Creative Assembly seems to have been topping themselves with these recent announcements. First, there was the Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC for Total War: Warhammer 2. That was well-received by fans owing to the representation of a minor faction in the Warhammer Fantasy Battles tabletop. Then came the introduction of Cylostra Direfin, a completely original Legendary Lord made from scratch.
Many fans asked why a certain character — one who focused on naval combat and plundering the seas — went unmentioned. Well, fret no more because he’s here: Lokhir Fellheart. Fellheart is known as the Krakenlord and master of the waves among Dark Elf slavers and corsairs. He’ll be part of the “Aye-Aye” free update to Total War: Warhammer 2. Oh, and this patch will also include the new Bloodlines mechanic for the Vampire Counts.
Lokhir Fellheart’s in-game depiction in Total War: Warhammer 2 looks just about right compared to his tabletop counterpart. Image from FleshcraftKitBash on DeviantArt.
Lokhir Fellheart Sails For The Dark Elves
At first glance, Lokhir Fellheart’s skills look ridiculously powerful. That’s because rather than enacting a Rite to summon Black Arks (gigantic mountains of Dark Elf ships), he can just recruit them from major port settlements that he captures. He also gains a bit of synergy with bonuses to Slave Pens and Slave Markets and Black Ark Corsairs.
Rather than the Black Ark Rite, Fellheart’s Sacrifice to Anath Raema — the Dark Elves’ Goddess of the Savage Hunt — will provide the “Stalk” and “Cause Fear” perks for his Corsairs, bonus armor-penetration with missile attacks, and more armor for the monstrous Kharybdiss unit. Fellheart looks to be the perfect Dark Elf Legendary Lord for plundering and raiding!
Courtesy of Reddit user Nyrlogg.
Vampire Counts Bloodlines
It’s not just the Dark Elves and the Vampire Coast getting some love. The Aye-Aye update will also see a major change with the Vampire Counts faction. A new mechanic known as Bloodlines will add flavor to Mannfred, Vlad, and co.
The Vampire Counts faction in Mortal Empires — that means Total War: Warhammer 2 only and not including the first game — can awaken three Arch-Lords from each of the five main Vampiric Bloodlines. They are:
- the Von Carsteins – Mannfred and Vlad; the ones most closely remembering Hollywood Dracula
- the Blood Dragons – Abhorash and The Red Duke; basically vampire knights
- the Strigoi – descended from Ushoran; more beast than undead human
- the Lahmians – Neferata; web-weavers and secret plotters
- the Necrarch – W’soran; malformed yet well-versed in arcane arts
These Arch-Lords will have their own skills and bonuses depending on the focus of their respective Bloodline. Awakening them can be done via Blood Kisses obtained from vassalizing other factions, killing leaders, or hero actions. However, the price will be higher for each successive Arch-Lord that you awaken from the same Bloodline.
Lastly, the treacherous necromancer Heinrich Kemmler will have his own separate faction. He’s left the services of the Vampire Counts, as befitting his lore in Warhammer Fantasy Battles. He’ll now start near Bretonnia, perfect for recreating his and Krell’s advances into La Maisontaal Abbey. Kemmler will also be able to summon Arch-Lords from the various Bloodlines.
What’s Next For Total War: Warhammer?
Lokhir Fellheart and the Aye-Aye patch, along with the new Bloodlines mechanic for the Vampire Counts will be up and available on November 8 — and you can check it out in the Steam page as well. That’s the same day that the Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC for Total War: Warhammer 2 releases.
These developments are sure to excite many Warhammer fans not just due to the introduction of old favorites, but because of a re-vamp (pun intended) of an Old World faction from the first Total War: Warhammer game. Likewise, since we’re seeing the various Bloodlines mentioned, there’s a small glimmer of hope that we would eventually see Neferata, Ushoran, Abhorash, and other named lords entering the fray.
