Patch 8.1 baseline: This Total War: WARHAMMER III faction tier list ranks Immortal Empires campaigns on the current PC version, Build 24125400, released July 9, 2026. It is an editorial ranking for a normal single-player campaign—not an official Creative Assembly classification and not a multiplayer leaderboard.
The ranking weighs early-game survivability, economy, army quality, campaign mechanics, access to strong Legendary Lords, and how reliably a faction can expand without requiring expert micro or a specific exploit. Individual Lords can move a faction up or down by an entire tier.
How this WARHAMMER 3 tier list works
This list ranks faction families in Immortal Empires. “Faction” can mean either a race or a Legendary Lord’s campaign, so the table uses the race-level view and calls out major Lord exceptions below.
- S tier: unusually strong, flexible, and forgiving in most campaigns.
- A tier: powerful and reliable, but with a meaningful limitation or steeper learning curve.
- B tier: effective in experienced hands, though their starts, economies, rosters, or mechanics are less consistent.
- C tier: playable and sometimes excellent with the right Lord, but generally more demanding or less rewarding for a blind campaign.
Patch 8.1 matters here because its campaign-AI changes reduce some late-game defensive priorities, reduce defensive priorities for End Game Scenario factions, and slightly increase priorities targeting enemy forces. That should make late campaigns more expansionist and reduce some army clustering and settlement idling. Results from older AI tests should not be treated as direct comparisons with this ranking.
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Immortal Empires faction tier list
| Tier | Faction | Why it ranks here |
|---|---|---|
| S | Warriors of Chaos | Exceptional Lords, elite armies, vassal options, settlement upgrades, and strong momentum once the first enemies are removed. |
| S | Skaven | Under-cities, ambushes, excellent ranged and artillery choices, powerful strategic tools, and several standout Lord campaigns. |
| S | High Elves | Strong economy, diplomacy, dependable ranged units, good settlements, and Lords that can specialize without crippling the wider faction. |
| S | Dark Elves | Excellent income potential, strong ranged and monster rosters, Black Arks, and aggressive campaign options. |
| A | Grand Cathay | Reliable missile and artillery armies, strong settlement infrastructure, trade and harmony tools, and a safer campaign than many neighboring factions. |
| A | Dwarfs | Durable armies, excellent artillery, strong settlement defenses, and dependable late-game scaling, although campaign movement and expansion can be slow. |
| A | Greenskins | Waaagh! momentum, confederation opportunities, strong melee pressure, and good campaign aggression. Their economy and diplomacy are less controlled than S-tier factions. |
| A | Vampire Counts | Powerful magic, free-and-fast undead recruitment, excellent Lord scaling, and no concern about ordinary army casualties. Their early map position can be awkward. |
| A | Chaos Dwarfs | Strong artillery, armor, monsters, labor-based economy, and useful strategic infrastructure. Their multiple currencies and slower setup make them less beginner-friendly. |
| A | Khorne | Outstanding melee armies and campaign momentum through fighting. The faction is simple to understand, but poor decisions about settlement management and enemy positioning can leave it exposed. |
| A | Wood Elves | Excellent ranged damage, fast armies, strong forest bases, and the ability to project power across the map without occupying every province. |
| A | Empire | Flexible combined-arms armies, useful diplomacy, and a broad roster. The campaign is more vulnerable during its opening crises than its final battles suggest. |
| B | Lizardmen | Strong monsters and dependable front lines, but the campaign economy, technology path, and settlement layout are less efficient than the top factions. |
| B | Tomb Kings | Free unit recruitment and powerful constructs scale well, but the opening turns are slow and army capacity limits can delay expansion. |
| B | Vampire Coast | Excellent guns, artillery, ships, and pirate mechanics. The faction is powerful when its roaming and settlement systems are used deliberately, but it does not play like a conventional empire. |
| B | Beastmen | Fast horde-style campaigns, strong monsters, and limited concern about conventional territory. Their unusual economy and battle approach are less forgiving for new players. |
| B | Tzeentch | Exceptional magic, ranged damage, teleport options, and campaign manipulation. The faction can dominate battles but demands careful resource and settlement management. |
