The next free Total War: Warhammer 3 update makes spreading Nurgle plagues even more rewarding

I can feel some kind of sore throat bug coming on. It must be the baleful influence of Creative Assembly's latest free update for bellowing strategy bonanza Total War: Warhammer 3. Out 30th April, the update introduces Epidemius, Proctor of Pestilence - a new Nurgle Legendary Lord who gains rewards based on how many ickle diseases you’ve spread to other factions (already my favourite aspect of playing Nurgle in the game). Does Epidemius also get buffs if the player is infected by something? I hope so. It would be a consolation to know that my ailing trachea is contributing to the Nurgle cause.

That’s not the only new addition in TWW3 patch 5. They’re also bringing a Gold Wizard hero, who is sort of Magneto but blingier, and a cursed crown that will make everybody hate you. Let’s dig in.

According to the announcement post, the potency of Epidemius is “inextricably linked to the constantly shifting ebb and flow of disease”. He’s got a Tally of Pestilence that tracks how many non-Nurgle armies and settlements have caught a lurgy of some description. When the Tally is high, you’ll get a variety of bonuses, but as with the fungal ebb and flow of Nurgle playstyles in general, these bonuses drop away when diseases die out.

Epidemius gets a few more generic, disease-themed buffs, too: +25% to plague cultist campaign movement - all the better to spread the ick - higher recruitment rank for plaguebearers, and shorter cycle time for Plagueflesh Poppies. He also regenerates and gains an attack boost when fighting an enemy with a plague. In battle, he’s described as a support specialist who rocks about in a gnarly palanquin, with a bunch of summoning passives that kick in when his health is low.

Too green, slimy and odious for you? You’ll probably prefer the Gold Wizard hero, a flashy masked human sorceror who can transmute the weapons and armour of friends and enemies, and comes with the following items, dropped into the campaign at random: the Armor of Tarnus, which grants a ward save during spellcasting, and the Gold Standard, which has an active ability that makes a single unit invulnerable.

And then there’s the Crown of Nemesis, a Warpstone-forged artefact that grants immense power, at the price of worldwide diplomatic penalties with all factions. The Crown starts off hidden – you’ll get hints as to its location. Once you’ve found it, you’ll need to fight a certain number of battles in a certain time both to keep hold of it and level it up. Or you can destroy it.

Total War: Warhammer 3 will launch alongside the game’s paid Thrones of Decay DLC, whose three additional factions can be bought as a package or individually. Much as I enjoy spreading plagues (and in the game, etc), I rather like the look of new Dwarf boss Malakai and his ludicrously full-featured airship.