Khorne Race Details for Warhammer 3 – Total War

Khorne is one of the playable races of the Total War: Warhammer 3 game at release. The Blood God thirsts, the Skull Throne hungers, and the forces of Khorne venture to the battlefield for harvest. They are single-minded, bloody, and potent, defined by a distinct hatred of and resistance to magic.

The cowardice of ranged combat has little appeal, beyond the exception of cannons which broadside enemies with the skulls of those Khorne has consumed. The mortal races cannot hope to match his army’s ferocity, and the other Chaos Gods cannot survive in a toe-to-toe fight. Should they run rampant, Khorne’s forces will cleave the heads from all they find in the never-ending quest to please their god.

• Corruption – Khorne Corruption
• Climates
  • Suitable: Unknown
  • Unpleasant: Unknown
  • Uninhabitable: Unknown

Skarbrand – Legendary Lord

• Name: Skarbrand
• Faction: Exiles of Khorne
• Race: Khorne

Table of Contents

Khorne Legendary Lord

Khorne has one Legendary Lords at the launch of the Total War: Warhammer 3 game. Skarbrand the Bloodthrister will lead Khorne into the fight as Legendary Lord in Total War: Warhammer 3.

Skarbrand – Legendary Lord Khorne

The Bloodthirster Skarbrand was once the greatest of all Khorne’s Daemons. No other had piled so many skulls before the Skull Throne. One dark day, Skarbrand’s fierce pride grew hot and, blinded by rage, he smote the Blood God a mighty blow. Incandescent with wrath, Khorne cursed Skarbrand’s name and choked all personality from him, leaving only the bottomless rage that had caused him to attack. Since that fateful day, Skarbrand has wandered the mortal and immortal realms, drowning his sins in the blood of the slain – though he no longer has the wit to fully understand why.

Skarbrand is a ludicrous force on the battlefield, a titan of blood and rage. Even in his disgraced state, his incredible commitment to Khorne makes Skarbrand ferocious in his pursuit of enemies, near-impervious to magic, and a legendary commander of the demonic hordes of Khorne. He is constantly on the warpath, seeking only that which is detailed in the battlecry: Blood for the Blood God, Skulls for the Skull Throne.

Unique abilities & skills of Skarbrand:

• Wrathful Reaper – Skarbrand, once in the midst of battle, will not be distracted, and will kill until the killing is done. Nothing will stand before his fury.
• Rage Embodied – All those who see the Exiled One in battle are drawn to the ferocity of his combat. They will join him, even if it means their death.

Khorne Lords

From the unit roster reveal we know that Khorne will have Lords called Exalted Bloodthirster and Herald of Khorne. The Exalted Bloodthirsters are demons of destruction and can adapt almost to any situation. The Herald of Khorne is a frontline fighter and a buffer with the option of mounting a Juggernaut or Blood Throne.

Exalted Bloodthirster – Khorne Lord

Exalted Bloodthirsters are not only the deadliest of Khorne’s Daemons, but the mightiest of all Daemonkind. A single such beast is a harbinger of bellowing death, destructive beyond telling, and lives only to slaughter, maim, and destroy all that it encounters. It is the fury of war given form, the unfettered primal rage of the world made manifest. And such should be expected of a beast whose master is the Dark God of Bloodletting, Slaughter, and Murder.

Second only to Skarbrand in their power both on and off the battlefield, Exalted Bloodthirsters are monstrous, destructive, and incredible forces of nature. Terrifying, flying, blood-fuelled deathbringers, they lead only the mightiest of warhosts.

Herald of Khorne – Khorne Lord

Most feared of all amongst the Bloodletters are the dread Heralds of Khorne. To hear their call is to know your skull will be collected in mere moments by the deliberate, merciless leaders of Khorne’s armies. As a Herald’s rage grows, all nearby Daemons of Khorne become gripped by an irresistible fury that lends further intensity to the carnage. They hack and cleave their foes until there is nothing left save a mound of corpses and another victory for the Blood God.

