Which faction should I play first in Total War: Warhammer 3 depends far less on the roster than on the map around it — the same lord is a gentle campaign in one corner of Immortal Empires and a knife fight in another. This page is two things: a faction-by-faction pick list of the strongest legendary lord campaign in each race, and a Total War: Warhammer 3 tier list for 2026 that says plainly which of those starts a newcomer should take and which one will punish them for taking it. If all you want is the best campaign for a first playthrough, the beginner picks are the first thing under the table below.
Written against patch 8.1.1 (16 July 2026). Update 9.0 and the Lords of the End Times pack arrive on 24 September 2026 and move some of this — the last section says what.
Quick answer
| What | Answer |
|---|---|
| Best Beastmen campaign | Taurox |
| Best Bretonnia campaign | Repanse |
| Best Chaos Dwarfs campaign | Drazhoath the Ashen |
| Best Empire campaign | Elspeth von Draken |
| Best Greenskins campaign | Grimgor Ironhide |
| Best Vampire Coast campaign | Count Noctilus |
| Best Vampire Counts campaign | Vlad von Karstein |
| Easiest faction to start | Gor-Rok (Lizardmen, at Itza) |
| Best faction for beginners | Tyrion (High Elves, at Lothern) |
| Most fun faction to play | Chaos Dwarfs, then Skaven |
| Is Araby playable? | No, and it is not on the road map |
Easiest faction to start, and what actually makes a start easy
The difficulty label the game prints beside a legendary lord describes the handicap the AI gets, not the neighbours you wake up next to. Four things decide whether a first campaign forgives you, and none of them are on that label:
- How many land borders you have on turn one. One front is a campaign. Four fronts is a spreadsheet.
- Whether the roster wins fights without micro. Armoured infantry and long missile lines forgive a bad deployment. Glass cannons and single-entity monsters do not.
- Whether losses compound. A race that replaces its casualties cheaply lets you lose a battle and keep playing. A race of expensive elites turns one bad fight into ten quiet turns.
- Whether the economy needs a mechanic explained first. Caravans, unit caps, corruption and supply are all interesting, and all a second campaign's problem.
By that test the easiest faction to start with is Gor-Rok of the Lizardmen, at Itza in Lustria. He is a defensive lord in a quiet corner of the map, his Saurus infantry are slow and armoured rather than fragile, and he begins with Lord Kroak already in the army — a Slann whose magic can win an early battle by itself. The Geomantic Web rewards simply holding provinces instead of asking you to manage anything, so there is no faction system you need to read up on before turn ten.
Best faction for beginners in Immortal Empires
Seven starts that survive a beginner's mistakes, and the specific reason each one does.
| Lord | Faction | Starts at | Why it forgives mistakes | First real problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gor-Rok | Lizardmen, Itza | Itza, in Lustria | Armoured Saurus infantry, plus Lord Kroak from turn one | Skaven under your feet, and Rampage when your dinosaurs break |
| Tyrion | High Elves, Eataine | Lothern, on Ulthuan | An island start, a rich economy, and elves who out-shoot everything early | Dark Elf fleets landing behind your lines, and Intrigue at Court |
| Sisters of Twilight | Wood Elves, Heralds of Ariel | The Witchwood, in Naggaroth | Almost nothing to administer, and a missile army that kills before contact | The Bleak Holds, at war with you from turn one |
| Count Noctilus | Vampire Coast, The Dreadfleet | The Galleon's Graveyard | Nobody contests you early, and Raise Dead refills the ranks after a fight | Nothing, for a long while — the real risk is drifting without a plan |
| Arkhan the Black | Tomb Kings, Followers of Nagash | The Sorcerers' Islands | Two settlements, a whole province within a few turns, and no unit upkeep | Tomb King unit caps: recruitment is free, capped, and has to be planned |
| Be'lakor | Warriors of Chaos, Shadow Legion | Albion | The island is yours quickly, then rifts let you hit anywhere and come home | Albion is a dead end — everything after it is a landing |
| Valkia the Bloody | Warriors of Chaos, Legion of the Gorequeen | The northern Chaos Wastes | A strong opening army, extra campaign movement, no major rival nearby | An economy built on raiding rather than on cities |
Three of those deserve a sentence more than a table cell gives them.
The Sisters of Twilight are the gentlest campaign here to administer and one of the least gentle to sit in. Wood Elves settle forests and largely ignore everything else, so the province screen never gets complicated — but the Witchwood sits in the middle of Naggaroth with the Dark Elves of the Bleak Holds already at war with you. The trade is real: fewer decisions, sharper battles. Their kit is also the broadest in the race, which is why they are the outright Wood Elf pick.
