Total War: Warhammer 2 brought us deeper into the Old World – a reimagining of our own atlas, drawn over the decades by the creators of the popular Warhammer fantasy tabletop game. We saw our campaigns extend with an expansion into the humid jungles of Lustria, close to the crescent island realm of Ulthuan, where the High Elves attempt to contain the swirling Winds of Magic.
Now, it looks like Total War: Warhammer 3 is set to explore the Northern Wastes, where the forces of Chaos smash against the ice-laden bulwark of Kislev. Before all that though, it looks like Warhammer hobbyists/gamers will finally be rewarded with the long awaited arrival of those ursine worshippers of the Great Maw (sole deity of the Ogre races) – an army of hulking monsters, who eat living things and roam the glacier-ridden Ogre Kingdoms.
It’s an exciting surprise for sure! The Ogre armies were definitely one of the more compelling additions to the Warhammer fantasy world. Who could resist stories of these brutish beasts and their ambushes on Kislev caravans, when they spear-tackled unsuspecting horses and ransacked every lesser being to fill their gurgling meat pots with obscene stews?
Fans have predicted this race would be part of an upcoming expansion. The rumours were finally confirmed last week and the vanquishers of Sky-Titans are inbound, venturing out from the craggy Ancient Giant Lands, mounted atop cave-dwelling Thundertusks. In the future, we expect we’ll see a few hulking Thundertusks, big-nosed Gnoblars, cave-dwelling Mournfangs, feline Sabretusks and shaggy Rhinoxes thrown in for good measure – fingers crossed all the above will swagger into Total War at some point!
For now, here’s what we know about the incoming denizens of distant mountains, far north of Empire and Kislev, close to mysterious Cathay…
What We Know So Far?
The news came as a surprise addition to the incoming Silence & the Fury DLC, released on July 14 – again, this pack will offer new playable units led by two legendary heroes (the Lizardmen will gain the cunning chameleon Skink, Oxyotl, and, the Beastmen are getting Taurox, the brass-wrapped minotaur – as well as an associated patch with a wealth of free content. The multi-award winning studio, Creative Assembly, have just announced that among this free content will also be an Ogre Mercenaries pack – as long as players are signed up to Total War Access. The brutish new race comes as part of an adapted in-game mechanic, which will be accessible across every faction in the game.
Ogres are now hireable in every campaign to bolster forces and fight for the player/general’s cause. Keep them fed, paid, watered and entrenched in gory combat, and all will be well. The way it works is you’ll spot Ogre camps that spawn in the wake of destructive acts – like a siege, for example, once the settlement has been razed or sacked you can hoard plunder and serve up meat to your ravenous, oversized cronies. The Ogres will move into random spots on the campaign map. After that they set up camp, arrange their Maw pots and open themselves up to garbled interaction with your army. Choose your tribe and you can shop for local mercenaries in the recruitment pool. The units will be added to your army and thereby usable in battle, provided you keep them paid and fed (don’t think they won’t pack up and leave if you stop stoking their gluttony). Keep in mind that camps can disperse, but will always reform later.
Creative Assembly did confirm that Ogres are available in the sandbox Custom Battle mode in every faction pool as well (Unit Caps must be disabled). Otherwise, you can call on these mouthy mercenaries during any campaign, which sounds like a very cool mechanic to involve one of Warhammer player’s all-time favourite factions!
What Units Are Available?
We assume they will add more in future Warhammer 3 expansions – right now, here’s a quick rundown of the available units on offer with Silence & the Fury:
Ogres – These Monstrous Infantry double as Siege Attackers and are the classic foot soldiers of the Ogre hordes. Rally them (if you can) for straightforward grunt work and use these brawny creatures to break enemy ranks with their bull-like charge. Watch them barge into ranks and bundle enemies over with sheer force, sometimes stopping to devour the fallen with blood-spattered glee. There are two variants available on release, wielding either maces or dual weapons (with the bonus vs. infantry stat).
Ogres Maneaters – This Monstrous Unit is immune to psychology. Fresh from far-off lands and pirate-esque in appearance, these travelling mercenaries are often spotted throughout the Old World. They’ve spent decades etching scars into their bulbous folds of flesh and accruing fancy war gear. They flit between armies, chasing the promise of gold and food, including their preferred diet of Empire and Bretonnian soldiers. Often found in small, tight-knit groups, Maneaters have a lofty sense of self-worth and a lengthy list of supposed lesser creatures. The available variants can be equipped with either ogre pistols or double-handed great weapons. The pistol variant are also useful in melee combat, whereas the swingers of great iron-clad weapons gain a charge bonus and are effective against large units.
Mournfang Cavalry – Definitely our favourite of the new bunch! Shock cavalry doesn’t come much more shocking than these units of monstrous riders. Jostled by gigantic man-eating steeds, this top-tier addition of Ogres will be handy in any army. Hunched over the muscled haunches and thick hides of shaggy Mournfang beasts, saddled Ogres surge into battle to make short work of armoured ranks. While their mounts gnaw, stomp and slash through the fray. Keep an eye out for a neat animation when these stout Ogres use clubs to spur on their Mournfang mounts.
Ready to Feed the Great Maw?
So, there you have it! Leave the far-ranging, tropical New World of Total War: Warhammer 2 in style, with a final update on July 14, when Silence & Fury hits. You can also expect the usual backup of bug fixes and game balances with the expansion. And, of course, you’ll be able to rally these Ogre brutes from the north-eastern reaches, or you can face them as AI in your opponent’s horde. Rest assured there will likely be more units and characters coming with the release of Warhammer III – additional ways to serve the Maw and feed its insatiable hunger. In fact, developer’s described this latest offering of Ogres Mercenaries as ‘a mere morsel of what might lie in their Kingdom…’.
