Empire Race Guide

I'll go in depth to explain every aspect you can think of for the Empire Race

Campaign Strategy

Welcome to part 1 of my Empire Race Guide. In this section we’ll be covering the campaign strategy of the Empire including starting situation and expansion options.

The Campaign gameplay of the Empire is the most similar to traditional Total War gameplay out of all the Warhammer factions. This is due to many factors including the starting location being surrounded by factions of the same race, this means that you have a lot of options for trade and later in the game for confederation. There are currently 11 empire sub-factions in the mortal empires campaign, all of which can be befriended, traded with and eventually confederated. They are *inhale* Averland, Hochland, Marienburg, Middenland, Nordland, Ostland, Ostermark, Stirland, Talabecland, Wissenland and Sudenburg.

Also like tradtitional Total War factions, the Empire can occupy settlements as well as having the usual options of Raze, Sack and Loot and Occupy. By default they can also enact commandments in owned provinces. They can enact the Council of Burgomeisters to increase trade income by 5% and provincial growth by 20. Host Festag increases public order by 4. Imperial Taxation increases province tax income by 5%. Sigmarite Dogma decreases the success chance of enemy heroes by 10% and reduces corruptions by 1. and finally State Troop Levy decreases recruitment cost by +5% and increases local recruitment capacity by 1.

Your main enemies in the game are the vampires and then eventually Norsca when you expand far enough north. It took me around 100 turns to eliminate the Vampire Counts and Von Carsteins and it was as arduous as it was long. I had to pour all my money into making fully stacked armies with the best units possible at the time. This meant all growth in my faction came to a halt as I funded the war effort against the undead hordes. It was particularly frustrating to scrape by beating one army only to have them use raise dead to create a new one full of elite units about 1 centimetre away from my lords. But I kept at it and first took out the Von Carsteins with the help of the other Empire provinces. The counts however took a lot of work in all aspects of the game. There are very few cheap ways to get rid of corruption in a province so even if a settlement was taken it would be many turns before I could leave it without risk of a rebellion of, you guessed it, more undead forces. This forced me to pick which provinces to attack and make a plan to take all the settlements in them over the space of a few turns as that meant I could then use commandments and buildings to more effectively cleanse the land. Rinse and repeat this strategy for a couple of hours and I finally took Castle Drakenhof and then it was over for them.

With the Von Carsteins and the Counts taken care of and the Barrow Legion landlocked by Bretonia and the Dwarves you can then work on growing your settlements and by default economy. Unlike the Vampires, the Empire can make piles of money from trading as pretty much any ‘good’ faction will be willing to trade with you if you butter them up enough. This means it’s in your best interest to build resource buildings to increase your trade income as soon as you can, and before you know it you’ll have so much money you won’t know what to do with it.

Once you get to this stage you can stack your armies with elite units and take the fight to whoever’s next. You have the choice of Norsca in the north, or the orcs in the south and of course the chaos when it eventually comes down from the north to ruin everyone's fun. No matter where you go, you’ll probably suffer some form of attrition as the Empire have a severe intolerance for most climates that aren’t their own. In Temperate, Savannah and Desert you’ll have no problems but in Mountain, Temperate Island, Magical Forest and Jungle you’ll start to struggle then in Wasteland, Chaotic Wasteland, Frozen and Ocean you’ll have to fight to even enter the province.

One thing the Empire do have an easy time with is the missions. The first mission you get is an ambush that can be easily won with just the starting army. The following missions aren't much harder so long as you have a good number of ranged units as most of the time the enemy won't be able to touch you before they rout. The missions being so easily completed means that your lord will gain access to top tier skills and items that will make him a terror in battle.

This on top of the pitiful early war would make you think that the Empire have it easy but you’d be wrong. They have an awful starting location in my opinion. It could just be my love for the shelter of Castle Drakenhof but the Empires starting province just feels so exposed. The upside of this is that you have loads of options for expansion but the downside is that there’s enemies no matter what direction you move. You have the Vampires to the East and south, Norsca up north and who can forget the multitude of Empire sub-factions that just love to declare war on you and each other. At times you can feel like you’re getting attacked on all sides but once you push past it and get more of the old world under your control you have to split your focus less and less.

