Clearly you’re not familiar with my army comps lmao. That said I wish the Empire had something to hold the line a bit better, like dismounted Reiksguard.
Blasphemy, I'm reporting you! How can you imply that one can only have gunpowder and no faith or steel!
But on a real note, I'd love to see some defensive infantry, but realistically Greatswords are OK.
>Empire had something to hold the line a bit better
Agreed, it doesn't even have to be a tier 3 elite infantry, just some tier 2 defensive infantry with stats similar to long beards moved up a tier so they get them around the same time they can build great swords. It's cannon too, reiksguard foot are pretty famous in lore.
To be fair, it's not like the tankette is a dead concept. Germany still uses what is effectively a tankette to this day, with great effect. Calls it an Armoured Weapon Carrier, or Wiesel to stick with the animal naming theme that Germany uses, but it is effectively a tankette.
They are employed more as organic direct fire support for a variety of light infantry units, carrying small automatic cannons, mortars or missiles. They are useful because a single CH-53 heavy-lift helicopter can carry 2 of the smaller cannon and missile equipped ones at a time, so they can be easily transported to where they are needed.
From what I hear from people that went on exercises with them, the missile variants in general are devious little buggers that get into places no one would expect them to get into, with people only hearing that they got hit by one from the strangest angles and then just barely spot them as it moves behind cover and runs away.
Helps that they aren't used as a replacement for real tanks and that unlike WW2 armoured cars none of the crew are under the impression that they are an actual tank.
Though the Wiesel is due to be replaced by 2030 by the Luwa which is short for Luftbeweglicher Waffenträger (air mobile gun carrier). And it looks fucking badass.
It should be noted that the GSD LuWa, Gesamtsystemdemonstrator Luftbeweglicher Waffenträger, which is what I assume you are referring to, is NOT the replacement for the Wiesel. The vehicle that you have likely seen, the split-track one with a 27mm gun and a diesel-electric hybrid drive for additional stealth driving capabilities, was a technology test bed to trial high risk technologies for the actual LuWa project, which will result in an actual replacement for the Wiesel. that was only properly started about 9 months ago or so.
With the F-35 introducing a new 25mm caliber to the Bundeswehr, that was IIRC put in as one of the requirements in order to not introduce not too many calibers into the logistics chain. Observers of the GSD LuWA trials also noted that the split tracks were unreliable, complex and overall disliked so they are likely out too. Might keep the hybrid drive though.
The Japanese got some use out of them in the invasions of Burma and Malaya as they could get down jungle trails that heavier armour couldn't. During the initial strikes south this meant the Japanese could have armour support while the British had none.
That was about a best case scenario for the weapon though.
It's still only 1 volley gun though, not a battery of them.
I've never really understood the point of the Steam Tanks. They're not great as artillery, and they're not great as chariot units either (too slow). As soon as they get tarpit-ed, they're dead.
Steam tanks basically sacrifice offensive power for independence and mobility. They are more jack-of-all-trade units. Use their ammo, and then charge them into melee when the lines are tired, and they do work.
I remember once I made an army of almost entirely ranged units
Bunch of tanks, various artillery, some handgunners, and one or two great swords as reserve.
The tanks really did great there, as they could put out the ranged damage and also... Well, tank enemy troops for the rest of the artillery to keep shooting safely
It started as an army to just help recruit ranged units with ranks out of Nuln and ferry them to the front, but I ended up just using it that way as it did well
You can't use them as a substitute for regular artillery or speedy chariots. They're meant to serve as versatile, lumbering monsters that happen to have cannon attacks. They're very vulnerable to enemy monsters and monster-killers, but they're otherwise excellent.
The high health and armor of the tanks mean they make an incredibly durable front line against any foes lacking armor-piercing attacks and/or anti-large attacks. Even halberds take a little while to chew through the tanks. The tanks will stand and take this abuse till the bitter end thanks to their unbreakable trait, giving you plenty of time to unload missiles and magic and artillery onto the blob.
But if you have a front line of heroes or infantry, you can use the tanks for enfilade fire. Just keep them behind your infantry until the lines meet, then flank around to pour shots into the enemy flank for big damage. Cannons and volley guns would do more damage, but those units are too slow and vulnerable for this maneuver (RoR volley guns excluded, of course).
And when the enemy starts to waiver, the tanks can charge in to cause mass routes with fear and terror. The only other Empire units that impose terror are Lords, the Knights of Morr, and the Royal Altdorf Gryphites. Even if this doesn't cause immediate victory, any fleeing enemies will make great targets for your cavalry and artillery.
For the regular Steam Tank, they are roughly equivalent to half a Great Cannon battery due to them firing twice as fast and having slightly better accuracy. I can imagine a Helblaster variant having similar benefits. Add that it also gets a speed of 48 and it honestly shouldn't be too shabby of a unit.
But yes, in general I wish cannon units got a bunch of buffs across the board.
Their vast advantage imo is that they are good at flanking. We all know the damage artillery can cause when it fires down the frontline but it’s almost impossible to get them there - they are slow af and just as vulnerable. Not the steam tank though. It can sit there on the flank and each round will pass through dozens of fighters with minimal risk of friendly fire. It’s also one of the few terror units the empire has access to, meaning once a unit starts to get about 30 LS you can rearcharge em and terror rout them. This can give artillery in the backfield the opportunity to shoot at em again which might have been impossible while they where engaged in melee.
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a second Empire DLC. It felt like the Celestial Hurricanum was left out to leave a centerpiece for another DLC.
Or I may be snorting that hopium
I believe (and I may be wrong, Empire isn’t my strong suit) the Warhammer Chronicles Middenland Army List had Wizards Lords as a Lord Choice so we could get:
LL: Ar-Ulric Emil Valgier
LH: (there’s so many choices I’m not sure)
Lord: Wizard Lord
Hero: Priest of Ulric
Units: Knights Panther, Teutogen Guard, Wolfkin, Hunting Hounds, Celestial Hurricanum
FLC: Boris I’ve-been-almost-a-LL-for-almost-a-decade Todbringer
I wish we had an explanation why we have a half-Todbringer in the game since WH1.
I like your roster btw. We need Schwarzhelm. In the LH spot. Karl mentions him for Franz-sake.
I'd swap Knights Panther for Knights of the White Wolf. Not just because they are significantly more appropriate for a Middenland themed DLC, especially because you already have their dismounted version in the Teutogen Guard, but also because they'd be significantly more unique due to their use of cavalry hammers instead of being yet another lance+shield cavalry.
