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Total War: WARHAMMER II - Rise Of The Tomb Kings Crack

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Review: Total War: Warhammer II - Rise of the Tomb Kings

The glory of Khemri, forgotten. Lost. After centuries of slumber, the sands quake with the passage of my legions -- my chariots ride over shielded foes with nary a moment of hesitation, breaking the ranks of enemies and allowing my skeleton warriors to quickly close in and slaughter them all. Behind them, archers and screaming skulls catapults tirelessly fire, their blue ethereal projectiles bloating the sun and slaying foes by the dozens. As Elf, Orc, Lizardman, and Skaven blood litter the sand, all shall learn. We are the Tomb Kings. We do not serve. We rule!

Total War: WARHAMMER II – Rise of the Tomb Kings. New Tomb Kings Race playable in both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaigns; Unique Race mechanics inspired by the Tomb Kings lore; 4 new playable Legendary Lords: Settra the Imperishable, High Queen Khalida, Grand Hierophant Khatep and Arkhan the Black. Jan 19, 2018 I can sympathise, at least a little, with the ancient Egyptian-themed undead known as the Tomb Kings, and who are Total War: Warhammer 2's newest faction. A decade ago, I was trapped underneath the Great Pyramid of Giza for a mere 20 minutes while another tourist had a claustrophobia-induced panic attack. Waking up inside a. Total War: WARHAMMER II – Rise of the Tomb Kings. New Tomb Kings Race playable in both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaigns; Unique Race mechanics inspired by the Tomb Kings lore; 4 new playable Legendary Lords: Settra the Imperishable, High Queen Khalida, Grand Hierophant Khatep and Arkhan the Black. Rise of the Tomb Kings adds another worthwhile experience to the Total War Warhammer series. The gameplay of the DLC is well balanced in terms of features and units, although the add-on works better during Mortal Empires than the Great Vortex campaign.

The first Campaign Pack for Total War: Warhammer II, Rise of the Tomb Kings focuses on the eponymous Egyptian-inspired undead faction based to the south of the Great Ocean of Ulthuan. An once great and majestic culture, the kingdom of Nehekhara was an ancient human empire and the pinnacle of civilisation. Millennia ago, the treacherous and reviled necromancer Nagash ravaged the lands with his sorcery, and with a single humongous spell caused the living to perish and the dead to rise from their graves.



This gave the Tomb Lords immortal life and full control of death, which means that those who served them in flesh still serve them in bone, and never truly fall on the battlefield. Rise of the Tomb Kings upheaves one of Total War's most enduring gameplay mechanics by removing armies‘ recruitment and upkeep cost, replacing them with buildings that limit the number of units that can be fielded. While Skeleton Warriors and Spearmen can be freely recruited in large quantities, all other units are limited by their respective buildings -- if you want more archers, you better build more of that tier II military building.

In terms of variance, the Priest Kings have their own unit roster, filled with skeletal warriors, mythical animals, and colossal constructs. All of the signature units of the Tomb Kings are here, from skeleton infantry, cavalry, and chariots to Carrion Flying War Beasts and the terrifying Screaming Skull Catapults. And as if magical undead skeletons with a personality was not supernatural enough, the second half of the Tomb Kings roster is made up of War Constructs -- animated beings and statues given life by the Mortuary Priests. Ranging from Necropolis Knights riding atop giant vipers to colossal Hierotitans that tower above any unit on the battlefield, those powerful beasts of marble and stone are immune to fear, yet spread it like the plague among opposing foes.


On a smaller scale than the upkeep change, morale during battles is replaced by the strength of the spellbinding that keeps the soldiers corporeal. Those work in practice just as morale does, making an unit lose effectiveness as it loses coherence. Unlike normal factions, however, the Tomb Kings do not rout and, elementary, thrive on death. As their units fall, a 'Realm of Souls' bar fills at the top of the screen -- once one of its several thresholds are achieved, a mass wave of resurrections cascade through the army, bringing dead troops back to undeath and providing massive buffs to active units. Once the bar is filled, you are able to summon powerful Ushabti guardians anywhere on the battlefield -- even deep within (or behind) enemy lines.

