The vile Chaos armies crush all those who oppose them, but that doesn’t make their campaign any easier. These hulking warriors in massive armor rule the northern wastes of Total War: Warhammer and frequently go to war with the human Imperial faction or those stubborn Dwarves — and it’s going to take more than just raiding to get your Chaos horde off the ground.
Chaos has a population problem, and earning population is the only way to start getting your best units going. Chaos structures require plenty of surplus population to construct, and forming armies is just as expensive. If you don’t want to slam into a population brick wall that erodes your army from within, check out a few of our tips to help keep the momentum going. We’ll cover which buildings to construct, units to create, and abilities to unlock early for maximum benefits.
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Chaos | Campaign Beginner’s Guide
The Chaos Warriors faction features unique horde gameplay, allowing your army to raid and burn villages with your treasures in tow. Instead of conquering territory, a Chaos army only reaps destruction and sows rebellion in the ranks of their enemies. This army is all about forward momentum — Chaos does not trade, and doesn’t handle diplomacy well.
All Chaos knows is war. They’re rich in heavily armored units and melee monsters. One major drawback of the Chaos faction is their sluggish population growth. With their position on the northern edge of the map, Chaos isn’t likely to enter any early wars and only needs to defend / attack in one direction — south. They have plenty of time to build in relative safety.
How to Get Population Surplus:
Here are tips for the impatient Chaos Warrior looking to avoid a stalled campaign;
- Upgrade your Encampment as soon as possible. Always get the next upgrade as it becomes available.
- To keep your Population surplus steady, open the Campaign Skill Tree and unlock the Population Growth skills. You can earn 3x more population depending on your Encampment level.
- Raid everything. Not just for cash, but to help improve the rate of your population surplus. Remember that Chaos really has no use for towns — a good strategy is to raid, get the cash, then return to the town next turn and raze it to cut-off valuable resources from the enemy.
- Upgrade your Legendary Lord – the more he fights for your army, the less time your armies will require to replenish losses.
- Maintain only one encampment until your population / gold can sustain several. It will be difficult to keep more than three hordes going at one time without constant raiding.
- Hellcannons – One of the few ranged weapons in a Chaos Army, these late-game armaments can route entire Greenskin or Empire retinues. Perfect for retaining your army’s strength and lowering the need for replacements.
Most Important Buildings – Which to Go For Early to Late-Game:
There are too many important structures to consider when leading a horde, but these handful (a selection from early-on to far into a campaign) are the ones you’ll want to focus on the most. Just don’t forget to grab some other units on the way up the technology ladder.
- Upgrade the Encampment – Upgrade the encampment often.
- Build the Blasphemous Icon – Get the Chaos Warriors first and skip other types of units until required.
- Build the Ruinous Altar – The Chosen and other Warrior upgrades are too worthwhile to miss. Skip over other units to get to this first if you want to steamroll the competition.
- Demonic Forge – The ultimate weapon required for a full-scale war. The Hellcannon is required for sieges and for making short work out of enemy retinues.
- Pillar of Skulls – This special structure takes a long time to build, but if you save your population wisely it can be built in 25 or fewer turns. You’ll get a powerful set of unique armor for your Legendary Lord.
Chaos – Who to Ally With?:
The Empire and Dwarves will never negotiate with Chaos. Only one of the major factions will listen, but there are other smaller groups Chaos can work with to help the horde achieve glorious victory.
- At the start of the campaign, attack the first camp you see. Don’t destroy it! Sack it and return on turn 5 to become allies with the tribe. These warriors can last a long time and someone to join you on raids against enemy factions.
- Chaos are terrible negotiators, but they can form an alliance with the Vampire Counts. Your skirmishes against the Empire and Dwarves will increase your standing with the Vampires, and choosing to become allies really has no negative consequences.
Chaos is a slow, deliberate army that builds momentum until they’re an unstoppable wrecking ball, unleashing the apocalypse against any faction willing to face them. If you get started right, you should have all the tools you’ll need to conquer the grand strategy map.
