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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →There is no official best-race ranking for Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires. Any tier list is an editorial judgment built on criteria its author chooses. As of October 8, 2026, the most useful approach is to rank races by the goal you have: campaign power, an easier first campaign, or enjoyment. Those three goals can produce three different orders. This guide explains the criteria, the current patch baseline, and how to build a tier list that matches the way you play.
What “best” has to mean
Most race rankings quietly mix three different goals. Keep them separate and each one becomes usable:
- Campaign power: how reliably a race turns its tools into a stable empire from the early game to the late game.
- Ease for a new player: how forgiving the start is and how readable the campaign mechanics are.
- Enjoyment: whether the playstyle suits you, which no ranking can measure for you.
A race that scores well on power can still be a poor first campaign. A race that scores lower on power can be the one you return to most often. A tier list that does not state which goal it measures is an opinion, not a guide.
The patch baseline this guide uses
The entries below reflect Creative Assembly’s Update 9.0 release notes, dated September 22, 2026, followed by Hotfix 9.0.2, posted September 30, 2026. Balance changes arrive regularly, so check the current patch notes before you commit to a ranking. Any list written before Update 9.0 may describe mechanics or rosters that have since changed.
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#1 Best Overall
![Total War: Warhammer II – Blood for the Blood God II [Online Game Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/B1k-RwKkVlS.png._SL160_.png)
- From the icy peaks of Naggaroth to the arid reaches of the Southlands, each race struggles for dominion. As their conquests grow, the land turns crimson, and rivers run red with the blood of the slain!
- Blood for The Blood God brings a number of gory, mature-rated effects to Total War: WARHAMMER II
What Update 9.0 changes
| Change | What it does | Effect on race choice |
|---|---|---|
| Daemonic Re-Emergence | Defeated Daemonic factions can return in provinces with sufficiently high appropriate corruption. | A defeat is no longer always final in heavily corrupted regions. How much this matters depends on where your campaign is. |
| Dark Fortresses | New fortresses added to Immortal Empires. | Not stated in the update notes for individual races; check the notes before ranking any race on this basis. |
| New battle maps | New battlefield layouts. | Affects battles rather than race strength; no race-level effect is stated. |
| Empire priest skill trees | Updated. | Relevant to Empire campaigns that depend on priest skills. Read the full notes for the exact changes. |
| Tomb Scorpion unit | Moves to tier 2. | Changes the unit’s place in its roster’s progression. |
| Archaon | Can subjugate other Chaos Legendary Lords after defeating them. | Changes the late-game options for Archaon’s campaign specifically, not for every Chaos lord. |
Hotfix 9.0.2
Hotfix 9.0.2 followed the update with follow-up fixes and adjusted victory conditions for Legendary Lords who can change their starting position. If you compare a lord that can relocate at the start with one that cannot, check the hotfix notes first, because the victory conditions are not identical.
Lords of the End Times and what you can play
The Lords of the End Times expansion was announced on August 12, 2026, with a release date of September 24, 2026. It adds four Legendary Lords along with related units and mechanics. Creative Assembly states that purchasing any content in the bundle grants access to the campaign without requiring ownership of an earlier Total War: WARHAMMER game. Your selectable races and lords depend on what you own, so a ranking that includes options you cannot pick has limited value. The official Immortal Empires FAQ, whose title dates it to February 2023, covers access rules for existing content.
Rank #2
- Empire Total War Complete Edition
Six criteria for ranking races
These criteria give each race a consistent basis for comparison. They are not official weights. Assign them yourself according to your goal.
| Criterion | Question it answers | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Campaign reliability | Does the race turn its tools into a stable campaign early, mid, and late? | Whether its strongest options arrive on a predictable timeline. |
| 2. Starting position and pressure | How much immediate crisis do you manage? | Neighbours, expansion routes, and early threats. This varies by lord, not only by race. |
| 3. Economy and recovery | Can it fund armies and rebuild after losses? | Mechanics that affect income and replacement, separated from flavour. |
| 4. Roster flexibility | Can it answer common battlefield problems without relying on one army composition? | The range of units available across the campaign. |
| 5. Mechanic value and friction | Do unique mechanics add real options, or do they cost upkeep, caps, or complexity? | Upkeep, limits, and the effort needed to use the mechanic well. |
| 6. Accessibility | How understandable and forgiving is the campaign? | Score this separately. Do not fold it into raw strength. |
How to build your own race tier list
- Choose one goal: campaign power, an easier first campaign, or enjoyment. Weight the six criteria for that goal only.
- Check ownership. List only the races and lords you can select in your current setup.
- Rank individual Legendary Lords where a race contains one who departs sharply from the rest of the roster.
- Record the patch version beside each entry. Re-check any entry that depends on Daemonic Re-Emergence, Archaon’s subjugation ability, Empire priest skills, the Tomb Scorpion unit, or the Hotfix 9.0.2 victory conditions.
- Score each criterion from 1 to 5, total the scores for your chosen goal, and sort. Write one sentence of justification per entry so readers can check your reasoning.
Why race averages mislead
- Legendary Lords within one race can start in very different positions, with different pressure and different victory conditions.
- Lords who can change their starting position cannot be compared with fixed-start lords on identical terms after Hotfix 9.0.2.
- The four Legendary Lords added with Lords of the End Times need their own entries. They should not inherit a rating from their race.
Why published tier lists disagree
- Different goals produce different orders. A list that ranks campaign power and one that ranks enjoyment will rank the same races differently.
- Different patch versions produce different results. A list written before Update 9.0 may predate its changes.
- No developer publishes official race weightings, so every ordering reflects the author’s choice of criteria.
Choosing by goal
| Your goal | Criteria to weight most | Criteria to weight least |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign power | 1. Campaign reliability and 3. Economy and recovery | 6. Accessibility, scored separately |
| Easiest first campaign | 2. Starting position and pressure and 6. Accessibility | 4. Roster flexibility |
| Most enjoyable | 5. Mechanic value and friction, weighted by your own taste | Scores that do not match your playstyle, whatever their strength |
Start with the goal, check which races and lords you own, and then apply the criteria. That order gives you a ranking you can defend, and it stays accurate when the next patch arrives.
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Best Value
Rank #4
- Tabletop game
- Easy to use
- Premium quality
Rank #3
- Warhammer 40,000
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