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The joy of being disgustingly outnumbered as the Dwarfs in Total War: Warhammer 3

The throng is mustard

Outnumbered dwarfs prepare for battle in Total War: Warhammer 3.
Image credit: Creative Assembly/Rock Paper Shotgun

Is there anything more satisfying in Total War: Warhammer 3 than watching a tide of rats, so numerous to be previously inconceivable outside of a world-spanning alley filled with old yoghurt pots and Dairlylea Dunkers, break against a beardy phalanx?

This is a fairly broad generalisation, but I think there are two types of armies in the game: those you win with on the battlefield with micromanagement, and those you win before the battle has even started, through composition and arrangement. The former may be more tactically gratifying and exciting, but the latter is so cinematically enjoyable to me that it’s something I can’t get anywhere else. It also perfectly suits the Dwarfs, who not only excel at defence, but I imagine are deeply unwilling to admit to their plans are anything but perfect, even upon making contact with the enemy. It’s the same joy I imagine players of sims like Factorio and Satisfactory get when setting up a bit of perfect automation.

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