARBRAND: Driven by his endless rage and bloodlust, Skarbrand wages war against the Savage Orcs in the Badlands: collecting and piling their skulls in Deff Gorge.
• KUGATH PLAGUEFATHER: Kugath has sailed from the southern wastes, drawn by the putrid sludge near the mouth of the River Ruin, settling nearby in Dragon Fang Mount within the Dragon Isles.
• DAEMON PRINCE: The Daemon Prince moves to the Forest of Decay in the northern Chaos Wastes, allowing him to compete for the ultimate leadership of Chaos.

...JOINED BY FAMILIAR FACES

Thats all the starting positions well be unveiling today, but well be revealing the starting locations of all 86 Legendary Lords on our social channels over the coming weeks. While some of these will have relatively minor (but exciting) changes like The Empire, others will see several factions jumping to entirely new pastures: [olist]

Lizardmen

Norsca

Kislev

High Elves

Bretonnia

Grand Cathay

Skaven

Greenskins

Ogre Kingdoms

Beastmen

Tomb Kings

Wood Elves

Vampire Coast

Dwarfs

Dark Elves

Vampire Counts

Warriors of Chaos [/olist]

UP NEXT!

Next week, were offering an inside look at Belakor and the other new dedicated factions coming to Immortal Empires! Watch for more news (including the rest of the starting positions) on our social channels, and well see you on the battlefield this August!