Today Creative Assembly announced the newest DLC for their hit strategy game Total War Warhammer 2. Titled Curse of the Vampire Coast, the reveal trailer offers a glimpse of the newest army to storm the shores of the Warhammer World. Narrated by the Pirate King of the Vampire Coast himself, it provides a hint as to what the DLC has to offer. Luthor Harkon implies that this newest, nautical flavored variety of undead won’t bother with prophecies and the like. Instead, the maddened commodore seeks the broken pieces of the artifact that shattered his sanity. While his shifting personalities are referenced, it’s uncertain if they’ll be represented mechanically like they were in the original wargame. The same goes for his lack of magical ability.
Going off of the trailer, nearly all of Harkon’s unliving minions have made it into the game. The trailer covers almost the entirety of the fan favorite Vampire Coast army list, originally printed in a 2005 issue of White Dwarf magazine. Besides the standard zombies and banshees, the various black powder units exclusive to the Vampire Coasts appear. Amongst them is the towering cannon Queen Bess, shown to be obliterating an Empire charge in the trailer. It even features the esoteric “deck droppers,” giant bats that bring zombies right into the fray. The trailer ends with a brief shot of what seems to be a “rotting leviathan” emerging from the depths. The only old school Vampire Coast units that don’t make an appearance are the dogs and rats. Though their absence is hardly a deal breaker.
Along with the old favorites are some stranger additions. The soul-sucking, legless Mournghul makes a very prominent appearance in the trailer. Zombie ogres lumber alongside the smaller undead, marking the species’ first appearance in the Total War Warhammer series. Animated hulks are still living shipwrecks but are now far larger. The most bizarre and unprecedented addition is the variety of hermit crab themed units, with ships for shells. It’s the mix of intimidating and ridiculous that defines Warhammer Fantasy. The Vampire Coast was already one of the most eclectic armies in the tabletop game and CA has made them even more memorable with these newcomers.
Curse of the Vampire Coast’s Steam page reveals more details about the DLC. The faction will receive a staggering four legendary lords, Harkon one of them, along with eight new regiments of renown. The faction will also have a variety of thematically appropriate mechanics, like an “Infamy” rating, treasure maps, and a new, parasitic form of settlement called a “pirate cove.” They’ll also introduce a new system to upgrade your ships, making them more than a change in animation. Similarly, the faction will have access to a unique, maritime school of magic called “Lore of the Deep.” On a more general note, Curse of the Vampire Coast will add long-awaited naval battles with new island-based maps. There’s even a unique map for the expansive Dark Elf Black Arcs.
The steam page also hints at the unique campaign the Vampire Coast faction will have. Your chosen undead pirate lord will be hunting the other three for their part of a four verse sea shanty. With this, they’ll be able to acquire the legendary weapon capable of wounding a soon to reemerge legendary merwyrm. The specifics of how this will all work remain to be seen. But it’s promising that the Vampire Coast aren’t being forced into the conflict over the vortex or scrambling to stop Archaon’s conquest of the distant Old World. Curse of the Vampire Coast will be released on November 9th and is currently up for preorder. While much of it remains a mystery, it’s already looking like a unique offering to the already vibrant battlefields of Total War Warhammer II.