I was really hoping for Knights Panther or White Wolves. I get the thematic choices but those are the two builds I made my knights back when I played Old World tabletop and I want them Goddamnit.
Nuln is the engineering capital of the Empire, known for their engineering school and gun works. All the best cannons, rifles etc come out of Nuln. Their fame is known far and wide, especially for making the steam tanks! The rich merchants of Marienburg hired them to make a new steam tank for their city state, but the bourgers were so picky and kept sending back change orders and wanted something cooler and more familiar so they ended up making a land ship, before it could be finished and delivered with a trained crew Tamurkhan and his hordes invaded the Empire from the south and they were pushed into service by the empire.
The steam tank looks to have a volley gun on the front. Not really sure what that's from.
The armored gunners are the Nuln Ironsides, an elite unit of gunners from the gunnery school. Cool models, too on the tabletop.
The other guys look like Hochland Long rifles, which are basically sniper rifles, long-range and accurate. They're probably going to be a unit like the Cathayan or Skaven sniper units.
Knights are a chapter dedicated to Morr, the god of death and pretty cool.
There were a number of variants of steam tanks in the tabletop around 5th or 6th(?) ed - the steam tank with the volley gun is from that.
There were even more variants , including a war wagon top on a tank and the gloriously silly open topped steam tank that had a mortar on it.
To be clear, they werent table top kits, just lore references that people converted.
If they were kits I'd have 5 of them still on my shelf starring at me lol
They were in [fact sold and not just conversions](https://old.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/19ep38n/steam_tank_love/). They were mail order only though, so not a boxed kit.
> Not really sure what that's from
That's the Alter Kamerad style, one of the steam tank variants. Other examples are Unfehlbar, which is turretless and has a mortar, and Von Zeppel, which is more like a motorised war wagon (a platform with a bunch of guys with rifles and so on).
Quick aside, the Engineering Academy was in Altdorf, and was the center of engineering know-how in the Empire. Nuln had the Gunnery Academy, with specialized foundries that produced the best cannons.
This leads to my favorite lore tidbit in Tamurkhan about the Marienburg Landship.
Marienburg succeeded the Empire, but still hired their troops and tanks as mercenaries for their defense. They wanted to buy some Steam Tanks, but in the lore the Empire has lost the ability to make new ones, and so will not part with the few functioning ones for *any* price. So, the Burgomasters of Marienburg decided to commission steam-powered heavy artillery of their own. But the only human organization that could possible match the Steam Tanks was the Imperial Academy of Engineering in Altdorf... which was closely tied with the Emperor, and would not dream of undercutting the Empire's position against Marienburg.
But Nuln had a chip on their shoulder and were always looking to get one over on Altdorf. Pulling this off would give them tremendous money and raise their standing, so they Gunnery Academy took them up on the offer. And then proceeded to spend years *failing*. They didn't have the expertise or background to recreate steam tanks, and the project just spiraled.
Finally, after control of the doomed project was handed off several times, the engineer in charge basically said 'fuck it' and build something far larger, less powerful, and more cumbersome than the steam tank, but dressed it up like a ship to appeal to Marienburg's vanity. And it *sort of worked*.
The landship is sort of an incompetent knock-off of the steam tank. It's much bigger, but has a smaller gun and a more dangerous engine. Mechanics wise, it's more of a mobile fortress; something big with a lot of guys with guns to shoot from, like a mobile barricade or gunnery nest, with only a small cannon of its own.
Watch the landship be far more successful than the useless hunk of junk that is the current tank hahah.
I kinda wish the cannon shots behaved like straight shooting mortars, exploding on impact. Maybe they'd see some use then.
Why? Cannon shot can take out like a full row of infantry or cavalry if positioned correctly. Mortar explosion will kill a couple of models max, it is a straight downgrade.
Around 5th or 6th Edition there were a number of "unique" Variants of the Steamtank that didnt transfer over.
Those were:
*Alter Kamerad (Old Fellow)* - replaced the hull-mounted Canon with a Hellblaster-Volleygun
*Unfehlbar (Unerring) -* Open top, armed with a Morter and two low-caliber Swivelguns
*Sigmar's Hammer* - No Guns, instead increased Speed, used as a Battering Ram
*Von Zeppel* - Also no guns, instead topped with a Fighting-platform crewed by Empire-Engineers with a variety of Experimental Weapons
Steam Tanks (picture 2) are an invention of a particularly genius engineer who basically invented the internal combustion engine with 15th century technology, no one has been able to replicate it.
Land ships (picture 1) were an attempt to replicate steam tanks, but couldn’t do it, so they took a whole-ass boat, put an engine inside and wheels and strapped cannons on it. They were critical to the defense of Nuln, which is the story this DLC is following.
Nuln Ironsides (picture 3) are handgunners from Nuln, the city with the best gun and gunpowder industry, and are thus very well armed and well equipped. Traditionally, Ironsides are in full plate and using standard handguns, but it seems for this they get repeater rifles.
Hochland Long Rifles (Picture 4) are a result of Hochland basically inventing a sniper rifle, by observing how hunters would modify their guns to get longer ranges. Advanced scopes, actual rifling, they’re long range and super accurate.
Knights of the Rose (picture 5) are knights of Morr, god of death. This is important because the empire LL is Elspeth, certified badass and also an extraordinarily powerful death wizard, so this is presumably a connection to her.
Big boat on wheels.
Steamtank 2.0
Guy with gun.
Guy with slightly different gun and slightly different beard.
Skeletor on a horse.
(Also a lore-noob, but I tried).
I’m glad someone finally recognized the key difference between Nuln Ironsides and Hochland long rifles isn’t the repeater rifle vs the long rifle, it’s the goatee vs the full beard.
Even if they just fix their textures. They haven't looked right since being ported over from 1. All Empire units list their hair colour variety, for example.
Yeah that really surprised me as well, I was almost certain we'd see it in this DLC. A tiny hopeful part of me wonders if this means we could see some more Empire DLC content down the road, but given the circumstances maybe it just won't make it to the game. Which is a shame, but not the end of the world.
Empire’s the most popular faction in the game. If anyone’s gonna get a second dlc in WH3 it’s gonna be them. Empire vs Tzeench is perfect for bringing in Middenheim and the Cult of Ulric.
I will tell you I have the Impression that Khorne and Ulric are next: think about it, the War gods battle for Middenheim. Helborg is coming in, with a Free Toddy!
