Total War: Warhammer's End Game Crises Get a Spicy Reveal, Including a Skaven 'Rat Counter'

Creative Assembly has offered a closer look at the end-game crises set to arrive in Total War: Warhammer with the Lords of the End Times expansion, detailing new challenges for Archaon, Nagash, and the Skaven.

During a recent livestream, the development team showcased the reworked endgame scenarios, including Archaon's new Chaos Invasion, Nagash's Great Ritual of Nagash, and the Skaven's Vermintide. Players will encounter specially devastated world regions and unique battle maps tied to these crises, alongside new units designed to fit the End Times theme.

A particularly notable feature revealed for the Skaven's Vermintide is a "rat counter." Lead Game Designer Mitch Heastie explained that this counter provides an estimated number of Skaven still requiring elimination, based on in-game figures. During the stream, the counter displayed "165,000 RATS," representing approximately 60 Skaven armies that players must defeat. The Vermintide scenario involves players destroying Skaven Under-Cities to prevent them from destroying settlements with Doomspheres and requires rapid recapture of territory as new armies continuously spawn. New buildings are being introduced to aid in combating this threat, and the scenario is also said to include a narrative component where defeating armies helps uncover the Skaven's plans.

In contrast, Nagash's endgame focuses more on a climactic final battle. As the Black Pyramid progresses towards Nagashizzar, players will need to manage the Lord of Undeath's conquests and weaken him to prepare for the final confrontation. Archaon's revised Chaos Invasion presents a similar challenge, requiring players to defeat his armies and fortresses to diminish his ward save before he causes irreversible destruction to the world.

The Lords of the End Times expansion is slated for release on September 24. The developer also confirmed that purchasing any of the expansion lords will grant players access to the Immortal Empires campaign, suggesting it will be an opportune time to engage with Total War: Warhammer.