This doesn’t mean that you’ll have less to worry about though, basically anyone who isn’t a human, high elf, or dwarf is going to come for you. (if you look into the lore it pretty much seems like the Empire are a tad racist so it makes sense. I mean they are called the Reik-landers). That being said once you get rich enough you can pretty much be friends with everyone through some well placed bribes…. Alternatively you can use that money to raise a bunch of armies and stomp everyone who you don't like but the choice is yours.

The Empire also have access to the Empire Offices which means they can assign lords titles which in turn give them and the faction special attributes such as -10% Construction Cost for all buildings or -50% Hero action cost. It’d take too long to read them all out so I’ll put them on screen but believe me its worth thinking about because some of these bonuses can make a real difference in your campaign.

That concludes this section of the guide on Campaign Strategy. The next section will cover the unit roster and how I believe each unit is best used

Unit Roster & Battle Strategy PT1

The roster of the Empire is one of the most balanced in the game. They have access to a wide range of units suited to any situation but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best at everything. As you’ll see during this video being decent at everything comes at the cost of being god like at anything.

Onto the Roster

Kicking off the infantry is the Empire Spearmen and for 300 gold you can’t really go wrong. They obviously have a bonus in damage and charge defence against large due to their spears and are overall a decent enough front line for the early game. As they are a spear unit I’d only recommend a couple of them per army and in battle they’re of course best used for defending your flanks from enemy cavalry and targeting any large foes that are causing trouble. They come in 2 variants: with and without shields. The shields give them better defence against ranged units so are definitely worth the extra 100 gold as you’ll spend less replacing them over time.

Next up to the plate are swordsmen and they are the meat of an early game army. I’d say 3 or 4 units of these guys in an early game army should do alright so long as they’re supported by cav and ranged units. In campaign they’ll often be acting as a wall against the undead hordes, protecting your ranged units and allowing them to chip away at the hostile army. This does mean they tend to suffer a lot of casualties post battle so be prepared to replace these guys on a regular basis. But at the price point of 400 gold you don’t have to worry too much about that. Finally they are shielded which again gives them defence against ranged attacks.

Flagellants are the berserkers of the Empire roster. They charge into battle and cause a lot of damage with no fear, no control and no back up plan. They have the Damage Dealer trait because (here’s a shock) they deal a lot of damage. They also have the frenzy ability meaning when they are at high health they cause increased damage, this would be a good thing if not for the fact that they are totally unarmoured and also have just 10 melee defence. These 2 things combined mean that once the Flagellants get into melee they aren’t going to last long against targets with any semblance of armour but hey they’re unbreakable so at least they wont run away when they lose all their health in the first 5 seconds of the fight. I’d only recommend using them alongside Volkmar the Grim as he gives them some pretty good bonuses when they're in his army but still only take 4 at most, and of course in battle there is only one strategy. Hit them hard and hit them fast.

The Halberdiers are up next and they are the most elite of the anti-large infantry. They have armour-piercing damage as well as bonuses against large targets so these guys can shred a war mammoth like its nobody's business. They’re not too bad in melee with infantry either so long as it isn't anything too high tier. They’ll easily hold their own against the likes of skeleton warriors and other units of similar tier but anything more and you’ll need to support them with a few units of swordsmen. I’d consider Halberdiers a direct replacement for Spearmen with the only downside being the lack of shields meaning their slightly more exposed to ranged attacks. I’d again recommend about 2 units in your army just to protect your flanks and focus any larger targets enemies might bring. (now might be a good time to say that my recommendations are for what I’d call a jack of all trades army which is my go to setup when making a new stack. If your enemies are brining all mammoths then by all means bring a lot of halberds but as far as my guides go I’m only focusing on a (in my opinion) well rounded army).

