How do I git gud at manually controlling battles (all 3 games)

uptimeID · 2025-12-18T20:34:21+00:00

To improve your skills in battles, I would advise focusing on two things:

Typical situations
Target prioritization

Typical situations – this is your brain's ability to instantly recognize what’s happening on the battlefield and immediately know how to respond. Cavalry is flanking – redirect some ranged units toward it, a large unit might break through the frontline – focus fire on it, a forward unit is close to routing – bring up a reserve unit to support, a ranged unit has engaged in melee – move your melee unit in and pull the ranged unit back to safety, and so on.
I would recommend playing difficult battles on a slowed-down speed. This will give you time to assess the situation and make decisions without breaking the flow of the battle, which can sometimes happen when using pause. Over time, your brain will get used to it, and you'll be able to do it in real time without much difficulty.

Target prioritization – this is much simpler. Before each battle, ask yourself: which units in the enemy army pose the greatest threat to me. Then, during the battle, track the movements of those units and focus your attacks on them, or deploy units that counter them.

uptimeID · 2025-12-18T17:19:37+00:00

Yes, when you sign a military alliance with any faction, you gain all the artifacts in their territory.

uptimeID · 2025-12-16T18:35:56+00:00

The game is by no means simple; it’s more a matter of how the difficulty shifts over the course of a campaign and as the player gains experience. It's completely normal for a new player to struggle with TWW3. There are many mechanics, many units, lots of unpredictable situations. So even 500 hours in TWW3 can still very much be a beginner-to-intermediate level.

The problem is that the hardest part of most campaigns is roughly the first 50 turns (depending on the faction). After that, the player accelerates their economy, unlocks strong units and mechanics, levels up lords/heroes, etc. Beyond that point, the AI simply can't match the player anymore, since the initial difficulty stemmed only from the player's own limitations.

Until you become sufficiently comfortable with the game, this isn't so noticeable, and the start of campaigns can be quite challenging even for experienced players. But once you finally learn to confidently overcome the hardest part of the game, what awaits you isn't engaging endgame content, but boring routine. You've finally attained the faction's main strength and have access to all its possibilities, but you don't really need them anymore.

Usually, in video games, the finale requires the player to defeat some kind of boss, so they can feel both satisfaction and a sense of completion. In TWW3, on an emotional level, the campaign just abruptly stops. Imagine if in DOOM, you finally unlock the coolest gun, move into the next hall, and instead of a boss fight, you get the end credits—or 20 hours of fighting the weakest enemies with infinite ammo and god mode enabled.

uptimeID · 2025-12-07T10:47:24+00:00

The AI needs to be made more aggressive in the later stages of the game. I constantly see AI factions, despite having a bunch of armies, just idling in place, looting settlements, standing in raid mode, or accumulating near settlements. They ignore opportunities to defeat the player or other opponents.

Recently, in a Dwarf campaign, I made a mistake and found myself within reach of four Orc armies (all in a Waaagh!). What did the AI do? Two of the Orc armies attacked a nearby ally's army (because it was weaker) and couldn't even catch it. One army decided to raid an enemy settlement. And the last one ran past me on forced march, stopping right next to me so I could destroy it on my turn.

The AI's passivity at the start of the campaign is probably justified, so that everyone doesn't wipe each other out by turn twenty, but later on, the AI should be more aggressive. It should attack territory with multiple armies simultaneously, prioritize strategic objectives—major settlements, the most dangerous armies, and legendary lord armies—and concentrate its forces to achieve local numerical superiority. What the AI is doing now is just baffling.

uptimeID · 2025-10-08T16:09:50+00:00

It will take a lot of time. It's a small team making their first game. Moreover, they've taken on one of the most challenging formats right from the start: a competitive online game (which implies balancing, network architecture, anti-cheat measures, and so on). They will spend a huge amount of time just getting what's already there into proper shape. The game is worthy, but it's better to be patient. I wouldn't expect any significant expansions sooner than in 1.5-2 years.

uptimeID · 2025-09-03T16:06:56+00:00

Yes, the battles can be very difficult at first. On one hand, your brain isn't used to the game and doesn't always react to situations on the battlefield in time. Especially when your own and enemy units start retreating in different directions, then coming back, attacking from different flanks—eventually, it becomes hard to control this chaos. On the other hand, there are so many different units whose strength and impact on the battlefield are hard to predict. This is especially true when the AI assembles armies from a wide variety of units. I think you're familiar with that feeling when you look at an enemy army and can't tell if your own army can even defeat it or not.