Occasionally, a particularly favoured Herald of Khorne is granted a Juggernaut, mighty beasts of groaning iron and brass, taller than a man and possessed of crushing mass, to better pursue his master’s goals. Such a pairing is far deadlier than the sum of its parts. Should a foe survive the frenzied biting and goring, they are likely to be crushed beneath its brass body or cut down by the rider.

Those who go above and beyond the call to slaughter may be granted a Blood Throne. A mighty Daemon Engine armoured in brass and driven into battle by iron-shod wheels which crush and mangle all who stand in its path. From atop his macabre throne, the Herald searches for foes whose skulls will make the most audacious offerings. Those plundered from cowards are fed into the Blood Throne’s baleful workings, consumed in fire to bring the Daemon Engine fresh vigour. Those taken from the valiant are claimed by the Herald and fused with the throne itself, to stand throughout eternity as grim monument to the futility of opposing Khorne.

Mounts: Juggernaut or Blood Throne

Khorne Heroes

With the launch of Total War: Warhammer 3 you will have access to two hero types for Khorne. The Cultist of Khorne and Bloodreaper hero. The Cultist has access to the mount Chaos Steed and the Bloodreaper can mount a Juggernaut or a Blood Throne.

Cultist of Khorne Hero

The Cults of Khorne can be found across the world. Less fond of the clandestine trappings that accompany the other Dark Powers, the blood cults quickly take hold in arenas and fighting pits, although secret martial lodges dedicated to the Lord of Skulls have been discovered in the higher echelons of society.

It is the Cultists of Khorne that establish and propagate such sects, roaming far and wide to serve their god, spreading corruption in their stead. Their methods are as often insidious as they are direct, from founding illicit fighting dens to causing all out riots. Strong cultists are constantly hunting out rivals to fight, with the victor claiming the slain’s warriors as their own. Some will aspire to rise and become true champions of Khorne, but there are plenty eager supplicants who simply wish to murder and slay in the Blood God’s name and so spread the cult’s influence far and wide.

Some ride a great warhorse – a sign of status for only the best warriors. The steeds ridden by these tribes are powerful beasts, foul-tempered and strong of limb. Once a rider has broken such a horse, it will remain loyal to him until death, but remain vicious and unruly should a stranger approach. Fed on a diet of human flesh and watered-down blood, these snorting, high-spirited steeds have a glint of intelligent menace in their eyes, and will trample, kick and bite as if berserk when engaged at close quarters.

Mount: Chaos Steed

Bloodreaper Hero

Bloodletters who have proven their devotion and legitimised their existence, Bloodreapers are some of Khorne’s most deadly individual fighters. Each carries a Hellblade, a jagged iron sword whose blackened blade glows with heinous enchantment. A wound from one of these weapons can slay even the hardiest hero, draining their soul and sucking dry their shrivelled corpse. The Hellblade is formed from the Bloodreaper’s own essence and can never be discarded nor torn from its grasp. Each life taken by it strengthens the Bloodreaper, fuelling both its power and rage. As such, a Bloodreaper is even more terrifying at a battle’s close than its start, having gorged itself on the slaughter it has caused.

If that were not enough to crush and terrify the foe, a deadly combination of battle­frenzied Bloodreaper and the unstoppable crushing mass of a Juggernaut of Khorne can appear. There are also those that sit atop a mighty Blood Throne as a mark of status – a physical manifestation of the Blood God’s favour. The Bloodreaper that resides atop its pinnacle does not rest or repose as would another in its position, but prowls restlessly as the chariot advances, eyes and tongue twitching madly in anticipation of the next kill.

Favoured by their god, Bloodreapers are the locus of any fight they charge into. Bringing the energy of their god and his fury together, they can inspire those around them to ever-increasing ferocity, hardiness, and murder.

Mounts: Juggernaut or Blood Throne

Khorne Units in Warhammer 3

Now lets take a closer look at all the revealed units for Khorne in Total War: Warhammer 3.

Khorne Infantery

First lets take a look at all the infantery that Khorne will have.