Some of the Tomb Kings most powerful aspects can only be summoned from the new Mortuary Cult, a crafting system that unlocks items, units, and abilities. The Tomb Kings' obsession could make for a restrictive gameplay, but Creative Assembly wisely expanded the resource pool available to the rulers of Nehekhara with Canopic Jars. Those containers full of viscera and organs from living beings are used on rituals and harvested in mass after a bloody battle, and can also be generated every turn by specific buildings. Aside from that, natural resources like metals and precious stones must also be gathered, giving the Tomb Kings reason to venture away from the scorching deserts and out of the Land of the Dead.

Based on player feedback after the releases of Wood Elves and Brettonia for Warhammer I, Creative Assembly decided not to release a separate self contained mini-campaign for Rise of the Tomb Kings. Instead, the rulers of Nehekhara are seamlessly integrated into the main campaign and have four Legendary Lords instead of the usual two. King of Kings Settra the Imperishable and the venomous High Queen Khalida are the two melee legendary lords, while Grand Hierophant Khatep and the evil Arkhan the Black are casters. As usual in Total Warhammer, each legendary lord represents a facet of the faction with completely different bonuses and playstyles.

Instead of focusing on the Great Vortex like every other campaign faction, the Tomb Kings are concerned about reuniting five of the nine cursed Books of Nagash and using their power to conquer the Black Pyramid. While that quest takes place in the Eye of the Vortex campaign, the skeletal faction has no interest in controlling the magical maelstrom due to their already immense power and singular drive, so they exist in parallel to the base game's storyline and are seamlessly integrated into the main map.


The lack of Vortex rituals do not put the Tomb Kings at a disadvantage, however, as they have access to their very own incantation rites. There are four great incantations available that act as powerful situational boosts, from invoking a sandstorm that sweeps across your lands and damages enemy armies to raising a Pta's Necrotect capable of immediately colonising any ruin to a Level III settlement. Those rites often align with the skill sets of Tomb Prince, Liche Priest, and Necrotect heroes, and used wisely can create powerful effects on the direction of the campaign.

Furthermore, Creative Assembly really went all out on theme immersion with Rise of the Tomb Kings. The technology tree is instead replaced by dynasties, representing the recovery of forgotten knowledge from millennia ago. Each of the six dynasties can be researched at any time, and each one awakened grants access to even more tech options but slows down further research. Furthermore, the second step of each dynasty also gives access to new lords in the shape of the Tomb Kings of old, which come with their own set of unique bonuses and abilities; and a specific area of the research tree allows you to recruit Tomb Heralds -- powerful champion units that act as royal bodyguards and representative of the gods.


Creative Assembly has had a spotty history with DLCs; some of them are dubious affairs that feel like little more than a cash grab -- like Rome II'sGreek States Culture Pack or the infamous microtransactions that add blood to the games -- while others are wonderful additions to the game which completely change the experience for the better. Luckily, Rise of the Tomb Kings is the latter -- the expansion adds a completely new campaign with its own objectives, mechanics, and end-goals, and treats the rulers of Nehekhara as a fully fledged faction capable of warfare, magic, and diplomacy. Better still, it is clearly done by people that understand and respect the faction, and it goes the extra mile to both provide interesting features and enhance the thematization and immersion of their culture.

I've said on my hands-on preview that Rise of the Tomb Kings was the most fun I've ever had with the Total War: Warhammer franchise, and that is still true. In fact, Rise of the Tomb Kings may just be the best Total War DLC ever released. If you have any interest at all in the rulers of Nehekhara, do not hesitate to get this DLC. Just like in the lore of Warhammer, the Tomb Kings do not serve. They rule.

With its own objectives, mechanics, and campaign end-goals, Rise of the Tomb Kings is the best DLC in the whole Total War: Warhammer franchise.

Review: Total War: Warhammer II - Rise of the Tomb Kings

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Buy Total War: WARHAMMER II - Rise of the Tomb Kings as a Steam Key. Office 2016 for mac grant access error.

  • New Tomb Kings Race playable in both the Eye of the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaigns
  • Unique Race mechanics inspired by the Tomb Kings lore
  • 4 new playable Legendary Lords: Settra the Imperishable, High Queen Khalida, Grand Hierophant Khatep and Arkhan the Black
  • Gather the cursed Books of Nagash and win the battle for the Black Pyramid to achieve ultimate victory
  • Uncover the mysteries of the past by researching the Nehekharan Dynasties
  • Tap the Realm of Souls to regenerate your troops and summon Ushabti in battle
  • Combine exotic trade goods and Canopic Jars – the Tomb Kings' unique resource – to craft magic items and raise fabled Legions of Legend at the Mortuary Cult
  • Comprehensive army roster featuring iconic units from the Warhammer Fantasy Battles world

Across the arid deserts of Nehekhara, vast legions of skeletal warriors rise from beneath the baking sands to slaughter those who trespass into their domain. It is a lifeless realm of endless dunes, stained red from the blood of savages and barbarians. This is the Land of the Dead, where mummified kings are cursed to rule in perpetual unlife. But it was not always thus.

