TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER III’S CATHAY BUILDS A BALANCED UNIT ROSTER, HARMONY MECHANIC OVERVIEW
Today, the unit roster for Total War. The publisher Sega and developer Creative Assembly revealed Warhammer 3’s Grand Cathay faction. This gives a better picture of how balanced their armies will be.
Grand Cathay was shown for the first time last month in an impressive trailer that saw it taking on the Tzeentch daemons. It was already clear that the Terracotta Guardians were large, and the strange war machines supporting regular infantry painted a picture about a balanced unit roster. But now, we have the complete list of units. Total War Warhammer 3’s defensive powerhouse seems to have a solution for almost every problem.
Grand Cathay is led into battle by Miao Ying (The Storm Dragon) and Zhao Ming (The Iron Dragon). Both Legendary Lords can switch between dragon and human forms while fighting. They also share the Elemental Winds attribute, which increases the power of spells for all spellcasters.
Miao Ying can debuff enemies and access the spells of the Lores of Yin, Life. Zhao Ming can cast spells from the Lores of Yang and Metal and can also help to strengthen the defence of nearby troops.
Grand Cathay’s Harmony mechanic also ties the concepts of Yin to Yang. Regular melee units favour Yang while standard ranged units go to Yin. The opposite effect occurs when the teams are close together. The former gains increased defence and can be harder to kill while the latter fires faster. These buffs are further enhanced by Lords being nearby.
Grand Cathay’s unit roster includes a little bit of everything. The players have access to melee and ranged options, from inexpensive peasant infantry to the specialized Celestial Dragon Guardian, highly effective against large and armoured opponents.
While archers and cavalry have various options for their troops, the Terracotta Sentinels towering above and their flying War Machines make them stand out. The full Total War: Warhammer 3 Grand Cathay unit list has been shared by the game’s developer.
Grand Cathay Legendary Lord
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- Miao Ying, The Storm Dragon
- Zhao Ming, The Iron Dragon
Grand Cathay Lords
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- Dragon-blooded Shugengan Lord (Mount: Warhorse or Jade Longma)
- Lord Magistrate (Mounts: Warhorse, Sky Lantern ).
Grand Cathay Heroes
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- Alchemist (Mount Warhorse).
- Astromancer (Mounts Warhorse, Wu Xing War Compass).
Grand Cathay Units
Grand Cathay Infantry
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- Long Spearmen for Peasants
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- Jade Warriors (Variants: Sword & Shield, Halberds).
- Celestial Dragon Guard
Grand Cathay Missile Infantry
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- Peasant Archers
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- Iron Hail Gunners
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- Crane Gunners
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- Jade Warrior Crossbowmen (Variants: Crossbow Crossbow & Shield)
- Celestial Dragon Crossbowmen
Grand Cathay Cavalry & Chariots
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- Peasant horsemen
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- Jade Lancers
- Great Longma Riders
Grand Cathay Constructs
- Terracotta Sentinel
Grand Cathay Flying War Machines
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- Sky Lantern
- Sky-Junk
Grand Cathay Artillery & War Machines
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- Grand Cannon
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- Wu-Xing War Compass
- Fire Rain Rocket
Grand Cathay is the third faction to get its unit roster in Total War: Warhammer III. This leaves the mystery surrounding the daemons Tzeentch and Nurgle. Given how his forces battled Cathay, The Changer of Ways will likely be next. It’ll be interesting for you to see how they compare with the brutal armies of Khorne.
Total War: Warhammer 3 will launch on PC in the early part of next year.