Chaos Warrior of Khorne

A Chaos Warrior of Khorne has no need of food, drink or sleep, for he is nourished by the carnage that he wreaks. He has nothing but contempt for the weak or the cowardly and goes about the business of murder with a vengeance, for there is always a part of the man who was that rages against that which he has become. A Chaos Warrior’s only solace is in slaughter – the fulfilment of his new existence as an instrument of his blasphemous god’s will, and at battle’s end, his armour is spattered with the lifeblood of the slain.

Chaos Warriors of Khorne are fighters of unmatched prowess. Their strength is infernal and their bodies are as tough as the Iron Mountains. Imbued with the power of the Blood God and encased in suits of hell-forged armour, a Chaos Warrior is equal to several battle-hardened mortal men. They are no longer truly human, but living weapons, honed perfectly for the bloody tasks before them.

Variants:

• Axe & Shield
• Dual Axes
• Halberds

Notable characteristics of the Chaos Warrior of Khorne unit:

• Like many of Khorne’s chosen, enter a frenzy so long as they are enjoying the battle – blood, death, and the promise of victory.
• Berserkers, with their dual axes, are brutal and terrifying anti-infantry warriors who will tear unsuspecting foes limb-from-limb.
• Khorne has few non-Daemon followers in his armies. Whether that makes them cattle or commanders is up to you.

Bloodletters of Khorne

The Daemon hordes of Khorne consist of ferocious Bloodletters, deadly warriors believed to have been foremost amongst the Blood God’s followers in mortal life and whose will is as implacable and blood-hungry as Khorne himself. When loosed to the fray, Bloodletters sprint from one enemy to the next, hacking the foe apart before springing away in search of new victims. With each fresh kill, the Bloodletters loose great shouts of victory that echo across the battlefield and chill the souls of all who hear.

Notable characteristics of the Bloodletters of Khorne unit:

• An advancing pack of Bloodletters is a fearful sight for any and all mortals.
• Gain power as they kill, infusing their hellblades with the blood, gore, and screams of the slain.
• As with all Daemons, will disintegrate and flee to the Chaos Realms when their leadership is broken.

Exalted Bloodletters of Khorne

Khorne’s Chosen – the Naked Slayers, the Takers of Skulls, deadly warriors believed to have been foremost amongst the Blood God’s followers in mortal life and whose will is as implacable and blood-hungry as Khorne himself. Exalted Bloodletters gather in regiments, chanting their brutal praises to Khorne. In the fashion of the warriors they are believed to have once been, each unit marches beneath a gore-soaked banner upon which the names of their victims are inscribed.

Notable characteristics of the Exalted Bloodletters of Khorne unit:

• The bigger, badder, more murderous brothers and cousins of the Bloodletters.
• Share many of the same traits, only stronger, more accurate, and hardier.
• While a straight upgrade, more expensive and later in the tech tree.

Khorne Cavalry and Chariots

Now lets take a look at the Khorne cavalry and chariot units in Warhammer 3.

Gorebeast Chariot of Khorne

Gorebeast Chariots are even heavier and sturdier than other Chaos Chariots. No normal beast would have the strength to pull such a massive instrument of war, and they are therefore pulled into battle by a Gorebeast – a muscular creature renowned for its violent temperament. These grunting brutes strike their prey with such shocking force that those not impaled upon jutting armour spikes are torn apart by the impact. Even the lowliest of beasts recognise the bulky shape of a Gorebeast as synonymous with death. Each iron-clad chariot drawn by one of these formidable mutants is thus followed, at some distance, by circling carrion crows and slinking scavenger hounds waiting to feast on the bloody remnants of a Gorebeast’s grim harvest.

Notable characteristics of the Gorebeast Chariot of Khorne unit:

• Those Gorebeast Chariots ridden by followers of Khorne are constantly in a frenzy from the thrill of the hunt and the kill.
• This puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to defense, something they don’t tend to worry about.
• The cheapest option for cavalry of the Khornate horde, but still an absolute force on the battlefield.