There was a time when the ancient kingdom of Nehekhara stood as a crown of human civilisation; a golden age when its cities shone with majestic splendour, its armies conquered entire nations and its kings ruled as gods among men. But this realm was razed millennia ago by the treacherous sorcery of reviled Nagash: in a stroke, the living perished and the dead rose from their tombs.

Death is no barrier to glory for the Tomb Kings however. In unlife, they will see the empire of Nehekhara restored to greatness!

Campaign gameplay

Objectives
While Tomb Kings can be played in the Eye of the Vortex campaign, they do not seek to influence the vortex, and therefore do not engage in the race for control of it. Instead, they seek the nine cursed Books of Nagash, a search culminating in an epic battle at the Black Pyramid of Nagash itself. Each of these books grants a unique campaign bonus, and puts the player a step further along the road to victory.

Unique resource: Canopic Jars
Ancient containers filled with arcane energy, Canopic Jars can be collected through missions, buildings, and as post-battle loot. They are used to awaken powerful units, unlock techs, perform rites and to craft unique items in the Mortuary Cult.

Total War: WARHAMMER II - Rise Of The Tomb Kings Crack

The Mortuary Cult
Keepers of the Lore of Nehekhara and the secrets of revivification, the Liche Priests of the Mortuary Cult can be called upon to construct unique and venerable items. Using a combination of trade resources and Canopic Jars, the player can order the construction of unique magic weapons, armour, talismans, plus enchanted and arcane items. For a cost, the Mortuary Cult can also resurrect powerful Legions of Legend for use in your armies.

The Dynasties of Nehekhara
Rather than developing new technologies, the Tomb Kings seek to unearth the achievements of their dynastic forbears. By studying these histories, players can resurrect great rulers of the past to serve as Lords for their armies, increase capacity for the various Tomb Kings Heroes, unlock a host of campaign and unit buffs, and awaken the Heralds of ancient armies – unique followers who bring powerful bonuses to key unit types in an army.

Rites
The Tomb Kings have four unique Rites which may be unlocked and used in campaign:

Great Incantation of Ptra
Invoking the sun god summons Ptra's Necrotect, a unique Hero character capable of colonising ruins at city level 3.

Great Incantation of Khsar
Invoking the god of the desert wind generates sandstorms across all player-owned regions. This causes attrition to foreign armies, increases your ambush success chance and confers the army ability Sand Veil (enables a unit to become Hidden and gain Stalk in battle, making them invisible to the enemy until they draw very close).

Great Incantation of Geheb
Invoking the god of strength increases Canopic Jar generation and province growth, reduces construction time, and confers the army ability Tombswarm (a swirling swarm of Scarabs which damages the target and moves in the same manner as a vortex spell).

Great Incantation of Tahoth
Invoking the god of scholars adds a Casket of Souls magical artillery unit to the recruitment pool. It also confers a rank bonus to newly recruited Tomb Kings and unit recruits, and increases recruitment capacity factionwide.

Legendary Lords

Total War Warhammer 2 Rise Of The Tomb Kings

The Tomb Kings feature four playable Legendary Lords, each with their own abilities, campaign bonuses, skill trees, quest-chains and campaign start-positions in both the Eye of the Vortex campaign and Mortal Empires.

Settra The Imperishable
Settra is the king of all Tomb Kings. He is a ruthless leader whose thirst for conquest knows no bounds. Unlike other Tomb Kings, his unyielding will is such that he never needs to return to his sarcophagus to rest. The immortality he so desired in life is now his, and the civilisations that flourished in his absence now feel his wrath.

Settra is a great leader, bringing bonuses to growth and public order, while reducing construction time. He also confers bonus armour to Skeleton Chariot and Tomb Guard units, and has a selection of unlockable mounts, including the Khemrian Warsphinx and the flame-wreathed Chariot of the Gods.