| B | Slaanesh | Very strong diplomacy, seduction, speed, and elite melee units. The armies are less forgiving when caught by massed missiles or prolonged defensive battles. |
| B | Bretonnia | Strong cavalry, useful economy, and a clear campaign identity. Peasant limits, cavalry micro, and vulnerable early settlements keep it below the top tiers. |
| B | Kislev | Good hybrid infantry, sturdy defensive units, and valuable hybrid ranged troops. The starting enemies and political pressure make the opening campaign demanding. |
| B | Norsca | Excellent monsters and a rewarding hunt-based campaign, but awkward settlement management and a dangerous opening leave little room for mistakes. |
| C | Nurgle | Attrition, plague mechanics, cyclical buildings, and unusual recruitment can become powerful, but the slow economy and vulnerable early armies require patience. |
| C | Daemons of Chaos | Flexible daemon customization and access to multiple Chaos tools are attractive, but the faction’s broad mechanics can feel less focused and its campaign power depends heavily on setup. |
| C | Ogre Kingdoms | Mobile armies, camps, strong monsters, and impactful charges are fun, but camps are vulnerable and the economy can punish uncontrolled expansion. |
Best factions for different players
Best overall: Warriors of Chaos
Warriors of Chaos are the safest recommendation for a player who wants powerful armies and a campaign that becomes easier after its first successful conquests. Their Lords and unit upgrades give the faction several viable army styles, while vassalization reduces the need to administer every settlement directly.
Best beginner faction: Grand Cathay
Grand Cathay teaches settlement building, diplomacy, combined-arms battles, and defensive positioning without forcing the player into a horde or raiding economy. Its roster covers infantry, cavalry, artillery, monsters, and missiles. It is still important to keep the Harmony system in mind, but the faction is generally more readable than Tzeentch, Nurgle, or Slaanesh.
Cathay should be judged using its current Update 8.0 systems, not older guides. Its technologies are divided into Military and Provinces. Military provides unit and combat improvements, while Provinces focuses on provincial management, economy, and campaign-map actions. The total research time and number of technologies did not change.
Update 8.0 moved the Longma Paddocks from tier V to tier IV, giving Cathay earlier access to Great Longma Riders. The Jade Dragon’s Edict gained Growth; the Iron Dragon’s Edict gained a provincial construction-cost reduction while retaining its Research benefit; and the Sea Dragon’s Edict now increases building income in the province. Update 8.0 also revised Cathay hero skill trees, including those for Gate Masters, Alchemists, and Astromancers.
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The Sky Lantern’s role shifted from sniper toward ranged-unit support: its range and damage were reduced, its projectiles gained an infantry-effective explosion, and it can activate both Yin and Yang Harmony. Its Eye of the Dragon passive now improves nearby allied range and reload speed in addition to leadership. That passive was removed from the Sky Junk, making Sky Lanterns its only source.
Best ranged faction: High Elves
High Elves combine strong ranged units with a stable economy and diplomacy. They are less specialized than some alternatives, which is precisely why they are dependable: a campaign can usually recover from losing one army or one border province.
Best melee faction: Khorne
Khorne is the straightforward choice for players who want to fight constantly. Battles generate campaign momentum, and the roster is built around pressure rather than a complicated firing line. It ranks below S tier because expansion without a plan can expose settlements and create several simultaneous threats.
Best unusual campaign: Vampire Coast
Vampire Coast is a good pick if you want to operate from ships, establish pirate coves, use firearms, and choose when to occupy territory. It is not the strongest conventional empire-builder, but it offers one of the most distinct campaign loops in Immortal Empires.
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Important Lord-specific exceptions
A race-wide tier can hide major differences between Legendary Lords. Examples include:
- Be’lakor makes Warriors of Chaos especially accessible through a powerful starting position and elite Chaos options.
- Imrik turns High Elves into a more aggressive monster-focused campaign and is more demanding than a typical Ulthuan start.
- Thorek Ironbrow changes the Dwarf experience substantially by emphasizing expeditionary play and powerful early artillery-related tools.
