Total War: Warhammer II -- Rakarth campaign guide

Rakarth is a new legendary lord for the Dark Elves, and he's part of a free DLC (FLC) obtained via the Total War Access website. Here's our Rakarth campaign guide to help you with his opening moves, unique campaign mechanics (the Monster Pen), and various tips for your Total War: Warhammer II playthrough. Note: Please be reminded that this guide is based on a Vortex campaign run on very hard (VH/VH) difficulty. Total War: Warhammer II - Rakarth and The Thousand Maws campaign guide Beastlord Rakarth of Karond Kar is the most fearsome Beastmaster among all the Dark Elves of Naggaroth. Atop his Black Dragon, Bracchus, he unleashes ferocious creatures that swarm and consume his foes. The character is even voiced by Iwan Rheon (who played the sadistic Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones). In-game, Rakarth leads The Thousand Maws faction, though he does have an opportunity to confederate with Karond Kar. Anyway, I've split up this Total War: Warhammer II Rakarth guide into multiple parts, so just click on the pages for the mechanics that you need help with: I. Campaign basics II. Opening moves, missions, and tips III. Rakarth's Monster Pen unique mechanic and Convocation of Hunters rite IV. The Whip of Agony: Rakarth's unique item and quest battle Rakarth's campaign mechanics in Total War: Warhammer II Let's discuss the basic mechanics for Rakarth in Total War: Warhammer II's Vortex campaign. Faction and lord bonuses Rakarth has the following perks in the campaign: Faction Effects (faction-wide) Lord Effects (lord's army) Monster Pens: Armies can field various wild beasts +8 melee defense for monstrous units No vigor penalties from raiding stance -1 turn recruitment for monstrous units (minimum of 1 turn) -10% upkeep for all monstrous units Victory conditions Complete all rituals. Win the Vortex campaign's final battle. Starting location and units Rakarth starts Total War: Warhammer II's Vortex campaign in the province of Albion. Although he controls the main settlement (Albion), two others (Troll Fjord and Ice Pack Bay) are held by the hostile Skaelings. Your army has 2x Bleakswords, 2x Dreadspears, 1x Shades, 1x War Hydra, and 1x Reaper Bolt Thrower. You're also accompanied by a Sorceress (Lore of Beasts). She'll become invaluable once you've leveled her up a bit. Rakarth's skills Once you reach level 2, Rakarth gets the quest for his unique item, the Whip of Agony. Meanwhile, at levels 6, 9, and 16, you'll get the Scourgerunner Chariot, Manticore, and Bracchus (Black Dragon) mounts respectively. For his unique skill line, Rakarth has "Carrion Crows" which can be obtained at level 12. It boosts his army's post-battle and raiding income, while slightly increasing the AP weapon damage of Harpies and making them cost no upkeep. You'll eventually unlock the rest: "Free-Range" - +5% replenishment (foreign territory), -10% enemy casualty replenishment, and -8 public order (enemy province). "Breeding Program" - +8 melee attack for War Hydra and Kharibdyss units, "Frost Breath" ability for Kharibdyss units, and the "Abyssal Howl" passive for Hydra units. "Harpyclaw Bolts" - +25% casualties captured after battles, increases the chance that monsters will be added to the Monster Pen, and "Harpyclaw Ammunition" for his army's Scourgerunner Chariots and Reaper Bolt Throwers (these lower a hostile unit's movement speed when hit). "Pack Hunters" - +25% ambush success chance, +3 recruit rank, and the "Stalk" attribute for Cold One Knights, Cold One Dread Knights, and Cold One Chariot units. "Apex Predator" - +10% weapon strength for Black Dragons, +3 recruit rank for monstrous units, and the "Murderous Prowess" passive for monstrous units. "Murderous Prowess" boosts charge bonus, melee attack, AP missile damage, leadership, and vigor. Note: Sadly, none of Rakarth's "red line" skills directly buff monsters that aren't part of the Dark Elf roster by default. Anyway, Rakarth also has some nifty abilities: "Beastslaver" (self buff) - +25% base weapon damage, +25% AP weapon damage, and +16% bonus vs. large. "Beastlord's Gaze" (self/ally buff) - +16 leadership; stops effects of Rampage. "Whiplash" (self/ally buff) - +24% charge speed, +50% weapon damage, +50% AP weapon damage, and +18% charge bonus; targets large entities, so it's perfect for monstrous units. All right, in the next section of our Rakarth Vortex campaign guide, we'll talk about some opening moves, missions, and early-game tips. Opening moves, tips, and missions