Total War Warhammer Empire Faction is the one that TW veterans can instantly relate to. Why? Because The Empire is probably one of the most balanced factions in the game when it comes to military, technology, and diplomacy.
Its army composition is primary based on cavalry and artillery with a hint of infantry present as well. In addition to this, there are some units and legendary leaders who prefer magic over anything else.
For more help on Total War: Warhammer, read out our Greenskins Faction Guide, Vampires Faction Guide, and Dwarves Faction Guide.
Total War Warhammer Empire Faction Guide
While playing as the Empire, you start off in Reikland with Dwarves being the natural allies and the Vampire Count and Greenskins as the natural enemies. Our Total War Warhammer Empire Faction Guide details everything you need to know about playing as the Empire in Total War Warhammer.
Total War Warhammer Empire Faction Army Roster
When we talk about the Empire’s army roster, they have a range of infantry, artillery, missile, and cavalry. In addition to this, it also has access to melee warriors and a range of magic capabilities.
Its best infantry unit is named Greatswords which are great for hand-to-hand combat. Halberdiers, on the other hand, are ideal for dealing with cavalry and monsters. While its missile line-up is not top notch, the handgunners allow you to formulate pretty decent defensive lines and also get the job of flanking maneuvers done.
Speaking of cavalry, the Empire has access to Empire Knights, Reiksguard, and the very rare Demigryph Knights. All these units have huge map presence and are not be trifled with.
In addition to this, the Empire also has access to decent missile cavalry. Pistoliers are extremely agile, but take a lot of damage and are rather weak. Outriders are pretty useful for dealing with armored foes, and Grenade Launcher Outriders which are ideal for breaking large infantry formations.
Lastly, coming to artillery and war machines, these are among the best in the entire game as it has something for almost every situation. Mortars not only have excellent range, but deal significant amount of damage.
Cannons deal insane amount of damage against large foes. Helstorm Rocket Battery restrict enemies from advancing, Volley Gun pierces through enemy units, Lumminark of Hysh deals magic damage to large units, and Steam Tank can break down gates, target large foes, and deal melee damage.
Keeping all these things in mind, the Empire has something for almost every situation, but lacks in when it comes to air attacks which is why it is weak to air attacks and flanks.
Total War Warhammer Empire Faction Legendary Lords
The Empire also has two legendary lords to choose from which are explained in this section of the guide.
Emperor Karl Franz
With this lord, you will get two faction-wide benefits. Firstly, it will provide all your characters with campaign movement range of +5% and secondly, it will provide you with -10% upkeep cost reiksguard and greatswords units. As for the starting army, you will get halberdiers, hand gunners, and reiksguards.
Balthasar Gelt
Balthasar Gelt, on the other hand, is a powerful wizard who is capable of transforming his enemies into lifeless gold statues. Just like Karl Franz, he will also provide you with two faction-wide benefits. Firstly, he will provide you with -25% upkeep for Battle Wizard Heroes and secondly, +1 capacity of Battle Wizard Heroes in your empire. It is pretty clear that Gelt is meant for players who are looking forward to getting some magic early in the game.
Factions Counters – How to
When it comes to fighting the Vampire Counts and Greenskins, you need to make sure to protect your artillery. In addition to this, you need to also try to have plenty of Halberdiers in order to deal with those dragons and large monsters, Pegasus knights, and other large units.
However, when dealing with Dwarves, you will not need to worry about large units. But do note that you will need to take advantage of your cavalry units as their artillery will outmatch yours.
How to Play Total War Warhammer Empire Faction: Tips and Strategies
The Empire is one of the most balanced faction in the game. It not only has a range of options at its disposal, but also a number of useful techniques. It goes without saying that the Empire is capable of building a rather strong economy and military which is why it seems fitting that they are surrounded by enemies in almost every direction.
However, returning Total War fans will not take long familiarizing themselves with the Empire and getting out of tough situations. However, while playing as the Empire, you will need to pay special attention to managing your diplomacy.
Coming to primary enemies in the game, you need to be wary of the Vampire Counts. Not only this faction spawn literally on your head, but can also spread corruption within your ranks which can become difficult to deal with.
All in all, if you have played the previous Total War games, you will not take long adjusting to playing the Empire. While there are some new mechanics introduced in Total War Warhammer, if you like playing with spearmen, swordsmen, and deploying cavalry, this is the perfect faction for you to start.
This is all we have on our Total War Warhammer Empire faction guide. If there is something you would like to add to the guide, let us know in the comments section below!
