If you want better mod support
Choose Transport Fever 3. It scores 4.9 vs 1.5 for mod support, with a 4.2 overall score.
Total War: WARHAMMER III – Lords of the End Times Review
Content guidance
Frequent fantasy warfare, undead corpses, plague themes, mass killing, and apocalyptic destruction make this best suited to teens and older players.
Official rating
T
Bottom Line
Choose it for deep, replayable faction mechanics, a dramatically better endgame, and excellent Warhammer theming. Skip it if you want a simple newcomer-friendly campaign, bug-free co-op, or equally deep content for every lord.
Best for
Experienced Total War: Warhammer players who want deep faction systems, stronger late-game stakes, broad army-building options, and lore-heavy campaigns with high replay value.
Not for
Players seeking a simple entry point, consistently polished multiplayer campaigns, or equally deep mechanics across all four lords may find the complexity and unevenness frustrating.
Verdict
Lords of the End Times is one of Warhammer III’s most substantial expansions, pairing four distinct lord campaigns with a major late-game overhaul. Nagash is the centerpiece thanks to deep progression, flexible undead armies, and a strong power-fantasy arc, while Thanquol’s schemes and the Glottkin’s hybrid systems add plenty of personality and replay value. The new End Times scenarios are an even bigger win, giving mature campaigns real stakes, world-changing devastation, and climactic objectives. The tradeoff is unevenness: Boris is comparatively simple, some progression can grind, multiplayer loses pieces of the narrative systems, and bugs still surface. Update 9.0’s performance gains and broader faction improvements help offset those rough edges, leaving a package that strongly rewards experienced Total War: Warhammer players.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
65 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.039 (60%)
-
Positive 3.5-4.49 (14%)
-
Neutral 2.5-3.411 (17%)
-
Negative 1.5-2.46 (9%)
Pros highlights
-
The expansion succeeds most when its faction systems reshape familiar races: Nagash’s undead network, Thanquol’s Masterplans, and the Glottkin’s hybrid mechanics all create distinct strategic identities. Some simpler systems do not reach the same depth.
-
Most of the new campaigns are highly enjoyable, with Nagash, Thanquol, and the Glottkin drawing especially strong enthusiasm. Boris is simpler, but still lands as fun for many players.
-
The unit additions are overwhelmingly strong, with Stormfiends, Ulric troops, undead monsters, and Nurgle units filling useful battlefield niches. Some reskins and redundant units keep the roster from being uniformly excellent.
-
The bundle offers unusually strong value for committed Warhammer III players, with multiple substantial campaigns and broad cross-faction benefits. Even individual lord packs can be worthwhile depending on faction preference.
-
Four very different lord campaigns, large unit additions, faction reworks, and new endgame scenarios give the package exceptional breadth. Variety is one of its most consistent strengths.
-
The revamped End Times are a major success, turning the late game into a real crisis with invasions, scripted objectives, world changes, and climactic battles. They give long campaigns a much stronger reason to continue.
Cons highlights
-
End Times diplomacy can create convincing temporary alliances, but campaign AI remains inconsistent. Nagash can dominate neighboring factions too aggressively, while allied AI sometimes collapses during crisis scenarios.
-
The package shows substantial effort, but bugs, uneven lord depth, and old-versus-new faction disparities keep it from feeling fully polished.
-
The DLC is demanding for newcomers, particularly Nagash and Thanquol. Dense menus, layered resources, and opaque mechanics can overwhelm even experienced players at first.
-
Bugs remain one of the expansion’s clearest weaknesses, including broken Masterplans and scenario issues. The release feels less buggy than some prior DLC, but rough edges can still interrupt campaigns.
-
The underlying multiplayer potential is appealing, especially around revised Books of Nagash, but several story systems do not integrate smoothly with multiplayer campaigns yet.
