Today is a big day for Total War: Warhammer 3. The game is set and primed not only to receive its biggest, most substantial expansion pack yet - the featured Champions of Chaos DLC - but the developers are also getting ready to kickstart possibly the biggest grand strategy project we've ever seen before: Immortal Empires. This franchise-spanning piece of content will, naturally, include all the disparate DLCs for each of the three Total Warhammer games.

Champions of Chaos is in a precarious position, then. Being the latest in a long line of stellar expansion packs, it needs to be firing on all cylinders. And, as it turns out, that's precisely what it does. Fans of Chaos factions in Warhammer will adore this new X-PAC, and today, we aim to explain what makes it so good.

If you aim to kick off your next big Warhammer gaming experience with tomorrow's beta launch of Immortal Empires, too, Champions of Chaos may be an excellent companion piece to your wargaming campaign. And, even if you're not too keen on, say, Nurgle's "aesthetic" choices, there's much to love here based on the sheer variety of content that's present.

CHECK OUT: Total Warhammer 3 PC Optimization Guide

Champions of Chaos DLC Summary: All The New Total War: Warhammer 3 Content!

Get the Champions of Chaos DLC at a steep discount - via 2Game!

As with almost every major X-PAC for a Total Warhammer game, the draw of this DLC too are its playable Legendary Lords. Effectively sub-faction leaders, these superpowered monstrosities are elite units that command specialized armies in your name. And, to celebrate the four exciting new Chaos Lords, we've prepared a special section dedicated to each and every one of them.

Before that, however, it's also worth pointing out some of Champions of Chaos's other major features and mechanics. Indeed, this DLC comes with its own special mini-campaign, to begin with. Here, the four featured Chaos lords need to duke it out over the ancient city of Zanbaijin, where souls of long-fallen warriors sit ripe for the taking.

There's an all-new unit lineup to bolster the forces of Chaos and make this campaign more exciting. Players can expect the following:

• 4 new Marked Lords
• 5 new Chaos Warshrines
• 4 new Marked Heroes
• over 30 new Marked Units

On top of all of these, there are also four new Regiments of Renown, each corresponding to a specific Chaos God's alignment:

• KHORNE: Knights of the Brazen Throne (Skullcrushers)
• NURGLE: Bilious Thundergruff (Chaos Giant)
• SLAANESH: The Sibilant Slaughtercade (Chaos Chariots)
• TZEENTCH: The Severed Claw (Aspiring Champions)

Overall, we're looking at a surprisingly substantial and hefty new batch of content. Sure enough, Chaos has been the focus of Total Warhammer 3 since the start, but few could've foreseen yet another major new X-PAC adding to and expanding upon the forces of Chaos.

Azazel, Prince of Damnation

Aligned with Slaanesh.

Aptly described as the "Swiss Army Knife of Slaneesh," Azazel is one of the most fearsome daemonic entities of Warhammer Fantasy. Not only is this flying creature a fearsome close-quarters combatant, but it also has ways of tempting a significant number of enemy units to fight on its side.

Azazel Lord Effects

• Domineering Aura Passive
• -20% Seduce Units cost for Empire, Bretonnia, Kislev, and Cathay
• +25% budget for Seduce Units

Azazel Faction Effects

• +80 diplomatic relations with Empire, Kislev, Bretonnia, and Cathay
• applies 'Immune to Psychology' to Vassals, who also begin to spread Corruption
• applies and benefits from Gifts of Slaneesh and Seductive  Influence

These effects make Azazel the go-to option for subjugators and infiltrators. Especially for those who want to be ready for all-out war should their attempts at seduction end up failing.

Valkia the Bloody

Aligned with Khorne.

A literal consort to Khorne himself, Valkia is probably the single most powerful combatant on this list. Equipped with a living Daemonshield and the Spear of Slaupnir, Valkia the Bloody can be completely invulnerable for short periods of time, as well as break ground apart to damage her enemies. In fact, Valkia is so horrific in action that a huge portion of her forces will be empowered further by her mere presence on the battlefield.

Valkia Lord Effects

• The Gaze of Khrone Passive
• +35% Campaign movement range after enemy retreats from combat

Valkia Faction Effects

• access to Bloodletting
• +20% Campaign movement range after winning a battle
• +50% Souls gained from sacrifice
• applies Frenzy to Vassals, who now spread Khorne's Corruption

In summary, Valkia the Bloody is a true berserker. A monstrous presence that can continuously chain her victories into a frenzied ballet of violence across the map.

Vilitch the Curseling

Aligned with Tzeentch.

Vilitch is effectively an amalgamation of the berserker and the spellcaster warrior archetypes. A formidable battlefield leader, this daemon becomes more powerful the longer he is in close combat, and basically embodies the innate duality of a Tzeentch entity. These are, in effect, two equally powerful siblings fused together, which makes the singular Vilitch entity a capable battle master at any range.

Vilitch Lord Effects

• The Twisted Twin Passive
• +15% experience stolen from other Legendary Lords
• -25% Winds of Magic Teleport stance usage cost

Vilitch Faction Effects

• increased barrier hit points for Vassals, who now spread Tzeentch's Corruption
• access to Changing of the Ways
• access to Tzeentch's Teleport Stance
• Winds of Magic benefits all combatant forces
• converts his battle casualties into Souls (partially)

Vilitch the Curseling upgrades the classically subversive forces of Tzeentch as an incredibly competent melee combatant. To that end, his approach to the matters of Chaos ought to be interesting in more ways than might be readily apparent.

Festus the Leechlord

Aligned with Nurgle.

Though it may seem like a bit of a stretch, Festus the Leechlord is, in fact, a bit of a scientist. It's not odd, then, that most of his abilities would focus on all manner of concoctions, potions, and a little bit of spellcasting on the side. Poison is still king, as it were, but Festus is not beyond healing his forces to keep them in combat for long periods of time. The kicker is that Festus needs to choose between healing and pestilence passives, depending on what he may be attempting to accomplish.

Festus Lord Effects

• +3 turns Plague duration to local armies
• +25% battle healing cap for Lord's army

Festus Faction Effects

• upgrades Vassals with Poison attacks, and they now spread Nurgle's Corruption
• can brew Plagues
• +25 Souls when a Plague spreads

Overall, Festus looks like a prime candidate for the next suppressor-type Lordling. Not only will he be able to stick around in combat for longer periods of time, but he will also exert additional Poison/Plague pressure upon his enemies, making him a force to be reckoned with.

Eternal Warfare Within Grasp!

Hard not to be excited about all this, isn't it? And, really, Warhammer PC games have been awesome for some time now. At long last, it feels like the IP has got its spunk back, and there's an immense amount of variety present. Now, Total Warhammer was one of the first modern mainstream reinventions of the IP. It's only fitting that it'd be here as its crow jewel in 2022, too.

And hey, if you're coming in late and you're worried that you won't be able to keep up with all these complex mechanics and features - don't fret! 2Game's starter guide for Total War: Warhammer 3 is as relevant as ever before. On top of that, the game's simple enough if you keep things under control. Choose a faction, give it a whirl. Hell, why not kick things off with Azazel itself, while you're at it? Concentrating on a single faction will let you come to grips. And, once you've had enough, you can move on to other factions easily.

GET IT: Total War: Warhammer 3 - Champions of Chaos DLC is Available Now!