The main campaign is split into two sides: Empire and Chaos. The Empire is made up mostly of humans, but has a few elf units. Chaos is home to orcs and the skaven, a rat-like race. Considering how deep the
Warhammer mythos runs, I was expecting a better story. It does its job, but is otherwise bland. Each side of the campaign is lengthy, though extremely linear. Every once in a while, you can take on a side-quest for added experience or loot, but for the most part, you are on a straight path.
Towns and cities are scatted across the map. While in towns, you can recruit new solider types and buy new equipment, including battle standards or blessings from the local temple. You can also revive fallen heroes or replenish your ranks by recruiting new soldiers.
Before entering battle, you need to determine the composition of your army. There is a limited number of spots available, so you can’t bring everyone. This requires planning out your strategy in advance. You will also have to take into consideration how many of your veteran soldiers you’ll want to take along.
Hero units, which are some of the most powerful in the game, require additional tactical considerations. As they fight in battles, heroes gain experience that can be spent on upgrades. Depending on what type of hero you want, you can spend points on either dueling, fighting or command attributes. Duelists specialize in one-on-one combat while fighters are all around good combatants. Spending on command points opens up special abilities that your hero can bestow to any units he is attached to.
At the end of battles you earn spoils, which are used to replenish your lost troops as well as buy upgrades. Special equipment, like magical swords or armor, also drops during battles. In-game drops are tricky because only your hero can collect them and it usually isn’t a good idea to alter your strategy just to get that shiny new sword. If you fail to collect an item before the battle is over, you are out of luck.
Outside of the two campaigns, you can also participate in a number of online modes, including skirmishes and tournaments. In order to keep things balanced while online, you are limited to a certain point value for your army. The better the unit, the more expensive they are. Generally, the balance between units is pretty good and allows for more emphasis to be placed on strategy and tactics.
Battles can be short or long. How long depends on what type of game mode you are playing. Siege and reinforcement battles last the longest since you are constantly gaining new troops (provided you have enough capture points). Online games are fun when you can find them. There are still a few issues to overcome; though many were fixed with the most recent update. The community is still young, but it is there so it should be fun to see where it takes the game.
