Total War: Warhammer II guide – Imrik’s Dragon Encounters and Dragon Taming

Dragon Encounter: Shackolot the Calamity (Black Dragon)

Rewards:

• Blackened Staff unique item – -25% spell cooldown; -25% miscast chance; Life Leeching passive.
• Shackolot’s Intangibility trait – Immune to all attrition (all armies); causes Fear (all armies)
• Breath of the Black Dragon (faction-wide buff for 20 turns) – immune to Psychology; +1 use for all Dragon Breath-type attacks.

Shackolot the Calamity appears as reinforcements. The rest of the enemy forces are comprised of: Walach von Drak (wizard), 2x Cairn Wraiths, 2x Crypt Ghouls, 3x Skeleton Warriors, 6x Zombies. The other reinforcements include 2x Feral Manticore, 3x Harpies, 1x War Hydra, 2x Bloodwrack Medusa.

Shackolot is probably the easiest battle you can have early on in your Total War: Warhammer II campaign. The main army has zombies and other undead that are easily burned, and there are no ranged units as well.

You can easily handle hostiles by using Imrik’s buffs and cycle-charging your Dragon Princes, all while Mikaela casts fire spells and your Sun Dragon just gobbles them up. You should try to make as many of the undead crumble as quickly as possible.

Once the main army starts to waver, Shackolot will spawn from the north:

Meanwhile, the Harpies and Manticores will spawn to the east. Lastly, the Hydra and Medusae arrive from the south.

Update: It seems Shackolot’s spawn is based on a timer and not at all related to defeating the undead army. As such, you could simply corner camp the Harpy/Manticore spawn area and obliterate the mobs. Then, swing your troops around to beat Shackolot and the other forces that are left.

The goal is to consolidate your forces quickly. Shackolot will beeline straight for Imrik, though, funnily enough, the dragon will randomly fly straight for Mikaela after that. Use this to your advantage by mopping up von Drak’s forces with your Sun Dragon and Imrik. While this is going on, surround Shackolot with your spearmen. Keep a few at the ready once the other monsters arrive, but beware of their fear or terror-causing attributes.

In due course, your ranged units should be able to pepper the flying units. With von Drak’s army crumbling, you can pop Imrik’s buffs once more and decimate the other monsters.

There’s also another dragon battle that’s quite easy if you play your cards right, and that’s the one against Bruwor, Protector of Life.