Total War: Warhammer 3 – Thrones of Decay: Malakai and Dwarfs rework details

That’s one grudge removed from the book

Creative Assembly / Sega

Malakai Makaisson leads the Dwarfs in Total War: Warhammer 3 – Thrones of Decay, the next DLC coming out for the strategy game. Creative Assembly already gave us the details on what Tamurkhan and the Nurgle rework as well as Elspeth von Draken and the Empire rework bring to the table, so it’s time to see what the disgraced, ingenious Slayer Engineer can do for the Dawi.

TW: WH 3 – Thrones of Decay: Malakai Makaisson

Malakai Makaisson combines the best attributes of a Slayer and an Engineer, being unyielding on the battlefield while supporting his ranged units with a variety of abilities. 

He can throw a Cinderblast Cluster Bomb, target enemies with his triple-barrelled repeater rifle, and take on anyone in melee with a heavy spanner. Thanks to his abilities, he can speed up the fire rate of his artillery units as well as their accuracy. He may also provide them with Deranged Munitions, imbuing them with Magical Attacks and increasing their firepower.

His item set has other useful skills in store, allowing him to refill artillery units’ ammo and health as well as increasing the range and damage of missile infantry.

TW: WH 3 – Thrones of Decay: Malakai’s Adventures

Being a death-seeking Slayer, Malakai scouts the world for worthy foes. However, his roots as an Engineer shine through, leading him to thoroughly research those enemies and preparing strong countermeasures against them. Players will have to fight several small skirmishes to gain intel before challenging a major enemy and reaping mighty rewards for vanquishing them.

By completing Malakai’s Adventures, players will be able to obtain powerful upgrades for units in his roster, items for their characters, and new bonuses for the Spirit of Grungni. Speaking of which…

TW: WH 3 – Thrones of Decay: Spirit of Grungni

The Spirit of Grungni is Malakai’s personal Thunderbarge and can be steadily upgraded through the spoils of Malakai’s Adventures. This airborne ship supplies his forces on the campaign map, giving him access to new recruits anywhere on the planet, and can even be called upon to support his army in battle.

The Spirit of Grungni isn't the only Thunderbarge the Dwarfs can call on in Thrones of Decay. / Creative Assembly / Sega

TW: WH 3 – Thrones of Decay: Dwarfs rework

The Great Book of Grudges is getting an overhaul to make interacting with it feel more rewarding and important. Creative Assembly is making the following changes:

• Grudges will now be present and fully visible on the campaign map.
• Any faction that performs a hostile action against the Dwarf culture earns Grudges. 
• As a Dwarf player, attacking an army or settlement that has Grudges associated with it will award you with that Grudge value upon victory.
• We’re introducing a new system; Ages of Reckoning. Every 10 turns, the Dwarfs will have a target number of Grudges that must be resolved, and the percentage of those Grudges that have been taken care of at the time of the Reckoning will correspond with certain rewards. Clearing a high number of grudges will result in buffs, new Grudge Settler units, and even a temporary Grudge Settler army at the highest ranks, but low performances during an Age will come with penalties.
• Legendary Grudges are also available, and are grand missions that benefit the entire Dwarf culture when resolved. For example, taking the fight to Skavenblight and the Hell Pit will reward you with a unique army ability to summon Dwarf Miners in your own territory now that they’re no longer under threat of Skaven attack, or, you may also attempt to rebuild the Karaz Ankor, unlocking the Underway Travel network which allows fast travel between Karaks.
• Confederations can be earned by out-Grudging your fellow Legendary Lords. After exceeding the amount of Grudges another Lord has earned, plus an additional amount, you can confederate the other factions via the Book of Grudges panel.

Both the Dwarf tech tree and building chains have been adjusted, making gameplay for them a bit more fluid overall. The Forge, where the Dwarfs can create magic items from the resources they control on the campaign map, has been given an overhaul as well to give players a bit more flexibility.

Thrones of Decay will release alongside Update 5.0 for Total War: Warhammer 3, which brings free Legendary Lord Epidemius as well as the Nemesis Crown mechanic into the game.