Manual
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A very small percentage of people may experience a seizure when exposed to certain visual images, including flashing lights or patterns that may appear in video games. Even people who have no history of seizures or epilepsy may have an undiagnosed condition that can cause these “photosensitive epileptic seizures” while watching video games.
These seizures may have a variety of symptoms, including lightheadedness, altered vision, eye or face twitching, jerking or shaking of arms or legs, disorientation, confusion, or momentary loss of awareness. Seizures may also cause loss of consciousness or convulsions that can lead to injury from falling down or striking nearby objects.
Immediately stop playing and consult a doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. Parents should watch for or ask their children about the above symptoms—children and teenagers are more likely than adults to experience these seizures. The risk of photosensitive epileptic seizures may be reduced by taking the following precautions: Sit farther from the screen; use a smaller screen; play in a well-lit room; and do not play when you are drowsy or fatigued. If you or any of your relatives have a history of seizures or epilepsy, consult a doctor before playing.
© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2017–2018. Warhammer, the Warhammer logo, GW, Games Workshop, The Game of Fantasy Battles, the twin-tailed comet logo, and all associated logos, illustrations, images, names, creatures, races, vehicles, locations, weapons, characters, and the distinctive likeness thereof, are either ® or TM, and/or © Games Workshop Limited, variably registered around the world, and used under licence. Originally developed by Creative Assembly. Originally published by SEGA. Creative Assembly, the Creative Assembly logo, Total War and the Total War logo are either registered trade marks or trade marks of The Creative Assembly Limited. SEGA and the SEGA logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of SEGA Holdings Co., Ltd. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. SEGA is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Developed for and published on Linux by Feral Interactive Ltd. Linux® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and other countries. Feral and the Feral logo are trademarks of Feral Interactive Ltd. All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are property of their respective owners.
Life in the New World, while very different to that in the Old, remains relentlessly harsh and unforgiving.
At the dawn of time, a void-stalking godlike-race known as the Old Ones descended from the stars to forge and shape the world according to their Great Plan. Then Chaos came. A never-ending stream of hideous Daemonic entities, resentful of the Old Ones’ designs, arrived through portals from another realm. Hell-bent on mindless destruction for the sake of their twisted and malign Chaos Gods, they ruptured the world. A new and evil moon – Morrslieb – appeared in the sky. Everything changed. Forever.
The Old Ones disappeared through their portals, leaving their Lizardmen servants behind. They fight desperately to prevent the forces of Chaos and Destruction – the Ancient Enemy – from gaining more of a foothold whilst also working tirelessly to bring their erstwhile masters’ Great Plan to fruition. Atop their great pyramids and ziggurats, the Lizardmen contemplate the meaning of the many sacred plaques the Old Ones left behind, considering every possible interpretation before they act.
Although the odds are stacked against them, the Lizardmen are not alone. From their fortified island kingdom of Ulthuan, the High Elves – known as the ‘Asur’ – also fight on the side of Order. The High Elves are a proud and aloof race of warriors, sorcerers without peer. They are extremely long-lived, generally compassionate of nature and have a rich cultural life all their own. Although largely disinterested in the affairs of the younger, ‘lesser’ races, they are more than capable of matching and besting them on the battlefield.
To the west of Ulthuan, and north of the Lizardmen's domain of Lustria, is Naggarond. This gloomy, cruel and blasted landscape is home to the equally cruel and unforgiving Dark Elves. Known as the ‘Druchii’ or ‘Dark Ones’, the Dark Elves split from their High Elf kin following a struggle for the Elven crown. They now indulge their excessive, sadistic natures and love of power, eternally plotting the downfall of their Asur cousins. Truly, the Dark Elves are a force of Destruction in the world.
Beneath the blackened soil, within myriad dark tunnels and vast caverns, Destruction has another ally: the Skaven. These upright ratmen are malevolence incarnate. Venal and treacherous in the extreme, the Skaven spend most of their time plotting and scheming against each other, but also like to spread their loathsome corruption and virulent diseases across the world. Unsurprisingly, it is the Skaven’s ultimate goal to become the dominant race by killing great swathes of the opposition in a variety of unspeakable ways. If they succeed in ushering in this new dark age, gods help us all...
All across the world, banners and blades alike are raised as the eternal war continues unabated – darker, deeper and more twisted than ever before. Be ready, for death and glory await you!