Count Noctilus is the opposite trade. The Galleon's Graveyard is about as far from anyone else's expansion plan as the map allows, so you get twenty or thirty turns nobody spends attacking you. Vampire Coast infantry are raised rather than recruited, and pirate coves earn money in cities you never have to garrison, so a lost battle costs a turn instead of a campaign. Beginners who stall here stall because nothing forced them to move, not because something killed them.
Arkhan the Black is the one pick on this list with homework. Tomb King armies cost no upkeep at all, which sounds like a cheat code and is really a budget in a different currency: every unit type is capped, and the cap rises only with buildings and the Books of Nagash. Once that clicks it is one of the calmest economies in the game. Until it clicks, you will try to recruit something and be told no.
- if you cannot, read the start position again
- zoom out before you move anything
- buildings and public order both scale per province
- a second army doubles the upkeep and halves the attention
- caps, caravans and corruption all keep
Immortal Empires draws its lords from every game and pack in the trilogy, and the seven above are spread across several of them. Check which packs you own before planning a campaign around one.
Immortal Empires starting positions at a glance
Every lord named on this page begins somewhere, and where they begin is most of what separates them — including the famous ones nobody should open the game with.
| Lord | Race | Starts | For a first campaign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gor-Rok | Lizardmen | Itza, in Lustria | Yes — the gentlest start here |
| Tyrion | High Elves | Lothern, on Ulthuan | Yes |
| Sisters of Twilight | Wood Elves | The Witchwood, in Naggaroth | Yes, if you like missile armies |
| Count Noctilus | Vampire Coast | The Galleon's Graveyard | Yes |
| Be'lakor | Warriors of Chaos | Albion | Yes |
| Valkia the Bloody | Warriors of Chaos | The northern Chaos Wastes | Yes |
| Arkhan the Black | Tomb Kings | The Sorcerers' Islands | Yes, once the unit caps make sense |
| Elspeth von Draken | Empire | Nuln | Yes — Vlad is what gives the campaign its objective |
| Alarielle | High Elves | Gaean Vale, on Ulthuan | Second campaign — she supports an army rather than carrying one |
| Grimgor Ironhide | Greenskins | The northern Mountains of Mourn | Second campaign — nonstop war, starting with Kholek Suneater |
| Karl Franz | Empire | Altdorf | Second campaign — Reikland has enemies on every side |
| Settra the Imperishable | Tomb Kings | Khemri | Second campaign — unit caps and the Books of Nagash at once |
| Repanse de Lyonesse | Bretonnia | The north coast of Araby | Not first — see her section below |
| Archaon the Everchosen | Warriors of Chaos | The Chaos Wastes, in the far north | Not first — the wastes give you nothing you have not taken |
Is Araby playable in Total War: Warhammer 3?
No. Araby is on the Immortal Empires map and always has been — the Coast of Araby holds Al-Haikk, Copher, Martek and Fyrus, and Lashiek sits in the Land of Assassins — but every one of those cities belongs to a minor faction the game will not hand you. You can conquer Araby. You cannot be Araby.
Nor is it on its way, which is worth saying plainly, because "when is Araby coming" is the most-asked question about the region:
- Creative Assembly's community team has said there are "currently no plans to introduce Araby to the Total War: WARHAMMER series."
- Principal writer Andy Hall said the same about the other long-requested nations — Nippon, Ind and Khuresh — in blunter language: "not happening anytime soon", and "probably never". He added that he had seen the road map and those nations were not on it.
- The reason sits with Games Workshop rather than with Creative Assembly. Araby never received a full army book, so there is very little official material to build a roster and a faithful campaign from. Grand Cathay is the exception that proves the rule: Games Workshop wrote Cathay from scratch for this game, and a studio cannot repeat that on request.
- Nothing announced for 2026 changes the answer. The next paid pack is Lords of the End Times — Nagash and the undead — covered in the last section of this guide.
The closest the official game gets is Repanse de Lyonesse, whose Bretonnian campaign is fought across those Arabyan cities instead of in Bretonnia. That is her section below, and it is why this guide opens on a screenshot of the Araby coast.
The OvN Lost Factions: Araby mod on the Steam Workshop adds Araby as a full race, with its own legendary lords, units and mechanics, and it has been maintained for years. It is community work rather than Creative Assembly's, and two things follow from that: it is not what "playable" means when a store page uses the word, and a mod of that size can break on any patch — including the large one landing in September 2026.
