Total War Warhammer Vampires essentially rely on undead beings to defeat its opposing factions. The faction’s front line is composed of weak units which go down rather easily, but can be reanimated using magic.
Directly behind these enemy units, you will come across some of the Elite units who are capable of going neck and neck with some of the strongest units in the game – across all factions.
For more help on Total War Warhammer, read out our Greenskins Faction Guide, Dwarves Faction Guide, and The Empire Faction Guide.
Total War Warhammer Vampires Faction Guide
In addition to all the things mentioned earlier, the Vampire Count faction is also capable of spreading corruption in the enemy territory which is something it shares with another faction called Chaos.
The spread of corruption in the opposing territory essentially allows it to disturb public order, thus making the expansion a whole lot easier. Our Total War Warhammer Vampires guide details everything that you need to know about how to effectively play as Vampire Count faction in the game.
Total War Warhammer Vampires Legendary Lords
Mannfred von Carstein
Personally, I think Carstein is a tad too powerful in the game. Firstly, coming to buffs, he provides you with +5% movement speed buff and -10% upkeep cost for Grave Guards and Black Knights. While this may sound decent on paper, it does play a significant role during the mid-game scenarios.
This lord can develop into almost anything and his insane base stat allow you to pit him against the strongest of lords and heroes in the game – across all factions. While playing as him, you should either try and improve his Battle Skills by going with The Hunger or improving his Campaign Skills by going with Lightning Strike.
Spirit Leech is definitely a lord/hero killer and Invocation of Nehek provides you with self-sustain and emergency healing. Luckily, Carstein starts out with these without you having to place any points.
All in all, Carstein is a pretty well-rounded leader who is not only capable of fighting in melee, but also using magic. Lastly, do note that he comes with Varghulf, Fell Bats, and Crypt Ghouls.
Heinrich Kemmler
Unlike the other hero, he is not a good fighter, but an insanely brilliant support. With Invocation of Nehek, you need to make sure that you save your Hex Wraiths or you are almost useless. In order to get most out of him, you need to get him The Curse of Undeath and Master of the Dead.
Coming to his buffs, they are better than Carstein, but do not matter much if you manage your economy well during the mid-game. Lastly, coming to his army, it is equipped with Hex Wraiths, Cairn Wraiths, and Dire Wolves.
Total War Warhammer Vampires Key Units
This section details some of the key/notable units at your disposal while controlling the Vampire Count faction:
HexWraiths
This is easily the fastest non-missile cavalry in the game. I recommend these while going against an opponent that has powerful shock cavalry. One of the better things about these units is that they tend to ignore physical attacks and are capable of ambushing enemies from the tree lines.
Terrorgheist
This unit is probably the best thing at Vampire Count’s disposal. She is capable of eliminating monster without batting an eye. Coming to her stats, she is capable of dishing out 70 base damage, 230 armor piercing, and 40 versus large.
Do not let her be the main line charger and rely on Varghulf for filling that role. She absolutely destroys monsters in one-on-one and shines in siege as well.
Varghulf
This powerful unit can annihilate anything in its path. You simply need to make sure that it does not get surrounded by anti-large units and you will do fine. He can also bring down gates without any problems.
One important thing that you need to keep in mind is not to let it charge without a hero or leader next to him since it suffers from low leadership. At low leadership, he will start hurting himself, but is quick to heal if you manage to turn things over quickly.
How to Play Total War Warhammer Vampires: Tips and Strategies
Unlike Greenskins, the Vampire Count is not at all a difficult faction to play. The faction starts off in a relatively safe area which allows it to set up properly and then head out.
However, one important thing that you need to keep in mind is that they lack in when it comes to proper diplomacy which is why map positioning is of paramount importance. Moreover, while playing with this faction, your units will constantly need support from elite units or leadership from lords and heroes.
When we talk about primary enemies, you will have to deal with Chaos and the Empire throughout the course of the game. After you start the campaign, you will have to deal with a rather small Empire kingdom located on the west side and another Chaos kingdom located on the north side.
Since this is unique faction all in all, it is not recommended for everyone in the game. This is meant to be played by players who want something unique and different. While playing with this faction, you will have to be content with weak front-liners, but strong elite units.
This is all we have on our Total War Warhammer Vampires Count faction guide. If there is something you would like to ask? Do make sure to let us know in the comments section below!