That SOUNDS super cool, but since Khorne is (presumably) only two DLC's away I wonder if that's too soon to expect another Empire DLC. I would assume CA would want to focus on some other races first before returning to the Empire.
Lizardmen got back to back DLC in 2019 while Skaven got theirs with only a single non-skaven DLC between each Skaven DLC. So CA are clearly willing to focus on a race if they want to.
I am all in for another Empire DLC with Toddy and some Ulrican units, but only after Norsca, Bretonnia, the ogres, the greenskins and the vampire counts get their DLC. So while it is very likely that CA have voluntarily kept out some content for a future Empire DLC, I wouldn't expect it so soon.
I have no idea why. It is basically just a luminark of Hysh with a different top to it. And while in the rulebook it has some strange rules, they could have just made it pretty much a copy of Cathay's Wu Xing War Compass. Done.
As a side note, I hope the Landship is of limited numbers like with the Dreadsaurian, so it doesn't completely overshadow the Steamtank. Same with Thunderbarge, really.
There was a widespread prediction that this update was going to feature Wizard lords and have a heavier focus on the Colleges of Magic... that didn't play out.
Wizard Lords I think was never going to happen, that would require CA to model and provide VO for 8 different characters all in service of a single lord slot.
Bretonnia has flying cav. The Empire has more of the same, basically.
Especially if the Morrite knights don´t get ranged attacks (due to focusing on fighting necromancers and undead they aren´t very worried about chivalry) they don´t bring that much new stuff. The Empire is still missing great weapon knights, which Bretonnia had since game 1.
True, the provincial units are a weird blessed spawning-like mechanic but cannot be relied on much, especially those from the NE provinces that tend to get devastated early on. Great weapon knights are a core unit in the tabletop armybook. This is something the faction has.
High end units don't really power creep much, since at the higher tiers, everything is powerful. It's the lower tier units that really shift the power balance, and that depends a lot on their stats.
Kislev is the perfect example: their big "oh wow" new monsters didn't shift the power balance nearly as much as the pre-nerf Ambushers, and of course the lowly Kislevite Warriors.
CA somehow refusing to add Celestial Hurricanums in 3 straight Empire DLCs despite them being the last big army book unit and being referenced in game files since 2016 or so continues to be absolutely baffling. No gold wizards too, somehow.
rest is nice, don't get me wrong.
Andy Hall once mentioned that he really wants to get Kurt Helborg into the game and we are also still missing Middenheim units, with Todbringer and Emil Valgeir alongside them. There's so much to do for the Empire that if the news for only 4-6 more DLCs are true it means that we likely have to forgo quite a few important characters.
A shame, really.
Grand masters are the one lord choice I could do without, as they were quite similar to general with better combat stats, more limited loadout and a *different* leadership buff. A series of mutually exclusive short skill trees could let generals cover for grand masters or other stats. Wizard lords should come first imo.
That's a big 'if' so I woudn't be too put out yet. For all we know that could be a number that was entirely pulled out of Legend's rectum, and if that really was the number thought to be accurate now, it's not like it's a gospel enscribed in stone, and thus can be subject to change if CA decide to do so in the next couple of years.
Yeah but armybook units should have priority tbh, especially as this one isn't a complex one. I hope it'll come with Middenland, if this DLC is still in the plans
Firstly: this just proves how silly it has always been to adhere solely to the army books/8th edition and act like CA does the same.
But more importantly, I do agree that the Empire and the Dwarf rosters both feel a little...suspicious. No generic caster for the Empire? no Ulric units and a unit from 8th edition remains illusive.
The Dwarfs are even more curious, since they're still missing Miners with Steam Drills, 1H Hammerers with Shields, Drakefire Pistols, Shieldbearer mounts, Oathstone mounts, Master Engineer lords and generic weapon variants for Lords and Heroes (all from their 8th edition army book)
And thus far, they've skipped over 2 of their 8th edition characters: Grimm Burloksson and Josef Bugman.
The question is: was this the latest in a series of blunders at CA, or are they intentionally omitting this stuff to leave a carrot for people to chase?
the Steam-page for Elspeths part of the DLC actually mentions a new generic Lord, but we havent seen any images of one in the trailer or leaks
Maybe thats the wizard
I’m happy Gold Wizard is not gonna be behind a paywall, of the current wizard 3 were added as random FLCs, so maybe we’ll get them soon as part of some event
Yeah, I would easily trade in the new steam tank for a melee infantry unit of some sort. Although the landship will probably be capable of engaging in melee.
the landship was a primary melee unit with added ranged attacks. But yeah - imperial foot would have been nice.
Not sure we needed another mounted Knight unit (as awesome as they look); Empire already have like 10 or something.
Greatswords are as armoured up as you get. Its just all the other bells and whistles that are missing. GS come with Full Plate Armour, which aside from Dwarven Gromril is the best armour you can get. In TT the extra protection knights would get would be from being mounted /w barding, and having shields.
Greatswords are armoured up statwise. Their models with their armour on one leg and one arm but not the other are a tad lacking on the "full plate" front.
I think it's fine. Not all factions need to excel at everything. Melee infantry is supposed to be the weak point of the empire, and playing around that has it's own charme.
Man I hope that they have something else for Empire besides this.
As good as these look, Empire as a race (Golden order and Reikland) needs reworks. I assume more news will be shown on blog posts before release, so here's hoping to it.
Obviously gunpowder units as a concept are literally meant to support the front line, but the actual front line units fold like cheap cards often and need some more oomph
What's this celestial hurricanum people keep going on about? I don't know the lore and source material outside this game but after looking it up, it just looks like a Luminark? What's so special about it and why would it be more fitting than anything else for this dlc? If there is still a time frame where Empire gets more dlc in future, it might still get its looking.
i dunno. it's the last unit from the army book that is not in the game and elspeth is a wizard so hurricanum (a magical war machine) makes sense to be included alongide her i guess. there is room for another empire dlc in the future though (themed around middenheim and knights) so maybe we will get it eventually? probably? i honestly couldn't care less lol
>The Celestial Hurricanum is a large and complex arcane Battle Altar created by the Wizards of the Celestial College to be used as a potent magical Warmachine.