Choose the best lord for Beastmen
Taurox is the top choice for Beastmen. He combines all the core Beastmen mechanics—including rapid recruitment and devastating campaigns based on burning settlements—with extra features unique to his lord. His momentum mechanic rewards aggressive, fast-paced play as he moves quickly between enemy armies and settlements. This makes his campaign especially enjoyable compared to the more standard expansion-focused factions, and keeps the action constant 0:02. Taurox is available through a DLC that also includes Oxyotl, so you gain access to multiple strong campaigns with one purchase.
Choose the best lord for Bretonnia
Repanse is the recommended Bretonnia campaign pick. Unlike most Bretonnian lords, Repanse begins her journey on the coast of Araby rather than in the heart of Bretonnia. This distant start region brings her into frequent contact with a variety of enemies, forcing you to rely more heavily on lower-tier peasant units and to carefully manage your peasant economy versus military growth 1:29. Her water supplies mechanic adds complexity to movement, especially across desert terrain, challenging you to plan logistics and supplies efficiently. Repanse's unique campaign style and mechanics make her the most engaging pick for Bretonnia.
Choose the best lord for Chaos Dwarfs
Drazhoath the Ashen stands out among the Chaos Dwarfs. Although each Chaos Dwarf legendary lord offers similar underlying mechanics, Drazhoath's position is in the middle of the main Chaos Dwarf wasteland, setting up a direct path to the central power struggle as the campaign unfolds 3:25. He excels at armaments production and increases unit capacity, giving you more flexibility and strength in army composition. His campaign uses all the Chaos Dwarf faction systems—unique settlements, currency, and caravan networks—to their fullest, making for a dynamic and strategically rich experience.
Choose the best lord for the Daemons of Chaos
Daniel is the only named campaign recommendation for Daemons of Chaos. He is presented as the faction's default option, with no strong competitors listed. However, this is a contentious pick—see the notes in the closing section for more detail about limitations.
Choose the best lord for Dark Elves
Kone (Helbronn) is named as the top Dark Elf lord. She best represents the faction's identity, starting in the homeland and emphasizing the capture and use of workers for Death Knights and faction bonuses. Her campaign focuses on military actions using edgy, elite units and taking advantage of Dark Elf rights, dictats, and money farming. These mechanics and her play style are viewed as embodying the spirit of the Dark Elves for players seeking an authentic faction experience.
Choose the best lord for Dwarfs
Malakai is the leading option for Dwarfs. His campaign is unique because his gunship lets him roam the map freely and avoid the typical slow, defensive play style. Instead, you can constantly seek combat, upgrade artillery and war machines through his adventures, and stay engaged with dozens of opponents thanks to his hostile starting area 5:05. Despite this focus on mobility and aggression, Malakai still utilizes core Dwarf mechanics like Ages of Reckoning and the Book of Grudges, providing a well-rounded experience.
Choose the best lord for the Empire
Elspeth von Draken is the standout Empire campaign. Starting within the Empire's territory, she can drive the restoration of the Empire and respond directly to threats. Her Imperial Gunnery School dramatically improves ranged units, making gunpowder armies a central part of your strategy 5:54. Vlad von Carstein serves as the early antagonist, giving the campaign a clear objective. Elspeth's army composition and campaign mechanics make her perfect for players who prefer ranged power and a straightforward campaign flow.
Choose the best lord for Grand Cathay
Yuan Bo is the recommended lord for Grand Cathay. He carries all the core Cathay mechanics—Harmony and The Compass—and adds extra compass directions for expanded strategic options 6:47. Yuan Bo's administration abilities allow you to specialize capital settlements, tailoring your empire's strengths. His dual start gives you a choice between focusing on traditional Cathay or venturing into the New World, making his campaign highly replayable. Transforming into a dragon rounds out his arsenal, making him one of the most complete campaign lords in the game.
Choose the best lord for Greenskins
Grimgor Ironhide is the best pick for Greenskins. He embodies nonstop war and melee combat, with powerful synergy between Black Orcs and melee heroes. His battles generate resources that fuel ongoing military expansion, and his campaign is defined by constant fights, thanks to the enemies surrounding his starting area 7:24. If you want a Greenskin campaign that's all about strength, combat, and victory chaining, Grimgor is the classic choice.
