There are a total of 10 factions in Total War: Warhammer 3, and each of these factions has lore tied to them and unique lords with different starting positions, politics, and abilities. If you were wondering what the factions are, they are different groups that have different wants and needs. 

Each faction is unique and tied to their respective part of the map. Each faction has unique magic, units, weapons, special units, and lords to pick from. Yes, after choosing a faction, you can choose who you would like to play as, as each faction has at least 1-3 different lords for you to choose from. 

Each general or leader of that faction has a different starting point. So choosing a faction can be a bit hard, especially if this is the first time you’ve been introduced to fantasy warhammer. I will be here to help you pick the right faction for yourself by doing a quick review of them and ranking them, respectively.

10. Nurgle

Hey, that stinks! I LOVE IT!

The first faction on this list is Nurgle. This faction wins by spreading incurable diseases and making sure that the enemies suffer as much as possible. The faction has a defensive play style that is similar to that of dwarves. But the units are tanky and can take a lot of damage. But what stinks about Nurgle is that it has a weak economy and slow recruitment. 

The army is also one of the hardest to use in the game, as you have a limited choice of ranged units and no cavalry units. If you’re going up against a faction that has a lot of ranged units, getting close to them can be painful and can make you lose the battle before it even starts. If you manage to get close to the enemy and make contact, you can win. 

Nurgle Strengths:

• Defensive playstyle.
• Can win battles through attrition.
• Units are tanky and can absorb damage.
• A unique gameplay mechanic to create different diseases for battles.
• If you manage to get close to the enemy, you can easily overpower them in melee combat.
• Nurgle can instantly recruit units.

Choose Nurgle If:

• Your playstyle is more defensive, and you enjoy taking things slow.
• You’re going against armies that don’t have a lot of ranged units.
• You want to create plagues that can damage the enemies' armies.

9. Tzeentch

For being an all-seeing bird bet you didn’t see this!

This faction is all about using magic and controlling the winds of magic in battle. The main point of Tzeentch is teleporting his armies, stealing other people’s settlements through mind control, and even forcing other factions to go to war with each other. His troops are hard to use due to them being weak but dealing a lot of damage.

You’ll have to use the hit-and-run tactic when playing this faction. You have to micromanage a lot. If you’re a veteran at strategy games, especially Total War games, this can be one of the strongest factions in the game, but you will have to sweat a ton to win.

Tzeentch Strengths:

• It has a lot of strong range units.
• You can steal settlements from other factions.
• You control the Winds of Magic in battle.
• You can force other factions to go to war with each other.
• Great casting powers and magic. 

Choose Tzeentch If:

• You can micromanage units.
• You don’t mind having weak units that deal a lot of damage.
• You are using magic a lot during battles.

8. Kislev

FOR MOTHER KISLEV WE DIE!

In short, these are the Russians of the Fantasy Warhammer setting, and this faction will be recommended for you when you open the game. But be aware that Kislev has a huge stretch of land, and it’s surrendered by enemies who sooner or later will invade you and cause you a problem. 

They are good in the late game, as their late-game units are pretty strong, but getting to that point will be hard. Kislev has a lot of hybrid units, including melee, cavalry, ranged, beasts, artillery, and so on. If you’re good at the game, you can quickly expand to other regions of the land, but be ready to be invaded. 

Kislev Strengths:

• You can easily expand to other lands and conquer your enemies.
• There are a lot of hybrid units to choose from.
• Great at the end-game point due to strong end-game units.
• You can pick out the enemy slowly from afar.
• They have a beefy frontline.

Choose Kislev If:

• You don’t have a specific playstyle.
• You want to dominate the end-game point.
• You want to conquer as much land as possible.

7. Grand Cathay

We will not let the demons pass us!

These are the Chinese of the Fantasy Warhammer setting. This faction can have a huge titan called “Terracotta Sentinels” made out of the earth fight alongside you. And it’s one of the best out in its class. But the basic units aren’t that special and are lacking in some aspects. When playing this faction, you have to keep your army in a formation. 

If that formation is broken, you will lose the fight. The most unique part about this faction is that in their campaign, you have to defend a wall and keep all of the demons out. That wall is called “The Great Bastion,” and it’s the fantasy version of “The Great Wall” in China. The demons will keep trying to break through the walls, but you are there to stop them. If you fail, the whole of humanity fails.

Grand Cathay Strengths:

• Powerful ranged units that can deal a huge amount of damage.
• It’s all about keeping an army formation to win.
• You have a unit called the Terracotta Sentinel, which is a huge titan made out of the earth.
• Unique faction gameplay mechanic specifically tied to the Grand Cathay.
• You can create chokepoints to eliminate the demons.

Choose Grand Cathay If:

• You are good at managing ranged units.
• You can keep an army formation strong without it being destroyed.
• You want a unique faction gameplay mechanic that revolves around keeping the wall from being destroyed.

6. Warriors of Chaos

Doomsday is coming and you can’t stop it!

This faction was added by a DLC, and it features four different lords from four different Gods. Those are: Khorne, Slaneesh, Tzeentch, and Nurgle. Each lord has a different gameplay mechanic and different units to recruit and fight. The strongest lord is Valkia, and she’s a champion of Khorne. 

Valkia’s main point is running around and destroying her enemy. She’s a melee-focused lord and has a pretty aggressive playstyle. Next up is Vilitch The Curseling, a champion of Tzeentch. He has a tanky frontline, his missile units deal a lot of damage, he starts in a safe spot, and he can expand easily. The next one is Festus The Leechlord, and he is a champion of Nurgle. 