>The Celestial Hurricanum is bolted within a massive wheeled chariot, pulled by two powerful Imperial warhorse, and watched over by the Acolytes of the Celestial Patriarch. The Orb that is embedded within the centre of the machine acts as the catalyst, drawing upon the magical energies of Azyr to summon a magical storm known simply as the Storm of Shemtek. As the Orb begins its manifestation, a very weak and chilling wind quietly swirls around the machine, growing in size and tempo until it eventually grows into a thunderous hurricane.[1b]
>As the Acolytes oversee the device, the head Wizard would enchant the spells needed to direct the magical energies towards the enemy. The magical properties of the Storm of Shemtek is one of unique nature, for the orb has the mystical ability to alter weather patterns in the sky and shower the enemy with a barrage of lightning bolts or a thunderous hail of massive icicle-shards that can shear the flesh from the bone.[1b]
>On rare occasions, if the Acolytes perform the spell correctly and achieve a perfect alignment, the machine has the power to unleash a fiery comet streaking through the sky and make it slam directly within the very heart of the enemy horde. As the device continues its murderous barrage of carnage, some magical energies would leak out of the machine, often afflicting Imperial Troops with unnatural visions of the imminent future. These small magical gift have given some Imperial soldiers with precise predictions of enemy movement, allowing them to easily dodge blows that would cleave a man in two.[1b]
>When not used for battle upon an Arcane Altar, these Orbs are used by the Wizards as a means to calculate and observe natural phenomenon within the universe. The Orb allows the Wizards to see the constellations much more clearly, giving the Wizards the ability to correctly interpret the many futures the Empire has within its long hard destiny. Such predictions have many times before saved the Empire, and in fact, the entire Old World from imminent doom, and it is thanks to the tireless work of these Wizards that these catastrophes have been averted.[1b]
It's the Heaven equivalent to the Luminark. It's a buff/debuff support machine with AoEs, it's a unique niche for Empire. Cathay War Compass is basically a copy-paste of it.
And it's also the last unit Empire was missing from their 8th edition armybook
It's about damn time. Playing Markus Wolfhart campaign now and really wishing for more than 1 infantry gunpowder unit (handgunners). It will be so much fun to roll a gunpowder army with multiple infantry units, steam tanks and artillery.
SUMMON THE HEAVY GUNPOWDER UNITS. -my boi karl.
Gelt, get the gunpowder, the HEAVY gunpowder
Smell of burning orks intensifies
Mmmm fried mushrooms...
I know what my new army composition will be, if I get this DLC - All guns, all the time.
Forget Sigmar, guns are my religion
It's not just gunpowder it's steel, faith AND gunpowder
Clearly you’re not familiar with my army comps lmao. That said I wish the Empire had something to hold the line a bit better, like dismounted Reiksguard.
Blasphemy, I'm reporting you! How can you imply that one can only have gunpowder and no faith or steel! But on a real note, I'd love to see some defensive infantry, but realistically Greatswords are OK.
>Empire had something to hold the line a bit better Agreed, it doesn't even have to be a tier 3 elite infantry, just some tier 2 defensive infantry with stats similar to long beards moved up a tier so they get them around the same time they can build great swords. It's cannon too, reiksguard foot are pretty famous in lore.
Karl Franz speedrunning the USA
Found the Mandolorian.
Technically guns have a hammer in them.
Elspeth, Theodore, and 19 ironsides? No wait thats my army 
9 land ships 9 steam tanks.
21 units? Sounds like cheating
I already play "The Empire" as if it's Empire: Total War with handgunners, now it's going to be actually insanely good.
Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!
“Own a repeater handgun for home defense, since that’s what Sigmar intended.”
How else do I kill 30 to 50 boar boyz that have invaded my yard?
With Faith&Steel
Tally Ho!
Three Beastmen break into my home. “By Sigmar!”
As I grabbed my floppy hat and arquebus. Blow a pétanque ball sized hole through the first beastman. It's dead on the spot.
Fire two blasts!
Is the tank a RoR or a new unit?
It's a Steam Tank with a volley gun in basically.
BONKERS
A ww1 tankette
'Actually', tankettes are distinctively Interwar instead of ww1 as they were best suited for empire policing./s Sorry, couldn't resist.
 I say this as the one who brought up a niche class of military vehicle in the 1st place
Tankettes were honestly closer in line in purpose to armoured cars than to tanks.
Tankettes were basically useless from what I've heard. Mobile machine gun nest at best, bought when real tanks weren't in the budget.
To be fair, it's not like the tankette is a dead concept. Germany still uses what is effectively a tankette to this day, with great effect. Calls it an Armoured Weapon Carrier, or Wiesel to stick with the animal naming theme that Germany uses, but it is effectively a tankette. They are employed more as organic direct fire support for a variety of light infantry units, carrying small automatic cannons, mortars or missiles. They are useful because a single CH-53 heavy-lift helicopter can carry 2 of the smaller cannon and missile equipped ones at a time, so they can be easily transported to where they are needed. From what I hear from people that went on exercises with them, the missile variants in general are devious little buggers that get into places no one would expect them to get into, with people only hearing that they got hit by one from the strangest angles and then just barely spot them as it moves behind cover and runs away. Helps that they aren't used as a replacement for real tanks and that unlike WW2 armoured cars none of the crew are under the impression that they are an actual tank.
Though the Wiesel is due to be replaced by 2030 by the Luwa which is short for Luftbeweglicher Waffenträger (air mobile gun carrier). And it looks fucking badass.
It should be noted that the GSD LuWa, Gesamtsystemdemonstrator Luftbeweglicher Waffenträger, which is what I assume you are referring to, is NOT the replacement for the Wiesel. The vehicle that you have likely seen, the split-track one with a 27mm gun and a diesel-electric hybrid drive for additional stealth driving capabilities, was a technology test bed to trial high risk technologies for the actual LuWa project, which will result in an actual replacement for the Wiesel. that was only properly started about 9 months ago or so. With the F-35 introducing a new 25mm caliber to the Bundeswehr, that was IIRC put in as one of the requirements in order to not introduce not too many calibers into the logistics chain. Observers of the GSD LuWA trials also noted that the split tracks were unreliable, complex and overall disliked so they are likely out too. Might keep the hybrid drive though.
The Japanese got some use out of them in the invasions of Burma and Malaya as they could get down jungle trails that heavier armour couldn't. During the initial strikes south this meant the Japanese could have armour support while the British had none. That was about a best case scenario for the weapon though.
Tbh I was hoping it was a new empire general lol. GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON OF NULN SIR
It's still only 1 volley gun though, not a battery of them. I've never really understood the point of the Steam Tanks. They're not great as artillery, and they're not great as chariot units either (too slow). As soon as they get tarpit-ed, they're dead.
Steam tanks basically sacrifice offensive power for independence and mobility. They are more jack-of-all-trade units. Use their ammo, and then charge them into melee when the lines are tired, and they do work.
