Summary
Now that Immortal Empires is finally out,Total War: Warhammer 3is finally shaping up to be a worthy successor toTotal War: Warhammer 2. This latest game-changing update pours the factions andLegendary Lordsof the previous games into the fray for even more chaos (no pun intended). Naturally, the game’s balance is upset.
Certain Legendary Lords have moreadvantageous starting positionson the map, while others are too powerful and can be an army on their own. Picking one of these Legendary Lords either on the campaign map or in custom battles can easily spell doom for the opposing army.
Updated July 15, 2025 by Rhenn Taguiam:While fans have yet to see new DLC pop up in Total War: Warhammer 3, news of Amazon greenlighting a Warhammer 40K series caused a wave of excitement. Although fans are still waiting with bated breath to see whether Total War: Warhammer 3 will get a sequel or not, now is the perfect time for both long-time fans and newcomers to practice various Legendary Lords for their gameplay.
Among must-try Legendary Lords for unique experiences include a powerful Dwarven engineer, a god among Goblins, and one of the most powerful wizards to walk the land.
Attributes
Disgraced engineerMalakai Makaissoncarries the burden of the deaths of hundreds of Dwarves due to his malfunctioning warmachines, now turning into a Slayer to atone for his sins. However, his engineering prowess never left him. Now, he can create various knick-knacks and boasts quite the firepower as the head of the Masters of Innovation. Save for their lackluster starting location inTotal War: Warhammer 3gameplay, Malakai’s boosts for fliers and artillery units make his personal unit quite a devastating opponent to face. The arrival of his Thunderbarges makes his faction even tougher to defeat.
As a Missile Specialist and Ballistics Expert, Malakai can improve the performance of allied missile units near him. Moreover, he boasts Armour-Piercing Missiles and is Fast (for a Dwarf), making him unimpeded when moving with heavy armor. When fighting, his Deranged Munitions (Active) and Deathblow (Passive) boost the overall potency of his missiles and Armour-Piercing Missiles. Artillery Master (Passive) boosts his reload speed and accuracy, and Makaisson’s Persuader (Item, Ability) heals both health and ammo.
Boasting a size never before seen among Goblins,Graum the Paunchis like a god in the Broken Axe Faction. He achieved this feat after eating uncooked (and forever-regenerating) Troll meat that cursed him into forever eating food to digest it. Graum is the perfect Legendary Lord for players who want to play Goblins over Greenskins, as the variety of buffs he can give his faction can make them an overwhelming force. Once players have access to Grom’s Cauldron, its global buffs can incentivize facing different factions to collect army benefits.
Graum is an interesting Legendary Lord for his stats. Being Armoured means he can block all damage except Armour-Piercing. His Anti-Infantry nature means he can tear down smaller targets. In addition, Regeneration helps him heal during combat. With Da Great ‘Un Iz ‘Ere (Active), he can augment his overall combat performance, while a Passive augments Leadership and Melee Defense (Language of Da Boyz). His special abilities include a damage-boosting armor, Sundering Axe of Grom (Item, Ability), and an attack - and damage-resistance-boosting Lucky Banner (Item, Ability). Being a Greenskin, Grom’s Waaagh! boosts attack as well as base weapon and Armour-Piercing damage.
When an explosion from an experiment leftBalthasar Geltwearing a golden face mask and metallic robes, everyone was wondering what had happened to this gifted wizard. One thing is for certain, however: Balthasar will lead the Golden Order to victory inTotal War: Warhammer 3,no matter the cost. The game puts Balthasar in a decent starting position in Cathay, giving him the means to snowball his spellcasters’ potencies through Master of the Elemental Winds. When done correctly, Balthasar’s troupe can handle multiple foes at once.
Being a Wizard, Balthasar has access to several powerful spells: an AOE of sizzling silver (Searing Doom), armour removal (Plague of Rust), summoning metallic wolves (Gehenna’s Golden Hounds), boosting his allies’ defenses (Glittering Robe), attack-reducing enemy debuffs (Tramustation of Lead), and a statue-turning hail (Final Transmutation). As a unit, Balthasar can enjoy unique abilities such as a Passive that provides a quick recharge (Arcane Conduit) and a damage-boosting buff (Metalshifting). He also has a staff that reduces his chances of miscasting a spell (Staff of Volans).
Dragon
Heading the Jade Court isYuan Bo, the most powerful user of the Winds of Magic in Cathay. This means taking advantage of Cathay’s decent economy and accessible military. Bonuses to his Diplomacy make interacting with other Cathay factions much easier. Not to mention, his transformation as a dragon is just a bonus way of messing around with his prey before eating them up with either his powerful army or his spells.
Yuan Bo has access to several spells with different effects: a decent AOE (Shem’s Burning Gaze), a Damage Resistance booster (Jade Shield), a blinding AOE (Blossom Wind), and a stunning AOE (Net of Amyntok). As a Dragon, Yuan Bo can cast the Armour Piercing AOE Comet of Casandora, allowing him to devastate battlefields. With his status as Legendary Lord, Yuan Bo also has access to nifty unique abilities, such as a power one-shot-kill on low-HP foes (The Emperor’s Executioner). He can also debuff enemies whenever spells are cast (Power of Yin, Roiling Skies).