Bloodcrushers of Khorne

The most favoured of all Bloodletters are granted the honour of becoming Bloodcrushers. Bloodcrushers are Khorne’s shock cavalry, a deadly combination of battle­ frenzied Bloodletter and the unstoppable crushing mass of a Juggernaut of Khorne. When the Daemonic legions go to war, bellowing hordes of Bloodcrushers stampede across the battlefield, trampling Khorne’s foes into unrecognisable pulp. When battle begins, Bloodcrushers relentlessly hurl themselves at the strongest point of an enemy’s lines. Here they hack, maim and gore their way through the strongest troops the foe can muster, exulting Khorne’s name with savage joy for each enemy slain.

Notable characteristics of the Bloodcrushers of Khorne unit:

• Powerful, Daemonic shock cavalry – providing additional physical resistance.
• As Daemons, vulnerable to banishment, but unable to rout.
• Technically a Daemon riding another Daemon into battle, which is fun.

Skullcrushers of Khorne

Skullcrushers, exalted in the eyes of Khorne, these murderous Knights are gifted with Juggernauts to carry them to war. These massive Daemonic mounts are made of living metal and pure rage; they are dealers of untold destruction who grind their foes beneath steel sinews and brass hooves. As the blood-crazed Knights bellow their battle cries, their fearsome mounts snort steam and paw out divots the size of shallow graves before stampeding towards the ranks of their prey and flattening anything in their way.

Notable characteristics of the Skullcrushers of Khorne unit:

• The most powerful human force in a Khornate army.
• Their powerful steeds stoke fear in the hearts of their enemies.
• One of the most terrifying, powerful charges in the Old World.

Khorne Monsters and Beasts

Next up we have the Khorne monsters and beasts and there are plenty of them of course!

Chaos Warhounds

In Norsca, wolves and hounds prowl in the flickering shadows of the campfires made by the barbarian tribespeople of the frozen lands. The further north the tribe dwells, the more likely it is that the hounds that follow them will be mutants, their bodies swollen by the energies of Chaos. Brutish and bloodthirsty, the Warhounds of Chaos are natural killers built of muscle and fang that lurk in the wilderness in ravening packs. They will even charge a spearwall with total abandon, their only concern the moment when their slobbering jaws sink into juicy, yielding flesh.

Notable characteristics of the Chaos Warhounds unit:

• Exceptionally quick and good for tearing down low-armour units in the enemy backline.
• The lowest tier unit in the Khorne army, but poor fodder to hold a frontline – puppers.
• Khorne-specific Flesh Hounds fulfil a similar role later in the tech tree.

Chaos Furies (Khorne)

Chaos Furies are yowling shards of malevolent energy – Chaos in its purest form. With little in the way of intelligence, they are utterly subservient to the whims of the Dark Gods, and shift in aspect and power as the balance of the dark pantheon alters. They are easily subjugated by other Daemons, whom they regard with a mix of dread and awe. Furies swarm at the edges of the battle, avoiding the thickest fighting if they can. Only when they sight a vulnerable victim do they descend, a wailing mass from which there can be no escape.

Notable characteristics of the Chaos Furies (Khorne) unit:

• Extremely fast-moving, if lightweight, flyers.
• Able to deploy ahead of the frontlines to harrass the enemy.
• The Mark of Khorne confers additional spell resistance and a more powerful charge over Furies dedicated to other gods.

Flesh Hounds of Khorne

Flesh Hounds are Khorne’s foremost tool of vengeance. When a being – mortal or Daemon – rouses the Blood God’s ire, he rises from the Skull Throne and sounds a single sonorous note on a great brass horn. This blast echoes through the mortal and Daemonic realms alike as a peal of portentous thunder, rousing Flesh Hounds from their slumber and loosing them upon the hunt. Few can survive gory pursuit by these relentless carnivores, for Flesh Hounds are faultless and instinctive trackers, able to harry their quarry across fen, forest, and stone without once losing the scent.