Total War: WARHAMMER II is a game of statecraft, expansion, diplomacy, nation management and epic-scale warfare, set against a dense, fantastical backdrop. It is a game of two halves - one half a turn-based strategy campaign game, the other played out in real time on the many, varied battlefields of the New World. From the dense vegetation of Lustria’s jungles and the impressive island vistas of Ulthuan to the cruel, unforgiving lands of the Dark Elves and the deep, claustrophobic and labyrinthine tunnels of the Skaven Under-Empire.
Engage in diplomacy, trade, construction, research and exploration in a bid to make your faction the most powerful on the map. Then, when armies clash and battle is joined, command your forces in real time and lead them to victory or defeat.
As part of the Steam download process, the game has already been installed on your computer. To start playing the game, read the Getting Started section.
If it is not already running, launch the Steam application.
Select Library.
In the library, select Total War: WARHAMMER II, then select Play.
The Total War: WARHAMMER II pre-game Options window will appear. Click on the Play button. The game will launch.
After the loading screens, the Main Menu will appear. Select Campaigns.
Select New Campaign.
The Select Campaign screen will appear. Select the campaign you wish to play, then select Continue. If this is your first time playing, we recommend you select The Eye of the Vortex campaign. If you want to play the Mortal Empires campaign, you will also need to own Total War: WARHAMMER.
The Select Lord screen will appear. If this is your first time playing, we recommend you select Tyrion of the High Elves and tick the Enable campaign introduction checkbox.
Select Start Campaign.
After the opening video, your chosen lord and faction will soon meet its sworn enemies in battle. Heed your advisor well and lead your forces to victory!
The default keyboard configuration is detailed below; these controls can be customized by selecting Options → Controls from the Main Menu. Please note that the instructions in this manual refer to the default controls. If you have customized your controls, the instructions will no longer apply.
| Toggle Sound Effects | Alt + X |
| Toggle Music | Alt + M |
| Select All | Ctrl + A |
| Select Next | . |
| Select Previous | , |
| Cancel Orders | Backspace (←) |
| Chat Panel On | Y |
| Chat Panel Off | Escape (esc) |
| Move Forward Fast | Numpad 8 |
| Rotate Up | V or + |
| Rotate Down | C or - |
| Camera Up | X or * |
| Camera Down | Z or / |
| Accelerate | Page Up |
| Decelerate | Page Down |
| Rotate Left | Q or Numpad 4 |
| Rotate Right | E or Numpad 6 |
| Scroll Left | A or Numpad 1 |
| Scroll Right | D or Numpad 3 |
| Scroll Forward | W or Numpad 5 |
| Scroll Back | S or Numpad 2 |
| Increase Camera Rotation Speed | Shift + Page Up |
| Decrease Camera Rotation Speed | Shift + Page Down |
| Zoom to Cursor | N |
| Third-person Camera | Insert |
| Toggle Unit Camera | Delete |
| Show Tactical/Overview Map | Tab |
| Show Selected Overview | 1 |
| Show Garrison | 2 |
| Show Building Browser | 3 |
| Show Lord Recruitment | 4 |
| Show Hero Recruitment | 5 |
| Show Objectives | 6 |
| Show Diplomacy | 7 |
| Show Technologies | 8 |
| Show Book of Rites | 9 |
| Show Dilemmas | 0 |
| End Turn | Return or Numpad Enter |
| Toggle Character Move Speed | R |
| Disband Current Selection | Ctrl + P |
| Quick Save | Ctrl + S |
| Quick Load | Ctrl + L |
| Toggle Settlement Labels | Ctrl + T |
| Auto-merge Units | Ctrl + M |
| Pan to Capital | Home |
| Default Camera Rotation | End |
| Show Strategic Map | Tab |
| Unit/Group Controls | |
|---|---|
| Group/Ungroup Units | G |
| Toggle Locked Group | Ctrl + G |
| Toggle Melee Mode | F |
| Toggle Unit Speed | R |
| Pan to Unit | End |
| Special Ability Slot 1 – 6 | Alt + 1 – 6 |
| Create Unit Group 1 – 9 | Ctrl + 1 – 9 |
| Create Unit Group 10 | Ctrl + 0 |
| Select Unit Group 1 – 9 | 1 – 9 |
| Select Unit Group 10 | 0 |
| About Face | J |
| Increase Unit/Group Width | Ctrl + Up |
| Reduce Unit/Group Width | Ctrl + Down |
| Step Unit/Group Backwards | Down |
| Step Unit/Group Forwards | Up |
| Strafe Unit Left | Left |
| Strafe Unit Right | Right |
| Rotate Unit/Group Left | Ctrl + Left |
| Rotate Unit/Group Right | Ctrl + Right |
| Selection Controls | |
|---|---|
| Select All Artillery Units | Ctrl + B |