- Grombrindal is a more forgiving Dwarf choice than a dangerous frontier start.
- Changeling plays unlike a conventional Tzeentch empire because disguises and hidden operations replace much of the normal settlement campaign.
- Nakai is a horde-style Lizardmen campaign rather than a standard province-building one.
For that reason, use the table to choose a faction family, then check the selected Lord’s start position and mechanics before beginning a long campaign.
DLC and ownership requirements
Immortal Empires is available to owners of WARHAMMER III; owning the first two games is not required. Previous games and DLC unlock their associated races, Lords, and content. The DLC must be owned on the same client as WARHAMMER III—Steam, Epic, or Microsoft/Game Pass. You can purchase WARHAMMER I or II DLC without owning the original base game and still unlock its associated Lords in WARHAMMER III, provided the ownership is on the same client.
There is no in-game menu that generates a faction tier list. Start the campaign through Immortal Empires, then use an external ranking such as this one to decide what to play. Creative Assembly’s official materials document campaign systems, DLC ownership, and patch changes, but do not assign S, A, B, or C tiers.
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Why older tier lists may be misleading
Do not use old rankings without checking their patch. Update 8.0 revised Cathay technology, commandments, hero skill trees, the Sky Lantern, and Longma access. Patch 8.0 also fixed or altered faction-specific behavior involving Chaos Dwarf recruitment visibility, Wood Elf Tree Spirit effects, Elspeth’s Schematics, Khorne’s Violent Hunger, Nakai’s horde-building cost effect, Imperial Supplies Huntsmen, Slaanesh vassal UI, and several AI behaviors.
Patch 7.1 corrected additional Beastmen, High Elf, Norsca, Skaven, and Slaanesh issues, including Beastmen Cockatrice recruitment, Imrik’s dragon encounters, Norscan hunt behavior, Clan Eshin actions, and Slaanesh dance effects. It also fixed a movement exploit involving local recruitment followed by saving, loading, and cancelling recruitment. Some campaign-system changes and display fixes apply only to new campaigns, so a saved game may not behave exactly like a fresh 8.1 start.
FAQ
What is the strongest faction in Total War: WARHAMMER 3 Immortal Empires?
Warriors of Chaos are the strongest general-purpose recommendation in this editorial list. They combine powerful Lords, elite armies, settlement upgrades, and vassal tools. Skaven, High Elves, and Dark Elves are also S-tier choices, depending on whether you value ambushes and ranged tricks, reliability, or aggressive economy.
Is Immortal Empires free with WARHAMMER 3?
WARHAMMER III ownership gives access to Immortal Empires. You do not need to own WARHAMMER I and II. Previous games and DLC are needed only to unlock their associated races, Lords, and content.
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What is the best WARHAMMER 3 faction for beginners?
Grand Cathay is the safest beginner recommendation because it combines strong ranged units, artillery, durable infantry, useful infrastructure, and a relatively understandable campaign. High Elves and Dwarfs are also good choices.
Is this an official Creative Assembly tier list?
No. Creative Assembly does not publish official S, A, B, or C faction rankings. This is an editorial ranking based on Immortal Empires single-player performance, campaign reliability, roster quality, and ease of use.
Did Cathay’s technology tree change?
Yes. Since Update 8.0, Cathayan technologies are divided into Military and Provinces. Military contains unit and combat improvements, while Provinces contains provincial, economic, and campaign-map improvements. Older guides that describe one undivided Cathay technology tree are outdated.
Does Patch 8.1 change faction rankings?
Patch 8.1 changed campaign-AI priorities, especially late-game defense, End Game Scenario behavior, enemy targeting, army clustering, and settlement idling. It does not provide an official faction ranking, but it means pre-8.1 AI campaign tests should not be compared directly with current results.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Choose Warriors of Chaos for the strongest all-round campaign, Grand Cathay for the best beginner experience, High Elves for reliable ranged combined arms, or Khorne for a direct melee campaign. Treat the tiers as a starting point rather than a permanent verdict: Legendary Lord, start position, DLC ownership, difficulty, battle-control skill, and the current 8.1 campaign AI can all change how a faction feels.
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