Notable characteristics of the Flesh Hounds of Khorne unit:

• Powerful jaws and a scent for blood make these powerful, fast units.
• Collars of Khorne give them incredible spell resistance, above and beyond normal Daemons.
• You can call them “little cavalry” because you’ll never have to speak to them face-to-slavering-teeth.

Spawn of Khorne

A grisly death is not the worst fate that one who has trod the path of Khorne can suffer, for the Blood God is inhuman and whimsical, and he makes no distinction between a beneficial or disadvantageous gift. Even the most vaunted Chaos Lord can find himself disfigured in an instant, his body wracked by a multitude of debilitating mutations. Should Khorne continue to pile on his dubious gifts, the recipient will devolve into a mindless, hideous creature known as a Chaos Spawn.

Notable characteristics of the Spawn of Khorne unit:

• No regard for human life, much less their own.
• Will run completely out of control once engaged and injured – fire and forget.
• As happy bashing down a castle door as they are bashing skulls.

Minotaurs of Khorne

To the Minotaurs of Khorne, a battlefield is a place of maddening excess. The scent of gore in their flaring nostrils drives them wild and they bellow their hunger for all to hear. They charge with a thundering impact, horns lowered to impale, then strike blow after blow against their hapless enemy. Once their victims have been hacked apart, the Khornataurs slake their thirst by tearing at raw flesh with their gore-encrusted nails and gulping down great hunks of steaming meat even whilst the battle rages on around them.

When called to war, these beasts reach into the piles of weapons and armour heaped in offering before the herdstones, equipping themselves with the largest and most formidable weapons they can find. These weapons were laid in celebration of victory, their erstwhile owners slain upon some forgotten battlefield. In amongst the rusted blades can sometimes be found those once carried by the warriors of long-lost empires, crafted using methods and metals no longer known to any of the peoples of the world, fragments of tarnished armour that might have been made for the guards of long-dead, forgotten kings.

Variants:

• Dual Axes
• Great Weapons

Notable characteristics of the Minotaurs of Khorne unit:

• Fueled by the scent of blood, their power increases with every slain enemy.
• Pledged to Khorne due to their relentless need for fresh meat.
• Armoured, armour-piercing, fearless, and destructive.

Soul Grinder of Khorne

When a Daemon’s physical body is slain, he can surrender his true name to the Forge of Souls. The dark bargain sealed; his crippled essence is bound to a mighty Warp-metal hulk. Thus is he reborn as a Soul Grinder. A Soul Grinder’s clanking tread shakes the ground with every step, and it is devilishly fast for a creature its size, able to scuttle swift as a horse’s gallop, or even faster should the scent of battle touch its nostrils. Piston-driven legs thud home with sickening force, crushing to bloody paste those beneath.

Notable characteristics of the Soul Grinder of Khorne unit:

• A truly horrific amalgamation of metal and flesh that causes terror.
• Can fire its extremely powerful weaponry while on the move and charging the enemy.
• Highly resistant to physical and magical harm and really, tremendously awful to kill.

Bloodthirster

Those far enough away from Bloodthirsters to survive their onslaught commonly recall an overwhelming impression of vast size and unchecked barbarity, of roaring and snarling death riding upon stygian wings that eclipse the sun. A Bloodthirster’s ruddy skin is covered with coarse fur and brass armour, slick and gleaming with the blood of innumerable victims. This armour is forged upon the Daemon’s flesh by Khorne himself and thereafter becomes a living part of the Daemon, even whilst maintaining a brutal intelligence of its own. As such, even the Bloodthirster’s armour is wrathful and longs for slaughter.

Notable characteristics of the Bloodthirster unit:

• Flight, even on tattered wings, is still flight.
• Flaming, magical attacks that can roast men, crush larger creatures, and destroy gates.
• As one of the largest, most terrifying beasts on the battle, has an advantage versus almost everything.

Khorne Artillery and War Machines

Last but not least Khorne also has to offer artillery and war machines in Total War: Warhammer 3.