There are some specific actions that you can do early on in your Total War: Warhammer II Vortex campaign as Rakarth to get some extra Monster Pen units. First, attach the Sorceress to your army and defeat the nearby Skaeling force. You should get a couple of Harpies. Then, switch to raiding stance. You'll obtain a couple of Giant Wolves on your next turn once you do this. Also on your next turn, capture Troll Fjord to get a Feral Mammoth for your Monster Pen. Note 1: I'll discuss Monster Pen units and how to obtain all of them in a separate guide. Note 2: Don't forget to level-up Albion's main building on turn 1. Once it's been upgraded, spend roughly 3,200 gold to construct the Restored Port of Nagronath. Once Rakarth reaches level 2 and the port building is up and running, you'll be able to do the Whip of Agony quest battle. Diplomacy and confederation with Karond Kar My suggestion for turn 1 would be to enact a trade agreement with Cothique and Yvresse. Sure, it's heretical for the Druchii to buddy up with the Asur, but that should keep those two factions off your back for a few turns. Likewise, you can have a trade agreement and a non-aggression pact with Aghol. Oh, and don't bother with the Scourge of Khaine and Chrace. One more thing that needs to be mentioned is that Karond Kar, Rakarth's homeland, is already buddied up with you (with a trade agreement to boot). Sadly you're too far away from it and you don't have visibility on its surroundings. Still, Rakarth does get a mission called "The Dragon & The Kraken." It requires you to amass 2,500 captives in battle within 40 turns. Doing this allows you to confederate with Karond Kar. The problem is that this requirement can take a while to complete even if you're farming rebellions. Worse, Karond Kar often gets triple-teamed by Clan Rictus, Naggarythe, and Tiranoc. I've even restarted my Total War: Warhammer II Vortex campaign a few times, and, unfortunately, Rakarth could only look on helplessly as Karond Kar gets mauled in less than 20 turns. Rakarth's early-game missions Apart from "The Dragon & The Kraken," here are some other missions you'll have as Rakarth: Capture a Skaeling settlement - +1,000 gold and +15 Scrolls of Hekarti. Destroy the Skaeling faction - +2,000 gold and +20 Scrolls of Hekarti. Construct the Restored Port of Nagronath (3,200 gold once Albion reaches level 3) - +2,500 gold; this unlocks the Whip of Agony quest battle. Complete the Ritual of the Tortured Oracle - +2,000 gold. Capture the Shrine of Khaine - +2,000 gold and +13 Scrolls of Hekarti. Construct the Temple of Hekarti - +6 Scrolls of Hekarti. At the start of your turn, have at least 350 Scrolls of Hekarti - +2,000 gold. Moving onward Anyway, let's say you switched to raiding stance at the end of turn 1, and you captured Troll Fjorn on turn 2, that means your Monster Pen should have 2x Harpies, 2x Giant Wolves, and 1x Feral Mammoth already. With these and a couple of extra Dark Elf units, you can go ahead and conquer Pack Ice Bay by turn 4. Make sure you choose "Loot & Occupy" or "Sack" to gain captives, gold, troop replenishment, and a brewing rebellion. From turn 5 to 7, you'll be heading back to Albion to lay the smackdown on that rebel army. Around this time, Cothique and/or Yvresse should break that trade agreement. You can swoop down with your army and capture their settlements in a while. If Eltharion made this mistake, you can beat him down while his forces are done being mauled by Grom the Paunch and Aranessa Saltspite. Alternatively, you can go for the weaker Chrace, though you'd be sandwiched between several High Elf factions including Avelorn/Alarielle. An even riskier idea that has an amazing payoff is beefing up your forces and beelining for Eataine/Tyrion. If you can take him out, you'll prevent him from snowballing towards the mid-game. In any case, try to fight all your early-game battles manually since your Reaper Bolt Thrower, War Hydra, and Feral Mammoth will make a huge difference. Plus, in a short while, you'll even gain more monsters thanks to the Monster Pen mechanic and Whip of Agony quest battle. Total War: Warhammer II is available via Steam. Meanwhile, Rakarth can be downloaded via the Total War Access website.

Total War: Warhammer II — Rakarth campaign guide

Total War: Warhammer II – Rakarth and The Thousand Maws campaign guide

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Total War: Warhammer II – Rakarth and The Thousand Maws campaign guide

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