-
Nagash’s economy and resource caps create meaningful decisions, but early income and scarce Necromantic Energy can feel restrictive. That tension adds strategy for some players and grind for others.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in crash stability, map and navigation design, hint system, near average in character roster, economy and resource balance, below average in mod support, co-op experience, casting choices.
Comparison summary
64 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher39 (61%)
-
Same as average within 0.3 pts9 (14%)
-
Below average 0.4+ pts lower16 (25%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| mod support | 1.5 | 3.9 | -2.4 |
| co-op experience | 2.0 | 4.1 | -2.1 |
| crash stability | 5.0 | 3.1 | +1.9 |
| map and navigation design | 5.0 | 3.2 | +1.8 |
| hint system | 5.0 | 3.3 | +1.7 |
| endgame content | 5.0 | 3.5 | +1.5 |
| casting choices | 2.5 | 4.1 | -1.6 |
| DLC value | 4.6 | 3.4 | +1.2 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better animation quality
Choose Moonlighter 2: The Endless Vault. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for animation quality, with a 4.0 overall score.
If you want better multiplayer design
Choose Diablo IV. It scores 4.8 vs 3.0 for multiplayer design, with a 4.1 overall score.
If you want better pacing
Choose Nioh 3. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for pacing, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Shadows of Change
- Worse: overall DLC quality The package is placed above Shadows of Change in overall quality.
Thrones of Decay
- Similar: overall DLC quality The overall quality is compared favorably with the highly regarded Thrones of Decay.
Tides of Torment
- Worse: bug frequency The expansion felt less buggy despite being much larger in scope.
FAQ
What is the biggest improvement in Lords of the End Times?
The revamped End Times and endgame scenarios are the most consistently praised upgrade, giving late campaigns stronger objectives, genuine threats, and visible world-changing consequences.
Which new lord gets the strongest praise?
Nagash is the clearest standout for depth, army flexibility, progression, and power fantasy. Thanquol also earns strong praise for his roster and thematic Masterplans.
Is it beginner-friendly?
Only partly. Boris is relatively straightforward and new campaign flybys help, but Nagash, Thanquol, and several resource systems can be overwhelming for newcomers.
Does it add good replay value?
Yes. Distinct lord mechanics, branching progression, cross-faction unit additions, and the reworked endgame give experienced players many reasons to start new campaigns.
Are there multiplayer problems?
Yes. Some narrative elements and parts of Thanquol’s Masterplans do not fully carry into multiplayer campaigns, making co-op less complete than solo play.
How polished is the expansion?
Update 9.0 is praised for faster turns and improved stability, but bugs still appear in Masterplans, quests, and some campaign systems.
Is the bundle good value for existing Warhammer III players?
Reviewers generally see strong value in the bundle because its four campaigns, unit additions, and broad Update 9.0 changes create substantial new playtime, though the lord campaigns are uneven in depth.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Mole Undermanagement
- Review score
- 4.6
YouTube - Colonel Damneders
- Review score
- 3.7
YouTube - The Great Book of Grudges
- Review score
- 4.3
YouTube - VenrisSFO
- Review score
- 1.5
Article Reviews
tabletopbattles.com
The End Times have arrived in Total War Warhammer 3, and Norman's gotten his hands on Nagash and company to see just what's going on in the...
- Review score
- 4.6
gamerbraves.com
Lords of the End Times adds four Legendary Lords to Total War: WARHAMMER III. See how Nagash, Thanquol, Boris, and Glottkin differ.
- Review score
- 3.4
4gamers.be
De End of Times-DLC zorgt ervoor dat Warhammer III daadwerkelijk van begin tot eind interessant blijft (en dat werd tijd).
- Review score
- 3.7
pcgamer.com
Sean's first PC games were Full Throttle and Total Annihilation and his taste has stayed much the same since. When not scouring games for...
- Review score
- 4.7
cogconnected.com
Lords of the End Times is a substantial DLC for Total War: Warhammer III, adding a quartet of Legendary Lords, new units and heroes.
- Review score
- 4.4
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