Total War: Warhammer II

About Total War: Warhammer II

Total War: Warhammer II dropped in late September 2017 from developer The Creative Assembly and publisher Sega. This title lands on PC across Windows, Linux, and Mac systems. It sits firmly in the strategy genre as a real-time tactical experience set within the massive Warhammer Fantasy universe. You lead one of four distinct factions through a campaign to either heal or destroy the world's Great Vortex. The game pits ancient races against each other in a race for survival where magic and steel clash on open battlefields. This is not a small skirmish but a grand conflict involving High Elves, Lizardmen, Dark Elves, and a fourth mysterious faction all vying for control of magical energy sources that could save or doom the known world.

Gameplay

You spend your time managing a turn-based campaign map where you move armies, manage economies, and handle diplomatic relations. Each faction has unique mechanics like the Lizardmen needing to perform specific rituals or High Elves maintaining their vortex stability. When battles start, the game shifts to real-time tactical combat where you control hundreds of units on screen. You issue commands to infantry lines, cavalry charges, and magical spells while watching your troops clash in thick melee. A typical session involves planning your next move on the strategic map before launching into hours of intense field battles. The controls let you zoom out for overview or get close to individual heroes. Multiplayer modes allow you to face other players in both campaign and instant action formats without the pressure of a storyline.

What Players Think

Players on PlayPile rate this title highly with an average score around 86 from Metacritic and nearly 86 from IGDB based on over one hundred reviews. The community spends significant time here since the average playtime stretches well beyond the main campaign. Only about nineteen percent of players unlock all 152 achievements, showing how deep the content runs. The rarest trophy "See-Nile Crafter" sits at a measly 0.70 percent unlock rate which proves some challenges remain elusive even after hundreds of hours. Most users report a vibe of intense strategic focus mixed with frustration when battles go south. Review snippets frequently mention the sheer scale of battles and the complexity of managing multiple fronts simultaneously across the fantasy world.

PlayPile's Take

This game demands patience and strategy rather than quick reflexes. It costs money upfront but offers hundreds of hours of content if you enjoy long campaigns. The 152 achievements provide clear goals for completionists though most will stop after mastering one faction. You should play this if you like managing resources while commanding armies in real time. Avoid it if you want a short narrative or simple controls. The high achievement difficulty suggests you need to understand every system to see everything the game offers. Grab it on sale and prepare to lose track of time.

Storyline

"Millennia ago, besieged by a Chaos invasion, a conclave of High Elf mages forged a vast, arcane vortex. Its purpose was to draw the Winds of Magic from the world as a sinkhole drains an ocean, and blast the Daemonic hordes back to the Realm of Chaos. Now the Great Vortex falters, and the world again stands at the brink of ruin. Powerful forces move to heal the maelstrom and avert catastrophe. Yet others seek to harness its terrible energies for their own bitter purpose. The race is on, and the very fate of the world will lie in the hands of the victor. Prince Tyrion, Defender of Ulthuan, guides the High Elves in their desperate efforts to stabilise the vortex as it roils above their home continent. Atop his palanquin-throne, the Slann Mage-Priest Mazdamundi directs his Lizardmen war-hosts as they surge northward from Lustria. He, too, is intent on preventing cataclysm, though the methods of The Old Ones must prevail. The Witch King Malekith and his sadistic Dark Elf hordes spew forth from Naggaroth and their labyrinthine Black Arks. He tastes great weakness in the vortex – and great opportunity in its demise. Meanwhile a fourth, secretive race stirs, their motives obscured by sinister plots and machinations. The time for revelation is nigh… Four races, four outcomes, a single goal: control of the Great Vortex, for good or ill."