Finishing up the melee infantry are the legendary Greatswords. There was a time before the Swordmasters of Hoeth when I’d probably tell you that they’re one of the best infantry units in the game but at the moment they’re still good but not quite god tier. They’re still anti-infantry so can shred through several units of enemy infantry without too much trouble. They’re also armour-piercing so even tougher units will take a lot of damage from these guys and they’re also armoured so wont take too much damage themselves. Again these guys aren't shielded so beware of ranged units picking them off when you aren't looking. I’d recommend about 4 units of these guys in any late game army over flagellants any day of the week just because they are far more versatile and better overall

Headlining the missile infantry are the free company miltia and to be honest I really don’t have a lot to say about these guys because I haven’t really used them. Don’t get me wrong the idea of ranged units being decent in melee is a really good thing if it weren’t for one tiny problem. I already bring at least 6 units of melee troops so why do I need more? On top of this they’re also weak against armour so aren’t gonna do that much anyways against anything beyond zombies. On the bright side they do have really good range and vanguard deployment but does that make them worth it? NO! In my opinion if you can afford crossbows don’t bother with these guys but if you are going to insist on taking them I’d say around 3 units would be enough and use them to focus less armoured units until they run out of ammo then send them into melee.

Crossbowmen are great. They have great range and an arc so can shoot right over your units without toooo much friendly fire. These guys don’t do amazingly against armour but are still very preferable to Free company because they can apply much more pressure to enemy units. It could just be the animation but when they fire it seriously feels like that part in 300. (show the fight in the dark clip) In battle the best use for these guys is to get them uphill from where the melee battle is taking place so they can rain down onto enemy units with a small risk of friendly fire. I’d recommend a 3:2 split between these guys and Handgunners in your armies, speaking of which...

Handgunners are finishing off the missile infantry and they’re totally top tier for what stage in the game you unlock them at. They deal armour-piercing damage so can easily shred through even the toughest late game units if you let them. Unlike the crossbowmen, handgunners don’t have an arc to their shots so they do need to flank around enemies to get shots off without the risk of friendly fire. This can put them out of position and leave them in danger of being charged which would not be a good situation as they have pretty poor melee stats. As I said before I’d recommend 2 of these guys to 3 crossbowmen and in battle they’re of course best used for getting off an initial barrage against charging enemies. Once melee units are locked in combat, you do need to move your handgunners into positions at the flanks so they can get clean shots. Follow these instructions and you should be shredding black orcs and grave guard before you know it.

The melee cavalry is one of the two categories that I’d say the empire is best in. Starting us off is the Empire Knights and they’re pretty much your run of the mill cav units. They’re armoured and shielded so have plenty of defence from both melee and ranged units. They’re also anti infantry so if you get a good charge into some infantry they’re gonna have a really bad day. As with most cav units my best advice is to use them to flank around your enemies and take out key targets such as ranged infantry and artillery, alternatively you can use them for charging into the backs of enemy front lines to cause a massive leadership penalty. I’d only recommend using them in the early game as the later options for the Empire are so much better that they’re not even worth considering.

Unit Roster & Battle Strategy PT 2

So next up from the Reikland are the Reiksguard. These guys are incredible in the mid game and can even be carried in your armies until the late game if you want. They are again armoured and shielded and also anti-infantry so ruin the day of anything smaller than a horse. They have a massive charge bonus so catching enemies off guard is essential for them as one good charge will take away half of either a health or leadership bar from almost any unit in the game. The usual strategies apply for these guys but be sure to not leave them trapped in melee as it’s a total waste of potential to do anything other than cycle charging. As with most cav units I’d recommend 2 units just to keep the army well balanced.

Knights of the Blazing Sun are very similar to Reiksguard with some very slight stat differences. They’re basically a little bit better in almost every category except armour and melee defence but for some reason in campaign I never found myself using them. I think its something to do with unlocking them at the same time as Demigryphs that made me overlook them as they just didn't compare. If for some reason you want to take these guys though they’ll definitely do the job. They can get great charges into either melee troops or ranged units causing lots of damage and leadership penalties. They’re of course best used for cycle charges rather than leaving them in melee and as usual I’d say 2 units of them is enough to fill their role.