Total War: Warhammer 3 legendary lord tier list for campaigns
This ranks campaigns, not stat lines. A lord is S-tier here because starting as him changes how the game is played, not because he would win a duel with somebody else on the list.
| Tier | Lords | What they share |
|---|---|---|
| S | Be'lakor, Elspeth von Draken, Malakai Makaisson, Yuan Bo, Drazhoath the Ashen | A mechanic that rewrites the campaign loop rather than adding a number to it — rifts, a gunnery school, a flying gunship, a compass, an armaments industry |
| A | Taurox, Grimgor Ironhide, Tyrion, Count Noctilus, Vlad von Carstein, Repanse de Lyonesse, the Sisters of Twilight, Gor-Rok, Arkhan the Black, Karl Franz, Settra the Imperishable | A start with a clear shape and a roster that delivers on it, without a system that changes the genre |
| B | Alarielle, Valkia the Bloody, Archaon the Everchosen, Lokhir Fellheart | Strong armies attached to starts that are slow, crowded, or dependent on you inventing your own objectives |
| Contested | Daniel | The only pick for his race and the least-liked lord in it — see the Daemons of Chaos section above |
Two names in that table usually cause an argument. Karl Franz sits in A rather than S because the Empire's best campaign now belongs to Elspeth von Draken, not because his is bad — plenty of players still open every new patch with him, and the closing section says so. Archaon the Everchosen sits in B for the same reason he headlines the box art: he is the strongest single lord in the game attached to one of the emptiest starts, and an empty start is exactly what a tier list about campaigns has to punish.
Total War: Warhammer 3 faction tier list, ranked
Races rather than individual lords, judged on three things: how deep the roster is, whether the faction mechanic changes decisions or merely adds a bonus, and how well the starts hold up on patch 8.1.
| Tier | Races | Why they land here |
|---|---|---|
| S — complete campaigns | Chaos Dwarfs, Skaven, High Elves, The Empire, Warriors of Chaos | Deep rosters, and a mechanic you are still making decisions about at turn 150 — labour and caravans, under-empire and food, Intrigue at Court, the Imperial Gunnery School, the Eye of the Gods |
| A — strong, with one soft spot | Lizardmen, Grand Cathay, Greenskins, Dwarfs, Dark Elves, Vampire Counts, Kislev, Nurgle, Tzeentch | Everything works and one thing drags — a slow opening, a thin late roster, or a mechanic that stops mattering once you have won the region |
| B — good armies, thinner campaigns | Beastmen, Wood Elves, Tomb Kings, Bretonnia, Vampire Coast, Norsca, Ogre Kingdoms, Khorne, Slaanesh, Daemons of Chaos | The battles are excellent and the campaign around them repeats sooner — usually because the win condition is "keep doing the thing that already worked" |
A B-tier race can hold an S-tier lord, and that is the whole reason the per-race picks above exist. Beastmen sit in B and Taurox is one of the best campaigns in the game. Bretonnia sits in B and Repanse is the most distinctive start any human faction has. The race tier says what the twentieth campaign in that roster feels like; the lord tier says what the first one feels like, and a first campaign is the only one this page is really about.
What Update 9.0 changes on 24 September 2026
Everything above describes the game on patch 8.1.1. On 24 September 2026 the free Update 9.0 arrives alongside the Lords of the End Times pack, and two of its changes will move the rankings on this page rather than simply adding to them:
- The endgame crisis becomes three staged End Times events, with an upgraded Vermintide applying pressure in the middle of a campaign instead of at the end of one. Starts that were quiet for forty turns will not be quiet for forty turns.
- Generic victory conditions are replaced by per-lord objective checklists — levelling particular units, confederating named factions, raising specific landmarks. That is the larger change for a new player: "sit in a safe corner and grow" stops being something the game rewards, which touches several rows of the beginner table above.
- Vampire Counts get a Raise Dead rework that scales with the casualties you take, so an expensive victory refills your ranks and a cheap one does not.
- Nagash headlines the paid pack with the Undead Legions, and Neferata arrives free beside it. New legendary lords are coming for the Empire, the Warriors of Chaos and the Skaven in the same release.
If you are choosing a first campaign in the second half of September, wait for the 24th. Starting the week before means learning a set of victory conditions that is about to be replaced.
Also worth knowing
- Daniel has deep limitations. Many players consider Daniel a poor pick for Daemons of Chaos because he cannot use the full roster of Daemon units or equip magical items. This puts him at a disadvantage and makes him less fun compared to other lords.
- Karl Franz is still a favorite Empire campaign. Despite strong alternatives like Elspeth, players repeatedly return to Karl Franz for his classic campaign flow.
