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Just a head's up - there's a Warhammer Sale on Steam this weekend:

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/warhammer

Some good games there. Own a lot of them though already!

Also note there's a big Paradox sale on at present too


I'm still on the fence about Gladius. I like 4* games and this game has Tyranids, however at the same time its Slytherine and my experience of their games is that, in general, as a publisher they could really do with more money to throw into developers. They often feel like there are shortfalls (esp in areas like AI) which can lead to missing features that one comes to sort of expect in games of today.
They tend to be games where if you like the premise you can overlook the shortfalls for a while; but overall you will still notice them. The other issue is that they tend to drop games a bit too quickly. Or at least they drop titles when you can clearly see simple/short ways to improve things.



Battlefleet Gothic 2 is also on that list for similar reasons; though also for its file size which is too big for me at present (I need a new HD or otherwise have to remove games, which on my slower internet I'm reluctant to do). Though this one is gosh darn pretty and I'm sure I will enjoy it as it seems to build off the first game which was solid fun (if with a few quirks of its own).


Warhammer Total War, 1 and 2 - if you've not got them get them they are by far and away utterly outstanding and some of the best EVER GW licenced games ever made. For a team that basically made historical games where most factions were reskins of the same handful of core units and where they'd never really had many special effects they hit Warhammer like a storm. Animated monsters; magical spells; flying monsters; just everything is so well done and with a roster of diverse factions that you'll never find in an RTS/TBS game of this graphical quality anywhere else (and mostly likely not for a very long time, esp as RTS is in a terrible spot right now being mostly ignored).
If you've not looked into them the games build ontop of each other; all the content (including the blood dlc pack) from the first game carries over into the second. You don't even need the first game installed, just purchased on the same steam account and it will unlock all those factions to play in the second game; it also unlocks the massive Mortal Realms campaign map to play on.
Race DLC packs are more than worth it, each one adding a totally unique army, many of which don't just appear different, but play very differently both on the campaign map and on the battlefield.
Skaven might throw scores of low moral clan rats at you; the units breaking in moral fast, but then running back to form a meat shield for elite units that will decimate your forces.
Vampires will march rank and file undead at you which will never moral break, but will decay and can suddenly fall apart insteadm
Meanwhile the highelves will pepper you with arrows at long range before forcing you to smash into their rank and file spears and sheilds.

Not sure if it was on the sale but I really recommends Space Marine.
Fairly short but darn its juicy and has some great fights / action.

I've got the first Total War: Warhammer. I've sunk about 20 hours into it and feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

Is it worth getting the second game now, or waiting for when it's a bit cheaper? Bearing in mind that it's still about £40, including the DLC.

I am happy playing in the Old World, not too fussed about the races across the water. Are there significant improvements in the second game when playing as Dwarves, Empire, etc...? Or is it basically the same game?

I might just wait and see what the Steam Halloween Sale offers us, it's only a week or two away. I imagine a lot of the games on sale this weekend will be on sale then too.

The other races have nearly all had big updates in their skills; whilst the various expansion have added some new units and such. For example the last expansion (hunter and beast) added some new units for Empire including mobile chariot drawn gunwagons and mortar waggons as well as a new archer leader and campaign.

I also find the Vortex campaign to be quite a lot of fun and you also get access to the huge mortal realms map where you play with ALL the factions in the game thus far.

The second game also improves in performance somewhat and also generally has more tweaked content since Warhammer 1 is now not updated.


I'd say its more than worth it and who knows you might come to love lizardmen, skaven, high/dark elves, tomb kings - heck there's a freaking undead pirate army with giant walking skeleton ships with cannon arms and giant crabs as well as undead shambling along with guns. Basically a fan army tha twas once in an old White Dwarf - brought into the might of the Warhammer world.
I don't expect it to go on sale for any less in Halloween, you might get a tiny bit shaved off in Christmas, but I'd wager the next big drop for Warhammer 2 will be when or just before Warhammer 3 is to come out. They might even throw it into Humble Bundle again to get people ready for Warhammer 3 but that's not for another year at least I'd wager (though they have confirmed that with 3 Kingdoms released the next BIG game is Warhammer 3)

Owning both the first and second game also adds the Mortal Empires campaign, which allows you to play a world-spanning campaign of conquest against *all* of the other factions.

yep got me some Wood elves and zombie pirates DLC!!!

 Overread wrote:

I don't expect it to go on sale for any less in Halloween, you might get a tiny bit shaved off in Christmas, but I'd wager the next big drop for Warhammer 2 will be when or just before Warhammer 3 is to come out.

Next DLC is Decemberish (or as they put it, Festag), and according to CA, won't be cross-game (as the last one was), and the FLC lord won't be Skaven. There will be at least one more after that, which includes the orc and goblin update.

So regarding the Blood packs. Am I missing out on any content if I don't purchase them?

The description mentions...

Blood spurts.
Gory spatter on unit models.
Limb and head dismemberment (humanoids and non-legendary characters).
Zombies and skeletons may continue to fight after dismemberment!
Explosive gibbing from deadly mid-torso strikes.
Blood-drenched UI elements.
Random, global campaign events that generate greater carnage in battle.

 Snrub wrote:
So regarding the Blood packs. Am I missing out on any content if I don't purchase them?

No

I think they'll be cheaper come the Winter Steam Sale.

So I'll hold off, as much as I want BFG2.

If you don't get the Blood packs you miss out on blood. If there's any story elements then they are likely turn notification type ones (ergo you take a turn and a blood tithe is called etc...) Though I've not "looked"when playing to spot any so wouldn't know really how much that affects the game.

Personally I see the blood DCL cost as so minor that its not a worry, and whilst I think its a little cheeky to charge, I do get the point. Blood being optional with a nominal fee lets CA balance if people really want it, whilst also keeping it as an extra outside of the core game so that the core game can have a lower age rating - which nets them a much large audience.

 Overread wrote:
Also note there's a big Paradox sale on at present too


I'm still on the fence about Gladius. I like 4* games and this game has Tyranids, however at the same time its Slytherine and my experience of their games is that, in general, as a publisher they could really do with more money to throw into developers. They often feel like there are shortfalls (esp in areas like AI) which can lead to missing features that one comes to sort of expect in games of today.
They tend to be games where if you like the premise you can overlook the shortfalls for a while; but overall you will still notice them. The other issue is that they tend to drop games a bit too quickly. Or at least they drop titles when you can clearly see simple/short ways to improve things.

I've really enjoyed Gladius. Last time I played, a couple of months back, they still needed to re-balance Tyranids who had some very under powered units mixed with some very efficient units overall playing Tyranids play well enough but it might bug you. Ai seems plays than the Close Combat series.