Summary
The Immortal Empires map inTotal War: Warhammer 3is mammoth in scale. Starting with more than 250 independent factions warring for control,it is easy to be overwhelmed, especially for some of the playable Legendary Lords who start near fearsome foes or at a distinct disadvantage that will slow them down.
Starting location can have a big impact on how quickly factions can get up and running and working as effectively as they should be. Completing a campaign withone of these Lordsis a worthy challenge for the mightiest of generals and may also be a tricky test for new players who are unfamiliar with the ins and outs ofTotal War.
Updated on July 19, 2025, by Connor Hogg:As Creative Assembly adds heaps of new legendary lords to Total War: Warhammer 3 through DLC and free content, they are also changing the start locations and functionality of many of the existing factions. With more lords to choose from, it is only fair to spotlight a few more characters who struggle to get momentum in the early game to warn fans of which campaigns to play carefully. Many legendary lord starting positions in Total War: Warhammer 3 can be hard to get to grips with, but some are arguably more challenging than others.
1Belegar Ironhammer
Victim Of Neighbor’s Snowballing
Despite the strengths that come with playing as the exiled king, Belegar’s start is plagued with setbacks. Until he retakes Karak Eight-Peaks he can struggle to muster a decent number of fighters, and in the meantime, he is beset on all sides by foes who will grow in power as they take out any stragglers nearby.
He starts at Zarakzil, by the Western Border Princes, who will quickly be taken out by the nearby enemies, which will see players fighting off Queek and Ikit of the Skaven, Skrag the Slaughterer from the Ogre Kingdoms, and even a possible early appearance ofthe hated greenskinsthrough Skarsnik or Grom the Paunch. With so many foes all fighting for scraps of land, Belegar will need to rely on shrewd diplomacy and clever restraint to stand a chance.
2Karl Franz
The Quintessential Empire Experience
For players looking for a real challenge that will see them fighting on every front, the Emperor himself is a good start.Karl Franz starts in the Reikland province, with a wealth of friendly options in the Elector Counts and a scary number of threats from every angle.
Franz will likely see the majority of evil factions around him declare war in the first few turns, and watching as each of the elector counts is defeated can be demoralizing. Players will be attacked by Vlad Von Carstein from the East with huge hordes of undead while also having to contend with Festus and his plagues from the North and perhaps even an appearance of Grom the Paunch if gamers get too comfy expanding into the West.
3Tsarina Katarin
Balancing Priorities
Katarin has one of the hardest campaign starts based entirely on her location. Her mechanics make her and her armies fearsome, but the surroundings that she faces are incredibly challenging and will force fans to plan ahead and to focus on priorities in the order that they present themselves as an issue.
Kislev is surrounded by Norsca running raids around the territories, masses of Orcs in the East, Vlad and his zombies in the South, and the stealthy armies of Clan Moulder in the North. If players take too long to take out any of these foes, the others will grow in strength and can eventually lead to a full chaos invasion by Archaon, Norsca claiming player settlements and cutting off income, or being ravaged by the Vampire Counts. Kislev players will have to be careful and crafty as their nearest allies can be wiped out as part of an invasion force meant for Katarin herself.
4Prince Imrik
Avoiding A Pile On
Imrik starts very separated from his High Elf kin. While other Lords can make allies quickly, Imrik can struggle to find a place amongst the enemies that start all around him, many of whom have a slight edge against him. He begins in the East, to the South, dangerously close to Ku’Gath, who can sweep up to infect lower settlements.
Skaven swamp the area to the North and the West, with Tretch Craventail and Queek Headtaker both within attacking distance. A little further away, Imrik can even beattacked by Vampire Counts, roaming Ogres, and the might of the Chaos Dwarves. This constant battle to assert himself on the map will mean lots of lost settlements and a struggle to get a good economy to fund never-ending battles in every direction. It may be best for players to take a province and then hunker down in defense.
5Arkhan The Black
Being Overextended Becomes A Problem
Arkhan the Black starts an Immortal Empires campaign in the south near the western coast of the large desert. This gives him room tooverextend himself at the beginning of the game, and he will quickly find himself at war with Dwarf war machines, Bretonnian cavalry, and even other Tomb Kings as they start to eclipse players in power.
Players' starting armies are horde units that are effective against slow-moving enemies, but Arkhan will often be fighting against fast and evasive armies that have very high armor. The distance between settlements will also pose a threat, leaving wide stretches of the starting province undefended if Arkhan ever manages to expand.
