Total War: Warhammer III Walkthrough: Part 1, Realm of Chaos Campaign (Chaos Rifts to Be'lakor)

This is part 1 of our Total War: Warhammer III campaign series. It covers the Realm of Chaos story campaign from your first turn to the final battle against Be'lakor in the Forge of Souls. You'll learn how the Chaos Rifts work, how to beat each of the four Chaos realms, and how to win the last fight.

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The whole series

A note before we start: Creative Assembly patches this game often. Turn counts, costs and battle numbers change, so this guide gives you the plan and the reasons behind it, not exact figures. Always check the in-game tooltips.

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What the story campaign is about

The Kislev bear god Ursun is wounded and held prisoner by the daemon prince Be'lakor. Ursun's pained roars tear holes in reality. These holes are the Chaos Rifts, and they lead into the Realm of Chaos.

Every faction wants Ursun for its own reasons. To reach him you must claim four daemon prince souls, one from the realm of each Chaos god: Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch. With all four souls, the way to the Forge of Souls opens and you can fight the final battle.

If you haven't yet, play the prologue, The Lost God, first. It teaches the basics with Yuri of Kislev and leads into this story.

Step 1: Pick a faction and set up

The Realm of Chaos campaign uses the races from the Warhammer III base game: Kislev, Grand Cathay, the four Chaos gods, the custom Daemon Prince, and the Ogre Kingdoms if you own them. For a first run, Kislev or Cathay is the safest choice. Both are defensive, mortal factions with simple economies.

Your goals before the first rifts open:

1. Take the rest of your starting province and fix its buildings.
2. Get your economy running. Income after upkeep is what matters.
3. Level your Legendary Lord. Only a strong lord's army should go into a realm.
4. Build a second army to defend home. When your main army is inside a realm, it can't help you.
5. Sign non-aggression pacts with neighbours you don't plan to fight.

Step 2: How the Chaos Rifts work

Every so often Ursun roars and Chaos Rifts open across the map. Each rift is linked to one Chaos god. While open, rifts spread that god's corruption and can spill out daemon armies.

• To enter a realm: move your Legendary Lord's army into a rift linked to the god you want.
• To protect your lands: close rifts inside your own provinces. This stops corruption and daemon raids.
• Rifts don't stay open forever. Plan for one realm per rift opening. Guides agree you normally only get one soul each time the rifts are open.
• Your rival factions also race for the souls. Don't waste a rift opening.

When the rifts close, use the quiet time to heal, recruit, level up and expand. The next opening is your next chance.

Step 3: The Realm of Khorne

Khorne's realm is an arena. Armies from many factions fight each other to fill a Bloodshed meter. The first to fill it can attack the Brass Citadel in the middle.

1. Enter through a Khorne rift. Fight the other armies you meet. Each win fills your meter.
2. Each corner holds a daemonic weapon that buffs your army. You can only take one. Khorne takes it back if you later enter another god's realm.
3. With a full meter, march to the citadel and fight the survival battle against Khorne's daemon prince.

Watch out: Khorne units are pure melee and hit hard. Bring ranged units and artillery to thin them out, and a solid line of spears or halberds to hold.

Step 4: The Realm of Nurgle

Many players call Nurgle's garden the most frustrating realm. Attrition hits your army as soon as you arrive, and you can't move again that turn.

1. Enter through a Nurgle rift. Put your army in a safe stance when you can.
2. Look for the special points around the map. Some heal your units and give resistance to attrition.
3. Gain immunity to Nurgle's diseases before you approach the mansion in the centre. Guides point to the great tree for this.
4. Fight the survival battle at the mansion against Nurgle's daemon prince.

Watch out: Nurgle units are slow and very tough. Armour-piercing damage and magic help. Don't let your army sit in the garden longer than needed.

Step 5: The Realm of Slaanesh

Slaanesh's realm is made of rings around a central palace. You pass through one gate at a time to get closer.

1. Enter through a Slaanesh rift and head for the first gate.
2. At each gate, Slaanesh tempts you with a reward if you leave. The rewards grow the deeper you go.
3. Saying yes ends your run with that reward. Saying no lets you move on toward the soul.
4. Slaanesh armies hunt you as you get closer. Keep moving.
5. Reach the palace and fight the survival battle against Slaanesh's daemon prince.

Watch out: the soul is what wins the campaign. Only take a temptation if your army is too weak to finish.

Step 6: The Realm of Tzeentch

Tzeentch's realm is a maze of floating islands. You cross it with portals, and you can't see where a portal goes before you use it. The goal is the Impossible Fortress in the centre.

1. Enter through a Tzeentch rift.
2. Reveal sigils. They show symbols above the portals and help you find the right path. Beating Tzeentch armies in the realm can also reveal them.
3. Some glowing circles stop all your movement for the turn. Plan your moves.
4. If you leave the realm, you start over from the beginning next time.
5. At the fortress, fight the survival battle against Tzeentch's daemon prince.

Watch out: Tzeentch armies bring a lot of ranged attacks and magic. Shields, fast cavalry and flyers help you close the distance.

Step 7: Survival battles in general

All four soul fights and the finale are survival battles. You hold or capture points while waves of enemies attack. Capturing points gives you supplies to spend on towers and reinforcements.

• Bring a full army with your Legendary Lord, healing or replenishment, ranged units and a reliable frontline.
• Fight near choke points so enemies come to you in a narrow line.
• Don't chase. Let the waves break on your line, then reset.
• Spend supplies early. Towers placed before a wave do more work than ones placed after.

Step 8: The final battle against Be'lakor

Once you hold all four souls, travel through a rift to the Forge of Souls and start the final battle. It is a survival battle with capture points, and Be'lakor himself joins the fight.

1. Bring your best army. Many players bring their strongest single-entity units and spellcasters.
2. Clear each wave before pushing to the next capture point. Leave a few units to block the entrance, because enemies keep coming.
3. When Be'lakor appears, focus him. Use your toughest units to pin him and shoot him with everything that can hit a flyer.
4. You don't need to kill every enemy on the map. Taking the objectives and beating Be'lakor is what counts.

Win and the story ends. Beating him also unlocks Be'lakor as a playable character. How you can use him has changed across updates, so check the lord list in your version.

Tips for this part

• Never send your only army into a realm. Keep a home guard.
• Close rifts in your own territory. Leaving them open hurts public order and invites raids.
• Save before entering a realm and before each survival battle.
• Do the realm whose daemons your army counters best first.
• Use the time between rifts to grow. A bigger economy means a faster finish.

My take

I like the Realm of Chaos campaign more than most people. The realms look amazing and the story pushes you forward. But the rift timer can feel like it controls your whole game, so I treat it as a story run and save sandbox play for Immortal Empires. Which realm gave you the most trouble?

FAQ

How long is the Realm of Chaos campaign?

It depends on how fast you grab the souls. Since you usually get one soul per rift opening, most runs take a long session over several days. Fast players finish sooner by being ready the moment rifts open.

Do I need all four souls to fight Be'lakor?

Yes. You need the souls from Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch before the Forge of Souls opens.

Which Chaos realm is the hardest?

Many players name Nurgle, because of the attrition and slow movement. Others find Tzeentch's portal maze the most annoying.

Is Realm of Chaos or Immortal Empires better for beginners?

Realm of Chaos teaches you the game and has a clear goal. Immortal Empires is bigger and more free. Many players do the prologue, then jump into Immortal Empires.

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