'Total War: Warhammer 2': Empire Units And Battle Guide

The Empire of Man, led by Emperor Karl Franz, the myriad of Elector Counts and countless other lords, stand firmly as one of the most versatile factions in “Total War: Warhammer 2” due to the general effectiveness of their units and the sheer variety of troops they can deploy onto the battlefield.

Recognized as one of the more “vanilla” factions in the game, the Empire is perfect for veterans of other “Total War” games who are looking for a faction with a familiar playstyle. The Empire crushes the enemies of mankind with faith, steel and gunpowder in a stunning display of force that can leave anyone breathless if used properly.

Empire Army Overview

The Empire is a great all-around faction that makes excellent use of traditional army compositions; they can field everything from standard infantry to ranged skirmishers, mages, monstrous cavalry and a wide selection of powerful artillery.

Although this faction doesn’t specialize in a single discipline of warfare, they make up for this by combining all of them to devastating effect.

A standard imperial army consists of a frontline of Swordsmen with a few regiments of Spearmen, Halberdiers, or Greatswords depending on the faction they’re fighting against. The army backlines typically comprised Crossbowmen, Mortars, Helstorm Rocket Launchers and other powerful ranged units. Meanwhile, flanking forces are usually made up of shock cavalries like Reiksguard and Empire Knights or skirmishers such as Pistoliers and Outriders.

Empire Playstyle

The wide variety of units in the imperial roster allows players to curate their armies for certain playstyles. Standard hammer-and-anvil tactics can be achieved with great success by using several units of cavalry with a strong, shielded infantry frontline. Spearmen and Halberdiers are great for taking out large units, monsters and cavalry while Greatswords can counter heavily-armored enemies like Chaos Warriors.

Alternatively, an artillery-heavy army can be used in a defensive playstyle by fielding several cannons, mortars, or rocket launchers protected by elite infantry units. Artillery with a section of Handgunners or Crossbowmen can soften up approaching enemies, leaving them at a disadvantage when fighting melee units.

Players can mix and match any unit combination to cater to their preferences. Just make sure to balance out the units in each army, as their greatest strength lies in how well they can support each other.