6Malagor The Dark Omen
Sandwiched Between Two Powerful Foes
Malagor leads a Beastmen faction from the Badlands, which means a squabble between a huge swathe of armies grappling for enough power to conquer the whole region. Malagor’s empire works best when raiding and razing for income and aggression, but this chaotic start will force the Beastmen into a defensive position where they will have to eliminate the weakest one at a time until they are a force to be reckoned with.
Malagor’s armies are incredible melee combatants, but players will find themselves sandwiched between two of the most effectivemelee-focused armiesin the game, Skarbrand’s Khorne faction and Wurzag’s Orcs. Developing a strong midgame can often be slowed or halted entirely by these long wars of attrition. In some cases, Malagor’s best option is to retreat far away enough to start over and build up elsewhere.
7Grombrindal The White Dwarf
Tough To Get Armies Up And Running Quickly
Grombrindal, the White Dwarf of legend, is a powerful leader who is stunted by his empire’s position in Immortal Empires. He finds himself fighting Skaven as his first main opponent, but these enemies will quickly be joined by the Dark Elves of Naggarond. Add to this the consistent aggression of Valkia and her Khorne units razing undefended claimed land, and Grombrindal can find it quite hard to get his armies up and running and can especially struggle with his economy.
His faction is one of themost straightforward Dwarf factions to play, with strong backline artillery pieces that can shred slower enemies; the majority of his first enemies are much too fast. Valkia is an incredibly powerful lord that can fly into one’s backline to disrupt a whole formation. Grombrindal’s best chance is to hunker down into a defensive position until there is a weak enemy that he can move into and expand inch by inch.
8Mannfred Von Carstein
Neighboring Factions Can Counter His Units
Mannfred is a lord who had much more early-game ability in previousTotal Wartitles. His starting army is quite small, and the low winds of magic inTotal War: Warhammer 3mean that his early game suffers from a lack of powerful spells. His starting opponents are likely to give him a lot of trouble, with Volkmar starting to the player’s west with an Unbreakable army that counters the units that should normally inflict fear.
Volkmar’s army also quickly has access to flaming attacks that are particularly strong against Mannfred’s undead forces. As Mannfred expands, he will be fighting Dwarfs and Lizardmen, perhaps even the Tomb Kings and Khorne. Each of these factions excels in wiping frontline infantry - players will be fighting an uphill battle with low armor and low-damage horde units that will struggle against highly armored enemies.
9Ku’gath Plaguefather
Ghorst & Imrik Will Make Gaining Momentum Difficult
Another Legendary Lord who begins near a faction that acts as a hard counter to all the player’s abilities is Ku’gath. The Plaguefather begins in an isolated position and, as players emerge, will be opposed by Helman Ghorst. Ghorst isone of the most powerful leaders, with necromantic abilities that can quickly outpace Ku’gath’s army. Ghorst’s faction ability negates poison damage, making Nurgle’s special skills useless against his forces.
The next enemy that is likely to enter the fray is Imrik, who brings with him plenty of fire damage from his dragons that will do additional damage to Ku’gath because of his regeneration ability. All of this serves to slow down a faction that already struggles to build momentum due to the Nurgle cycle mechanic, making the first 25 turns a slog of slow factions bashing against each other until Ku’gath can force a victory.
10Lord Mazdamundi
Multiple Fronts Make Solidifying Gains A Hassle
Starting with a fairly low-power army, Lord Mazdamundi can struggle to get started on the Immortal Empires map. While he doesn’t start in a particularly crowded area, the main foes around him are very powerful and will move in when Mazdamundi is weak or leaves a settlement unguarded. Norsca and Slaanesh will be the first opponents and will bring more effective frontline units until the Lizardmen economy starts to build. Any expansion only reveals more enemies,pitting the Lizardmen against Skaven, Orc, and Dark Elf factions.
Mazdamundi is forced to choose one front to fight on while taking heavy losses and potentially losing a lot of land to the front that he ignores. If any nearby factions are left for too long, they will grow in power and snowball with all their gathered momentum, able to crush Mazdamundi and his weak starting units before the Lord is given a chance to fund more expensive soldiers. If the Empire also decides to declare war, Mazdamundi can simply be left behind in the race for power due to constantly having to defend and fight in long, drawn-out wars all across the campaign map.