Demigryph Knights come in 2 varieties: lances and halberds and to save us some time I’m just gonna come out and say it. Halberds are better in every way. I know that stats tell a different story but in battles I just find myself choosing them every time and it seems to work out well enough. They just seem to go through enemy units and can even survive pretty well in melee provided they aren’t against anything too tough. Even though Demigryphs don't have the highest stats of all the cavalry I bring them over anything else for the sole reason that they need less micromanagement. Their ability to survive in melee means you can send them after a key target and not have to worry about them too much for the starting rush of the battle. This doesn’t mean you can just forget about them as with all cav they do need some micro but its no where near as much as other units need. For the most balanced army comp I take just 2 units of them to focus down key target and flanks.

Onto the missile cavalry now and these are some of my favourite units in the empire roster starting off with pistoliers. As with all missile cavalry units they have vanguard deployment so can start the battle much closer to the enemy than normal to attack them from unexpected directions. They have a pretty low damage output but they are a very early game unit so it doesn’t matter too much as you wont be taking them into the late game. They are very fast so can get around enemies to shoot them in the back pretty easily and that’s exactly what you should use them for as having them take on entire units by themselves won’t go too well. As for how many to have in your armies, I’d again say 2 units should enough to effectively flank front lines and cause a little bit of trouble.

Next up are Outriders and these guys are where the missile cav starts to get fun. They have armour-piercing missiles so can shred through tough targets like Swiss cheese and are pretty much superior to pistoliers in every way except speed. They have great range and can chip away at half the enemies health and morale before they even reach the front lines meaning your melee troops have the easiest job in the world. They’re best used by deploying as close to the enemy as you can get them using vanguard, then blast a few volleys off on key targets before retreating so they dont get caught in melee. Beyond that use them to attack flanks and focus down tougher enemies caught in melee. I forgot to mention that they come in 2 variants: one with rifles and one with grenade launchers. Taking grenade launchers loses the ability to attack air units but makes them vastly superior at attacking all types of infantry. Not only will they cause more damage faster but the explosions will also ruin enemy formations and can totally destroy a units morale before they even reach the fight. Again I’d have to say 2 units is best for these guys in a balanced army.

We’re finally onto my personal favourite part of the Empire roster and the other category that I’d say they’re best in. Kicking off Artillery and War Machines is the mortar and there’s really not much to say. It’s a strong early game anti-infantry artillery piece that, if used correctly, can rack up hundreds of kills. It’s worth mentioning that on top of the fantastic range they also fire in an arc so can shoot right over the heads of any infantry you have. This means that as soon as battle starts you can open fire on key targets as they charge into battle. As soon as units are locked in melee look out for areas where groups of units are packed tightly together and focus fire there. Not only will this secure a ton of kills but it’ll also crush enemy morale as units are shredded by the explosive damage. In the early game I’d recommend between 2 and 4 units of these guys depending on what else you have unlocked.

Great cannons are next to the plate and they’re pretty….. great. Whereas the mortar was great at racking up lots of kills on weaker units the great cannon excels at focusing down larger and more armoured targets. They have a good range but don't fire in a large arc so need a clear line of site to be effective. They also have armour-piercing damage as well as an anti-large bonus so can effectively chip away at large armoured units such as the war mammoths. In fact that's exactly what I’d say you should use them for, focusing large target that would otherwise ruin your front lines. If you focus key targets enough they should be no problem by the time they reach your actual troops. I’d recommend 2 units of cannons alongside 2 mortars in any early game army.

The Helstorm Rocket Battery is next and these are possibly the most cinematic of all artillery pieces in the game and they aren’t too bad in practice either. They have a great arced range as well as armour-piercing and anti-infantry so are a godsend when attacking advancing infantry. The only major downside they have is the poor accuracy meaning once the front lines are established it’s dangerous to fire on them as you run the risk of friendly fire. But that being said they are still a fantastic unit that I believe has a place on even a late game army just due to the huge destruction they can rain down on even elite infantry. I like to take 2 of them into the late game alongside some more focused armour-piercing units that we’ll get to in a minute.

The Helblaster Volley Gun is a unit that I haven't really used much as it didn’t seem to find a place in any of my armies. It’s by no means a bad unit but I just never found a time when it was worth using over something else. Even the great cannon has a place over it as it offers anti-large damage whereas this only offers armour-piercing which I already have covered by the Helstorm. If I were to use them then I’d say focusing down heavily armoured targets such elite infantry or cav would be the best way and if you did insist on bringing them only take 1 or 2 as they don't fill enough roles to warrant anything more.

