Total War Warhammer 3 developer Creative Assembly is taking a different approach with its upcoming patch 6.1. The studio says it’s heard criticism from players that existing content was being neglected in favor of new things, so the next Total War Warhammer 3 update aims to rectify that. CA is returning to its most controversial DLC, Shadows of Change, splitting it out into separate standalone packs to bring it more in line with modern offerings, while also providing dramatic upgrades to two of its related factions.
“One of the consistent messages we heard loud and clear from the community was that not enough attention had been given to existing content in lieu of new content,” Total War Warhammer 3 game designer William Håkestad writes in a new developer blog, “so we’re taking a crack at equalizing that a bit now.” The next patch for the strategy game targets factions that have felt lacking, with the main focus being a rework to Kislev and some additional improvements to Tzeentch.
For Kislev, Håkestad says the focus is on “interrogating their core features and bringing them up to snuff, rather than focusing on a specific faction or character.” The competing Ice Court and Greath Orthodoxy have been reworked, with the supporter race no longer a factor. Instead, you’ll now earn support for either side through your actions – the units, agents, buildings and so on that you use will earn merit with one faction or the other. Leaning too hard to one side can cause unrest and disorder, however, so you’re encouraged to balance the favor earned by each faction as much as possible.
Devotion has been changed from a faction-wide resource to a provincial one, and replaces Control. It represents how your local populace feel, and can be spent on local invocations that can boost a province or its armies. This helps Kislev feel strong on their settled home territories, Håkestad explains. Atamans, the unique Kislev lords, are being improved with unique battle loadouts, a skill tree, and the ability to turn settlements into short-range armies. Finally, you can look forward to a “full refresh” of the Kislev tech tree divided into “a triplet layout centered around three core gameplay pillars.”
Kairos Fateweaver’s Oracles of Tzeentch are also under the hammer. Håkestad describes this as a “take two” on the implementation of the Fragments of Sorcery used by Kairos. This is still a work in progress, but you can expect a revamp of how the spell-combining feature is used to build your own composite lore. For now, Håkestad says the Changeling will be staying as he is. Kairos is the more “intended, standard Tzeentch experience,” he remarks, while the Changeling is “a ‘marmite’ faction – you love him or hate him,” and so the team is leaving the latter alone for the time being.
Patch 6.1 will also introduce two new units for free. Cathay gets the Nan-Gau Grenadiers, a cheap set of grenade-slinging infantry “armed with a significant stockpile of grenades.” Along with the standard destructive fare, they can use stun grenades to impair enemy forces. The Ogres, meanwhile, gain the Gnoblar Flingers, malicious troublemakers that harass enemy units from the back lines with rock slingers. They’re cheap and weak, but with “significantly longer range than the hand-thrown weapons of the trappers.”
There’s no date yet for when Total War Warhammer 3 patch 6.1 will land, but we’ll be sure to bring you the details when we have them. As noted up top, alongside its arrival you can expect the Shadows of Change DLC, which stirred up much controversy around the time of release, to be split out into standalone purchases for each of its additional legendary lords.
Take a look through the best Total War Warhammer 3 DLC if you’re trying to decide what to pick up, and be sure to check in on the best Warhammer games in 2025 as well.
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