| Select All Melee Infantry Units | Ctrl + I |
| Select All Cavalry Units | Ctrl + C |
| Select All Missile Infantry Units | Ctrl + M |
| Deselect All | Return |
| Pan to Lord | Home |
| Game/UI Controls | |
|---|---|
| Cycle Battle Speed | T |
| Show UI Settings | Space |
| Toggle Unit Information | I |
| Toggle UI Visibility | K |
| Toggle UI (with Borders) | Alt + K |
| Toggle Pause | P |
Most orders for campaign map characters and armies, or units in battle, follow a simple pattern of left-click to select and right-click to issue an order. If you’re completely new to strategy games, you’ll find all the assistance you need to conquer, betray and backstab through the in-game advisor and help panels.
There are keyboard shortcuts to help you do things quickly, but Total War: WARHAMMER II gives you time to consider and plan your actions. As you become familiar with the game, you’ll gradually master more advanced controls.
The introduction is designed specifically to give you a taster of the game world and introduce you to the basic ideas behind Total War: WARHAMMER II’s turn-based campaign game and real-time battles. You’ll find it useful to look at the introduction, especially if you are a new player, to learn the basic controls and user interface that help you command your burgeoning empire.
Note that you can bypass the introduction by disabling the Enable Introduction checkbox when selecting your Legendary Lord. If you do choose to play through it, the game will remember your decision and switch it off by default in subsequent campaigns. It will remain switched off from then on unless you clear your advisor history in the Options → Game Settings menu.
Each Legendary Lord has a different starting position on the campaign map, so the Introduction will play out differently depending on the character you have chosen to command.
Once you’ve completed the introduction, you’ll be able to continue the campaign you’ve begun. You’ll also be ready to fire up a custom or quest battle for some glorious real-time carnage!
The game includes additional help features to assist your empire building and warmongering, revised and improved especially for Total War: WARHAMMER II.
The in-game advisor is always on hand to help you with the controls and concepts of Total War: WARHAMMER II. The advisor monitors how you play and, as you progress, offers guidance about what you’re doing in the game.
By default, you’ll see and hear all advice as you play. You can tweak the settings to reduce the level of advice given, and tailor it to either speech or just on-screen text. As you get more experienced with the game, the advisor takes a back seat and leaves you to your own devices, only offering helpful hints when you use some aspect of the game for the first time.
This time, the advisor is complemented by information panels containing useful information and links to the game guide, where you can find more information or further details about a topic.
In Total War: WARHAMMER II's Eye of the Vortex campaign, victory depends upon ultimate domination of the Great Vortex swirling above the continent of Ulthuan. Each race has its own motivations for doing so, which you’ll discover as their narrative unfolds.
To dominate the Great Vortex, each race must perform five rituals and emerge victorious from the final, cataclysmic conflict. To enact each ritual, you’ll need to gather your race’s specific form of ritual currency through conflict, conquest and quest battles.
You can use the Rituals Bar at the top of the campaign screen to track the progress of your rituals, as well as those of other factions. The fourth icon from the left is the icon for your faction's ritual currency. Hover your cursor over it to see how much your faction possesses.
Key settlements can also generate ritual currency on a turn-by-turn basis if they are colonised, and the correct buildings are built. Look out for the ritual currency icon by their settlement name.
Rituals magically tie three of your settlements to the Vortex and take 10 turns to complete. In that time you’ll be attacked by Chaos and the other races, who of course wish to dominate the Vortex before you do! If one of your three settlements is conquered, the ritual is cancelled and must be re-enacted. You’ll be notified when an opposing race enacts a ritual of their own, giving you the chance to stage a military intervention to slow their progress.
