Sep 24, 2026
View on Steam↗Lords of the End Times is OUT NOW!
5/5 Game-Changing
Update 9.0 introduces the Lords of the End Times DLC, featuring a massive Archaon rework, the arrival of Neferata, a Vampire Counts overhaul, and 30% faster end-turn times.
Key Changes
- 1Archaon can now subjugate and control other Chaos Legendary Lords like Skarbrand and Ku'gath
- 2Vampire Counts overhaul including Neferata, Blood Decrees, and the Red Duke confederation
- 3Campaign end-turn times reduced by up to 30% via major technical optimizations
- 4Books of Nagash reworked into physical items that can be traded or stolen by any faction
- 5New 'Escalating Wounds' system adds stacking penalties for characters who are repeatedly defeated
- 6Sigvald the Magnificent reworked into a Slaanesh-focused Lord with Azazel-style mechanics
- 7Regiments of Renown now have per-army capacity limits that scale with Lord rank
- 8Campaign AI recruitment logic improved to reduce army clumping and prioritize elite units
- 920 new Dark Fortress locations added to the Immortal Empires map
- 10Skaven technologies no longer require building prerequisites to research
All Changes
⚔️Archaon the Everchosen(4)
- newArchaon the Everchosen: Can now subjugate other Chaos Legendary Lords (Warriors of Chaos, Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh, Tzeentch) after defeating them in battle to add them to his roster.
- newArchaon the Everchosen: New 'Lord of the End Times' Short Victory choice: blocks further settlement conquest in exchange for massive bonuses based on 'Devastated' provinces.
- changeArchaon the Everchosen: Updated AI logic to expand more purposefully and engage lore-appropriate enemies sooner.
- newArchaon the Everchosen: Added new voice lines for Archaon.
🧛Vampire Counts & Neferata(7)
- newNeferata: Neferata added as a playable FLC Legendary Lord with unique mechanics.
- newVampire Counts: New 'Blood Decrees' province actions: Midnight Culling (corpses), Sanguine Wards (defense), and Tenebrous Authority (growth/corruption).
- buffThe Red Duke: The Red Duke can now be confederated via the technology tree.
- newVlad von Carstein: Vlad and Isabella can now switch from Hero to Lord status at level 20 via a new skill.
- newMourngul Haunters: Mourngul Haunters added to the Vampire Counts roster with a full skill tree.
- newVampire Counts: Added 'Darkbinder' and 'Dread Harvester' innate traits for Lords and Heroes.
- changeLore of Vampires: Reworked SFX for the Lore of Vampires.
🧠Campaign AI(3)
- changeCampaign AI: AI now tracks recruitment history to avoid getting stuck in failed recruitment loops, reducing army clumping.
- buffCampaign AI: On Hard difficulty and above, AI now prioritizes elite, high-quality units over raw unit count.
- buffWarriors of Chaos: Warriors of Chaos AI now scales Warband recruitment more effectively based on turn number and difficulty.
⚙️Gameplay Systems(6)
- newWound Recovery: New 'Escalating Wounds' feature: Characters gain worsening traits if wounded repeatedly within 10 turns, increasing recovery time.
- changeBooks of Nagash: Books of Nagash are now physical items carried by Lords that can be traded, stolen, or destroyed.
- nerfRegiments of Renown: New Regiment of Renown (RoR) army limits: 2 base capacity, scaling up to 5 for generic Lords and 8 for Legendary Lords.
- newDaemonic Re-Emergence: Daemonic factions can now respawn in provinces with high corruption after being defeated.
- nerfWound Recovery: Wound recovery time effects reduced across the game to prevent 'instant' character respawns.
- nerfVlad von Carstein: Vlad von Carstein's defeat trait no longer grants wound recovery time reduction.
😈Slaanesh & Warriors of Chaos(3)
- changeSigvald the Magnificent: Sigvald moved to a Slaanesh-focused Legendary Lord, gaining Azazel-style tech and Slaanesh Gifts but losing other God units.
- changeSlaanesh: Slaanesh building chains reworked: Chosen moved to new Tier 4 buildings to prevent early-game redundancy.
- removeSlaanesh: Removed the 'Mounted Servants' building chain for N'Kari and The Masque.
🐀Skaven & Tomb Kings(4)
- buffSkaven: Skaven technologies no longer require specific buildings as prerequisites.
- buffSkaven: Throt, Ikit Claw, and Lord Skrolk received updates to support Stormfiend units and new buffs.
- buffTomb Scorpion: Tomb Scorpion moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2.
- buffArkhan the Black: Arkhan the Black gained access to enhanced Crypt Horrors, Cairn Wraiths, Spirit Hosts, and Morghasts.
💻Performance & Technical(3)
- fixPerformance: Reduced campaign end-turn times by up to 30% through VFX, worker thread, and influence map optimizations.
- fixGraphics: Improved TAA anti-aliasing to reduce ghosting and blur on units.
- fixStability: Fixed a freeze occurring when auto-resolving or returning to campaign from battle.
🗺️Maps & Landmarks(4)
- newDark Fortresses: Added 20 new Dark Fortress locations across the Immortal Empires map.
- newBattle Maps: Added 3 new battle maps: Middenheim, Black Pyramid, and Nagashizzar.
- buffSilver Pinnacle: Silver Pinnacle expanded to a 10-slot settlement with a new landmark for Neferata.
- newLandmarks: Added 6 random Zombie Dragon landmarks that spawn globally for Vampire factions.
🔮Rites Rebalancing(4)
- buffSkaven Rites: Skaven: The Thirteenth Scheme cooldown reduced from 30 to 13.
- buffDark Elf Rites: Dark Elves: Rite of the Warmaster cooldown reduced from 50 to 25.
- buffLizardmen Rites: Lizardmen: Rite of Primeval Glory cooldown reduced from 50 to 25.
- buffVampire Coast Rites: Vampire Coast: Curse of the Sea Mist cooldown reduced from 30 to 20.
Summary
Update 9.0 is a foundational shift for Total War: WARHAMMER III, coinciding with the 'Lords of the End Times' expansion. The update focuses on deep systemic reworks, particularly for Archaon the Everchosen and the Vampire Counts. Archaon can now subjugate other Chaos Legendary Lords, while the Vampire Counts receive new 'Blood Decrees' and the legendary Neferata.
Beyond faction changes, the Campaign AI has been significantly upgraded to handle recruitment and army composition more intelligently, especially on higher difficulties. A new 'Escalating Wounds' system adds consequences to repeated character defeats, and the Books of Nagash have been transformed into physical items that can be traded or stolen. Technical improvements are also a highlight, with end-turn processing seeing up to a 30% performance boost.