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For a first Immortal Empires campaign, Boris Todbringer is the best-supported beginner pick: SEGA explicitly recommends him to new players, citing the Empire’s mix of infantry, cavalry, artillery and magic. But there is no verified, current ranking of the ten easiest factions. The right choice depends on the start you want, the army you want to learn and how much campaign-specific management you are ready to handle.
How to choose a beginner faction
Immortal Empires is the trilogy-spanning sandbox campaign, bringing together its maps, races, Legendary Lords and locations. “Beginner-friendly” is not a permanent game statistic: faction starts and balance can change, and an army that feels intuitive to one player may not suit another.
Compare prospective campaigns on these points rather than treating a top-ten list as an objective difficulty ranking:
- Starting pressure: Consider nearby enemies, how many fronts you may need to manage, and whether you have room to secure an initial province. A position that appears comfortable can still be affected by changing AI behavior.
- Battlefield readability: A mix of recognizable roles—such as frontline infantry, ranged units, cavalry, artillery and magic—can make it easier to understand what an army is for.
- Campaign-system load: Look at how many faction-specific currencies, recruitment rules, diplomatic constraints or recurring mechanics you must manage alongside the basic campaign.
- Play style: Decide whether you would rather defend, use ranged attacks, charge aggressively, rely on magic or field monsters. A good fit is more useful than an abstract difficulty label.
- Access: Check which games and DLC you own, and which storefront or client you use. Not every faction is included with the base game.
The recommendations below are a practical shortlist, not ten ranked difficulty ratings. The available official and developer guidance supports some named picks much more strongly than others.
Beginner-friendly factions to consider
1. Empire — Boris Todbringer
Best-supported first recommendation. SEGA’s new-player FAQ specifically recommends Boris Todbringer. It points to the Empire roster’s mix of infantry, cavalry, artillery and magic as a way to learn core battle systems, and describes his campaign as focused on fighting invaders and growing his forces. That makes him a sensible option if you want a conventional combined-arms army rather than a narrow specialist roster.
This is an official recommendation, not a guarantee that every part of the campaign will feel easy. SEGA’s FAQ was updated September 24, 2026. Read SEGA’s new-player FAQ.
2. High Elves — Tyrion
A strong alternative if you want a widely recognized starting choice. Creative Assembly’s associate design director pointed new players toward Tyrion in a 2025 interview. Community players also often name him, though those recommendations are anecdotal rather than a measured comparison. Consider him if the High Elves appeal to you, but do not read that endorsement as proof that his campaign is objectively the easiest.
3. Empire — Balthasar Gelt
Worth considering if magic is the part of the game you most want to learn. In the same interview, Creative Assembly’s senior game director described Gelt as a useful point of contact for players returning from WARHAMMER I, citing his changed starting position and the Colleges of Magic system. That is a developer’s recommendation for a particular audience, not a blanket beginner-ease rating.
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4. Grand Cathay — Jade Dragon
A possible choice if a more protected campaign appeals to you. Creative Assembly’s 2025 interview characterized this campaign as somewhat easier to learn and more protected. Treat that as an attributed opinion from that interview, not a formal difficulty rating or assurance about the current game after later updates.
5. Empire — Karl Franz
Choose him for the recognizable Empire fantasy, not because he is automatically the easiest. The Empire’s combined-arms roster offers familiar battlefield roles, but Creative Assembly’s senior game director said that threats had moved closer to Karl Franz’s start and called it “not the easiest campaign to play straight-in.” If you want a conventional army but a less forgiving opening is not appealing, consider Boris instead. Read the GamesRadar+ interview.
6. Grand Cathay — Zhao Ming
A community-suggested option, not a verified easy pick. Players mention Zhao Ming and Cathay as possible first campaigns, but community replies are mixed and do not establish how his current start compares with other lords. Check the live start and mechanics before choosing him specifically for beginner suitability.
7. Dwarfs
Consider them if their style appeals, while checking the specific lord. Dwarfs appear in community suggestions for a first campaign, but the available evidence does not establish a current beginner ranking or validate a particular Dwarf lord as an easy start.
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8. Lizardmen
Another player-suggested possibility, rather than a confirmed recommendation. Community answers include Lizardmen, but that does not show that every Lizardmen campaign—or any particular lord’s current start—is beginner-friendly. Choose based on interest and verify the individual campaign’s position and mechanics.
9–10. Two more factions? Do not treat the list as a verified top ten
The available sources do not support naming two additional factions as current beginner recommendations without guessing. Nor do they support ranking ten lords by difficulty. Filling those spots would make the list look more certain than the evidence allows. If a new lord interests you, check current in-game details and recent official materials instead of assuming that new content is easy or hard because it is new.
For example, Thanquol, the Glottkin and Nagash arrived with the September 24, 2026 Lords of the End Times release. The release announcement covers their arrival and associated content, but the material here does not compare their campaigns for beginner suitability. See the official Lords of the End Times announcement.
Which one should you pick?
- Want an official first pick and a mixed, recognizable army? Start by considering Boris Todbringer.
- Want a developer-recommended alternative? Tyrion is the clearest named option in the available guidance.
- Most interested in magic? Look at Gelt, while keeping in mind that his endorsement is especially framed around returning WARHAMMER I players.
- Prefer a potentially more protected campaign? Jade Dragon has a positive developer comment, but it dates from 2025 and is not a current difficulty rating.
- Want Karl Franz, Zhao Ming, Dwarfs or Lizardmen? Pick them because their setting or play style interests you, then inspect the specific lord’s live start and mechanics rather than relying on a general reputation.
What Immortal Empires access includes
Access rules have expanded, so a player does not necessarily need to own one of the three trilogy games to enter Immortal Empires. SEGA says purchasing any Lords of the End Times pack grants access to the campaign. Its FAQ describes an individual lord pack as a way to try one character before buying more content; the full bundle includes all four lords and their associated content. Check SEGA’s current FAQ.
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Owning WARHAMMER III grants Immortal Empires and its listed launch races: Daemons of Chaos, Grand Cathay, Khorne, Kislev, Nurgle, Slaanesh, Tzeentch, and Warriors of Chaos (Be’lakor). Other races and lords can require the corresponding game or DLC; owning the base game does not unlock every faction. SEGA also says the relevant content must be owned on the same client—Steam, Epic, or Microsoft/Game Pass. See SEGA’s ownership and access guide.
SEGA’s series portal recommends beginning with WARHAMMER III and considering other games or DLC after getting familiar with the mechanics. Visit the Total War: WARHAMMER series portal.
Why older beginner lists can mislead
Faction recommendations are sensitive to changes in starts, threats and campaign systems. In a 2025 interview, Creative Assembly’s designers said Karl Franz had become a harder direct start as threats moved closer. Then, on September 24, 2026, the Lords of the End Times release added Boris Todbringer, Thanquol, the Glottkin and Nagash, along with associated units and gameplay changes; the announcement also covered free content and a Vampire Counts rework.
So treat any recommendation as tied to a specific lord and the game as it currently plays. The strongest general guidance here is SEGA’s Boris recommendation; the other named choices are narrower developer suggestions or community ideas, not a current, comparable ten-place ranking.
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