14 DAY TRIAL // Total War: Warhammer is one of the most important strategy titles set to arrive in 2016, and the team at The Creative Assembly is ready to offer more details about the heroes that factions will be able to recruit and use both on the main map and in battles.
These characters cannot lead armies as the Lords do, but they are powerful warriors or spellcasters, capable of turning the tide of battle when they join forces or of causing havoc even if their comrades have to retreat.
The official Total War: Warhammer page explains that "Heroes are recruited from the relevant building in a settlement, and are typically unlocked in buildings of level 3 and above. Some buildings also increase the total amount of Heroes of a given type that are available to you."
Heroes for the Empire and Dwarves can root out the influence of Chaos while making the population more loyal to their rulers, and those working for the Vampire Counts or the Greenskins can act as vanguards for their armies.
Heroes who move around the strategic map can avoid other armies, but they can be assassinated by others of their class, with the rate of success depending on the items that they carry and the way gamers distribute earned skill points.
They can also acquire wounds that cannot be healed, and as the campaign of Total War: Warhammer progresses, they also get traits based on their successes and failures in covert ops and battle.
The fact that heroes can gain 30 levels means that gamers will have plenty of choices when it comes to their development and skill use, with some able to gain access to new spells while others gain mounts or the ability to enhance the troops they fight alongside.
Total War: Warhammer wants to deliver variety, accurate fantasy atmosphere
The Creative Assembly has been long known for its history-based strategy experience, and the move to the Games Workshop universe represents a major shift for the studio.
For the first time, magic will play a significant role on the battlefield, allowing gamers to take out enemy units as long as they have the right spellcasters working in unison, and flying mounts are planned for a variety of characters, opening up new tactical options.
The strategic map of the game will offer different approaches for each of the four included races, designed to make sure that playing as the Empire is very different from trying to conquer the Old World using the Greenskins.
The studio has said that it wants to accurately reflect the unique elements of the Warhammer world while making sure that the Artificial Intelligence, which has long been a problem for the franchise, can put up solid resistance.
Total War: Warhammer will be launched on April 28 and can be played only on the PC.
Gamers who place a pre-order for the strategy game will get access to a special pack that allows them to play as the Chaos Warriors in the campaign, battling against all other factions.
