Total War: Warhammer would hardly be a proper, fantasy, real-time strategy game without squadrons of hearty, axe-wielding dwarves charging into the fray, beards flapping in the wind. Developer Creative Assembly has shared a new video, giving us a first glimpse at the dwarven units featured in the upcoming game.
The clip shows off a few models and animations for the game’s dwarven warriors. The narrator gives particular emphasis to their small but powerfully-built frames, marked by the immense strength of a densely-coiled spring.
According to the video’s description, the three units revealed are Longbeards, Ironbreakers, and Hammerers, which are classic dwarven standards from the Warhammer tabletop miniatures game. Longbeards are older, veteran soldiers (as evidenced by the eponymous length of their beards) who never panic and have a penchant for grumbling about the good old days. Ironbreakers are heavily-armored warriors who specialize in fighting deep in the treacherous, underground tunnels where dwarves make their homes. Finally, Hammerers are elite shock troops, personally chosen by the dwarven king to serve as his bodyguards.
Warhammer’s particular flavor of dwarves is pretty standard, and should be recognizable to anyone who has even a passing familiarity with the 20th century model established by Tolkien and codified by Dungeons & Dragons. Stout, mighty warriors, they live under mountains and engage in mining to feed their insatiable lust for gold and precious metals.
They prefer the raw, vicious strength of axes and hammers to the more finesse-oriented piercing weapons favored by other races. Dwarves are also noted craftsmen, applying their smithing skills to everything from their famously sturdy weapons and armor to more complex feats of engineering, like cannons and gyro-copters. This video from YouTube’s Lord Rexasaur gives a good overview of Warhammer’s dwarves if you’re looking for something a bit more in-depth.
Total War: Warhammer is set to arrive on Windows, Mac, and Linux sometime in 2016. It is Creative Assembly’s ninth game in its well-respected Total War series of RTS games. Partnering with tabletop developer Games Workshop, this is the historically-oriented Total War series’ first foray into fantasy.
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