With its sequel coming sometime later this year, the sun is setting on Total War: Warhammer II. Yet its developers are still coming out with new content for it. The latest came out on March 18 and added a new legendary lord to the game: the dark elf beastmaster Rakarth. Players can him for free right now.
To do this, all that is required is for players to to their Total War Access . If they haven’t done so already, they can create one for free and link it with their Steam . Total War Access has some nice free s such as wallpapers and other extras. It has content for other Total War games too. Once players have ed Rakarth, they can play him in Total War: Warhammer II.
Getting Started with Rakarth in Total War: Warhammer II
Fun fact: Rakarth is voiced by Iwan Rheon, known for playing Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones. Dark elves are known for being cruel and merciless, and who better to portray a character like this? Rakarth certainly sounds menacing.
One of the major aspects of the dark elf faction is their ability to capture slaves to supplement their empire. Rakarth does this too, but his main focus is on monsters. To catch them is his real quest, to enslave them is his cause. He will travel across the land, searching far and wide for monsters to add to his army.
When Rakarth manages to capture a monstrous unit, they go into his monster pens. The player can then instantly recruit them into their army, provided they can pay the recruitment fee. Each unit has certain conditions required to capture it. For example, Harpies can be captured after a battle with high casualties (they act as fantasy vultures). Feral Manticores can be captured by raiding in regions with high chaos corruption. Raiding, fighting, capturing enemy strongholds, and completing quests are all ways to capture monsters.
Rakarth begins the game on the mist-shrouded island of Albion. This is the same for both the Eye of the Vortex and the Mortal Empires campaign. The beginning of the campaign can be a little rough, especially on harder difficulties. The local Norscan faction which inhabits the island has a lot of infantry, and Rakarth does not. Therefore, it is difficult to protect his more vulnerable units, such as the bolt throwers, archers, and even Rakarth himself. Rakarth is not bad in melee combat, but he’s no Grimgor or Tyrion. He is a character who makes beasts stronger.
The easiest way to win fights at the beginning of the campaign might be to auto-resolve battles until the player can recruit or capture better units. Of course, this is up to the player. Rakarth’s army can require a lot of micromanagement, which becomes easier when the player has units to hold the line.
The Best Units for Rakarth in Total War: Warhammer II
Rakarth begins the campaign with the standard infantry units, ranged units, and artillery. He also begins with a War Hydra. The hydra has a fire breath attack that for some reason cannot be used in melee combat, likely for game balance. In any case, use the fire breath attack on an infantry unit before getting into combat. Wait for the ability to cool down and get out of combat to use it again, ensuring maximum carnage. The hydra also has regeneration, meaning it is difficult to kill. It can get demoralized and run from combat though, but Rakarth has an ability called Beastlord’s Gaze, which gives a friendly monster extra leadership and stops them from rampaging. Rampaging monsters can be a good thing if enemy troops surround them. If the player’s own troops are getting trampled by a raging Feral Mammoth, for example, then that is an excellent time to use Beastlord’s Gaze.
In addition to giant monsters, it is highly recommended to invest in some ranged units. Shades are nice because they have vanguard deployment, meaning the player can use them to ambush enemies or shoot them from behind where shields do not protect them.
Some common beasts that Rakarth can capture in great quantities are Harpies and Great Wolves. Harpies can tie up a unit in combat, and since the wolves are fast-moving, they can skirt around the enemy to hit them from the rear, ensuring that the enemy will rout quickly. As several types of monsters can cause terror, getting the enemy to break ranks is important. The player can then chase them down with the wolves to ensure maximum casualties and make sure they don’t regroup. If a unit is shattered, it will not return to combat. Players can also use the Harpies (or Manticores, Dragons, etc.) to fly over enemy melee units to attack annoying ranged units.
Do not forget Rites as well. The Convocation of Hunters allows Rakarth to issue quests to other beastmasters, and they can bring back common or rare monsters. There are costs associated with it, as well as cooldown times. For example, selecting Sorceress of Ghrond can net the player a Black Dragon, the most expensive monster Rakarth can have in his pens, but it costs a lot of gold and slaves to select this option.
Playing to Rakarth’s Strengths in Total War: Warhammer II
Siege battles are good for Rakarth too, because he doesn’t need to wait a turn to build a battering ram when he’s got a mammoth or hydra that acts as one. Also, walls present no challenge to units that can fly.
On the campaign side of things, Rakarth should aim to capture Albion quickly. This is his home province, and then from there, the player has options as to where to raid next. This depends on the campaign and quests associated with it.
In any case, Rakarth should be doing a lot of raiding. His army does not tire from being in the raid stance due to his special ability, and it nets him slaves, monsters, and gold, which are all essential. As Rakarth levels up, he gains access to mounts. There are several to choose from, but it might be wise to save the points for his dragon pal Braccus.
Rakarth is the leader of The Thousand Maws. Any other lords that are a part of that faction (through recruitment or confederation) benefit from the monster pens, and also get a -10% upkeep for all monstrous units. Therefore, to get the most of the faction, expect to see a lot of giant monsters. That is the point of this faction. If the player prefers numberless hordes of infantry instead, check out the Skaven.
Total War: Warhammer II is available now on PC.