Players who want to consider trying a more straightforward Legendary Lord should giveLokhir Fellheart (Dark Elves)a shot. Known inWarhammer Fantasylore as an admiral willing to ride the stormy tide to victory, Lokhir enjoys enhanced defences, a powerset tailored for decimating infantry with enhanced attacks (Dreaded Duelist, Deadly Onslaught, Murderous Prowess), and even gives relentless chase against enemies (Foe-Seeker).
As a leader, Lokhir’s Blessed Dread faction can rise as one of the best economies in a session provided players push their cards right. Under a Slave Economy and pursuing naval battles, Lokhir can make up for slower political maneuverability with the opportunity to grab more powerful Black Arks more frequently. When combined with Lokhir’s dueling prowess, Lokhir can become quite the deadly foe from the mid-game to the endgame, especially when his superior economy can render enemies weak enough for him to finish off.
The starting position ofMorathi (Dark Elves)in the Ancient City of Quintex already gives her access to decent income opportunities. Players can use her relatively fragile early game to slowly gain momentum and snowball into her powerfulTotal War: Warhammer 3endgame form. When developed properly,Morathi’s spellcasting capabilitiescan tear through enemy armor consistently and even contend against large units.
The fragility of Morathi in the early game can make her a worthwhile investment due to her endgame potential. By the time she gets access to Pit of Shades and Soul Stealer, Morathi can be incredibly hard to kill due to her constant access to damaging options. Other useful Passives include an enemy armor (Spiteful Conjuration) and attack debuff (Enchanting Beauty), boosted Spell Mastery and Power Recharge (Greater Arcane Conduit), and overall combat boosts (Murderous Prowess).
It’s perhaps precisely due to the close proximity of Dark Elves in Karond Kar thatAlith Anar (High Elves)was stationed there as his starting location. Base-stats wise, Alith Anar cannot only attack from both melee and ranged positions but also do so while moving (Fire Whilst Moving). This can make him especially useful as a frontline unit, as he can take care of potential threats from afar before they get closer. Also, his stealth-oriented kit is enhanced with his capabilities of moving much further than their deployment zone (Vanguard Deployment).
Regarding the specifics of his skills, Alith Anar is quite the elite ambusher. Alith can enjoy a +10% Hero Action Success Chance and -15% Hero Action Cost in his local region (Shadow’s Fall) and can maintain his Shadow-Walkers and Shadow Warriors with -50% Upkeep costs (Raven Lord) on top of a +25% Ambush Success Chance. The Legendary Lord is also encouraged to assassinate leaders often in hisTotal War: Warhammer 3gameplay, especially when his more aggressive missions come with diplomatic rewards.
Serving as Lord Sneek’s chief assassin,Deathmaster Snikch (Skaven)is less of a wartime leader and more of a person to rely on to end conflicts quickly. Due to his stats, Snikch can become an efficient assassin in a player’sTotal War: Warhammer 3gameplay. Snikch’s innate speed bonuses and ability to be deployed outside the vanguard can let players target pests in their path to success,such as spellcasters, especially when ganking weaker foes via the +8 Melee Attack and +25% Ambush Success Chance (Grand Nightlord’s Agitator).
As a leader, Snikch’s starting area in Grand Cathay’s Xing Po places him in a favorable position to start dominating rather quickly. On top of his combat prowess, his decent diplomatic potential can allow him to consolidate power more efficiently compared to his other Skaven counterparts, making him an extremely flexible option for players.
At first glance, the starting conditions ofDrazhoath the Ashen (Chaos Dwarves)in the Black Fortress of the Howling Wastes can make him a part of a challenging playthrough. However, this Wizard with a standard damaging kit via Lore of Hashut does boast decent defenses courtesy of specific attrition immunity (Resilience), Resistances, and even Siege Attack capabilities. This constant access to resources gives Drazhoath the ability to take advantage of the Chaos Dwarves’ versatile kit, especially when the likes of the Dreadquake Battery (Prototype Megamortar) have become a mainstay in theirTotal War: Warhammer 3experience.
Among the Legendary Lords of the Chaos Dwarves, Drazhoath is perhaps the most practical to use from an economic perspective. As the Tyrant of the Black Tower (Personal Trait), he gets -25% Upkeep for K’daii units, and his De-Towered (Defeat Trait) gives him +10% Settlement Income. Both these Traits also give him +8 Melee Attack (Dark Renown) and Missile Resistance 15%, allowing him to get aggressive when necessary.
25King Louen Leoncoeur (Bretonnia)
Straightforward Tank For Melee Domination
Arriving with the Bretonnia faction isKing Louen Leoncoeur, considered the land’s greatest and mightiest Warrior-King. Even at a rumored 90 years old, the Lionhearted looks as though he’s at his prime, with his dedication to uniting the lands of Bretonnia keeping his spirit strong.In the grand strategy game, King Louen is potent in melee courtesy of his inherent defenses on top of his capabilities to lead siege attacks.
When fully geared with his stats maxed, riding Beaquis the Hippogryph can make him hard to target. He can debuff defense with the Sword of Couronne while enjoying his heal-per-second passive. King Louen also possesses the Lion’s Shield for missile and magic resistance on top of a charge and melee damage boost aura.