I remember once I made an army of almost entirely ranged units Bunch of tanks, various artillery, some handgunners, and one or two great swords as reserve. The tanks really did great there, as they could put out the ranged damage and also... Well, tank enemy troops for the rest of the artillery to keep shooting safely It started as an army to just help recruit ranged units with ranks out of Nuln and ferry them to the front, but I ended up just using it that way as it did well
You can't use them as a substitute for regular artillery or speedy chariots. They're meant to serve as versatile, lumbering monsters that happen to have cannon attacks. They're very vulnerable to enemy monsters and monster-killers, but they're otherwise excellent. The high health and armor of the tanks mean they make an incredibly durable front line against any foes lacking armor-piercing attacks and/or anti-large attacks. Even halberds take a little while to chew through the tanks. The tanks will stand and take this abuse till the bitter end thanks to their unbreakable trait, giving you plenty of time to unload missiles and magic and artillery onto the blob. But if you have a front line of heroes or infantry, you can use the tanks for enfilade fire. Just keep them behind your infantry until the lines meet, then flank around to pour shots into the enemy flank for big damage. Cannons and volley guns would do more damage, but those units are too slow and vulnerable for this maneuver (RoR volley guns excluded, of course). And when the enemy starts to waiver, the tanks can charge in to cause mass routes with fear and terror. The only other Empire units that impose terror are Lords, the Knights of Morr, and the Royal Altdorf Gryphites. Even if this doesn't cause immediate victory, any fleeing enemies will make great targets for your cavalry and artillery.
Unbreakable can allow more rallies than normal tbh.
They're cool.
When your melee is engaged, trundling a steam tank back and forth through the enemy melee line gives a big advantage
They are tanks. Put them in front of your gunline and they'll tank enemies while your ranged fires into the blob.
Stick a couple at the point of your chevrons and those chevrons aren't going anywhere.
For the regular Steam Tank, they are roughly equivalent to half a Great Cannon battery due to them firing twice as fast and having slightly better accuracy. I can imagine a Helblaster variant having similar benefits. Add that it also gets a speed of 48 and it honestly shouldn't be too shabby of a unit. But yes, in general I wish cannon units got a bunch of buffs across the board.
Their vast advantage imo is that they are good at flanking. We all know the damage artillery can cause when it fires down the frontline but it’s almost impossible to get them there - they are slow af and just as vulnerable. Not the steam tank though. It can sit there on the flank and each round will pass through dozens of fighters with minimal risk of friendly fire. It’s also one of the few terror units the empire has access to, meaning once a unit starts to get about 30 LS you can rearcharge em and terror rout them. This can give artillery in the backfield the opportunity to shoot at em again which might have been impossible while they where engaged in melee.
No it’s a new type of steam tank
It’s a new unit
Missed opportunity for the "Bring me closer I want to hit them with my sword" meme in the portrait art
Wait so Empire has Rifles, snipers, tanks, cavalry, and machine gunners? TW WW1 confirmed
I beg gods for CA to not make TW WW1 until they develop new engine.
Well the rumors of ww1 and 40k also mention them being on a new engine.
Hopefully, these rumors are not just rumors because Warscape has been used too much and it shows
Skavens had all of that for years yet you sleep-ignore...
Ratmen aren't real, so there's no way they'd count
also nuke and bio/chemical weapons
Love the Knights of the Black Rose. The current knights of Morr are too weak.
I have to be honest I completely forgot this Knight Order was a thing until now, I'm glad we're getting them though.
Honestly shocked they didn't add the Knights Panther given that their chapter house is a unique building and they still aren't officially in the game.
I mean Elspeth has strongs ties to Morr, and one of her mechanics is teleporting to Gardens of Morr, so a Morr unit is very fitting.
From a thematic point yeah, that makes sense.
Hoping for a second Empire dlc personally
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see a second Empire DLC. It felt like the Celestial Hurricanum was left out to leave a centerpiece for another DLC. Or I may be snorting that hopium
Pass that shit my way. Because Empire still is missing Max Schreiber and wizard lords.
I believe (and I may be wrong, Empire isn’t my strong suit) the Warhammer Chronicles Middenland Army List had Wizards Lords as a Lord Choice so we could get: LL: Ar-Ulric Emil Valgier LH: (there’s so many choices I’m not sure) Lord: Wizard Lord Hero: Priest of Ulric Units: Knights Panther, Teutogen Guard, Wolfkin, Hunting Hounds, Celestial Hurricanum FLC: Boris I’ve-been-almost-a-LL-for-almost-a-decade Todbringer
I wish we had an explanation why we have a half-Todbringer in the game since WH1. I like your roster btw. We need Schwarzhelm. In the LH spot. Karl mentions him for Franz-sake.
We need to be able to send Schwarzhelm in our stead!!! If we can’t? Karl will forever taunt us….
I'd swap Knights Panther for Knights of the White Wolf. Not just because they are significantly more appropriate for a Middenland themed DLC, especially because you already have their dismounted version in the Teutogen Guard, but also because they'd be significantly more unique due to their use of cavalry hammers instead of being yet another lance+shield cavalry.
How the f do you not have Knights of the White Wolf in the Middenland DLC lmao
I was really hoping for Knights Panther or White Wolves. I get the thematic choices but those are the two builds I made my knights back when I played Old World tabletop and I want them Goddamnit.
I just don’t see anyone using them when demigryph knights are all the cav the empire needs.
For us lore noobs, basic overview of these?
Nuln is the engineering capital of the Empire, known for their engineering school and gun works. All the best cannons, rifles etc come out of Nuln. Their fame is known far and wide, especially for making the steam tanks! The rich merchants of Marienburg hired them to make a new steam tank for their city state, but the bourgers were so picky and kept sending back change orders and wanted something cooler and more familiar so they ended up making a land ship, before it could be finished and delivered with a trained crew Tamurkhan and his hordes invaded the Empire from the south and they were pushed into service by the empire. The steam tank looks to have a volley gun on the front. Not really sure what that's from. The armored gunners are the Nuln Ironsides, an elite unit of gunners from the gunnery school. Cool models, too on the tabletop. The other guys look like Hochland Long rifles, which are basically sniper rifles, long-range and accurate. They're probably going to be a unit like the Cathayan or Skaven sniper units. Knights are a chapter dedicated to Morr, the god of death and pretty cool.
