Total War: Warhammer II — Thorek Ironbrow guide

Total War: Warhammer II – Thorek Ironbrow campaign overview and basics

Let’s talk about Thorek Ironbrow’s campaign mechanics in Total War: Warhammer II.

Thorek’s bonuses

Victory conditions

Thorek Ironbrow does not necessarily participate in the race for the Vortex. Instead, these are his victory conditions:

• Reforge at least five Artifacts using the Artifact Vault.
• Win The Lost Vault final battle.

Note: In Mortal Empires, Thorek still has to reforge at least five Artifacts. However, he also has to destroy certain factions and reclaim several Dwarf Holds while ensuring that most misdeeds in the Great Book of Grudges have been settled. Lastly, winning The Lost Vault final battle isn’t a requirement here.

Starting location and units

Thorek starts in the Southern Spine of Sotek province. He already owns the Thrice-Cursed Peak settlement and he’s at war with Clan Mange of the Skaven. His army has 1x Ironbreakers, 1x Longbeards (Great Weapons), 2x Dwarf Warriors, 2x Quarellers, 1x Grudge Throwers. Likewise, a Runesmith hero is accompanying your forces.

Later, you should be able to get a unique Ancestor Hero (Hans Valhirsson) and a Yoked Carnosaur Regiment of Renown once you’ve crafted the relevant Artifacts. It’s also likely that you’ll need a regular Thane hero because it’s a requirement for his Klad Brakak quest battle.

Additionally, I would suggest recruiting Mournfang Cavalry once you’ve installed the Ogre Mercenaries free-LC. Dwarfs don’t have cavalry units by default, having these mounted ogres can help chase and harass quicker units.

Skill picks

Don’t forget to take “Route Marcher” and other blue line skills so you can get “Lightning Strike.” As for Rune Magic, you’ve got “Rune of Wrath & Ruin” (AoE explosion), “Rune of Oath and Steel” (+60 armor), “Rune of Breaking” (armor-piercing and base weapon damage), and “Rune of Negation” (+40% damage resistance). There are also skills that can effectively lower cooldowns such as “Fiery Temper,” “Exacting Standards,” “Runemaster,” and “Strike the Runes.” Then, there are abilities/augments that help counter opponents. Examples include “Forgefire” (-15 armor constant aura), “Wardbreaker” (-10% magic and missile resistance for local enemy armies), and “Greater Locus of Power” (causes miscast explosion when enemies cast spells).

As for the Runesmith hero who’s with you, go ahead and pick up similar skills assuming that they’re available. “Rune of Wrath & Ruin” is still a must due to its awesome damage. Moreover, take “Master of the Forge” (+100% Oathgold produced by local buildings) and “Sharpen Weapons” (embed action that increases the melee and missile damage of the parent army).

Anyway, let’s go to the next part of our Thorek Ironbrow guide for Total War: Warhammer II. We’ll discuss his campaign progression and Runic Magic.