Blood Shrine of Khorne

Mounted upon a carnage-fueled daemon engine, the Blood Shrine judders, spins and zooms across battlefields at great speeds, desperate to be smothered in gore and so draw the gaze of their mighty patron – the Blood God and his most powerful servants. The Blood Shrine is a mobile altar that will empower Kharneth’s daemons to greater heights of butchery and wanton slaughter.

Notable characteristics of the Blood Shrine of Khorne unit:

• A massive, near-living chariot designed to grind lesser creatures beneath its wheels.
• Heals every moment it is in melee combat with the enemy.
• Boosts morale for nearby allies as they rally to its terrifying cause.

Skullcannon

As the Skull Cannon grinds across the battlefield, its spiked wheels and rollers mangle everything in its path. Those who somehow survive the initial onset of the grinders are fed screaming into the Skull Cannon’s gaping maw, there to be roasted by Daemonic fire and ground to fragments. Only the skulls – so beloved of Khorne – are retained and fed into the mighty cannon atop the machinery from which the Daemon Engine takes its name. They slam into the enemy ranks, scattering foes like ninepins and leaving a trail of scorched and blazing dead behind.

Notable characteristics of the Skullcannon unit:

• Khorne’s answer to battlefield artillery is still a deadly force in melee combat.
• Harvests their enemy’s skulls for more ammo once locked in combat.
• Can fire and move to keep the enemy on the backfoot.

Khorne Campaign Mechanics

Lets take a look what Khorne has to offer in terms of campaign mechanics in Total War: Warhammer 3.

Skulls and the Skull Throne

The importance to Khorne of his most beloved body part that Skulls form as important a currency for his warriors as favour and gold for other factions. Luckily, in a game with a title like Total War, just about everything you do is going to generate them – battle, sieges, post-battle decisions, dilemmas, buildings, and anything else.

Skull Piles are even spawned by enemy armies doing battle, so you can collect the proceeds from your enemies fighting amongst themselves. Khorne does not care from whence the blood flows or the skulls come.

Skulls are used for a couple of things, but the deadliest is piling on the Skull Throne. Whenever a large stockpile has been collected, it is expected – neigh, demanded – that it be lain at the feet of Khorne such that he may pile the Skull Throne ever higher. Doing so rewards you with a massive set of buffs, including bonuses to post-battle loot and movement range bonuses after razing settlements.

For it is the nature of this beast to continuously fight and destroy, with little regard for the building of civilization. If Khorne must occupy a settlement, it will be at significant cost of Skulls as the place must be properly adorned, the buildings set just right, and the proper rituals enacted to explain exactly why the buildings are not torn down with the people. Sacking or Razing are better options 90% of the time.

Khorne has a unique set of options after destroying a settlement, but that doesn’t have to be the end…

The Blood Calls – Khorne Campaign Mechanic Warhammer 3

When a Khornate force overruns a garrison, the settlement is doomed. If they are lucky, a quick death will follow. But the purpose of that death is varied. Two new options are available to Khorne forces razing a settlement. Skulls for the Skull Throne generates a thousand skulls for your purposes, destroying the settlement and killing the people – predictable, if useful.

Blood for the Blood God greatly replenishes your forces and also spawns a new Blood Host army nearby. This army cannot replenish or recruit but is otherwise unlimited in its capabilities and costs no upkeep. The power of these armies scales with how many you have created, though the number of units they spawn with can be increased through various means.

As you can imagine, this army can then wander off and raze another settlement, spawning another army. Who can then team up with their friends and head off to another settlement – and so on. These armies spawn with their full movement available, so they can get going almost immediately. Obviously, as time goes on and they suffer attrition, losses in battle, and more, they will begin to lose potency. But of course, any skulls generated from a suicidal battle are as valuable to Khorne.

Redoubling the power of these armies is passive colonization. Should a Khornate faction have a settlement in a province it shares with razed settlements, those settlements will eventually be automatically colonised – at no cost – by that faction. Of course, someone else can come along and take it first, but… well, that’s what Bloodletters are for. This means you can spawn armies or harvest skulls and favour all you like, and eventually take the settlement anyway.