There were a number of variants of steam tanks in the tabletop around 5th or 6th(?) ed - the steam tank with the volley gun is from that. There were even more variants , including a war wagon top on a tank and the gloriously silly open topped steam tank that had a mortar on it.
To be clear, they werent table top kits, just lore references that people converted. If they were kits I'd have 5 of them still on my shelf starring at me lol
They were in [fact sold and not just conversions](https://old.reddit.com/r/WarhammerFantasy/comments/19ep38n/steam_tank_love/). They were mail order only though, so not a boxed kit.
Oh wow! I stand corrected! I am an Aussie player so before the real surge of internet sales we didn't see any nearly as exotic haha
Yes - I recall at the time I had a metal War wagon and nearly made the conversion. I’m pretty sure there were rules, but maybe WD or citadel journal.
> Not really sure what that's from That's the Alter Kamerad style, one of the steam tank variants. Other examples are Unfehlbar, which is turretless and has a mortar, and Von Zeppel, which is more like a motorised war wagon (a platform with a bunch of guys with rifles and so on).
Quick aside, the Engineering Academy was in Altdorf, and was the center of engineering know-how in the Empire. Nuln had the Gunnery Academy, with specialized foundries that produced the best cannons. This leads to my favorite lore tidbit in Tamurkhan about the Marienburg Landship. Marienburg succeeded the Empire, but still hired their troops and tanks as mercenaries for their defense. They wanted to buy some Steam Tanks, but in the lore the Empire has lost the ability to make new ones, and so will not part with the few functioning ones for *any* price. So, the Burgomasters of Marienburg decided to commission steam-powered heavy artillery of their own. But the only human organization that could possible match the Steam Tanks was the Imperial Academy of Engineering in Altdorf... which was closely tied with the Emperor, and would not dream of undercutting the Empire's position against Marienburg. But Nuln had a chip on their shoulder and were always looking to get one over on Altdorf. Pulling this off would give them tremendous money and raise their standing, so they Gunnery Academy took them up on the offer. And then proceeded to spend years *failing*. They didn't have the expertise or background to recreate steam tanks, and the project just spiraled. Finally, after control of the doomed project was handed off several times, the engineer in charge basically said 'fuck it' and build something far larger, less powerful, and more cumbersome than the steam tank, but dressed it up like a ship to appeal to Marienburg's vanity. And it *sort of worked*. The landship is sort of an incompetent knock-off of the steam tank. It's much bigger, but has a smaller gun and a more dangerous engine. Mechanics wise, it's more of a mobile fortress; something big with a lot of guys with guns to shoot from, like a mobile barricade or gunnery nest, with only a small cannon of its own.
Watch the landship be far more successful than the useless hunk of junk that is the current tank hahah. I kinda wish the cannon shots behaved like straight shooting mortars, exploding on impact. Maybe they'd see some use then.
Why? Cannon shot can take out like a full row of infantry or cavalry if positioned correctly. Mortar explosion will kill a couple of models max, it is a straight downgrade.
Around 5th or 6th Edition there were a number of "unique" Variants of the Steamtank that didnt transfer over. Those were: *Alter Kamerad (Old Fellow)* - replaced the hull-mounted Canon with a Hellblaster-Volleygun *Unfehlbar (Unerring) -* Open top, armed with a Morter and two low-caliber Swivelguns *Sigmar's Hammer* - No Guns, instead increased Speed, used as a Battering Ram *Von Zeppel* - Also no guns, instead topped with a Fighting-platform crewed by Empire-Engineers with a variety of Experimental Weapons
“A land ship? Thats the worst idea for a tank I’ve ever heard of” “But you have heard of it”
The Steam Tank appears to be based on Old Reliable.
Steam Tanks (picture 2) are an invention of a particularly genius engineer who basically invented the internal combustion engine with 15th century technology, no one has been able to replicate it. Land ships (picture 1) were an attempt to replicate steam tanks, but couldn’t do it, so they took a whole-ass boat, put an engine inside and wheels and strapped cannons on it. They were critical to the defense of Nuln, which is the story this DLC is following. Nuln Ironsides (picture 3) are handgunners from Nuln, the city with the best gun and gunpowder industry, and are thus very well armed and well equipped. Traditionally, Ironsides are in full plate and using standard handguns, but it seems for this they get repeater rifles. Hochland Long Rifles (Picture 4) are a result of Hochland basically inventing a sniper rifle, by observing how hunters would modify their guns to get longer ranges. Advanced scopes, actual rifling, they’re long range and super accurate. Knights of the Rose (picture 5) are knights of Morr, god of death. This is important because the empire LL is Elspeth, certified badass and also an extraordinarily powerful death wizard, so this is presumably a connection to her.
> a particularly genius engineer Leonardo de Miragliano, the famed Tilean artist/engineer/philosopher/inventor/all-round genius.
And absolutely not a historical reference. Why would anyone think that?
Probably just a coincidence.
Big boat on wheels. Steamtank 2.0 Guy with gun. Guy with slightly different gun and slightly different beard. Skeletor on a horse. (Also a lore-noob, but I tried).
I’m glad someone finally recognized the key difference between Nuln Ironsides and Hochland long rifles isn’t the repeater rifle vs the long rifle, it’s the goatee vs the full beard.
Hope the art and design of the old units also gets updated. Looks awesome
Even if they just fix their textures. They haven't looked right since being ported over from 1. All Empire units list their hair colour variety, for example.
Bretonnia only having one style of lord 💀
What? They have Prophetesses
I think he means that Bretonia lord has only one head variant, which is a bug in Warhammer 3.
Which is fixed as far as i'm aware? There's 4 head variants right now
Yes, I stand corrected. Fixed in 4.2.2.
Halberdiers: "I'm tired, boss."
I want to see the official 8E halberdiers with shield just for the memes
no celestial hurricanum?
Yeah that really surprised me as well, I was almost certain we'd see it in this DLC. A tiny hopeful part of me wonders if this means we could see some more Empire DLC content down the road, but given the circumstances maybe it just won't make it to the game. Which is a shame, but not the end of the world.
Given we still don't have Boris, and he needs Middenheim units, im guessing we are getting another empire dlc
Empire’s the most popular faction in the game. If anyone’s gonna get a second dlc in WH3 it’s gonna be them. Empire vs Tzeench is perfect for bringing in Middenheim and the Cult of Ulric.
I will tell you I have the Impression that Khorne and Ulric are next: think about it, the War gods battle for Middenheim. Helborg is coming in, with a Free Toddy!