Unit Roster & Battle Strategy PT 3

The Luminark of Hysh is a really cool unit. It fires armour-piercing missiles which do an ungodly amount of damage called Solheim’s Bolt of Illumination. They are insanely accurate and do s**t tons but only have a small area of effect so are best used for focusing key targets such as Huge units or lords and heroes. This comes at the cost of a ridiculously slow firing rate so you might do a lot of damage in one shot but the actual dps wont actually be that high. To top it all off they have 2 aura abilities that buff nearby units. They have the aura of protection that gives 12% magical resist to nearby units as well as an activate able aura that adds to your winds of magic depending on how many enemies are near the unit. Overall the Luminark is a great addition to the Empire roster but due to the slow firing speed (and next unit) I only ever take one of them in my armies.

The Final unit in the Empire Roster is the Steam Tank. This behemoth is the only other fully mechanised unit other than the DOOM wheel available in the game. While it lacks the charging capabilities of the wheel it has fantastic stats with great armour and armour-piercing damage. It can also cause terror so units will suffer massive morale penalties just by being near to it. To put a cherry on top of this it’s also unbreakable so will stay fighting until the very end. There isn’t exactly a bad way you can use the steam tank aside from sending it off chasing something it cant catch but I find it best to get in the front lines in a big group of enemy infantry where it can rack up huge numbers of kills. I’d only recommend bringing one however as it’s application isn’t needed as much as other units in the army.

Lords & Heroes in Battle & Campaign

The Empire at this point have only 1 faction you can play as (unlike the vampires who now have 3, links in the card to a video about that) so no matter what lord you choose you’ll have the same starting location and everything that goes with it.

First up is Karl Franz. Contrary to popular belief he can’t actually summon the elector counts but he is a pretty cool guy anyway. Choosing him as your faction leader will grant you +10 Diplomatic relations with Empire Provinces, +10 Campaign movement range, -15% upkeep for Reiksguard and Greatswords and +2 to lord Recruit rank. In battle all units in his army gain +8 leadership and he starts with Halberdiers, Handgunners and Reiksguard. He has the abilities Hold the Line, Foe-Seeker and Stand your Ground and he has 4 options for mounts: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse, an Imperial Pegasus and a Deathclaw. He is Armoured and deals armour-piercing damage so can take on even elite units and hold his own quite well. He is also a duelist so is best used for targeting enemy lords and heroes to take them on 1 on 1. Overall he’s pretty strong in battle and gives your faction some nice bonuses in campaign so is a great choice for beginner players.

Balthasar Gelt is next. Choosing him will grant your faction +10 Armour to all units, add 2 to your battle wizard capacity and -25% to the upkeep of battle wizards. In battle he reduced the cost of Lore of Metal spells by 20%, adds 10% missile damage to artillery units and will grant any wizard recruited into his army +2 rank. His starting army has Greatswords, a Mortar and some Outriders and he has the abilities Evasion, Metalshifting and Arcane Conduit. He has 3 choices of mount: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse and Quicksilver. He is the only lord that is a spellcaster in the empire so is best kept out of the battle so he can support his units with magic from a range. There’s not much more to say other than, as with most spellcasters, he only gets good later in the game so dont be surpised at the start when he’s not really offering anything to your armies.

The third and Final faction leader you can choose is Volkmar the Grim. He was added in the Grim and the Grace DLC from Warhammer 1 and is (in my opinion) the worst option to lead the Empire. Choosing him to lead your faction will grand +20% to Magic Item drop chance, +30% weapon strength for Flagellants, +2 to Warrior Priest recruit rank and -30% upkeep for Flagellants. Now if you remember my previous video (link in the card) you may remember me saying Flagellants are pretty useless so you may be thinking choosing this lord makes them viable and you might be right. But think about it. Is it worth loosing out on vastly better faction bonuses for the sake of making 1 unit viable in battle. The short version is helllll no. It continues as well as in his army Flagellants gain +30% replenishment rate, +14 melee defence and +12% physical resistance. His entire character is based off of 1 unit and to me it just doesn't make sense. Anyway his abilities are Benediction, Divine Power, Grand Hammer of Sigmar, Grand Shield of Faith and Grand Soulfire. He has the choice between 3 mounts: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse and the War Altar of Sigmar. Finally he has the ability to cast battle prayers which are basically weaker spells to buff your troops in battle.