Bloodletting

Khornate armies exist for war and slaughter. Fighting sustains them as milk and bread may keep a mortal man ready to serve. Should they stop, they will begin to fade to nothing – lower replenishment and lower growth faction-wide, as well as less lust for battle from the army itself. The opposite is also true.

For every army you have that is rampaging across the land, it will have an impact on your growth rate, replenishments, global recruitment time, and more. As you can imagine, having a number of Blood Host armies all increasing your growth rate along with your main, more powerful armies is extremely powerful. With the amount of death and destruction handed out by a Khorne faction on a regular basis, they can also exist at a negative favour gain if needed, given the constant influx from battles fought.

Unholy Manifestations and Cults

Lets take a look at the next mechanic, Chaos God: Unholy Manifestations and Cults. They are special powers that can be used based on your corruption total, and developing foreign building slots in other factions, respectively.

The Unholy Manifestations for Khorne are:

• Eternal War
  • Unlocked from the start.
  • Spawns a small Khornate army to attack your own army (triggering bloodletting, giving you skulls, favour, and XP from the battle.)
• Call of Battle
  • Requires 1000 global Khorne corruption.
  • Gives an army +50% campaign movement range.
• Slaughter Incarnate
  • Requires 2000 global Khorne corruption.
  • Doubles an army’s skull gains from battle for several turns.
• Khorne’s Glare
  • Requires 3000 global Khorne corruption.
  • Disables a friendly army’s movement for several turns. At the end it razes the local settlement automatically and gives a massive number of skulls.

Pretty strong stuff, and remember that if Khorne is ascendent in the Great Game all their effects are increased even further.

As for cults, Khorne’s potential Blood Cult buildings include:

• Hideout
  • Generates a steady supply of skulls per turn.
• Fighting Pit
  • Gives bonus skulls with every battle fought in the province.
• Lodge
  • Generates a large supply of skulls per turn if a lord of any faction is present.
• Arena
  • Destroys the cult upon completion but teleports your faction leader (and their army) to the settlement. Dunno what they would possibly do to an enemy city once they get there, it is a mystery.

Tech Tree for Khorne in Total War: Warhammer 3

Khorne’s tech tree in Total War: Warhammer 3 surrounds the number eight, with various pillars of techs available with eight techs each. Only three of them are required to move to the next pillar and there are eight pillars in total. This gives you a lot of options as to how quickly you want to move through the tree and what you want to prioritise when.

As you can imagine, much of Khorne’s tree involves the slaughter of his enemies, with one entire pillar dedicated to eight techs just with bonuses for fighting specific factions. The rest are a mix of technologies for making units better, cheaper, faster to recruit, and such forth. You can also buff Blood Hosts and you chance to colonise ruins with Drawn to Destruction.

The majority of techs cost skulls to research, Khorne not giving up his secrets with a donation to the throne. You must prove your might in battle to receive his gifts. Passive gains of skulls are also available, though one comes with a diplomatic penalty with all other factions – but come-now, you weren’t hiring Bloodletters and Skullcrushers to make peace, were you?

Khornate and Daemonic Diplomacy

One element worth noting is that the mortal peoples of the world are not fans of their daemonic invaders from the North in Warhammer 3. War is automatically declared between any daemonic faction and any non-daemonic faction it meets, with a couple of exceptions. Skaven are just mad/scheming enough to consider alliances, while Norscans, Beastmen, and the Warriors of Chaos are, of course, mortal servants. Slaanesh… well, we’ll get to them when we get to them, but what mortal can resist the God of Pleasure and Pain?

Everybody else, not so much. Daemons may ally with daemons, but there’s always rivalries and Khorne in particular has a great hate of Slaanesh, despising the indulgences and eccentricities of his sibling. Also unique to Khorne are a number of diplomacy debuffs from technologies and decisions. Razing every city you come across and massacring the populace really does not make you popular, and nor does cutting the heads off everyone you meet and harvesting their souls for the God of Slaughter. The Exiles of Khorne, Skarbrand’s warband, even has diplomatic penalties with other Khornate factions, his legendary betrayal of their master far too much to forgive.