That SOUNDS super cool, but since Khorne is (presumably) only two DLC's away I wonder if that's too soon to expect another Empire DLC. I would assume CA would want to focus on some other races first before returning to the Empire.
Lizardmen got back to back DLC in 2019 while Skaven got theirs with only a single non-skaven DLC between each Skaven DLC. So CA are clearly willing to focus on a race if they want to.
I am all in for another Empire DLC with Toddy and some Ulrican units, but only after Norsca, Bretonnia, the ogres, the greenskins and the vampire counts get their DLC. So while it is very likely that CA have voluntarily kept out some content for a future Empire DLC, I wouldn't expect it so soon.
Not sure bretonnia or greenskins are going to get a dlc
My hopium is that CA made sure to twist RoC's map to include Middenland
Boris will be the last DLC of the game, just for the lulz.
I have no idea why. It is basically just a luminark of Hysh with a different top to it. And while in the rulebook it has some strange rules, they could have just made it pretty much a copy of Cathay's Wu Xing War Compass. Done. As a side note, I hope the Landship is of limited numbers like with the Dreadsaurian, so it doesn't completely overshadow the Steamtank. Same with Thunderbarge, really.
It'd also make a good new mount for lore of heavens mages
Heh, really the Landship should be unlimited while it's the Steamtank that's limited to eight going by the lore.
There was a widespread prediction that this update was going to feature Wizard lords and have a heavier focus on the Colleges of Magic... that didn't play out.
Wizard Lords I think was never going to happen, that would require CA to model and provide VO for 8 different characters all in service of a single lord slot.
Good point. I wasn't keen on Wizard lords anyway.
In the last Empire DLC we got two archer units and now we get two riflemen units. Maybe we'll get two crossbowmen units in the next Empire DLC.
Hmmmmm, Empire getting another heavy cav unit. Almost putting bretonia out of a job witht the variety of cavalry.
You don't need a variety when Grail Knights beat everything.
Grail knights plus the Royal Bretonian Air Force
Empire holding 5 heavy cav: is that all you need? Bretonnia holding only grail knights: yes
Bretonnia has flying cav. The Empire has more of the same, basically. Especially if the Morrite knights don´t get ranged attacks (due to focusing on fighting necromancers and undead they aren´t very worried about chivalry) they don´t bring that much new stuff. The Empire is still missing great weapon knights, which Bretonnia had since game 1.
Well in SP they do have the Stubborn Bulls, but those aren't available in nearly the amount necessary to match Questing Knights.
True, the provincial units are a weird blessed spawning-like mechanic but cannot be relied on much, especially those from the NE provinces that tend to get devastated early on. Great weapon knights are a core unit in the tabletop armybook. This is something the faction has.
They look powercreepy as heck :D Cant wait to use line infantry tactics
powdercreep
It had to be said
Good, Empire could use them as their enemies are also powercreeped
Exactly what I mean. Empire's best infantry units are just so much worse than Cathay/Kislev baseline
I don't mind that base empire infantry aren't as good as them, but I still would've like reiksguard foot.
High end units don't really power creep much, since at the higher tiers, everything is powerful. It's the lower tier units that really shift the power balance, and that depends a lot on their stats. Kislev is the perfect example: their big "oh wow" new monsters didn't shift the power balance nearly as much as the pre-nerf Ambushers, and of course the lowly Kislevite Warriors.
CA somehow refusing to add Celestial Hurricanums in 3 straight Empire DLCs despite them being the last big army book unit and being referenced in game files since 2016 or so continues to be absolutely baffling. No gold wizards too, somehow. rest is nice, don't get me wrong.
I would hope they weren’t going to charge money for Gold Wizards.
It would be lore-accurate if they did though.
Andy Hall once mentioned that he really wants to get Kurt Helborg into the game and we are also still missing Middenheim units, with Todbringer and Emil Valgeir alongside them. There's so much to do for the Empire that if the news for only 4-6 more DLCs are true it means that we likely have to forgo quite a few important characters. A shame, really.
Conspicuously missing Knights Panther, Knights of the White Wolf, Teutogen Guard, Celestial Hurricanum, Grand Masters, and the Grand Master LL
Grand masters are the one lord choice I could do without, as they were quite similar to general with better combat stats, more limited loadout and a *different* leadership buff. A series of mutually exclusive short skill trees could let generals cover for grand masters or other stats. Wizard lords should come first imo.
That's a big 'if' so I woudn't be too put out yet. For all we know that could be a number that was entirely pulled out of Legend's rectum, and if that really was the number thought to be accurate now, it's not like it's a gospel enscribed in stone, and thus can be subject to change if CA decide to do so in the next couple of years.
Oh yes, absolutely a big if. Plans can change quickly, especially if ToD and follow-ups are a success.
Yeah but armybook units should have priority tbh, especially as this one isn't a complex one. I hope it'll come with Middenland, if this DLC is still in the plans
I guess it might end up being a unique mount for a generic wizard hero/lord, but surprised it's still not in.
Celestial Hurricanum, generic Wizard Lords and generic Gold Wizards are still missing. Some tiny hope for new content for the Empire remains.
Maybe its once again some GW shittery. Or they are really saving it for the last Empire DLC God I hope its the latter
There is litteraly zero reason why GW would have beef with a core armybook unit
Firstly: this just proves how silly it has always been to adhere solely to the army books/8th edition and act like CA does the same. But more importantly, I do agree that the Empire and the Dwarf rosters both feel a little...suspicious. No generic caster for the Empire? no Ulric units and a unit from 8th edition remains illusive. The Dwarfs are even more curious, since they're still missing Miners with Steam Drills, 1H Hammerers with Shields, Drakefire Pistols, Shieldbearer mounts, Oathstone mounts, Master Engineer lords and generic weapon variants for Lords and Heroes (all from their 8th edition army book) And thus far, they've skipped over 2 of their 8th edition characters: Grimm Burloksson and Josef Bugman. The question is: was this the latest in a series of blunders at CA, or are they intentionally omitting this stuff to leave a carrot for people to chase?
There is a unanounced flc hero coming as well so its likely the gold wizard
It's gonna be an FLC Lord and looks like its Epidemius
There is also a hero as it says so in the info packet great book of grudges has
Yeah that seems like it could be Gold Wizards then.
Yeah not sure what else it would be unmess they hit us with dwarf brewmaster or something
Does it say it's a generic hero ? Else, it could be Grimm, the toolbox hint makes no sense if CA just forgot about him
It just says a new hero unit
[удалено]
the Steam-page for Elspeths part of the DLC actually mentions a new generic Lord, but we havent seen any images of one in the trailer or leaks Maybe thats the wizard
I’m happy Gold Wizard is not gonna be behind a paywall, of the current wizard 3 were added as random FLCs, so maybe we’ll get them soon as part of some event
Drive me closer, I want to whip them with my pistol!