Now onto the non legendary lords starting with the General of the Empire. Obviously these guys have no faction bonuses to talk about so we’ll go quickly as we still have a lot to talk about. They have the abilities Hold the Line, Foe-Seeker and Stand your ground as well as 4 options for a mount: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse, an Imperial Pegasus and an Imperial Griffon. They are armoured and shielded so are tough to take down both in melee and from range. Keep them in the front lines supporting your troops against stronger enemies.

The last lord is the Arch Lector as they have the abilities Benediction, Divine Power, Grand Hammer of Sigmar, Grand Shield of Faith and Grand Soulfire and have the choice if 2 mounts: a Warhorse or a Barded Warhorse. They can cast battle prayers and are also armoured so aren't too bad in melee either. Again keep them near to your front lines to support units with prayers and leadership bonuses.

Onto the heroes now starting with the Empire captain. On the campaign map they have the ability to spread public order in the local province, assault garrisons, wound enemy heroes and assault units in enemy armies. If embedded in an army they train all units giving them XP per turn thereby making them better in every way. They are armoured and shielded so are very tough to take down as well as having the choice of 3 mounts: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse of an Imperial Pegasus. Finally they have the abilities Hold the Line and Foe-Seeker and are best used in battle in the front lines assisting troops where needed.

Next up is the Witch Hunters and these guys are the assassins of the Empire. They have the campaign abilities of cleansing corruption, damaging walls, assassinating enemy heroes and blocking enemy armies. When embedded in an army they increase the amount of loot gained post battle. They fire armour-piercing missiles as well as having the ability to fire whilst moving. This combined with the Duellist ability means they are excellent at taking down valuable targets such as enemy lords and heroes as if left alone they can cause a huge amount of damage over time. They don't have access to any mounts but have the abilities slippery and Accusation.

Warrior Priests are next and they’re pretty much watered down versions of the Arch Lectors. In campaign then can stimulate growth in the local province, Damage buildings, wound heroes and assault units. When embedded in an army they increase casualty replenishment rate so armies can get back in the action faster. The are armoured as well as being able to cast battle prayers so are good for supporting troops in battle. They have the choice of 2 mounts: a Warhorse or a Barded Warhorse and they have the abilities Benediction, Divine Power, Hammer of Sigmar, Shield of Faith and Soulfire.

The Empire can recruit many different types of wizard with the only difference being the spells they can cast and a single ability so I’ll treat them as 1 for now. On the campaign map they can boost income in the local province, steal technology from settlements, wound heroes and assault units in enemy armies. When embedded in an army they increase the chances of finding magical items post battle. They have the choice of 3 mounts: a Warhorse, a Barded Warhorse or an Imperial Pegasus. The amber wizard is the only one with access to the Imperial Griffon as a mount and he can cast spells from the lore of Beasts and has the ability wild heart. The Jade Wizard can cast spells from the Lore of Life and has the ability Life Bloom. The Grey Wizard can cast spells from the Lore of Shadows and has the Ability Smoke & Mirrors. The Bright Wizard has access to the Lore of Fire and has the Ability Kindleflame. The Celestial Wizard has access to the Lore of Heavens and has the ability rolling skies. Finally the Light Wizard has access to the Lore of Light and has the ability Exorcism.

[Baron av Noxium]

Unfortunately, this guide is now outdated...the new update reworked their whole politics to actually be necessary. Campaign feels like Bretonnia, but worse.

[Brunner The Bounty Hunter]

do more of these with different factions pls

[Kierannkkt (Heavy)]

One key feature pistoliers have compared to outriders is the ability to fire in all directions, which allows them to more effectively keep dealing damage while preventing enemies from engaging them in melee, while outriders can only fire in a forward arc. they're especially good against the AI as it often sends a couple of units to just chase them around the map uselessly while being shot at, preventing those units from helping in the main battle.

[Thorinsh]

continue?