The takeaway here is that you don’t play Khorne to make friends, but to wage war, TOTAL WAR!

Now you know everything you need to know about the Khorne Warhammer 3 race, happy hunting!

Kislev FAQ

This Q&A session was held on the official Total War Discord.

What are Khorne’s battle mechanics? Will it be like Dark Elves, Tomb Kings, and Greenskins? 

Khorne’s battle mechanic revolves around killing the enemy. Each kill made by the Khorne army adds to a battle resource, which can be spent to fire off one of three army abilities. Additionally, several Khorne units come with passive abilities that scale in intensity based on the number of kills made by that unit. So, most of it revolves around killing.

What would you say is the biggest weakness in Khorne’s roster? 

The lack of magic is definitely a big disadvantage. You lose out on a fair share of adaptability due to it, but luckily Khorne units have the killing power to compensate.

How do you make sure that each unit in Khorne roster shines and there are no overlaps in their roles as it’s a mostly melee-based roster? 

That’s definitely a challenge. Luckily the Daemonic units and the mortal units have very different roles, with daemons being hyper offensive and the mortals being offensive with staying power. Additionally, we’ve wanted to focus more on the daemons than the mortals with each of the rosters, so the Daemonic part of the roster is intended to be the dominant note with the mortals offering interesting support options filling out some of the roles that we felt were needed for our gameplay vision.

Does Khorne have something to compensate for the lack of magic and ranged firepower? 

Extremely strong melee units plus spell resistance for all Khorne daemons. Khorne will, on average, be one of the hardest hitting and elite factions in the game.

What’s the most challenging aspect of balancing the Khorne army, where just about everything is an aggressive melee fighter? 

So Khorne definitely has two dimensions. The Daemonic units for Khorne are reasonably fast, very hard hitting, and somewhat squishy on average. The mortal Chaos Warriors and Skullcrushers offer more staying power at the cost of lower mobility. The challenge is figuring out how to mix those two elements together and how to maintain cohesion with these different elements. Khorne also is a very elite-focused faction, so you’ll often need tools to win battles even when outnumbered.

How much Physical and Magical Resistance will Bloodcrushers of Khorne/Bloodletters of Khorne have? 

20-25% (but development is subject to change).

Will the Flesh Hounds of Khorne have an anti-magic aura? 

No but they have significant spell resistance – higher than you’d see on the Bloodletter.

Can you tell us more about the Blood Throne? 

The Blood Throne comes with a Totem of Endless Bloodletting aura, increasing the melee attack of units around the Blood Throne plus its Gorefeast ability allows it to heal while in melee.

What is Skarbrand’s weapon strength?

Over 600 (subject to change) and can go far higher thanks to abilities like Frenzy, Slaughter and Carnage, etc.

Skarbrand lost the ability to fly after being exiled by Khorne. Will he be able to fly in-game and if he can, is there an explanation for this? 

Skarbrand can’t fly in-game! His wings are ruined. He does have a jump wing-flap animation, but he won’t be flying around.

Given that Skarbrand can’t fly, what ways ensure that he offers more than Exalted Bloodthirsters in combat potential? 

Skarbrand is a stronger fighter, and he has a fair share of ways to increase his weapon strength even further. Generally, you don’t want to fight fair against Skarbrand.

Does Skarbrand’s Rampage aura affect all units or are high leadership units or units like heroes/lords immune to it? What does weak-willed mean in the description? 

At the moment it’s an active ability with a limited duration but it may change (development is always subject to change!). Weak-willed means that if they’re under 70% health, then they may be affected.

I believe y’all said that Skarbrand gets stronger the more kills he gets. Can you give us an answer over how it works? 

So Skarbrand uses scaling ability intensity, meaning his Slaughter and Carnage ability becomes progressively stronger in a linear manner.