Your guide to the Total War Warhammer 40k factions they’ll inevitably add as DLC

For a game like Total War Warhammer 40k, the starting factions are only the beginning. While there’ll be enough to get started with between the Space Marines, Imperial Guard, Aeldari, and Orks, Creative Assembly’s habit for releasing post-release DLC means these four are only the tip of the iceberg. 

While previous Warhammer RTS outings only ever got up to nine distinct playable factions in Warhammer 40,000 Dawn of War Soulstorm, Creative Assembly’s fantasy equivalent, Total War Warhammer 3 is sitting at a mighty 24, each with their own distinct sub-factions. Total War Warhammer 40k has the opportunity to bring all manner of playable factions, each with its own unique playstyle to offer.

The forces of Chaos

It’s baffling that Total War Warhammer 40k isn’t going to include any of the various forces of Chaos. The first Dawn of War had the Chaos Space Marines as one of the starting factions. The eldritch deity-worshipping fallen supersoliders made for excellent primary antagonists. 

Creative Assembly has already said that Chaos will be “part of our plans at some point,” but has also stated that there will be no pre-order DLC. This means that the forces of Chaos are unlikely to get thrown in at the last minute like the Chaos Warriors in Total War Warhammer. 

What the forces of Chaos bring is an almost unparalleled variety. Amongst those serving Chaos, you’ll find Corrupted Space Marines, horrifying daemons, and vile cultists, each with their own flavor depending on which foul god they pledge their allegiance to. Chaos is a no-brainer, and their playable absence on release will likely sting.

Drukhari

Not to get too into the weeds of Warhammer 40k lore, but the starting faction of the Aeldari is only one side of the space elves. Their dark and sadistic cousins, the Drukhari, or Dark Eldar, are waiting in the shadows to strike. 

The Drukhari are pirates, suddenly appearing across the galaxy, taking everything and everyone of value, and then disappearing again. On the campaign map, they’d likely benefit from the Webway, the Eldar’s own teleportation network, to safely harass enemies rather than relying on straight conquering.

In Total Wars combat, they’d be hit-and-run glass cannons, dealing devastating damage, and then breaking if they find themselves in combat for too long.

Their anti-gravity skimmers are ready to harass enemies and then fall back to press it all over again. No doubt they’ll require far too much micromanagement, but experienced tacticians will get a lot out of them. 

T’au Empire

The T’au Empire is almost like a spiritual opposite to the Imperium of Man. It’s a breath of fresh air in the grimdark future, galactic empire rallying around the collectivist principle of the ‘Greater Good’. 

In addition to auxiliaries drawn from all over its dominion, the T’au embrace a highly structured caste system, while bringing anime-style battlesuits to the battlefield.

The T’au have so many things going on with their armies that they might lack a sense of cohesion, as they did back in Dawn of War Dark Crusade. However, their focus on the extreme range more than makes up for it.

Their caste system and ability to incorporate other xenos into their fold could bring interesting campaign mechanics. Want a squad of insectoid killers to fight alongside some mutant cannibals? The T’au can deliver. 

In addition, given its love of commercialism and cultural hegemony, the T’au Empire represents a chance for a stronger diplomatic game in Total War Warhammer 40k, while fielding strangely diverse armies.

Necrons

The Necrons are technological undead; they’re ancient, slow, and near unstoppable once they get going. Their particular brand of sci-fi necromantic ancient Egypt makes them a visually distinctive fan-favorite. They’re even one of the starting factions in Dawn of War 4.

Every part of the galaxy appears to have some kind of dormant tomb world of one Necron dynasty or another, ready to shake the dust off and get to conquering. On the campaign map, this could lead to Necrons being able to discover the power of other dynasties, much like their fantasy cousins, the Tomb Kings, in Total War Warhammer 2. 

In battle, Necrons are a slow but inevitable force of metallic skeletons, part zombie horde and part terminator. Their numbers and relentless force would make them a formidable army to wield, and no doubt will incorporate some form of techno-necromancy.

Adeptus Mechanicus

Another faction getting some love from Dawn of War 4, the Adeptus Mechanicus are the (partially) human techno-cultists of Mars. Literally full of advanced technology, the Adeptus Mechanicus are a novel mixture of specialists and war machines.

