I’ve waited a long time to play as Nagash in Total War: Warhammer 3, but no amount of dreaming could prepare me for the real thing. To begin with, (un)life as Warhammer’s first lich is surprisingly hard. Nagash’s starting position is sandwiched between two greater daemons of Chaos, an angry French crusader, and Settra – fellow bone-man and Nagash’s biggest hater. Most of the necromancer’s nine books of power are scattered across the world, his Mortarch lieutenants are still infuriatingly independent, and to top it all off, I immediately lose the first tome I find in a pitched battle.

That was 200 turns ago. I would normally have succumbed to the urge to start a fresh campaign by now, but Lords of the End Times and its accompanying update 9.0 make Immortal Empires far more interesting in its middle and late stages. And when the titular End Times arrives – not brought on by Nagash, unfortunately, but Chaos big-bad Archaon – it feels like my campaign is broken in two.

Everybody wants to be Nagash

When Archaon arrives, I assume my campaign is coming to an end. Scores of Chaos invaders land on my southern shores, while the Everchosen commands them from the rear. Archaon is nigh invincible. Each Chaos army and unholy fortress grants him a percentage of invulnerability, so taking Archaon on requires blunting his invasion force. All the while, a ticking counter tells me how much of the world has been destroyed – settlements razed during the End Times can’t be recolonized until (or if) the crisis ends, making it feel like a true apocalypse. Especially when the world’s surviving civilizations come to me with last-ditch alliance offers – mankind, dwarfs, elves, even Skaven; all want Nagash on their side to face Chaos.

During the End Times, my tome-hunting mission is put on hold as Nagash inadvertently becomes the world police. Three quarters of the world is razed by the time I finally beat Archaon, besting him once on the battlefield and again in a climactic quest battle that involves besting every champion of Chaos before taking on the Everchosen. I’m a… hero?

Not for long. With most of the world lying in ruins, Archaon’s defeat spurs a race to resettle as much land as possible. I rush to raise mausoleums and burial chambers across the Nehekara, using Nagash’s Ritual of the Dead to dramatically warp the landscape into sickly (but visually impressive) wastelands. New powers rise – Kislev survives the End Times and takes over the Empire’s old lands – and one by one, my allies remember Nagash is evil incarnate and declare war. But I’m in my lane, happy, unmoisturized: with a firm grip on a Mordor-like empire in the south, I’m free to continue gathering my Mortarchs and precious books.

I’m now in the campaign’s late-game, requiring just a few more Mortarchs to achieve a Long Victory, but this is the most exciting Immortal Empires has ever been. A greater emphasis on narrative and structure gives the sandbox so much more definition, and seeing the post-apocalyptic world return to life gives me the same rush as starting a whole new campaign. Even with my Long Victory ticked off, I plan to keep playing this and perhaps even go for my first Domination victory since the first Total War: Warhammer.

Only war

I’m delighted by how fresh and tight Immortal Empires feels, even without Lords of the End Times’ paid factions. Equally impressive is how well Nagash lives up to my expectations. The lich is a powerhouse in battle, but on the campaign map he’s the tip of a spear that can only be pointed in one direction at a time. Entrusting my idiot psuedo-son Arkhan with his own conquest ends with daemons of Tzeentch beating him and spiriting one of my books away, while marching Nagash to fight Skaven in the north results in a lore-accurate slog that keeps him busy while other frontlines falter.

Nagash’s tricky campaign spot is an excellent counterweight to his strength in battle. Defending my ghastly empire, I feel a stab of sympathy for Nagash, Sauron, and every other necromancer who’s had the courage to launch their own start-up. It’s not easy! But it’s worth it – so worth it – to field Tomb King monstrosities, Vampire Coast artillery, and Vampire Count infantry in the same armies, all while Nagash funnels necromantic energy into his Black Pyramid to power them (and himself) up.

To give you some idea of how much fun I’m having with Nagash, I’m already considering another playthrough as the lich once this world is ashes. But there are another three lords to play in the pack (Skaven schemer Thanquol, the Empire’s Boris Todbringer, and Nurgle-loving siblings The Glotkin), and I’m also tempted to see how update 9.0’s End Times play out through other perspectives. In the 1007 hours I’ve put into Warhammer 3 since launch, this is the most exciting Immortal Empires has ever been. And with Nagash living up to a decade of expectations, I could die happy. Just don’t expect me to stay gone…

I played Total War: Warhammer 40K and saw a generational strategy game in the making