Total War: WARHAMMER III - Thanquol – Lords of the End Times Review Summary

Thanquol's campaign and powerful new units are fun and the DLC is good value, but his mechanics break multiplayer and widespread launch bugs leave it feeling broken.

New units are powerful and fun: The new Skaven units, including Stormfiends, Verminlords, and the Warp-Doom Magma Cannon, are frequently described as strong, effective, and enjoyable to use. They are considered great additions that enhance the faction's roster.

Thanquol's mechanics are fun and varied: Players consistently praise Thanquol's scheme and master plan mechanics as interesting, deep, and enjoyable, adding variety to campaigns. His mechanics are often compared favorably to Ikit Claw's and are seen as powerful yet balanced.

Thanquol's campaign is highly enjoyable: Thanquol's campaign is repeatedly called fun, a blast, and the most fun Skaven campaign. Players appreciate the variety and the feeling of a plot unfolding.

New content adds variety and fun: The new content, including units and mechanics, is seen as a plus that adds variety and enjoyment. Players appreciate the additional options and the fun factor.

DLC offers great overall value: The DLC is consistently described as good, fun, and packed with content. Players feel it adds a huge amount of varied gameplay and is a worthwhile addition.

Thanquol mechanics break multiplayer: Thanquol's core campaign mechanics, such as Underlings and Masterplans, do not function in multiplayer, making the character unplayable in co-op or versus campaigns.

Widespread bugs across game: Many players report numerous bugs throughout the game, ranging from minor to severe, affecting overall stability and experience.

Narrative events disabled in multiplayer: Narrative events and quests do not trigger in multiplayer campaigns; the developer states this is intentional and will not be fixed, but it is not disclosed on the store page.

Multiplayer campaign features nonfunctional: A large portion of campaign mechanics and progression, including quest battles and landmarks, do not work in multiplayer, severely limiting the experience.

DLC launched buggy and broken: The DLC is widely criticized for being released in a broken, unfinished state with many bugs even outside multiplayer.

DLC adds extensive Skaven units: The DLC significantly expands the Skaven roster with new units such as Stormfiends, Verminlords, and the Warp-Doom Magma Cannon. These additions provide new tactical options and are a major selling point.

Co-op mode enhances multiplayer experience: The game supports co-op multiplayer, allowing players to enjoy Thanquol's mechanics with friends. This feature adds significant replayability and social interaction.

Thanquol has engaging campaign and quests: Thanquol's campaign includes a main storyline, unique mechanics, and quest battles that are considered fun and fair with plenty of lore. The narrative-driven experience is well-received.

Thanquol's plan mechanic adds depth: Thanquol features a unique Schemes or masterplans mechanic that generates modifiers over time and allows strategic actions like summoning armies or stealing resources. Players find this mechanic engaging and comparable to Ikit Claw's.

Faction DLC delivers unique gameplay: The DLC introduces the Thanquol faction with distinct mechanics, a legendary lord, and a legendary hero. Players appreciate the depth and differentiation from other factions.

Widespread crashes and freezes: Players report frequent crashes to desktop and freezes during turn transitions and campaign loading. This includes crashes when ending turns, reading progress bars, pressing retreat with a master scheme army, and loading new campaigns.

Endgame Crisis causes freezing: Multiple reports indicate that the game freezes consistently one turn after the Endgame Crisis triggers or when the end times begin. This appears to be a repeatable issue tied to a specific game event.

Updates break game stability: Recent updates have caused the game to crash, forcing players to roll back two versions to restore functionality. This suggests update-related instability that impacts playability.

Denuvo impacts engine performance: Denuvo encryption significantly slows down the game engine, especially in large battles. This performance hit is noticeable and detracts from the experience.

AI bugs and slowdown: AI issues, such as claiming bugs settlements, ruin gameplay and slow down the game. These problems contribute to overall frustration with game performance.