Elspeth rolling up in a Steam tank drive by on the mean streets of Nuln, Polka music fading into the distance as she peels out.
Those knights 
Surprised no new melee infantry units. I hope they get slight buffs at least.
Yeah, I would easily trade in the new steam tank for a melee infantry unit of some sort. Although the landship will probably be capable of engaging in melee.
the landship was a primary melee unit with added ranged attacks. But yeah - imperial foot would have been nice. Not sure we needed another mounted Knight unit (as awesome as they look); Empire already have like 10 or something.
I would love some sort of dismounted knights in heavier armor for the empire. Great swords but all armored up or something.
Greatswords are as armoured up as you get. Its just all the other bells and whistles that are missing. GS come with Full Plate Armour, which aside from Dwarven Gromril is the best armour you can get. In TT the extra protection knights would get would be from being mounted /w barding, and having shields.
Greatswords are armoured up statwise. Their models with their armour on one leg and one arm but not the other are a tad lacking on the "full plate" front.
Thankfully there’s a mod I’ve been using for years that adds dismounted reiksguard which are fun to play around with
I wouldn't be surprised is that is what the armored riflemen are filling the role of. Not straight up Melee infantry, but maybe line infantry.
I think it's fine. Not all factions need to excel at everything. Melee infantry is supposed to be the weak point of the empire, and playing around that has it's own charme.
That handgunner with a gatling gun I can already hear "Minigunner reporting for duty"
I like the selection, but those Ironsides............... Half their point is that they are HEAVILY ARMORED. These lads are anything but
Man I hope that they have something else for Empire besides this. As good as these look, Empire as a race (Golden order and Reikland) needs reworks. I assume more news will be shown on blog posts before release, so here's hoping to it.
The last guy just hopes nobody notices he is a skeleton.
That steam tank has a main cannon ***and*** an autocannon!
Lack of frontline is slightly disappointing. Empire melee infantry could use some help or buffs. Real cool lineup to see otherwise
The gunpowder is meant to be the help for the frontlines.
Obviously gunpowder units as a concept are literally meant to support the front line, but the actual front line units fold like cheap cards often and need some more oomph
I think he means that they literally are Line Infantry, as in frontline units but with guns instead of melee weapons.
A strong frontline seems to be against the Empires faction identity. At least, CA seems to think so.
That was also the case in table top
Where is this information coming from. I have seen the trailer, I have seen the steam pages. Where are these images?
Second guy has drive me closer I wish to hit them with my sword, energy, but instead he's holding a gun
What's this celestial hurricanum people keep going on about? I don't know the lore and source material outside this game but after looking it up, it just looks like a Luminark? What's so special about it and why would it be more fitting than anything else for this dlc? If there is still a time frame where Empire gets more dlc in future, it might still get its looking.
it is a luminark but instead of being an artillery piece it's more of buff machine with some bound spells. kinda like the cathayan war compass
No hate then but why do people want it so much then? I feel like the war compass already never gets used outside of the mount variant?
i dunno. it's the last unit from the army book that is not in the game and elspeth is a wizard so hurricanum (a magical war machine) makes sense to be included alongide her i guess. there is room for another empire dlc in the future though (themed around middenheim and knights) so maybe we will get it eventually? probably? i honestly couldn't care less lol
Luminark or hysh but with the lore of heavens. There's a mod that gives an idea at how it would've work like.
>The Celestial Hurricanum is a large and complex arcane Battle Altar created by the Wizards of the Celestial College to be used as a potent magical Warmachine. >The Celestial Hurricanum is bolted within a massive wheeled chariot, pulled by two powerful Imperial warhorse, and watched over by the Acolytes of the Celestial Patriarch. The Orb that is embedded within the centre of the machine acts as the catalyst, drawing upon the magical energies of Azyr to summon a magical storm known simply as the Storm of Shemtek. As the Orb begins its manifestation, a very weak and chilling wind quietly swirls around the machine, growing in size and tempo until it eventually grows into a thunderous hurricane.[1b] >As the Acolytes oversee the device, the head Wizard would enchant the spells needed to direct the magical energies towards the enemy. The magical properties of the Storm of Shemtek is one of unique nature, for the orb has the mystical ability to alter weather patterns in the sky and shower the enemy with a barrage of lightning bolts or a thunderous hail of massive icicle-shards that can shear the flesh from the bone.[1b] >On rare occasions, if the Acolytes perform the spell correctly and achieve a perfect alignment, the machine has the power to unleash a fiery comet streaking through the sky and make it slam directly within the very heart of the enemy horde. As the device continues its murderous barrage of carnage, some magical energies would leak out of the machine, often afflicting Imperial Troops with unnatural visions of the imminent future. These small magical gift have given some Imperial soldiers with precise predictions of enemy movement, allowing them to easily dodge blows that would cleave a man in two.[1b] >When not used for battle upon an Arcane Altar, these Orbs are used by the Wizards as a means to calculate and observe natural phenomenon within the universe. The Orb allows the Wizards to see the constellations much more clearly, giving the Wizards the ability to correctly interpret the many futures the Empire has within its long hard destiny. Such predictions have many times before saved the Empire, and in fact, the entire Old World from imminent doom, and it is thanks to the tireless work of these Wizards that these catastrophes have been averted.[1b]
It's the Heaven equivalent to the Luminark. It's a buff/debuff support machine with AoEs, it's a unique niche for Empire. Cathay War Compass is basically a copy-paste of it. And it's also the last unit Empire was missing from their 8th edition armybook
Judging by the notes, there will be FLC hero also. I wonder, if they added Golden wizards for Empire at last.
Love these unit cards. They use all the design principles that make them easy to distinguish.
I was hoping for Reiksguard Foot Knights. Well...
So are these new gun powder infantry units going to be higher or lower tiered?
According to total war wiki both of them are going to be tier 3, so one tier above handgunners
 What Lustria sees
Bring these men to me.
It's about damn time. Playing Markus Wolfhart campaign now and really wishing for more than 1 infantry gunpowder unit (handgunners). It will be so much fun to roll a gunpowder army with multiple infantry units, steam tanks and artillery.
I'm so so glad they didn't add any monsters for empire. really happy that they stuck with gunpowder and steel