Total War: WARHAMMER II - Rise of the Tomb Kings is a strategy game that adds the Tomb Kings faction to the Total War: WARHAMMER II experience. Players command undead legions from the ancient land of Nehekhara in large-scale campaigns and tactical battles. The title combines turn-based empire management with real-time combat where skeletal warriors, constructs, and chariots clash across desert maps.
Gameplay
The core loop revolves around expanding territory, managing resources, and leading armies in both campaign and battle phases. Canopic Jars serve as the primary unique resource, gathered from missions, buildings, and victories. These jars fuel the Mortuary Cult system, where players craft magic items and resurrect elite Legions of Legend using trade goods alongside the jars.
Research focuses on the Dynasties of Nehekhara instead of conventional technology trees. Unlocking dynastic histories revives past rulers as additional lords, boosts hero capacity, and awakens special followers that enhance unit performance. Four distinct rites provide campaign-wide effects, such as summoning a colonizing hero, creating sandstorms for attrition and ambush advantages, boosting jar generation and growth, or adding artillery units to recruitment pools.
In battles, the Realm of Souls mechanic tracks fallen warriors to trigger progressive healing waves for skeletal units. Reaching the final threshold unlocks an army ability to summon Ushabti statues directly onto the field. Liche Priests cast from the Lore of Nehekhara, delivering desert-themed spells that complement the faction's emphasis on durable constructs and ranged poison attacks.
Game Modes
Tomb Kings appear in the Eye of the Vortex campaign with a dedicated objective to collect the nine Books of Nagash and fight for control of the Black Pyramid. This path bypasses the standard vortex race pursued by other factions. The same race integrates into the larger Mortal Empires map for sandbox-style conquest across combined game worlds.
Support extends to Immortal Empires in the sequel title, allowing Tomb Kings armies to participate in the expansive combined campaign that merges multiple game maps. All four legendary lords retain their starting positions, skill trees, and unique bonuses across these modes, with adjustments for the broader map scale in the largest campaign.
Legendary Lords and Heroes
Four legendary lords lead the playable factions. Settra the Imperishable offers growth and public order bonuses while granting armor to chariots and tomb guard. High Queen Khalida reduces corruption, improves diplomacy with other tomb kings, and adds poison attacks plus ammunition bonuses. Grand Hierophant Khatep accelerates dynasty research and improves replenishment and movement. Arkhan the Black strengthens ties with vampire counts and enhances winds of magic reserves for embedded heroes.
Supporting heroes include Tomb Princes with a rampage curse, Liche Priests who wield multiple lores and reduce enemy armor, and Necrotects who buff constructs through auras while lowering building costs. Tomb Kings lords themselves unlock mounts such as skeletal steeds, chariots, and warsphinxes as they progress.
Is It Worth Playing?
Player reception remains very positive years after release, with Steam reviews showing 83 percent approval from nearly two thousand ratings. Reviewers highlight the distinctive undead mechanics, strong roster variety, and replayability through the four lords and dynasty system. The faction suits players who enjoy methodical expansion, powerful late-game constructs, and magic that rewards attrition warfare.
Those seeking fresh campaign objectives and resource management distinct from other races will find the Tomb Kings rewarding. The content integrates into ongoing play through Immortal Empires, providing continued value without requiring separate purchases beyond the base game and this pack. It appeals most to strategy fans comfortable with long campaigns and detailed army customization rather than quick matches.