- Repanse's campaign is harder because Wasteland is not habitable. Repanse would be more enjoyable if Wasteland were counted as a habitable climate for her; this is currently seen as a drawback.
- Eltharion is a strong alternative for High Elves. Some players prefer Eltharion's Mistwalker buffs and prison mechanics as a more varied or satisfying campaign than the featured pick.
- Isabella is preferred by some Vampire Counts players. She starts with Vlad as a hero in her army, giving vanguard deployment and hero buffs, making her campaign distinct and arguably more powerful for hero-focused players.
- Victory Conditions Overhaul mod adds variety and bonuses. If you want themed campaign objectives and bigger rewards, this mod is recommended (not balanced, but fun).
- Lokhir is praised for Dark Elf forward expansion. His campaign allows continual Black Ark expansion and unit recruitment near the front lines, making gameplay faster.
- Ghorst is another popular Vampire Counts lord. His zombies become extremely strong, and his campaign has unique economic and movement advantages.
- Drycha is favored by some for Wood Elves. Her centralized economy focus and aggressive options make her campaign enjoyable for players who dislike micromanaging cities.
Accurate as of 22 August 2026, patch 8.1.1. Source: The Best Campaign for Every Faction | Total War Warhammer 3 by Colonel Damneders.
Frequently asked
Is Repanse better than Louen for Bretonnia?
Repanse is the pick here because her campaign starts far from Bretonnia and puts her in a more active part of the map. Her lower-tier unit focus, peasant economy pressure, and water supplies mechanic make the campaign more demanding and more varied. Louen is safer, but safer is not the same as more interesting.
Why pick Vlad over Isabella for Vampire Counts?
Vlad is chosen for the overall campaign feel: strong melee pressure, fast movement for armies, and very durable front-line presence. Isabella can be a strong alternative, especially if you value hero-focused bonuses, but Vlad is the cleaner all-around pick for a first undead campaign. Comments also note that Isabella starts Vlad as a hero in her army, which is a major reason some players prefer her.
Is Daniel still the best Daemons of Chaos lord?
Daniel is the only clear pick for Daemons of Chaos in this ranking, but comments push back hard on that and argue he is the worst lord in the faction. A major complaint is that he still cannot use the full set of daemons or magical items. That makes him a controversial recommendation even if he is the only lord named here.
Who is the best Wood Elves campaign?
The Sisters of Twilight are the pick here because they combine the core wood elf forest loop with extra mobility, powerful items, and strong ranged pressure. They can teleport, cleanse magical forests, and turn Hawk Riders into devastating air power. Other Wood Elf lords can be excellent too, but this one is the broadest package.
What is the best starting position for beginners in Total War: Warhammer 3?
Gor-Rok at Itza, in Lustria. It is the best starting position for beginners because it fails the four things that make a start hard: few land borders, a quiet corner of Immortal Empires, armoured Saurus infantry that forgive a bad deployment, and no faction economy you must read up on first. He also begins with Lord Kroak in the army, whose magic can decide an early battle on its own. Tyrion at Lothern is the close second if you would rather learn a conventional army — Ulthuan is an island, so the only enemies that reach you arrive by sea and you get to see them coming.
Is Araby playable in Total War: Warhammer 3?
No. Araby is on the Immortal Empires map — Al-Haikk, Copher, Martek and Fyrus on the Coast of Araby, and Lashiek in the Land of Assassins — but those cities belong to minor factions the game does not let you take control of, so you can conquer Araby without ever playing it. It is also not on the way: Creative Assembly's community team has said there are currently no plans to introduce Araby to the Total War: Warhammer series, and principal writer Andy Hall said the same about Nippon, Ind and Khuresh, calling them not happening anytime soon and probably never. The reason is that Games Workshop never gave Araby a full army book, so there is very little official material to build a race from. The OvN Lost Factions: Araby mod on the Steam Workshop adds it unofficially, with its own lords and units.
What is the most fun faction to play in Total War: Warhammer?
Fun is the one thing no tier list settles, but the community answer is consistent: the Chaos Dwarfs first, for their labour economy, caravans and a roster of gunpowder and daemon engines, then the Skaven, whose under-empire, food mechanic and gloriously unreliable weapon teams make every campaign different. Grand Cathay is the third name that comes up most, largely for its caravans and the dragon lords. If you want fun with less bookkeeping, Taurox for the Beastmen and Malakai Makaisson for the Dwarfs are the two campaigns on this page that people replay the most.
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