How to play as Daemons of Chaos in Total War: Warhammer 3

The Daemons of Chaos is a unique faction within Total War: Warhammer 3, as it offers the strength of four unique factions while being able to mitigate all weaknesses. Such a varied faction, however, absolutely needs strategy to maximize the potential impact available to the class.

Still, the faction is recommended along with Tzarina Katarin of Kislev as a first playthrough. Players should expect to experience a lot of conflict with the Daemons of Chaos, all stemming from the south as

Faction mechanics

Glory

The Daemons of Chaos are not beholden to any specific Chaos God, meaning players can offer glory to any of the four. Offering glory to the Chaos Gods will unlock their units for recruitment and bring unique pieces for the Prince of Chaos to use. When selecting which God to offer glory to, such as after winning a field battle or taking a settlement, plan to determine which units you’re looking to unlock.

Unlocking Khorne units means players can recruit melee-centric units, then offset that with Slaanesh units for magic and ranged damage. Intelligently selecting units will turn this faction into a frightful powerhouse with next to no weaknesses.

Dedication

After earning enough glory for a single God, players may dedicate it to them. This locks other gods but offers unique powers and building structures in exchange. However, not being able to supplement a weakness of a specific Chaos god faction is a steep cost.

The Realm of Chaos Campaign

Players begin the Daemons of Chaos campaign without a territory, yet next to one fittingly called Doomkeep. Cap it, and then move southwest to secure the province. Note as you’re moving across, securing territories, and stamping your mark into the northern reaches of The Old God, enemies will constantly come after your settlements.

Ensure you have defensive structures in place at every settlement, unless getting it razed is an acceptable action. This is doubly important once Chaos Rifts begin appearing — enemies will pour from these and strike every settlement you have. It can be frustrating if you haven’t maximized defenses for your settlements: conversely, if you have, you can continue on your campaign without being overly concerned.

However you choose to spread your empire, remember that the only way to win in the Realm of Chaos campaign is to grab all four souls from the Chaos Gods, and find Ursun’s death bed to claim his soul, and his power, for yourself. The first Chaos Rift will open around turn 40: make sure you’re ready with a full 20/20 army, and keep an army near your settlements to mop up and daemons that escape from the rifts.

Units

Up until players dedicate themselves to a specific God of Chaos, they can offer glory to specific Gods to recruit those units. This is how the Daemons of Chaos faction receives all units: they don’t have specific units themselves, and instead can draw from any of the Gods to supplement their army, presuming that there is enough glory to that god generated thus far.

This effectively turns the faction into one of the strongest available: the ability to draw on any units of Chaos, with none of the engrained weaknesses of other Chaos faction units. Still, once players grasp the other Chaos factions, dedicating themselves to a specific chain confers bonuses that can help in the late game.

For early game, Khorne is an easy recommendation for excellence in melee combat. The lack of ranged units can be mitigated with Tzeentch, but closing the distance before enemies can fire a second volley makes Khorne a dangerous foe on any battlefield.