Total War: WARHAMMER - Norsca

1. Total War Warhammer Norsca Tips
2. Total War Warhammer - Norsca
3. Total War Warhammer Norsca
4. Total War Warhammer Norsca Guide

Rather than a single race, The Greenskins are a conglomeration of smaller sub-races, banded together by their like-minded brutality, lack of intelligence and lust for carnage. The Dark Gods of the Warhammer universe would be very pleased if you could hunt down some of the most dangerous creatures of the Old World. In the latest Norsca DLC for Total War: Warhammer, you will get the chance to slay down eight of the new monsters.

Creative Assembly has gotten steadily better at designing campaign factions for Total War: Warhammer since launch, and Norsca continues in this tradition. With a great looking, fun, and diverse roster, they’re one of the most exciting armies to control on the battlefield. On the campaign map, they’re not quite as different and fresh feeling as, say, the Wood Elves, but still have a fairly hefty chunk of unique stuff to try.

The reaving northerners have easily one of my favorite rosters across all factions, reveling unabashedly in the stereotypes of the savage barbarian army with over-the-top, glorious flair. Even units like the standard, axe-wielding Marauders they share with the Warriors of Chaos have been tweaked, gaining a Rage ability that causes them to fight harder and better the longer they are stuck in a melee engagement without their morale wavering. The lightly-armored Berserkers are fragile but extremely deadly against infantry and immune to fear, while Skin Wolves (basically werewolves clad in the skin of their former, human selves) offer a compelling cavalry replacement with tons of mobility, constant health regeneration, bonus damage vs large, and enough punch to demolish all but the heaviest infantry and cavalry.

And that doesn’t even begin to delve into some of their even less conventional options. The reptilian Fimir are monstrous infantry with a “From the Mist” passive that makes them highly resistant to missile fire - a great counter to those pesky Asrai who want to plant ugly trees all over your lovely wasteland. And of course, the centerpieces are the massive War Mammoths, capable of ludicrously deadly charges and able to be equipped with a Chaos Warshrine that boosts your morale. Anyone who was worried Norsca wouldn’t have a distinct enough identity from Warriors of Chaos can discard their concerns at the door.

The roster does feel a bit underwhelming when it comes to legendary lords, however. Throgg the Troll King is a fantastic, tanky beast of a leader. But the faction’s golden boy (and one of my favorite characters in all of Warhammer lore), Wulfrik the Wanderer, feels perpetually underpowered. Even at high level, he simply doesn’t stack up well against other melee heroes like Karl Franz or Grimgor. His Seafang ability rarely does enough damage to have a noticeable impact on the battle. And his signature trick, Hunter of Champions, allows him to gain a temporary edge against a lord or hero of his choice in one-on-one combat… but even this often wasn’t enough to tip the balance of a duel in my favor. I hope he sees some buffs in upcoming patches, because as of now, he simply doesn’t feel like he’ll ever be competitive in multiplayer.

Norsca’s chief campaign mechanic involves razing settlements in the name of one of the four Chaos gods, gaining favor with that god but displeasing the other three. They’re not a horde faction like Warriors of Chaos, but are limited to occupying settlements in Norsca, anywhere with a port, and faction capitals. The rest may only be laid to waste. Each god gives you stacking blessings as you curry more favor - weapon damage for Khorne, research rate for Tzeentch, etc. - and while it is possible to keep your favor up with two or three gods at a time if you’re not in a hurry, you will ultimately have to side with one alone to finish the campaign.

Unlocking level 3 favor with any god triggers the endgame, which will first require you to defeat a powerful champion from each of the three gods you did not side with. Finally, Archaon and the Warriors of Chaos show up (they don’t even appear on the campaign map before this point - and I’m unsure how this will work in multiplayer if one player is Norsca and the other is Warriors). You are given a choice to join their invasion of the Old World… or fight against them and claim the title of Everchosen for yourself. I took the latter path, naturally, which led me into a massive, bloody Chaos civil war that lasted over a dozen turns and almost saw me wiped completely off the map. Sadly, Norsca doesn’t get a scripted set piece battle to finish the campaign off like Wood Elves and Beastmen, or even an ending cinematic. Once Archaon was defeated, I swept across the Empire and was taken unceremoniously to the victory screen when their last settlement fell.

Norsca is also peculiar in that they don’t have chapter sub-objectives - but this is replaced by the Monstrous Arcanum, a book of special quests to hunt down the Old World’s mightiest monsters and reap their rewards. These battles were epic in presentation and challenging even for an experienced army. They really feel kind of like playing an MMO raid boss encounter with a Total War army, which I found very enjoyable and would love to see more of in the future. And the rewards are worth it. Some beasts net you a very powerful equippable item, while slaying others lets you recruit a similarly-themed special regiment that tends to be far more powerful than the basic version.

I had a blast with the Norsca campaign, and they have quickly risen to become my favorite roster (even over my beloved Wood Elves) to play in skirmish and multiplayer. Of their two legendary lords, only Throgg feels like he can match up to some of the beefier leaders of the other factions, and I felt the campaign ended suddenly and with an anticlimactic lack of fanfare after all of the epic events leading up to that final turn. Still, I can’t help but be impressed by the art, the mechanics, and the overall savage attitude packed into this DLC. It’s an easy one to recommend.

A fun and enjoyable faction undercut by a rushed campaign.

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Marauders are a Norsca melee infantry unit in Total War: Warhammer. Chaos Marauders are the rank and file of Chaos armies, perfectly placed in the centre of battle, bloodied weapon in hand.

Description[edit | edit source]

Marauders are natural fighters, born into hardship and brought up in a world where surviving each day is no small victory. Only the strong and capable prosper, for the weak are weeded out and killed. They have no time for plough or sickle, for their tools are the axe, the sword and the shield. What their own lands cannot provide, they simply take from the lands of lesser men. The Chieftains that lead these warriors are a daunting sight, brooding hulks of muscle and hair whose bodies are covered in the scars and trophies of battle. Bearing weapons worn from dealing a thousand mortal injuries to those foolish enough to face them, these savage leaders are independent and fierce. These battle-hardened killers are the products of a people so steeped in conflict that, even in times of prosperity, they will fight to the death for the honour of leading the next raid.

Strengths & Weaknesses[edit | edit source]

Total War Warhammer Norsca Tips

• ↑Shielded: Shields have a chance of blocking arrows, bolts, rifle shots and similar small arms fire - but only in a forward facing arc.

Strategy[edit | edit source]

Total War Warhammer - Norsca

At first glance, this unit is the same as the Chaos Marauders and therefore nothing notable. While true, they are very similar, the Norscan version has the benefit of Rage. Rage allows the unit to stay in the fight longer through bonuses to Leaderhip, take more damage with the bonus to physical resistance, and possibly deal more damage should they stay in combat long enough to get the melee attack buff. This means that Norsca really wants these marauders in combat dealing damage in order to be truly effective. They are less useful as a screening element for missiles and harassing units (although they are still effective in that role)

Total War Warhammer Norsca

Total War Warhammer Norsca Guide