Total War Warhammer 3: Chaos Rifts guide
Enter, traverse or close? The choice is yours…
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Total War Warhammer 3 has more than a few tricks up its sleeve. New players will be getting used to the campaign and getting to grips with their chosen faction. And then, suddenly, a horde of Chaos comes spilling out of a Rift, ready to spread corruption and tear your armies asunder. While they may seem like mere annoyances at first, Chaos Rifts are in fact crucial to progression in Total War Warhammer 3’s campaign.
Here’s how to make the most of Chaos Rifts once they appear in your game:
When do Chaos Rifts appear in Total War Warhammer 3?
For players new to the Total War: Warhammer series, there is no need to worry about being overwhelmed by Chaos incursions right off the bat. The start of the Realms of Chaos campaign gives you time to set up your faction, survey the map and begin to work towards your goals.
Once roughly 25-35 turns have passed, the first Chaos Rift will open. These Rifts will only stay open for 15 turns, bleeding corruption into the world all the while. Once those 15 turns are up, the Rift will close, and players must wait for the next one to arrive.
When a player moves their faction’s legendary lord to a Chaos Rift, they are given several choices. They can close the Rift, stopping the daemonic hordes spilling forth. Alternatively, they can take momentary advantage of the power of Chaos and instantly traverse the map. Or, if they are brave enough, they can travel deep into the heart of the Chaos Realms themselves.
Closing Chaos Rifts
While Rifts remain open, Chaos units have a continual chance of spawning onto the map. As a result, in many scenarios it can be best to close them as quickly as possible. Thankfully, this is the easiest option to achieve. It is the only one that does not require the presence of your legendary lord (though they can take this option too if you wish.) Any army that is moved to a Chaos Rift can be used to close it. This gives you greater control over which Rifts, if any, you allow to stay open.
It can be better to close Rifts that would put your faction at a disadvantage and wait to take advantage of those that appear in more advantageous provinces.
Traversing Chaos Rifts
Chaos Rifts, while dangerous, can be a surprising and effective mobility tool in Total War Warhammer 3. When accessing Rifts using your legendary lord, you can teleport to any other active Rift on the map. Ambushes suddenly became that much more viable through the power of Chaos!
Entering Chaos Rifts
If the player is confident in their capabilities, they may choose to enter the Chaos Rifts and plunge deep into the realms of Chaos. While this may seem like a foolish and dangerous move, it is actually necessary to see Total War: Warhammer 3’s campaign to its conclusion.
Rifts lead to the four Chaos realms, each related to the Daemon Gods Khorne, Slaanesh, Tzeentch and Nurgle. Thankfully, players do not have to hunt down specific gates associated with each God. The colour of each simply indicates what type of Chaos units it is likely to spawn. Any Rift can be used to enter a realm of the player’s choosing.
Once within a Realm of Chaos, the player is one step closer to completing Survival Battles and unlocking the souls needed to access the Forge of Chaos!
More Total War: Warhammer 3 content
We’ve been covering quite a bit of Total War: Warhammer 3 at WePC. We’ve put out a faction tier list, and have also helped new players choose the best starting faction for them. And we’ll be covering much more of the game in the coming days. Stay tuned for our guide on conquering the Realms of Chaos, and much more.
