Total War: WARHAMMER II - The Twisted & The Twilight is a Lords Pack for the strategy game Total War: WARHAMMER II. It adds two new Legendary Lords, one for the Wood Elves and one for the Skaven, each with dedicated factions, units, and campaign mechanics.
Gameplay
The core loop combines turn-based campaign management on a large map with real-time tactical battles. Players expand territory, manage resources, recruit armies, and complete narrative objectives tied to the new lords. The Sisters of Twilight operate from the Dreaming Woods, where they prepare a glade for a ritual while defending against threats. Their campaign features the Forge of Daith, which generates unique items through dilemmas and incidents that appear during play. These items provide upgrades crafted specifically for the faction.
Throt the Unclean leads a Skaven faction focused on mutation and experimentation. His Flesh Laboratory allows stacking augmentations on units to alter their performance, though overuse risks instability. Unstable subjects can be broken down for materials that support further experiments. Both factions include new Legendary Heroes: Ariel serves as a powerful spellcaster and melee combatant for the Wood Elves, while Ghoritch acts as a high-speed, high-strength hero for the Skaven.
New units expand battlefield options. Wood Elf additions include Zoats with bound Lore of Life spells, Great Stag Knights for heavy cavalry charges, Bladesingers as elite infantry, and Spellweavers who access multiple magic lores. Skaven units feature Wolf Rats in poisonous and armour-piercing variants, Mutant Rat Ogres as single-entity brawlers, and Brood Horrors as fast monsters that break infantry lines. Regiments of Renown provide specialized variants with abilities such as berserk mode or warp lightning summons.
Game Modes
The Lords Pack integrates into the existing campaign structures of Total War: WARHAMMER II. Players access the Eye of the Vortex campaign, which centers on the Great Vortex and its narrative events, or the Mortal Empires campaign, which combines maps from prior entries for larger-scale conquest. The new lords and units function in both modes, with starting positions and objectives adapted to each.
Custom battles allow direct testing of the new units and lords in isolated scenarios without campaign progression. Multiplayer supports the added content for head-to-head matches or cooperative play. The pack also carries forward into the Immortal Empires campaign in Total War: WARHAMMER III, enabling use of the Sisters of Twilight and Throt the Unclean on the combined map.
Factions and Mechanics
The Sisters of Twilight function as a single entity split into two siblings who share a health pool and must both fall for the lord to be defeated. They recruit Ariel as a Legendary Hero and gain access to forest-related movement options that support rapid repositioning across the campaign map. Throt the Unclean emphasizes constant feeding mechanics tied to his background, with the Flesh Laboratory serving as the central system for unit customization and resource generation.
Both factions receive Regiments of Renown that alter standard unit roles, such as Dryads specialized against cavalry charges or Rat Ogres with terror countermeasures. These elements integrate into the broader Wood Elves and Skaven rosters without replacing core units.
Is It Worth Playing?
Steam user reviews for the DLC stand at Mostly Positive based on 949 ratings. The content suits players who already own Total War: WARHAMMER II and seek additional campaign variety within the Wood Elves or Skaven factions. It delivers focused narrative campaigns, new unit types, and two distinct mechanics that alter army building and progression.
Those who prefer large-scale strategy campaigns with fantasy armies and real-time battles will find the added lords and systems extend playtime in familiar modes. The pack does not introduce standalone experiences and requires the base game to access its features.