Magi, the most powerful of the Mechanicus’ tech-priests, have access to ancient technological secrets, giving them a lot of mechanical potential (pun intended). In battle, they could act as unique spellcasters, well-suited to disrupting enemy technology and their own vehicles and war machines. 

The Adeptus Mechanicus is concerned with the unearthing of old technology. This is fertile ground for interesting campaign objectives, which could have the faction working to uncover mysteries and use the fruits of the quest for knowledge to augment its forces. Their tech-priests would certainly have more interesting research options than other parts of humanity.

If Total War Warhammer 40k’s customisation is up to scratch, we might even get Chaos-aligned Hereteks. Then we can start throwing daemons into horrifying machines to create truly hellish battlefields.

Tyranids and Genestealers

If you’ve had a chance to play Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2, then you’ll already understand the appeal of the Tyranids. Somewhere between a Xenomorph and Vermintide’s Skaven, these ravenous aliens seek to consume all worlds in front of them, then move on to their next conquest.

Mixed in amongst these ravenous aliens are plenty of hulking units, as well as the opportunity to bring in some more interesting specialists in the Genestealers. The Genestealer cultists are former humans turned Tyranid-aligned spies that could act as stealthier forces on the battlefield, helping to flank enemies and sow discord. 

On Total War Warhammer 40k’s campaign map, the Tyranids could be a gift of unique mechanics. A grand campaign based on consuming planets and generating biomass could create a novel experience for players where expansion isn’t just a goal, but necessary for survival. 

Sisters of Battle

The Sisters of Battle are true Zealots of the God-Emperor and the Imperial Cult, fanatically devoted to the totalitarian religion of the Imperium. The Sisters of the Adepta Sororitas aren’t as genetically augmented as the Space Marines, but they’re armed to the teeth and singularly devoted to the cause. 

In combat, this will likely manifest as an army that just won’t break. Leadership is a big component of Total War, and various buffs from religious iconography and abilities would keep the Sisters of Battle on the field against terrible odds, while maintaining the firepower expected of an effective crusade. 

Those who have played Warhammer 40k Rogue Trader will know the sheer firepower of Argenta, a beloved (and hard as nails) companion from Owlcat Games’ excellent RPG. Imagine an army of Argentas. We rest our case.

Custodians

The Custodians are members of the Adeptus Custodes, bodyguards of the Emperor of Mankind, the cream of the crop of humanity, and celebrity Henry Cavill’s favourite army. Augmented enough to make Space Marines look like weeds, any one of the Custodians is a battalion unto themselves, highly trained and devastating on the battlefield. 

Commanding the golden forces of the Custodes would be like playing an army of heroes. Small numbers of units with remarkable stats, but limited presence on the battlefield, and likely few actual armies across the campaign. Dawn of War’s objective-based gameplay could never allow for such a low unit count, but Total War represents quite an opportunity.

Considering that maintaining an actual planetary presence would be difficult with an army of only 30 people, it’s possible that they would be a horde faction, roaming about the map and dispensing golden violence. 

Leagues of Votaan

The Leagues of Votaan are space dwarves, alright. They’re an independent league of Deep Rock Galactic dwarves, with their own unique technologies and a strong sense of community. 

While they mostly stick to the galactic core in the lore, they exist in different clans in Dwarf Fortresses around self-aware machine intelligences called Votaan. This alone gives more than enough unique aspects to fuel their campaign, especially around the other technologically devoted factions like Necrons and Mechanicus.

In combat, they’d be exactly what you’d expect. Slow-moving, short range, and tanky, but with the firepower to back it up. The Votaan are the least likely of any major faction to actually show up with basically no presence in any other 40k game, but they’re the ones I want to play the most.

The Inquisition

The Inquisition is a wonderful tool for any storyteller in Warhammer 40k. They show up outside everyone else’s jurisdiction and immediately start causing problems by pursuing some secret agenda or another. They investigate all manner of corruption and make everybody nervous in the process.

In Total War, they represent an opportunity to bring in the various oddities of the Imperium, the random units that just don’t make sense in other armies but absolutely deserve a place in the game. Everything from the Grey Knights, psychic Space Marines that specialise in fighting daemons, to the Arbites, whole groups of Judge Dredd-style paramilitary law enforcers.

The Inquisition represents a chance to put together a scrappy army of odds and ends, requisitioned to hunt down corruption. If nothing else, these agents of the Imperium should be recruitable by other armies to really show off the depth of Warhammer 40k’s roster.

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