AI elf players seem to be given far too much leeway, too, as despite running massive amber deficits, they’ll more often than not explode out of the forest and be the most dominant faction by mid-game. Diplomacy has taken a turn for the worst, with forging alliances between elven factions incredibly difficult. Total War: Warhammer’s AI has certainly been affected by the DLC and its update. It’s an interesting way to introduce players to a new faction’s playstyle, and though Creative Assembly usually places rewards at the end for finishing these bite-size sections I can’t see many people forging ahead to complete it. The mini-campaign that comes with the DLC - much like the one packed in with the beastmen pack before it - is a drilled-down experience that adds more provinces to the forest of Athel Loren and forces you to deal with multiple small bands of beastmen as you try to expand your influence. Elf units also gain buffs when they fight inside forests, though their increased range and damage is somewhat negated by the fact that trees in Total War games tend to soak up most of the missiles fired by archers. Wood elf armies are essentially your perfect hit and run types - though one of the legendary heros in the roster can unlock the sturdier tree-men and monstrous infantry. Their high morale and low unit numbers mean that holding the line is never really an option if you don’t want to lose valuable unit strength. Consisting of melee specialists, archers that can fire on the move and small but fast units of airborne and melee cavalry, playing as they elves can be a micro-heavy experience on the battle map. The elven roster has been defined by the developers as filled with classic “glass cannon” units - powerful but also extremely fragile. The faction’s traits often lead to a precarious method of expansion, where diplomacy is a must and over-stretching your forces can be fatal. Thankfully, elven armies can make use of worldroots, pathways that enable them to bypass rough terrain. You’ll need a lot of the stuff, too, as amber is necessary for all top-tier units, buildings and research.Īnything conquered outside of Athel Loren can only be lightly defended by an outpost, meaning that your borders are almost constantly under threat and quick movement of troops is a must. Amber can be collected by taking over enemy settlements and converting them to elven outposts or through diplomatic alliances. To do so, the elves require a new resource: amber. The wood elf strategy, whether the miniature add-on campaign or the grand main event, is to build up the Oak of Ages, the centrepiece of the foreboding Athel Loren forest. The elves are isolationist, xenophobic and insular by nature, and Creative Assembly have created some interesting ways of keeping them in their forest homes while also enabling a player to expand their empire. Whereas in the beastmen expansion the developers adapted their horde mechanics from Total War: Attila, the wood elves are a faction that are more traditional in style. Now Realm of the Wood Elves introduces perhaps their mirror opposite - the elves of Athel Loren. The first of the two, released last year, focused on the centaur and fawn-like beastmen who roam the Old World in itinerant warbands, braying and looting. Reviews // 3rd Mar 2017 - 5 years ago // By Alex Hamilton Total War: Warhammer Realm of the Wood Elves DLC ReviewĬreative Assembly has released the second “major” faction expansion for their magnum opus, Total War: Warhammer.