Total War: Warhammer 3, the hit strategy title from Creative Assembly, is the third and final game in its long-running Warhammer trilogy. Introducing new armies and features, the latest game also combines all three starting campaigns into the vast sandbox of Immortal Empires, reworking some old factions along the way. One of the factions that has been reworked for Total War: Warhammer 3 is the Warriors of Chaos, which has received fresh content through the Champions of Chaos DLC.
Each of the Champions of Chaos is dedicated to a Chaos God, and Festus the Leechlord is the Champion of Nurgle. As a servant of the Plague Lord, Festus adds a dose of plague and poison to the powerful Warriors of Chaos roster. On the campaign map, Festus spreads disease and corruption ahead of him, weakening his enemies before his inevitable armies sweep them away.
Festus' Plague Cauldron
Just like his fellow Nurgle disciple Ku'gath Plaguefather, Festus has access to a Plague Cauldron in which to brew Nurgle's poxes. These custom diseases will spread automatically, granting buffs to friendly armies and settlements that contract them, and debuffs to enemies.
In order to customize and enhance his Plagues, Festus the Leechlord must collect large amounts of the Infections resource. This unique Nurgle resource is gained through winning battles, attacking settlements, and spreading Plagues.
As players reach certain objectives, they'll unlock new Symptoms for their Plagues, allowing them to further customize the buffs and debuffs. Once enough of these Symptoms have been unlocked, players will be able to use Recipes for legendary Plagues. These unique combinations are greater than the sum of their parts, offering the most powerful bonuses and penalties that Nurgle can bestow.
Dark Fortresses and Harvesting Souls For Nurgle
Despite starting in the heart of the Empire in Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empires campaign, Festus will want to head north once he has carved out some breathing room. This is because Norsca and the Chaos Wastes are home to the largest number of Dark Fortresses on the map. These rare locations are the only places on the map that the Warriors of Chaos can build significant settlements, and will also automatically vassalize the Norscan tribe whose homeland they occupy.
Although not as well-placed to take advantage of this mechanic as fellow Champion of Chaos Azazel, Festus shouldn't ignore the benefits of having secure lands, a steady income, and Norscan allies in Total War: Warhammer 3. It's a good idea for Festus to send a second army north to claim these Dark Fortresses as soon as he can.
Whether he's fighting Norsca or the Empire, killing and capturing mortals will grant Festus Souls to offer to the Chaos Gods, a unique Warriors of Chaos resource. These Souls are used both for powerful passive buffs through the Gifts of Chaos mechanic, and to upgrade Festus' Lords and Heroes. Undivided characters that reach a high enough rank will be able to dedicate themselves to Nurgle, gaining new powers and abilities at the cost of half their levels. Players can also spend Souls to transform a high-ranking lord into an immortal Daemon Prince, massively boosting their power but again at the cost of half their levels.
Building Armies as Festus
Total War: Warhammer 3's Immortal Empire update included a massive rework of the Warriors of Chaos, adding many new ways for Festus to recruit and upgrade his troops. The first is Warband recruitment, which can be performed anywhere on the map, but is limited to what units are available in that province at the time. Each province will have a different pool of units to recruit from, based on factors like the region's climate and local Chaos corruption. This pool has a small chance to replenish each turn, with common and low tier troops more likely to become available again.
Once Festus has filled his armies with Warband units, he can start upgrading them. With the correct technologies researched, players will be able to transform their units into higher tier versions when they reach a certain rank. For example, Marauder Horseman can be upgraded into Marauder Horsemasters, and then into Chaos Knights. As a servant of Nurgle, Festus can choose to either keep his Warband troops as generic Chaos Undivided, or grant them a Mark of Nurgle, moving them onto a separate upgrade tree for Nurgle-marked units. Each Lord can be specialized into commanding Nurgle or Undivided troops, based on their Authority.
Festus on the Battlefield
As a Champion of Chaos dedicated to Nurgle, Festus the Leechlord uses a hybrid roster of mortal and daemonic units on the battlefield. Unlike the swift armies of Champion of Slaanesh Azazel, Festus's armies double down on the unbreakable aspect of the original Warriors of Chaos.
The combination of Nurgle's universal poison attacks and tough daemonic units with the heavy armor of the Warriors of Chaos makes the Fecundite forces some of the toughest in the game. High physical resistance, ward saves, and armor will mean that Festus' soldiers are as inevitable as their Plagues, dragging out each fight into a grueling war of attrition.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is out now for PC.