Build an Empire army that stays effective from the first turns into the late campaign. This guide covers which infantry, ranged, cavalry, artillery, and heroes to recruit at each stage—so you know which slots to fill and which to skip, including the best allied units for patching your roster weaknesses.
Quick answer
| What | Answer |
|---|---|
| Early infantry | Spearmen with shields |
| Early ranged filler | Archers |
| Early cavalry | Pistoliers |
| Early hero | Master Engineer |
| Mid infantry | Greatswords |
| Mid artillery | Cannons |
| Late infantry | Eldred's Guard Guard Guard Spearmen |
| Late artillery | Hellstorm Rocket Batteries |
Build your early garrison and field army
Start your Empire campaign by recruiting the best frontline and support units available from tier one buildings:
- They block charge damage, have bronze shields, anti-large bonuses, and improved melee defense compared to regular spearmen. 1:00
- Their lower melee defense and lack of shield make them much weaker, even though they can be recruited without a barracks. 2:24
- Archers are cheap and available if you have the DLC. Their value is mainly as temporary filler while the barracks is built; keep only a few. 3:21
- Pistoliers are fast, provide vanguard deployment, fire while moving, and bring your first gunpowder. They are strong against chaff units but require intensive micromanagement and are less effective in sieges. Limit them to 4–6 per battle. 4:20
- Master Engineers give range buffs and campaign movement, and level up toward powerful late mounts (like the steam tank). They’re weak in melee early on but essential for scaling your ranged firepower later. 8:09
- Warrior Priests improve unit replenishment and deal area damage with Soulfire. Empire Captains are flexible in melee and gain flying mounts later, which are vital for armies lacking other flyers. Captains require a tier 2 barracks. 6:15
Add the tier two units that actually stay useful
Once you unlock tier two recruitment, transition to ranged and cavalry units that will stay valuable into the midgame:
Handgunners move into the core ranged slot as soon as tier two is available. They offer reliable damage and good armor-piercing firepower. Build a line around them and protect them with spearmen with shields. Outriders become your more reliable midgame cavalry—their higher speed and longer range make them preferable over pistoliers, even if damage is less bursty.
Mortars are your artillery placeholders, recruited from the same building used for engineers. They provide decent damage against clumped enemies, especially in sieges or large blob battles. Consider keeping a mortar or two even after stronger artillery is unlocked for support versus massed infantry.
Crossbowmen are situational fillers: they can be kept when terrain makes gunpowder lines impractical. Their armor-piercing isn’t as strong as handgunner fire, but they are not blocked by line-of-sight as often and are easier to deploy over rough ground.
Witch hunters come with handgunner recruitment. Their main benefit is the Accusation ability for targeting enemy lords and the extra postbattle loot. They are a situational hero rather than a true combatant.
Halberdiers look good on paper with more attack and armor-piercing, but they lose line-holding battles in practice. They tend to take more damage and break faster than shielded spearmen, making them rarely worth recruiting except for niche anti-large needs.
Upgrade into the standard tier three Empire army
Tier three brings your main damage infantry and key upgrades for ranged and cavalry. Replace early filler units with the core midgame picks:
Greatswords take over the frontline center. They provide higher melee damage and are best used alongside shielded spearmen for anti-large coverage and flank security. Their role is to hold the line against the toughest midgame enemies.
Empire great cannons unlock proper siege capability. Use them to knock down settlement walls and towers quickly. In field battles, cannons have limited impact due to obstructed lines of fire, but they are indispensable for breaking fortifications.
Maintain at least one outrider in your roster for distraction and baiting out enemy units, even as most cavalry slots switch to shock cavalry.
Nuln Ironsides and Hochland Long Rifles are the preferred upgrades for handgunners—Ironsides offer sustained fire and discipline, Long Rifles add stealth and sniping for picking off lords and artillery.
Knights of the Blazing Sun become the preferred cavalry choice for mass recruitment at this stage. Their combination of high charge bonus, flaming attacks, and spell resistance makes them ideal for running shock attacks and disengaging quickly.
Bring in a Great Wizard for flexible magic support—Lore of Shadows is a standout choice for a mix of buffs, debuffs, and direct damage, including area-of-effect spells and single-target disables. Other lores, like Life or Light, can be adapted based on campaign needs (healing, movement, enemy control).
