Total War: WARHAMMER III – Lords of the End Times launches on September 24, 2026, and Creative Assembly is positioning it as the biggest DLC released across the Warhammer trilogy’s 10-year history. The expansion brings four new Legendary Lords to Immortal Empires — Nagash, Thanquol, Boris Todbringer and the Glottkin — alongside new units, faction mechanics and one of the series’ largest free updates.
The release also changes how new players can enter Immortal Empires. Creative Assembly says purchasing any of the four Lords of the End Times content packs will grant access to the Immortal Empires campaign without requiring ownership of any of the three Total War: WARHAMMER games. That makes the September release more than a conventional character pack: it also changes the trilogy’s entry point.
When does Lords of the End Times release?
Lords of the End Times releases on September 24, 2026. Creative Assembly will sell the four Legendary Lords individually, while the four-pack bundle receives a 15% discount. Individual Lord packs are currently listed at $8.99 in U.S. Steam pricing. Regional pricing varies, and pre-purchase is already live.
Across the complete DLC, Warhammer Community lists 4 Legendary Lords, 8 Legendary Heroes, 5 additional Lords and Heroes, 23 Battle Units and 12 Regiments of Renown, alongside new gameplay mechanics, features and objectives.
The date is also listed in our GameTechReport release calendar, which tracks confirmed game launches, expansions and major updates.
Immortal Empires is getting a new access model
The most unusual part of the announcement is not a unit or campaign mechanic. Creative Assembly says that buying any Lords of the End Times content will grant access to the full Immortal Empires campaign without requiring ownership of Total War: WARHAMMER, WARHAMMER II or WARHAMMER III.
That is a series first. The new model uses the End Times purchase itself as the entitlement for Immortal Empires access, according to Creative Assembly.
Steam still shows its standard “requires the base game” DLC label near the top of the individual store pages. However, the same Boris Todbringer page explicitly states in its product description that purchasing the pack grants access to Immortal Empires and that Total War: WARHAMMER III ownership is not required. Creative Assembly gives the same guidance, so the remaining contradiction appears to be storefront boilerplate rather than a restriction on the new entitlement model.
Nagash builds an army from across the undead factions
Nagash is built around a Lands of the Undead campaign. His objective is to turn conquered territory into a Land of the Dead, build necropolises and empower the Black Pyramid. Progress also revolves around gathering the nine Mortarchs and recovering the Books of Nagash as he works toward ascension to godhood.
His roster is deliberately broader than a normal faction roster. Creative Assembly says Nagash can recruit from the full Tomb Kings, Vampire Counts and Vampire Coast unit pools. His new additions include Morghast Harbingers and Morghast Archai, the Khemric Titan, Spirit Hosts, Drakenhof Templars and the Coven Throne. Dieter Helsnicht and Walach Harkon appear as Legendary Heroes.
In battle, Nagash uses the Lore of Undeath and can unlock spells from other lores as more Books of Nagash are recovered. The combination of cross-faction undead recruitment and a campaign built around Mortarchs makes him the most structurally unusual of the four new Legendary Lords.
Thanquol gets Masterplans, Boneripper and Stormfiends
Thanquol leads Clan Scruten with a campaign system called Masterplans. These plans can involve secret armies, rituals and heists, but Creative Assembly says complications and setbacks can appear while a plan is being executed. The mechanic is designed around Thanquol’s habit of creating elaborate schemes that do not always unfold cleanly.
He casts from the Lores of Plague and Ruin and can eventually gain the Dreaded Thirteenth spell. Boneripper is an unlockable Legendary Mount that turns the Grey Seer into a much tougher battlefield presence. The roster adds Skreech Verminking as a Legendary Hero, Verminlord variants, several Stormfiend weapon configurations, Pusbags, the Warp-Doom Magma Cannon and the Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes.
Boris Todbringer finally gets a full Middenland campaign
Boris Todbringer’s campaign focuses on the Great Temple of Ulric. Defeating enemies of the Empire raises Fervour, which can be used to develop six Sanctuaries and perform Winter Rites. Upgrading the Sanctuaries also strengthens the Flame of Ulric and unlocks powerful Elector State Troopers.
His unit additions lean heavily into Middenland and the Cult of Ulric. They include Warriors of Ulric, Teutogen Guard, Knights of the White Wolf, Knights Panther, Wolf-Kin and the Celestial Hurricanum. Ar-Ulric Emil Valgeir joins as a Legendary Hero, while the Seneschal of the White Wolf and Priest of Ulric fill new Lord and Hero roles.
The Glottkin spread Gardens of Corruption
The Glottkin combine Warriors of Chaos and Nurgle forces. Their campaign revolves around Gifts of Nurgle, including Rituals of Decay and Grandfather’s Blessings, while conquered settlements can be transformed into Gardens of Corruption.
Those Gardens increase access to Daemonic Nurgle units and can generate Plagues that spread across the map. On the battlefield, Otto, Ethrac and Ghurk function together as one Legendary Lord. Their additions include Putrid Blightkings, the Giant Spined Chaos Beast, Flayerkin, Chaos Siege Giants and the Basilisk, supported by four new Legendary Heroes: Gutrot Spume, Morbidex Twiceborn, Bloab Rotspawned and Orghotts Daemonspew.
The free update adds Neferata and major faction reworks
The paid DLC arrives beside what Creative Assembly calls one of the biggest free updates the series has received. Neferata becomes a free Legendary Lord, and both the Vampire Counts and Archaon the Everchosen receive full reworks.
The update will also add new End Game Scenarios and revised Victory Conditions for every legacy Legendary Lord. Warhammer Community names the new endgame challenges as Chaos Invasion, Vermintide and Nagash Rises. Creative Assembly has not yet published every system-level change, so the free update may end up being almost as important to existing players as the four paid characters.
Which Lords of the End Times pack should you buy?
For existing players, the choice is straightforward if only one faction interests you: Creative Assembly is selling Nagash, Thanquol, Boris Todbringer and the Glottkin separately. The 15% bundle discount matters mainly to players who expect to use all four.
For newcomers, the more important question is the announced Immortal Empires entitlement. If the final storefront implementation matches Creative Assembly’s description, a single End Times character pack will act as a low-cost route into the giant sandbox without requiring a previous Warhammer game purchase. The announcement only promises Immortal Empires access and the content purchased; it does not state that older paid Lords, races or DLC are included.
Lords of the End Times: the short version
- Release date: September 24, 2026.
- Paid Legendary Lords: Nagash, Thanquol, Boris Todbringer and the Glottkin.
- Price: individual Lord packs are currently $8.99 in U.S. Steam pricing; regional prices vary.
- Bundle: all four characters with a 15% discount.
- Pre-purchase: available now.
- Immortal Empires: Creative Assembly says buying any End Times content grants campaign access without requiring ownership of a Total War: WARHAMMER game.
- Free Legendary Lord: Neferata.
- Free update: Vampire Counts and Archaon reworks, new End Game Scenarios and updated Victory Conditions for legacy Legendary Lords.
Sources: Creative Assembly; Warhammer Community; Steam.