Total War: Warhammer 3 Slaanesh Faction Guide – Devotees, Seduction & More

WARHAMMER 3 FACTIONS: Daemons of Chaos | Grand Cathay | Khorne | Kislev | Nurgle | Ogre Kingdoms | Slaanesh | Tzeentch

Slaanesh is the god of excess, perfection, and obsession in all things pain and pleasure. Though Tzeentch may be the god of manipulations and changing of ways, Slaanesh is actually the most diplomatic and insidious of the Chaos Gods in Total War: Warhammer 3, preying upon the very desires of all mortal beings.

Here are the main features of Slaanesh’s faction in Total War: Warhammer 3:

– Devotees
– Seduction
– Seductive Influence
– Gifts of Slaanesh
– Slaanesh Army

And here’s everything you need to know about Slaanesh.

 

Devotees

Slaanesh draws strength from followers that flock to the Dark Prince’s call, enamored by the promise of greatness and immeasurable pleasure. These dumbfounded mortals become the primary resource through which Slaaneshi factions enact their will and activate powerful abilities.

Devotees are needed to spread Chaos Cults, raise Disciple Armies, and set Pleasurable Acts on provinces for additional strategic benefits. Chaos Cults are secret havens of Chaos followers that will spread corruption of their patron god and make it easier for Daemonic armies to conquer these lands.

Disciple Armies are similar to that of Khorne’s Blood Host armies with the only difference being that Slaanesh factions don’t need to raze a settlement in order to summon an army. At any given moment a Slaaneshi lord may click the Raise Disciple Army button at the bottom of the screen next to the basic unit recruitment button and then an army will spawn right next to the summoning lord.

This army will begin taking attrition right away, so it has a limited lifespan and is meant to soften up targets for the main Slaanesh armies to waltz and clean up afterwards. The size of the Disciple Army is dictated by the size of the summoning army as well as the local province Slaanesh corruption level, with higher levels of corruption mustering larger forces.

 

Seduction

Even the hardiest and well-trained troops can hardly resist Slaanesh’ alluring seduction. When a Slaaneshi army meets an opponent in battle, in the battle preparation screen the Slaaneshi lord has the option of seducing a few units from the enemy roster, as in taking control of them temporarily for the duration of the battle, by paying a sum of gold. This is an incredibly powerful ability as it can help neutralize threats or even change the odds of a fight in Slaanesh’ favor.

 

Seductive Influence

Slaanesh loves the thrill of battle and the skill of great warriors, but diplomacy is really this god’s bread and butter, preferring less violent means of dominating the uncorrupted. As such, unlike the other three Chaos God factions, Slaanesh doesn’t automatically start a war with non-Chaos-aligned races.

When Slaanesh deals in diplomacy with human, Elvish, or Beastmen factions they begin building a Seductive Influence rating that can be found next to the name of the faction in question on the diplomacy screen. This influence builds through deals, treaties, fighting battles, and spreading corruption and once influence reaches a maximum threshold, the faction will automatically vassalize and will offer monetary tribute and military support in future conflicts.

Some factions, like Kislev, are more resistant to Slaanesh’ Seductive Influence, but with enough effort and time even the most strong-headed can fall to Slaanesh’s sweet promises. This Influence can wane, so it’s important to keep tabs on the status of your established vassals and ensure they stay within your sphere of influence.

 

Gifts of Slaanesh

Slaanesh themselves are enamored with the performance of great Lords and Heroes and they want to reward them for their great accomplishments. When a Slaaneshi army fights an enemy lord and leaves them alive at the end of a battle, the characters will receive a Gift of Slaanesh – a negative debuff that hampers their combat ability and passively provides Seductive Influence for the faction.

Slaaneshi Heroes and can also perform agent action on non-Slaaneshi Lords and Heroes, which will also leave a Gift of Slaanesh, so they don’t have to be doled out solely through combat. In many ways, Slaanesh’s faction doesn’t want to completely destroy their opponents and instead they prefer toying with their prey and find ways to dominate them and bend them to Slaanesh’s will for economic and strategic benefit.

 

Slaanesh Army

Along with Tzeentch’s forces, Slaanesh’s hosts also require finesse to use effectively and ensure victory over tougher opponents. The armies of the Dark Prince emphasize absurd speed and shock strike power at the cost of armor and defensive stats.

In other words, Slaanesh’s armies are the definition of a glass-cannon playstyle with huge burst damage potential, but nearly a complete lack of staying power. Slaaneshi light cavalry, in particular, is the highlight of their roster.

The preferred battle strategy for Slaanesh is Divide and Conquer where the goal is to spread the enemy army out as much as possible and then overwhelm the weak points with overwhelming shock force and then retreat and get ready for the next lightning strike. A long static grind out fight will ensure heavy casualties and an unsustainable way of war.

Slaanesh’s faction is perfect for players who wish for their minions to do most of the dirty work, while you pursue higher-end goals. It will take some time to build up the vassal swarm, so get ready to work your charisma and make seductive speeches so that they fall into the Dark Prince’s embrace.

Total War: Warhammer 3 is available on PC.

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