Total War: Warhammer 3’s Chaos Dwarfs DLC has you hunting artifacts to build a giant drill

But that’s a grudgin’ in the Dwarfs’ book

Creative Assembly has released additional details on Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs, the upcoming DLC for Total War: Warhammer 3. We’ve already met Astragoth Ironhand last week, who will be one of three legendary lords leading a faction of Chaos Dwarfs, and now the developers have us encounter Drazhoath the Ashen, leader of the Legion of Azgorh.

Drazhoath isn’t exactly on friendly terms with old Astragoth, as Ironhand was the one who exiled him from the Chaos Dwarf capital of Zharr-Naggrund to the Black Fortress, where Drazhoath on his own accord rose through the ranks, eventually becoming lord of the entire place. He is one of the most powerful Sorcerer Prophets of Hashut, equally formidable with magic as he is in melee combat. He can take to the field on foot or ride his powerful Bale Taurus, Cinderbreath.

Drazhoath is looking for a triumphant return to the political scene of Zharr-Naggrund, so his talent for industrial development and the production of armaments, one of the Chaos Dwarfs’ special resources used to build powerful units, should come in handy as an argument in his favor.

Though a recent gameplay video already teased what the Chaos Dwarf campaign in Total War: Warhammer 3 will be about, Creative Assembly now went into a little more detail. Playing as Astragoth, Drazhoath, or Zhatan will have you hunt for four ancient Dwarfen relics, which you then have to corrupt by binding them to Chaos Daemons – that sounds evil and dangerous, but don’t worry: it’s standard procedure in the production of Chaos Dwarf war machines and only goes wrong from time to time, unleashing very angry Chaos Daemons to seek revenge.

Speaking of very angry beings: Your Dwarfen cousins from the West won’t be thrilled at all about having their heirlooms tainted with Chaos, so expect them to try and settle that grudge with you.

Drazhoath and the other Chaos Dwarfs are after the Blood of Hashut / Creative Assembly

Once you’ve collected and corrupted those artifacts, you may use them as components for your big signature project – the Great Drill of Hashut, located in your starting settlement. This is not only a great generator of job openings, but also your ticket to victory, as your end goal is to use this drill to literally open the fabric of reality, breach the domain of your god, and get his blood.

Breaking into the home of a minor Chaos God who symbolizes fire, greed, and tyranny, does not sound like a great idea, but who are we to judge? However it ends, it sure does sound like a nice little adventure to go on.

You can also claim these old relics for yourself, gaining powerful boons and items in the process, though that also means that you must seek out a replacement from somewhere else on the map.

One interesting aspect about the Chaos Dwarfs you’ll have to keep in mind is that all their war machines and actual Chaos Dwarf units will have capacity limits, unlike their cheap Orc and Goblin Laborers. You’ll have to upgrade and expand your Hell-Forges to produce additional armaments and equipment, which will give you a greater unit cap.

This latest blog post confirmed the Infernal Castellan as a hero type, three Infernal Guard variants (shields, great weapons, and fireglaives), the K’Daai Fireborn, and K’Daai Destroyer for the roster. For all available Chaos Dwarf units, lords, and heroes, check out the linked list.

Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs arrives on April 13, 2023, with update 3.0 for Total War: Warhammer 3, which will add Ulrika Magdova as a free legendary hero to the game. Check out our guide on how to claim Ulrika to prepare yourself.