Festus has a slow start; he is surrounded by enemies, but the upside is that he can provide buffs to his units, making them stronger so he can win battles. For the last one, we have Azazel, the champion for Slaanesh. Azazel has a rough start; his units are very mobile and strong but ultimately fall short when compared to the other lords in this faction.

Warriors of Chaos Strengths:

• You get to pick from four different lords tied to four different Gods.
• Valkia is the strongest out of the four and has a strong melee-focused army.
• You can expand easily with Valkia.
• The reason you want to play these lords is because they are all about just slaughtering the enemy and expanding.
• Each lord has different units and abilities tied to them.

Choose Warriors of Chaos If:

• You want to run around the map, slaughtering people and spilling blood.
• You just want to conquer as much of the map as possible.
• Don’t want to think about your actions and just want to battle it out.

5. Slaanesh

The cult of feet lovers.

This faction right here is all about the hit-and-run tactic, seducing the enemy, and pleasure. Slaanesh is mainly melee focused, with almost no ranged units whatsoever, and the main point is to flank the enemy with your cavalry and chariots. Do be careful when flanking the enemy, as one mistake can lead to huge losses. 

But thankfully, Slaanesh can seduce enemy units and turn them into your own, which weakens the enemy and makes you stronger. You also have to micromanage your units carefully and be aware of the situation that you are in to do well. Once you have that down, you can easily win any battle with Slaanesh.

Slaanesh Strengths:

• Great cavalry units for flanking.
• It’s heavily melee-focused.
• You can seduce enemy units to recruit them into your army.
• The hit-and-run playstyle is great for people who love to play aggressive factions.
• If you can micromanage units well, you can win any battle easily.

Choose Slaanesh If:

• You’re great at micromanaging units.
• You can flank the enemy team with your cavalry units.
• If you have an aggressive play style that suits this faction.

4. Daemons of Chaos

Hell will rain upon the earth!

The same as Kislev, this one too is recommended for beginners by the developers as they are very flexible, can suit any playstyle you want, and have diverse units. The only downside to this is that the starting position is a bit hard, and you are surrounded by enemies. 

Another upside to this faction is that you can recruit any demon units from Nurgle, Khorne, Tzeentch, and Slaanesh units to your faction, but you will have to wait till the late game to be able to recruit stronger units from these Gods.

Daemons of Chaos Strengths:

• The army is highly customizable.
• It can suit any playstyle you want.
• You can recruit any demon units from your army.
• This faction is recommended for beginners.
• Strong units can be recruited when you’re in the late game.

Choose Daemons of Chaos If:

• You’re not sure what playstyle you want to play.
• If you want to mix and match your army.
• If you don’t have a specific faction to rely upon.
• If you’re a beginner to Total War games.

3. Ogre Kingdoms

The fat shall rule!

The faction that was teased in Warhammer 2 has finally made it into Warhammer 3. It’s a DLC faction that you could either get from pre-ordering the game or by buying them separately. They can be one of the strongest factions out there if you know what you’re doing. 

Their campaign is about working for that sweet, shiny gold and earning as much money as possible. This faction isn’t on the side of chaos or humans; they're neutral. The Ogre army is really strong as well, especially their artillery, which can dictate the battle, and they have a lot of large units that completely decimate the battlefield.

Ogre Kingdoms Strengths:

• Large units that can demolish whole armies.
• You can earn a lot of money by working for the highest bidders.
• They aren’t on the side of humans or chaos, they are neutral.
•  You can recruit a ton of different large units.
• They have some of the strongest artillery in the game.

Choose Ogre Kingdoms If:

• You want to play a mercenary-type faction whose only goal is to earn as much money as possible.
• You want to have one of the strongest armies in the game.
• You want to build camps wherever you want to recruit your units.
• You don’t want to worry about the human and chaotic conflict going on.

2. Chaos Dwarfs

Who the hell cares about the culture anymore?

This is the newest faction that was added to the game, and they are the Chaos Dwarfs. You have three different lords to choose from, and each one of them is unique and has a different starting position. 

This faction can be a bit hard to get used to, and their start is rough, but once you get your money in order, you can pump out some strong units and move on to conquer the lands. Their units range from puny, tiny goblins that do your bidding to strong dwarfs that control mortars and rush into battle with axes bigger than their whole bodies.

Chaos Dwarfs Strengths:

• Three different lords to choose from.
• Their mortars are strong.
• The artillery of this faction can dictate the tide of the battle.
• There is enough variety in units that you can pick your playstyle.
• Once you get your economy rolling, you can conquer as much land as you want.

Choose Chaos Dwarfs If:

• You love the dwarf faction in fantasy Warhammer.
• You love playing with artillery and are mainly focused on ranged combat.
• You want to steamroll through the map when you get enough gold.

1. Khorne

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!

For the best faction in the game currently, we have the most violent one, which isn’t a surprise for me. This faction is all about fighting and spilling blood. It’s also one of the hardest factions to stop from expanding once they start going. The reason for that is their lord Skarbrand, can win a battle single-handedly, and they have one of the strongest melee infantry in the game. 

That melee infantry  is called the “Exalted Bloodletters of Khorne.” You can also pick from cavalry, huge monsters, and flying monsters to add to your army. All of these units hit hard and fast, and you don’t even have to be that good at managing your army to win in battle. If you’re a beginner, I recommend that you start with this faction!

Khorne Strengths:

• One of the strongest lords in the game.
• The faction has the strongest melee infantry in the game.
• All of the units in this faction hit hard and fast.
• You can quickly expand and conquer other lands.
• It’s very beginner-friendly.
• You can control the chaos wastes.

 Choose Khorne If:

• You want to constantly fight.
• You want to have hard-hitting units.
• You aren’t that good at managing your armies in battle.
• You want to steamroll through the map.

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