Your starting position inTotal War: Warhammer 3Immortal Empires can have a huge impact on how well you’ll perform in the early game. An easy starting position will allow you to get an early lead and steamroll neighboring factions while a difficult one means you’re likely going to have to fight an uphill battle during the first few turns.
Related:Total War: Warhammer 3 DLC Buying Guide For Immortal Empires
The first two entries in the series mentioned what to expect from each faction’s starting position, but that’s no longer the case in Warhammer 3. The game simply shows you where you’re going to spawn on the map and leaves you to it. Although going in blind can certainly be fun, it’s not exactly ideal for new players. But don’t worry because this list will help you figure out which factions to play first based on their starting positions.
10Arkhan the Black (Followers Of Nagash)
The Followers of Nagash had a pretty difficult campaign in Warhammer 2, primarily due to them being right next door to Khemri. In Immortal Empires, Arkhan and his crew were moved to the western side of the Great Desert where they have little to no competition. Not just that but the Followers of Nagash start with two settlements and can complete their first province on turn one, which gives them a massive advantage in the early game.
The Chevaliers de Lyonesse to the northeast is basically the only major faction you’ll have to worry about early on in the campaign. However, they usually won’t bother you too much since they’ll have their hands full dealing with the Pirates of Sartosa. Tlaqua or the Cult of Sigmar may eventually decide to come after you but by then you should be in a good position to defend yourself. Besides, you can use the neighboring Ogres as a buffer
9Nakai the Wanderer (Spirit Of The Jungle)
The Spirit of The Jungle is another faction that had a terrible campaign in Warhammer 2 but is currently doing very well in Warhammer 3. In Immortal Empires, the Spirit of the Jungle starts in the far eastern portion of the map in Cathay. The first couple of fights are a bit of a challenge but after that, you can quickly breeze through the remaining factions in the area.
True to his name, Nakai the Wanderer doesn’t capture any settlements for himself, preferring instead to roam the map with his merry band of Lizardmen. Seeing as how there are no other major factions for miles around, Nakai can wander in peace for quite a while in the early game before he’ll come across any serious competition. And because this is a horde faction, you’re able to use the nearby Sea Lane to travel to another region of the map without having to worry about leaving settlements behind.
8Grimgor Ironhide (Grimgor’s ‘Ardboyz)
Grimgor’s ‘Ardboyz also received a new starting position in Immortal Empires, this time in the northeastern portion of the map. This new starting position is a lot more relaxed as there are no other Legendary Lords in the area except for Kholek Suneater. Kholek is one of thebest Legendary Lords in Immortal Empiresright now and could become a problem at some point. Alternatively, he could become a valuable ally if you play your cards right.
Kholek aside, Grimgor can also attempt to ally himself with most of the other surrounding factions, which mainly include Ogres and other Greenskins. However, if it’s a fight you’re looking for, there’s no shortage of minor factions in the area that can be quickly conquered. Eventually, you may run into some powerful enemies like Miao Ying and Archaeon, but they’re usually busy dealing with other threats and probably won’t bother you as long as you don’t try to expand into their territory.
7Kholek Suneater (Heralds Of The Tempest)
Since we already talked about Grimgor’s ‘Ardboyz we might as well also get the Heralds of the Tempest out of the way. Kholek Suneater starts off right next door to Grimgor and has an equally easy starting position in Immortal Empires. One of your neighbors is already your vassal when you launch the campaign, and you may try to stay on friendly terms with Grimgor, so you can focus on expanding east towards Cathay.
Related:Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires: Best Infantry Units, Ranked
It’s definitely tempting to wipe out Grimgor in the early game, but there are no huge benefits to doing so unless youreallywant to vassalize him. For the most part, you’ll want to focus your attention on the east and north since that’s where you’ll find those valuable Dark Fortresses. Besides, Kholek’s Short Campaign victory conditions revolve almost exclusively around destroying or vassalizing Cathay.
6Alarielle The Radiant (Avelorn)
Starting off on an island inhabited by a lot of fellow High Elves is a pretty big advantage for Avelorn in the early game. Eventually, a bunch of invading armies will try to gain a foothold on Ulthuan, but you won’t have to worry about those at the start of the campaign. After dispatching the minor Dark Elven factions that are already on the island, your main concern will be dealing with N’kari since that’s the only hostile Legendary Lord around.