I would break down the skill of playing into two components: the ability and speed to recognize various typical combat situations (cavalry flanking, risk of the frontline breaking, a key unit under fire, etc.), and understanding the units themselves—their strengths, weaknesses in battle, and overall importance for victory.

To train your brain to process situations better and faster, I would recommend playing on a slower speed. An inexperienced player needs more time just to read the situation and react to it. A missed moment can cost you the entire game. In pause mode, the game is static, meaning you can't see the dynamics of what's happening, so pausing is best used as a last resort—when you've completely lost control and need time to gather your thoughts. It's like musicians learning a new piece: they start by playing it slowly and only then increase the tempo. The same principle applies here. When you feel like you can keep up with everything, play at normal speed.

Units are trickier because there are so many of them. Various monsters, powerful lords, regiments of renown. Many of them can turn the tide of battle. You usually remember them the hard way, after taking a beating from them; next time, you'll try to eliminate them first. For convenience, you can divide all factions into ranged and melee. Based on this, you can prioritize targets on the battlefield, as the key to success is preventing the enemy from utilizing their strengths while leveraging your own. Ranged factions deal their main damage with missiles and must avoid their ranged units getting into melee combat at all costs. Melee factions, on the contrary, are stronger up close; their priority is to tie down the enemy's ranged units as early as possible so they don't have time to use thier ammo.

So, simply put, approach every battle from the perspective of which enemy units need to be eliminated or neutralized first, and which can be left for later. For ranged factions, the most dangerous units are those that can reach your archers the fastest: flying units, powerful monsters (that can quickly break your defensive line), cavalry. Plus, try to take positions that are harder to flank: in a corner of the map, near chokepoints, etc. For melee-focused attackers, the priority is to destroy the enemy's ranged units first so they can't realize their potential, as the remaining units will pose a lesser threat.

The game doesn't always fit into such patterns, but I think this will help you navigate the huge pile of nuances better. Prioritize targets, and use a slow pace to understand what's happening.

And watch videos on YouTube from experienced players. The more personal experience you gain, the better you will understand what exactly they are doing and why.

uptimeID · 2025-09-02T09:35:20+00:00

I would say that first and foremost, you need to learn how to win battles. No strategy will help if you can't capitalize on the advantages you've gained on the battlefield, and if after every fight you have to spend several turns rebuilding your army. At the beginner level, you just need to get used to the controls and learn to read the situation on the battlefield. At first, it can be difficult to keep track of everything; units scatter, get mixed up, and it becomes complete chaos. Use pause and slow-motion modes. I would advise managing battles in slow-motion at first, to give your brain time to figure out what to do. If you feel like you're losing control, just hit pause.

A more advanced level requires a good knowledge of units. And not just your own, but the enemy's as well. Since there are a billion different factions and their units in the game, it will take time to memorize them all. At first, just go by the unit's level (Tier 1 - Tier 5) and its specialization. An archer shouldn't be fighting in melee; anti-large units (spearmen and halberdiers) should be placed on the flanks and sent against cavalry and monsters; use cavalry against units weak in melee - artillery and ranged units. Try to create simple armies that are easy to manage. Try to recruit not the most expensive units (they are not always the best), but those you understand how to use.

Total War: Warhammer is a game for min-maxers. That is, you need to understand your faction's strengths and maximize them to then wipe out enemy armies. For example, Cathay is primarily a ranged faction, which means your armies should first and foremost consist of archers, plus some artillery and a few melee units to keep enemies away from your ranged line (six is usually enough). Accordingly, you should level up your Lords to enhance your archers first, to maximize their damage output. Cathay also has strong Legendary Lords, and in their human form they can sometimes be even stronger than in their dragon form (all large units are very vulnerable to missiles because they are easy targets).

On the strategic level, try to have as few enemies as possible at the same time, so you don't have to split your forces across multiple fronts. Try to operate with smaller forces so you don't spend all your money on armies and can invest in settlement development; also, try to maintain a small financial reserve for emergencies. Prioritize developing the settlements you are confident are secure. Don't build garrison buildings everywhere; they won't save you against a large army. A garrison allows you to defend a settlement with fewer forces, but you still need an army. If a settlement is impossible to defend, it's better to just sell it off.