Use allied recruitment to cover Empire weaknesses
Empire armies excel at gunpowder and artillery but benefit heavily from allied units to hold lines, provide flying support, and patch gaps in elite infantry. Here’s how the top allied choices compare:
| Allied Unit | Recruitment Faction | Role | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dwarf Longbeards | Dwarfs | Line-holding infantry | High—short model lets Empire guns shoot over them; robust against charges 23:23 |
| Ironbreakers | Dwarfs | Elite late-game infantry | Excellent—nearly unbreakable line-holders, short and highly resilient 30:07 |
| Gyrocopters (Brimstone Guns) | Dwarfs | Flying gunpowder artillery | Strong—bombs and mobile firepower; limited slots so prioritize brimstone variant 24:50 |
| Jade Warriors | Cathay | Infantry line-holders | Good—strong defense but less impactful than dwarf line-holders unless artillery is needed 25:19 |
| Jade Warriors with Halberds | Cathay | Anti-large frontline | Useful for anti-large, but again, not as key as dwarfs for gunline synergy 26:14 |
| Bretonnia Allegiance | Bretonnia | Flying units, artillery | Save points for late-game—Pegasus Knights and Trebuchets outclass early picks 26:43 |
Finish the late game roster
In the late campaign, switch to elite infantry, top-tier artillery, and the best allied units for both siege and field battles. Here’s how the core options compare:
| Unit | Type | Stats & Value | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eldred’s Guard (Guard Spearmen) | Empire frontline infantry | 70 armor, silver shield, anti-large, charge reflect/defense, ward save; top line-holder 27:12 | Holds against all enemy charges, protects ranged |
| Carroburg Greatswords | Empire damage infantry | Unbreakable, high melee attack and leadership, bonus vs infantry 28:10 | Elite center damage dealers |
| Demigryph Knights (Halberds) | Empire cavalry | Anti-large, strong defense, high melee and charge 29:08 | Shuts down big monsters, covers ranged lines |
| Luminark of Hysh | Empire artillery/vehicle | 60 armor, range 320, missile strength 2,000; platform for sniping lords, artillery, single entities 30:07 | Long-range single-target removal |
| Hellstorm Rocket Batteries | Empire artillery | Wide-area damage, strong in sieges and field, effective where cannons struggle 35:27 | Best late-game artillery—no fire-block problems |
| Blessed Field Trebuchets | Bretonnia (ally) | High damage, excellent for knocking down walls and hitting blobs 32:04 | Best siege support vs Empire cannons |
| Royal Pegasus Knights | Bretonnia (ally) | Flying anti-large cavalry, expensive but strong vs enemy air 33:00 | Air superiority, anti-large |
| Royal Hippogryph Knights | Bretonnia (ally) | Flying shock cavalry, excels against ground units; expensive late-game option 33:30 | Ground damage, flying support |
Also worth knowing
- Dwarf allied infantry units are short, so Empire gun units can fire over them cleanly. This allows gunpowder armies to operate at full effectiveness behind dwarf lines, making allied recruitment especially valuable.
- Mortars remain effective against large blobs of infantry and are not just filler for sieges. Their value increases against horde armies like Vampire Counts, Orcs, and Skaven.
- Faction-specific builds can change army composition dramatically. Elspeth, Karl Franz, and other legendary lords can field variant rosters far beyond the generic outline here.
- Some players use regular spearmen in bulk for upkeep efficiency. When early economy matters more than unit quality, regular spearmen can be recruited instead of shielded ones, especially in large armies or auto-resolve play.
Frequently asked
What infantry should the Empire use early in campaign?
Spearmen with shields are the best early frontline unit because they hold longer than regular spearmen and are better for protecting flanks. Regular spearmen are not worth recruiting unless there is no barracks available. Archers can fill gaps, but they are mainly temporary roster fillers.
Are halberdiers worth using for the Empire?
They are generally poor value compared with spearmen with shields, even though they have more attack and armor-piercing damage on paper. In practice, they tend to lose more quickly in campaign battles and do not hold the line as well. They are more of a situational option than a staple.
Which Empire cavalry is the best general-purpose pick?
Outriders are the best all-around early and midgame mounted skirmish option because of their range and speed. Knights of the Blazing Sun are the preferred shock cavalry choice once tier three is available. Late game, demigryph knights with halberds are the best anti-large cavalry pick.
What allied recruitment is worth prioritizing for the Empire?
Dwarfs are the most reliable ally for line-holding infantry and artillery support, especially longbeards and ironbreakers. Bretonnia becomes valuable later for pegasus knights, royal pegasus knights, and royal hippogryph knights. Cathay can supply jade warriors and jade warriors with halberds, while Kislev is mainly useful for artillery rather than core frontline units.
Read next
Total War: Warhammer 3 Skaven Army Composition Guide
This guide covers early, mid, and late campaign army builds for Skaven in Immortal Empires. It is for players who want a practical recruitment path that matches Skaven’s economy, hero access, and unit tiers.
Total War: Warhammer 3 Artillery Guide: Every Gun Ranked
A ranked breakdown of the strongest artillery, grouped by weapon type and faction access. It is for players who want the best picks, the key stats that make them strong, and a few practical deployment notes.
Total War: Warhammer 3 Best Units for Every Faction (2026)
This plan covers one high-value unit for each race in Total War: Warhammer 3, with an emphasis on early access, campaign value, and easy-to-use roles. It is for players who want a practical recruit list instead of a full roster breakdown.
Total War: Warhammer 3 Army Composition Guide: Best Army for Each Faction
This plan covers four practical ways to assemble armies in campaign, plus the core rules that shape whether a stack works in battle or on the map. It is aimed at players who want a simple framework for choosing units, scaling armies, and deciding when to specialize or stay flexible.