Lash out and strike down your foes as a master of beasts. Here’s our guide to help you with the Whip of Agony quest battle and unique item for Rakarth in Total War: Warhammer II.
Note: Please be reminded that this guide is based on a Vortex campaign run on very hard (VH/VH) difficulty. You can also check out our main guide for Rakarth’s campaign mechanics and opening moves.
Total War: Warhammer II – The Whip of Agony unique item and quest battle for Beastlord Rakarth
The quest item for Rakarth’s unique item, the Whip of Agony, gets unlocked once the Naggaroth’s fearsome Beastlord reaches level 2. You’ll get these tasks afterward:
- Construct the Restored Port of Nagronath – This upgrade costs 3,200 gold and it requires the main building in Albion to reach level 3 first. Ideally, you’ll be done with the main building on turn 4, and you should still have enough gold for the port upgrade.
- Win the Whip of Agony quest battle.
As for the Whip of Agony quest battle itself, well, you’re fighting Nakai the Wanderer and a bunch of Lizardmen. Let’s just say you’re going to be in for a world of hurt if you’re not careful. However, in my case, I was able to complete this at around turn 12. It’s doable, but it’s a pain in the butt because of those damned dinos and their scaly hides.
The battle takes place on a Black Ark and you’ve got two AI squads to your left and right. Nakai’s forces (filled with several Skink Cohorts, Saurus Warriors, Blessed Kroxigors, and more) will split up to tackle those AI squads first.
This decision actually gives you ample time to prepare. For instance, Nakai and the bulk of his army headed to my right (the right flank), so I moved almost all my units there. My Reaper Bolt Thrower was some distance away just pelting Nakai with single-shot, armor-piercing projectiles.
I immediately rushed Nakai with my Feral Mammoth and War Hydra (making sure to burn the lizards that are clustered together with its breath attack). Rakarth also followed them to engage Nakai in melee combat.
As for spells/skills, Rakarth used “Whiplash” on the Feral Mammoth when it’s about to charge troops, and “Beastlord’s Gaze” in case it went on a rampage near friendlies. Meanwhile, my Sorceress (Beasts) made use of an overcast Wyssan’s Wildform to protect my units (I moved more of my Dreadspears and Bleakswords into the fray around this time).
While all of this was going on, my ranged units just happily shot hostiles. Once Nakai routed, I sent my Giant Wolves and Harpies to harass him.
Oh, and to clarify, a few more things will happen during the Whip of Agony quest battle:
- Reinforcements (i.e., Skink Priests, Razordons, and Salamanders) will pop up from the sides. Since I was covering the right flank, I made sure to bring some of my units to counter their advance. Given that Nakai was already dead at this point, I had Rakarth and the War Hydra meet the reinforcements head-on.
- Your AI ally will, obviously, rout. Thankfully, the troops will still be able to rally and get back into the fray from time to time. Just don’t expect them to carry the day. In this particular case, I used the Feral Mammoth to rush the remaining Skink units until they were stomped to bits. If those units rallied, I backed away so the AI would be the one to engage them.
- The left flank was getting steamrolled, so I had some infantry and ranged units prepare a swift defense. I also moved my Reaper Bolt Thrower behind my lines.
- The funny thing about Rakarth’s Whip of Agony quest battle is that the Lizardmen army on the left flank seems to be more concerned with chasing routing units. Since that side had Scourgerunner Chariots, I saw enemies attempting to run after them before they could target me.
I was able to consolidate my forces and prepare for the Lizardmen’s last gasp. Within a couple of minutes, the battle was over.
The Whip of Agony provides Rakarth with the following benefits in your Total War: Warhammer II campaign:
- +10% campaign movement range, +12% weapon strength, and +8 melee attack.
- All of Rakarth’s attacks cause the “Discouraged” effect which lowers the leadership of enemy units.
- The “Whip of Agony” hex – -24 melee defense, removes terror/fear; this can target large/monstrous units which is perfect for debilitating some behemoths in the game.
Moreover, since the Whip of Agony quest battle takes place at sea, it counts as a “sea battle completion” for 1x Kharybdiss Monster Pen unit. In fact, several Monster Pen units of the Lizardmen dinosaur variety get unlocked as extra rewards. You should get 1x Feral Carnosaur, 1x Feral Stegadon, and 4x Feral Cold Ones in addition to the Kharybdiss.
Lastly, the completion of the quest makes the “Convocation of Hunters” Rite available for use, and it also adds one Black Ark/Fleetmaster to a port settlement’s recruitment pool.
Total War: Warhammer II is available via Steam. Meanwhile, Rakarth can be downloaded via the Total War Access website.
