With every new game, there’s the learning curve one has to get past to truly engage with the present systems. When starting out, it’s great to know where you can begin and have an easy time grasping the game. With Total War Warhammer 2, certain factions are far easier to play. That’s why we are presenting them to you today.
5. Tomb Kings
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Constructs to fill any heavy role you need and bones to absorb the hits, this is an average Tomb Kings experience
Power of skeleton armies is a great way to start getting into Total War Warhammer 2. The lack of basic unit cost and fantastic units are bound to win over many newbies. Ability to sideline the worries of the economy within your empire will help those starting out even more.
The Tomb Kings have very few weaknesses and a pretty decent set of units for new players to use and experiment with. The free skeletons also make it easier to stay topped off with at least one or two armies. Tomb Kings needn’t worry much about gold either, only really using it as means of building new upgrades in your settlement. Newbies will find their potent constructs perfect for the late game where strong enemies can be tough to counter with basic skeletons.
Tomb Kings edge out some other factions due to their ability to adapt to opponents they fight. Even though the constructs you bring into battle are tough, each has different strengths and weaknesses. Learning these may require a bit of time but once you do they will become so much more effective. While Tomb Kings offer a ton of ways to circumvent usual problems newbie players may face, the learning curve is very much there so they only get this far into the list.
The fun of playing Tomb Kings:
A ton of free units
Able to field 20 units early with no economy issues
Powerful lords
Ability to ignore a lot of attrition
4. Lizardmen
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A mixed Lizardmen army leaves no huge weaknesses for foes to exploit. Always leave some support Skinks in the ranks.
Dinosaurs, bigger dinosaurs, lizards, and tough infantry are all factors that make Lizardmen a great starter faction for just about anybody. Whether newbies are in it for the scalie menace’s devastating survivability or beautiful high-tier units, it’s guaranteed that the Lizardmen will provide.
The overall impression that Lizardmen leave has been pretty positive. No matter the skill level, everybody loves some devastating dinos. What makes them so positively received are mighty Saurus Warriors. These absolute powerhouses can be recruited very early in the game, allowing you to stack up potent units early on. They come in variants too, meaning that Saurus Warriors can fill a few different purposes.
The new players will find other dinos to be even more fun to play with. Being able to break apart whole stacks of units with some of these is extremely fun. Others will provide insane ranged support which, unfortunately, you’ll lack early on. Lizardmen do require a bit more management on the city end of things than some of the factions on this list. However,even if you aren’t paying too much attention to the infrastructure,i you’ll be fine.
The fun of playing Lizardmen:
Giant and impressive dinos that fulfill powerful battlefield roles
Well-rounded roster
Strong early game
Legendary lords have basic and useful abilities
3. The Empire
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Humans may be on the boring end in fantasy but that doesn't mean they cannot fight back against horrid beasts with gunpowder and technology.
The human all-rounder faction is an expected pick for one of the best-starting factions. After all, generalists are great for new players to get the hang of different mechanics and army compositions.
The Empire has the jack of all trades style of roster while their mechanics usually benefit any playstyle. It’s a given that such a faction would lend itself well to newbies. In fact, they are a frequently recommended faction for those new to the game to experience.
Diplomatic tensions of the Empire may feel a bit overwhelming for newbies so it gets the third spot despite the roster versatility. There is also the simple fact that the Empire has no single entity monsters. Anything even close to that description is a Steam Tank. Without big single units, some blobbier armies may prove a bit difficult to cut down without proper setup.
The only other downside of Empire and the following faction is that you do need Total War Warhammer to fully experience their roster and even play them if you don’t have certain DLCs.
The fun of playing the Empire:
Versatile roster
Generically good
Strong in every stage of the game
Allows new players to learn diplomacy mechanics
2. Beastmen
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Rampage of the Beastmen is tough to stop past midgame. Especially when you have dozens of resillient monsters in your army.
Beastmen are furry cousins to Tomb Kings. No cost for basic units, low reliance on the economy, yet a different slew of other mechanics may be a better fit for some players.
With the Beastmen rework of last year, this once horrible faction has become one of the best to play especially for newbies. They also get free units while having to care even less about civilization-building. Their empire is made out of horde buildings that lords carry on themselves and a Herd Stone mechanic.
The Herd Stone can be built in areas you’ve conquered and allows Beastmen to garner favor with the Chaos Gods. When you garner enough favor, Herd Stone allows you to spawn an army of varying levels of power. The more enemies you kill around the stone itself, the better the army you receive from it will be so make sure to slaughter as many foes as possible when raising one of these.
While Beastmen get a somewhat narrow roster of units, they can still easily cover most of the important bases. For those seeking an easy faction to play, Beastmen give enough powerful tools to hammer down any opposition.
The fun of playing Beastmen:
No settlements to constantly defend
A ton of opportunities to garner more troops
Tons of free units to recruit
Legendary Lords support versatile army compositions
A purely offensive playstyle doesn’t generate any management issues
1. High Elves
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High Elves are incredible archers as per usual elf stereotypes, yet their magic defines them even more
Extreme ranged potency with some meat shields and monsters is what makes High Elves so potent. Newbies needn’t even worry too much about army compositions as long as they stack a ton of ranged power.
For campaign battles, ranged infantry reigns supreme. High Elves possess some of the strongest units in this category which makes them that much easier to play. High Elves boast quite a number of devastating schools of magic, allowing players to turn the tides of battle with potent spells. The sheer versatility of spellcasting can help new players find spells that fit their playstyle or mitigate the army’s weaknesses.
On top of it all, High Elves usually have very easy starting positions that can be made even stronger by achieving friendly status with nearby factions. This isn’t too hard to do because most of your neighbors will be other High Elves and you can influence their opinion of you by spending their premium resource called Influence. With this mechanic, you’ll have an elven super alliance by turn 50.
The fun of playing High Elves:
Devastating ranged units that can help both take settlements and defend them
Great spells to enhance overall army potency
Legendary Lords usually don’t struggle with their neighbors much
Dragons and Phoenixes provide a great way to deal with infantry at higher levels
Since he was a youngling, Nikola has found it enticing to explore unique worlds of games. From staples to cult hits, he's encountered them all. Now, he will make those random encounters widely known.
Gamer Since:
2002
Currently Playing:
Total War Warhammer
Top 3 Favorite Games:
Dark Souls 3 , XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Resident Evil 4 Ultimate HD