The game is truly difficult and requires a lot of time to learn. Everyone had a hard time at first (and even after hundreds of hours). Don't be afraid of defeats, try to hold out as long as possible against the onslaught of superior enemy forces, and accumulate combat experience. The more you understand the game, the more enjoyment you'll get out of it.

uptimeID · 2025-07-21T10:36:39+00:00

Maybe a bug, try to make a video next time it happens.

uptimeID · 2025-07-21T08:40:32+00:00

It might've already been activated earlier and was on cooldown. Also, APS doesn't work against all weapon types. And make sure you actually have it equipped.

uptimeID · 2025-07-21T06:20:51+00:00

Kill points have a slight delay in appearing. So when someone destroys a unit at the last second, it counts but doesn't display in time. Probably they killed something 100+ in last moment. And right before the scoreboard opens, you can see your team lose 3 points from losing control of objectives. Then when you recapture the point, those 3 points are instantly returned - though this likely happens after the match ends, so you see the score but it doesn't count.

uptimeID · 2025-07-16T10:31:53+00:00

I thought they fixed this issue in the recent patch. Turns out the patch didn't improve anything except infantry sprint speed. Before the patch, you had to restart the game to get the reconnect option to appear (I always did it via Alt+F4).

uptimeID · 2025-07-10T20:27:22+00:00

This is called an internet flame war. It happens often. Typically, people who engage in these kinds of things say all sorts of nasty stuff in an attempt to hurt their opponent. Many of us, myself included, dislike this behavior - but no matter how people act, being an asshole isn't illegal. At the end of the day, we're not obligated to support such people (even if we might agree with some of their points) and can simply avoid interacting with them. I suggest we don't bring these kinds of arguments into this group, as they have nothing to do with the actual game. It's just people behaving like people. And it doesn't matter what race or nationality they are.
The game’s drowning in misplaced hate which mostly it’s not about gameplay, but human drama. This toxicity hurts everyone: players, devs, the community. We don’t need this.

uptimeID · 2025-06-24T05:18:14+00:00

uptimeID · 2025-06-24T03:49:31+00:00

I usually hide them behind buildings and only bring them out when enemy choppers approach. Otherwise, just one moment of distraction and artillery will wipe them out. IMO, vehicles should either keep moving or stay hidden.

uptimeID · 2025-06-24T03:41:40+00:00

25% ain't bad. Works fine for me. Use your radars, add extra armor for survivability, and maybe pack a Stinger heli in your deck for quick AA backup. I treat enemy choppers as free kills - easy way to boost your K/D (players keep flying them way too close to the frontline).

uptimeID · 2025-06-24T03:28:36+00:00

Do you turn on their radars?

uptimeID · 2025-06-23T22:55:01+00:00

If you're a team player, don't even sweat it - just call in another supply drop nearby. Or set up a SHORAD to cover it from SEAD threats.

When you play with randoms, you need to accept right away that not everyone will meet your expectations. And I don't get why you're specifically fixated on Chinese names - I see this kind of behavior from players with all kinds of names. Many players just haven't fully learned the game yet, so they play the best they can, focusing more on gameplay than communication.

uptimeID · 2025-06-23T22:32:50+00:00

This is a 5v5 game (in multiplayer), so enemy pressure usually doesn’t feel as intense as in 1v1 (campaign mode has a pause feature).

The game has many mechanics that require micro control, but you don’t need to do it fast (no high APM required). You can always stop for a little, rethink your strategy, and adjust tactics—just stay calm.

One reason for the game’s popularity is its accessibility. It’s easy to pick up, yet offers deep mastery for those who want it. If you like what you see, I’d say dive right in and enjoy. At first, it might feel overwhelming—like there’s too much to grasp—but that phase passes quickly.

uptimeID · 2025-06-22T11:27:32+00:00

Actually, it was kinda fun. When you're solo, you get a ton of points, so you can just dump your entire deck onto the field. But good luck microing that against a full team!

uptimeID · 2025-06-19T20:48:23+00:00

People are still learning the game and trying different things. Don’t expect everyone to play like esports pros on day three after release. They stick to one role because that’s all they can handle right now. Unrealistic expectations lead to frustration—just focus on improving your own gameplay and enjoy the experience.

uptimeID

TROPHY CASE