N’kari could certainly pose a problem at some point, but you’ll have a lot of allies that can help you out. The next biggest threat will probably be Count Noctilus, but you can let Tyrion and the other High Elves in the south of Ulthuan deal with him. Once you’ve secured the island, the rest of the campaign will be easy. If you’re able to claim the nearby Sword of Khaine early on, things will become even simpler.
5Be’lakor (Shadow Legion)
Be’lakor has a pretty unique starting position on Albion, a small island that held no major significance prior to the release of Immortal Empires. Once you take out the minor Tzeentch faction on the island, you’ll have the place all to yourself and can start expanding in pretty much any direction you want. There is another minor faction on Albion, but they start off as your vassal, so you don’t have to fight them. In fact, you can charge them with protecting the island while you’re away.
Be’lakor has a neat ability that allows him to create rifts anywhere on the map provided there’s an army in the area. The Legendary Lord can use these rifts to instantly travel to the mainland, wreak havoc, and return to Albion before the enemy faction even realized what happened. Aside from the occasional small Bretonnian army, you’re unlikely to see anyone trying to attack Albion, which frees you up to start expanding very early on. Ideally, you’ll want to conquer Norsca first, but the world is your oyster while playing the Shadow Legion, so you can expand in any direction you want.
4Helman Ghorst (Caravan Of The Blue Rose)
Much like Nakai the Wanderer,Helman Ghorstused to be a bit of a meme before Immortal Empires. Nowadays, though, he’s considered one of the strongest Legendary Lords in the game. This is partially thanks to his broken abilities, but his easy starting position helps him out quite a bit as well. Much like other Legendary Lords on this list, Ghorst has few strong enemies that can challenge him early on.
Related:Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires: Best Cavalry Units, Ranked
Similar to Spirit of the Jungle, the Caravan of the Blue Rose starts in the east right next to an inaccessible area on the map. The only Legendary Lord in the area is Ku’gath, but you’ll have plenty of time to conquer one or two provinces before having to deal with him. Greasus starts a bit to the north, but he shouldn’t bother you unless you bother him first.
3Oxyotl (Ghosts of Pahuax)
Oxyotl may just havethebest starting position in Immortal Empires. The Ghosts of Pahuax start in the Southern Chaos Wastes and get the entire place all to themselves. Well, sort of. There are a bunch of minor factions around, but you won’t have to worry about facing off against enemy Legendary Lords for quite a while.
The only Legendary Lord that may decide to pay you a visit is Kairos but he usually has other problems to deal with in the early game. In fact, half of the time he gets wiped out pretty quickly by his neighbors. Most of the other factions up north are fellow Lizardmen that are more likely to want you as a friend than an enemy.
2Count Noctilus (The Dreadfleet)
The Dreadfleet is infamous for having a great starting position that’s both remote and easy to defend in the early game, mainly because nobody will be crazy enough to attack it. Count Noctilus doesn’t even start next to his capital located in the middle of the ocean, which is probably a good thing since there’s not much to do there at the beginning of the campaign.
Related:Essential Mods For Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires
The Galleon’s Graveyard’s unique position on the map will eventually make it a prime target for invasion, so you shouldn’t keep it undefended for too long. But as long as you have some defensive buildings and a decent army parked there, you shouldn’t run into any issues. More often than not, you’ll be the one invading other factions’ territories, and you can start working on that immediately since Count Noctilus spawns just off the coast of Ulthuan.
1Morathi (Cult of Pleasure)
Morathi has a good chunk of Naggaroth all to herself now that Malekith has been moved further up north. There are lots of minor factions around her starting position that are just ripe for conquest, though you could also attempt to make friends with a couple of them. Conquering nearby provinces will give you access to a fair amount of ports along with a Sea Lane should you choose to expand southwest.
The only Legendary Lord that can challenge you in the south is Mazdamundi, but it’s going to take a while until he starts encroaching into your territory since he first needs to secure the lands around Hexoatl. Over to the north, there are no less than four major factions starting in the same general area. Some of them may pose a problem down the road but with any luck, they’ll be too busy fighting among themselves and won’t bother you too much.