While it’s tempting to throw yourself into the fray, if you’re a Total War veteran you might want to read the What’s New section of this manual below. You’ll find details of the key new game features and improvements that make Total War: WARHAMMER II one of the most compelling games in the series.
Total War: WARHAMMER II contains several features that are new to the series. As before, you can use magic, Lords, Heroes, flying creatures and mechanised war machines, as well as enormous, terrifying monsters. This time though, there are four brand new races to choose from.
There is a brand new campaign concerning the battle for control of the ominous, all-powerful Great Vortex. Additionally, there is the grand Mortal Empires campaign which is linked to the Total War: WARHAMMER Old World campaign to create one enormous, world-spanning map.
In Total War: WARHAMMER II, you can command one of four races: High Elves, Dark Elves, Skaven or Lizardmen. Each one has up to four unique Legendary Lords from which to choose from, each with their own individual style of play. For instance, as the High Elves, you can choose the courageous Prince Tyrion, Defender of Ulthuan and the greatest Elven warrior of the age. Or you can choose his twin brother Teclis, a supremely clever sage and arguably the world’s most powerful living sorcerer.
The Great Vortex is a vast maelstrom at the heart of the High Elves’ kingdom of Ulthuan. It was created to channel away as much of the Winds of Magic as possible in a bid to hold back the forces of Chaos and prevent them from consuming the world. Unstable by its very nature, the Vortex holds colossal power that, in the wrong hands, could tip the world into endless night! In the Eye of the Vortex campaign, each of the races featured in Total War: WARHAMMER II vies for control of the Vortex by performing five rituals and then fighting a tumultuous final battle. The victor will gain the ability to bend the Vortex to their will, for good or ill...
In Total War: WARHAMMER II, the grand campaign features several different dilemma types. Successfully completing them will give your faction bonuses. Treasure Hunting in the Ruins and Encounters at Sea can be completed by all four of Total War: WARHAMMER II’s featured races, while Intrigue at the Court is specific to the High Elves.
High Elf society is hierarchical in nature with courtiers watching for any opportunity to gain in status at the expense of their peers. Intrigue at the Court takes you to the heart of the Phoenix King’s court in Ulthuan. There, you can take part in the many plots and schemes to alter the diplomatic relations between the other factions in Total War: WARHAMMER II by fair means or foul.
The land is dotted with ancient ruins and the constant state of war ensures that there will always be more to investigate. Such places are the haunt of untold dangers, but those brave enough to search their shattered buildings and choked cellars can unearth untold, hitherto abandoned riches. Treasure Hunting in the Ruins gives you the opportunity, following a successful siege battle, to investigate these ruined settlements and reap the rewards.
The oceans will sometimes throw up chance encounters with wrecked vessels, shifting islands and the like. Encounters at Sea enables you to move a fleet close enough so your mariners can plunder them and escape with the spoils.
The Skaven’s vast subterranean Under-Empire grows in stature day-by-day, until it is time for their pestilent Vermintide to be unleashed upon the unsuspecting above-grounders! And yet many don’t even believe that the Skaven exist and that tales of their exploits are nothing more than myth or delusion.
Like the Underway in Total War: WARHAMMER, the Under-Empire is a vast, sprawling network of tunnels and highways beneath the surface of the world, spanning its length and breadth, that can be accessed through the ruins of settlements on the surface. Heroes and armies can scout ruins in the hope of revealing the ratmen’s presence and stopping their otherwise relentless advance in its horrific, disease-ridden tracks!
Every effort has been made to make Total War: WARHAMMER II as compatible with current hardware as possible. However, if you are experiencing problems when running Total War: WARHAMMER II, please read on.
The FAQs for this version of the game can be found by following the link below:
http://support.feralinteractive.com/docs/en/warhammer2tw/latest/linux/faqs/
Contacting Feral
If the FAQs and/or updates do not solve your problem, then please feel free to contact us. The following information must be obtained before contacting Feral Technical Support:
All the information required can be obtained by opening Total War: WARHAMMER II and clicking on the Support tab in the Total War: WARHAMMER II pre-game Options window:
Now click on the Create Email button. Remember to attach the Total War WARHAMMER II Report.html and crash dump files to your email. In your email, please include a brief description of the problem you have experienced with Total War: WARHAMMER II.
Please check the warranty information provided by Steam.
© Copyright Games Workshop Limited 2017–2018