Skaven fans strongly recommend: Many reviewers say the DLC is a must-buy for anyone who enjoys playing Skaven, and some call it the definitive Skaven experience. The recommendation is often conditional on being a Skaven player.

Good DLC worth the price: Many reviewers consider the DLC a good addition and worth the money, with some calling it incredible or well worth the price. This positive sentiment is often tied to the overall content quality.

Wait for bug fixes or sale: A common sentiment is to hold off purchasing until game-breaking bugs are fixed or until a heavy discount. Several reviewers regret buying early due to the buggy state.

Multiplayer mechanics are broken: Multiple reviewers warn that the DLC's mechanics do not work in multiplayer, including co-op campaigns, and advise against buying for that purpose. Some mention using a community mod to fix the issues.

New units are main draw: Several reviewers recommend buying the DLC primarily for the new units, such as Stormfiends and Verminlords, rather than for campaign mechanics. Some say the units alone justify the purchase for Skaven players.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $40.00.

Session length: 0.5h.

Single-player Thanquol is reported as fun from the start through strong units and the Masterplans mechanic, while multiplayer/co-op players report broken quests and faction mechanics that block that enjoyment.

Friction: multiplayer/co-op disables quests and key faction mechanics; difficult early-game start position and strong early enemies; warpstone economy and scheme gathering becomes tedious; bugs and quests not triggering; new content locked behind tier 4/5 or rites.

Unlock drivers: reading the Masterplans tutorial makes the mechanic easy to use; community 'End Times Multiplayer Narrative Fix' mod restores co-op quest functionality; latest hotfix reportedly makes campaign mechanics work in multiplayer.

Co-op Campaign Player: Multiplayer and co-op campaigns, checking that faction quests, landmarks, and unique mechanics work in shared saves. Motivation: Playing Total War campaigns cooperatively with friends. Stance: no buy.

Singleplayer Skaven Fantasy Fan: Singleplayer campaigns with a focus on narrative events, faction flavor, and strong units. Motivation: Experiencing the Skaven power fantasy and Thanquol's campaign narrative. Stance: buy.

Skaven Roster Specialist: Skaven-focused campaigns and roster experimentation, comparing new lords and units to prior Skaven DLC. Motivation: Adding distinctive Skaven units and mechanics that justify the DLC's price. Stance: sale.

The Windows 16GB+ VRAM cohort shows generally positive reception, with the available recommended report indicating playable overall performance alongside some stability and gameplay-resolution issues.

Windows 16GB+ VRAM: positive. A recommended high-VRAM Windows 11 system reports end-turn crashes and attack schemes sometimes failing to resolve.

Monetization: The reviews do not provide evidence of predatory monetization. Feedback centers on traditional DLC pricing, perceived content value, multiplayer limitations, and technical performance. The financial complaints concern DLC purchases rather than an in-game cash shop, paid power, paid convenience, loot boxes, or gacha. Therefore the audit remains in the fair or pure band.

DLC adds Skaven units and lords: Multiple reviewers describe the DLC as adding new units, legendary lords, and heroes for the Skaven faction. Thanquol and a Verminlord are specifically mentioned.

Pricing considered too high: Reviewers repeatedly criticize the DLC price relative to the amount of new content, noting a general trend of rising Warhammer DLC prices without improved quality. Some plan to wait for discounts or bundles.

Developer criticized for poor quality: Reviewers accuse Creative Assembly of shipping broken content with minimal testing, prioritizing marketing and new sales over bug fixes, and appearing not to understand their own game.

Campaign mechanics weaker than prior DLC: Several reviewers find the campaign mechanic underwhelming compared to earlier Skaven DLCs like Ikit Claw and Throt, suggesting mods are needed for strategic depth and pressure.

Multiplayer story content broken: End Times DLC lords have non-functional quests and story in multiplayer, with code analysis reportedly showing deliberate blocks. The issue affects all End Times DLCs, not just this one.