High Queen Khalida
The Warrior-Queen of Lybaras was famed for her intelligence, honour and bravery. Her reign was cut tragically short by her cousin Neferata, who had attempted to create the Elixir of Life. Instead of true immortality though, Neferata's flawed potion granted the twisted form known as Vampirism, and as the first Vampire slew her cousin in combat, she granted her the Blood Kiss. With her last breath, Khalida cried out to Asaph, the serpent goddess, who purified her of the taint. She is now the Goddess' chosen, with Asaph's divine venom coursing through her veins.

Khalida reduces all forms of corruption, enjoys a diplomatic relations bonus with other Tomb Kings factions and grants a hefty bonus to ammunition for all ranged units across her faction She also confers poison attacks on all units in her army and suffers considerably less from attrition effects.

Grand Hierophant Khatep
The head of the Mortuary Cult's Hieorphantic Council, Khatep is the oldest and wisest of the Liche Priests, and the first of them to deny death's embrace. It was Khatep who awoke Settra to unlife after Nagash's Great Ritual levelled Nehekhara, but Settra's distrust of the Mortuary Cult led him to exile Khatep. Now he roams the Land of the Dead, assisting the Tomb Kings where he can and seeking a way to restore himself in the eyes of Settra.

Khatep grants a bonus to Dynasty research rate, and improves casualty replenishment and army movement factionwide. He can also recruit a higher number of Liche Priest Heroes, and recruits them at a higher rank.

Arkhan the Black
Nagash's principle lieutenant, Arkhan helped lead the coup which brought the hated arch-necromancer to initial power. He led many armies against Nagash's enemies, and was finally slain in a suicidal counter-attack against the Priest King's soldiers that enabled Nagash to escape. He was raised again by his master to become the Liche King, and for countless generations since Nagash's death at the hands of King Alcadizaar, he has vented his wrath on the lands of the living.

Arkhan enjoys bonus diplomatic relations with Vampire Counts factions, and his regions never suffer public order penalties from Vampiric corruption. Heroes embedded in his army gain melee attack and melee defence bonuses, and all his armies factionwide gain a boost to their Winds of Magic Power Reserve.

New Lord: Tomb King
Tomb Kings are the principle Lords which lead the armies of Nehekhara. A number will appear as standard in the recruitment pool, but unique, named Tomb Kings – famous rulers from the six dynasties of Nehekharan history – may be resurrected via the Dynasties panel, at which point they enter your Lords recruitment pool. Tomb kings may unlock the Skeletal Steed, Skeleton Chariot, and Khemrian Warsphinx as mounts.

New Hero: Tomb Prince
Following the example of their kings, Tomb Princes aspire to greatness in all things. They form the principle champions of the Nehekharan forces in battle, and have a unique Curse ability which makes targeted enemies enter a state of Rampage. Tomb princes may unlock Skeletal Steeds and Skeletal Chariots as mounts.

New Hero: Liche Priest
The adepts of the Mortuary Cult are the Tomb King's principle sorcerers. They may be recruited to wield the Lore of Light, the Lore of Death, or the Lore of Nehekhara, and have a unique Curse ability which reduces enemy armour values. They also gain the Immortal skill earlier than other agents. Liche priests may unlock Skeletal Steeds and Skeleton Chariots as mounts.

New Hero: Necrotect
Representing millennia of architectural wisdom, Necrotects are the builders and taskmasters of Nehekhara. They perform a number of functions, such as reducing building costs and increasing movement speed when embedded in your armies, but also fulfil a key support role in battle. As master masons, they provide passive aura-based buffs to Construct units such as Ushabti, Tomb Scorpions and Hierotitans, improving their combat abilities in a number of ways. Necrotects may unlock Skeletal Steeds and Skeleton Chariots as mounts.

Battle gameplay

The Realm of Souls
The Realm of Souls is the revered afterlife of Nehekharan legend, and the origin of the Liche Priests' magical power. As more of your warriors fall to the enemy in battle, more souls enter the Realm, which is tracked in the battle UI. At three key thresholds, the Realm of Souls triggers a mass healing-wave among your skeletal units, each wave becoming successively more powerful. After the final wave, the player also gains an army ability allowing them to summon a unit of statuesque Ushabti anywhere on the battlefield.

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The Lore of Nehekhara
In battle, Liche Priests may harness the power of the desert gods and wield the Tomb King's signature magic, the Lore of Nehekhara.





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