In a much-needed comeback for the embattled Total War: Warhammer 3, the recently released Thrones of Decay DLC has catalyzed a resurgence in player counts and positive reviews on Steam. After months of controversy surrounding pricing and content matters, developer Creative Assembly has course-corrected with this new expansion and an overhauled content model that appears to be restoring goodwill among the strategy game’s community.
The Thrones of Decay DLC introduces three new legendary lords – the rotting Chaos champion Tamurkhan, Imperial dragonrider Elspeth Von Draken, and furious Dwarven slayer Malakai Makaisson. But beyond just new characters, Creative Assembly has implemented a new pricing structure that allows players to purchase the entire Thrones of Decay bundle or each lord pack individually.
This revised model, alongside a hefty free 4.2 update expanding previous content, has paid immediate dividends. Total War: Warhammer 3’s concurrent player count on Steam skyrocketed to 66,613 this week – nearly double its highest point over the past year during the Chaos Dwarves DLC launch in April 2023.
More impressively, the recent user reviews tell a tale of player positivity not seen for Warhammer 3 in some time. While the game’s overall Steam user score sits at a lukewarm 63% after the trials of the past year, reviews over the last 30 days clock in at a “Very Positive” 85% rating. The three new legendary lords themselves have received excellent reviews between 89-92%.
One Steam user encapsulated the turnaround, writing “Creative Assembly is making a creative comeback, baby. Being able to buy the characters separately is amazing. The content is great, and before this they even supported the last DLC [and] taken a lot of community feedback and made changes – all in all 10/10.”
Another praised the high quality of the new campaigns and content, stating “I’m actually glad to pay money for quality content like this. The reworks, the units added, and the legendary lords all look and play great.”
After watching the once-celebrated Total War: Warhammer 3 stumble badly in recent months following a successful launch, this runaway positivity shows Creative Assembly’s shift in approach and renewed focus onommunity feedback is paying off.
As one commenter summed it up: “Thrones of Decay looks set to be the redemption we all wanted…The consistent hotfixing helped restore goodwill. Shadows of Change 2.0 helped set the foundations for a redemption and showed that CA was serious. ToD serves as the redemption arc in full swing. There’s much yet to do, but today is a good day and I am cautiously optimistic for the future.”
From struggling player counts to renewed acclaim, the launch of Thrones of Decay marks a pivotal moment for Total War: Warhammer 3’s potential revival. With Creative Assembly showing a willingness to adapt their content and pricing model based on feedback, it seems the nightmarish campaign of the past year may finally be giving way to a new, more promising future for the franchise.
“Command powerful new lords and lead legendary armies in our Total War: Warhammer 3 – Thrones of Decay DLC review. Explore the rich lore and epic battles that expand the Warhammer universe with this thrilling DLC.”
