The Blessed Dread

The Blessed Dread is a playable Dark Elves faction introduced Total War: Warhammer II, led by Lokhir Fellheart. They were introduced as a free DLC as part of Aye-Aye! Patch, which released alongside Curse of the Vampire Coast. A faction of Dark Elf raiders and pirates, they are playable in campaign, custom battles and multiplayer.

The Blessed Dread and Lokhir Fellheart can be downloaded free here on Steam.

Background
Lokhir Fellheart, the Krakenlord of Karond Kar, is loosed upon the world! The latest and most notorious of his line, he plies the coastlines and seaways of the world, plundering ports and settlements for their riches and enslaving their inhabitants.

Some Dark Elves take to the seas in search of plunder or revenge, but many more do so to escape the dangers of Naggaroth. Not so Lokhir Fellheart -- he was born to ply the rolling seas, to bring fire and terror to the shores of other lands. It was his great-great-grandfather, Menreith Fellheart, who first commanded the Black Ark Tower of Blessed Dread, and the doom-bringing flagship has answered to a Fellheart ever since. Lokhir is the latest in his line to rule over that great vessel of war and, by all accounts, the most daring.

How they Play
For general information about Dark Elves, see that page.


 * Units: Dark Elves unit roster is fairly well-rounded, with a focus on elite infantry and cavalry, backed up by hydras and spellcasters.
 * Murderous Prowess: In battle, Dark Elf armies gain extra bonuses after inflicting a certain amount of damage.
 * Slaves: In campaign, Dark Elves gather the slaves resource, which boosts the economy at the expense of public order.
 * Black Arks: These are powerful naval units which can be used to recruit armies at sea.
 * Names of Power: Dark Elf lords can acquire different Names of Power which have varying effects.
 * Loyalty: Dark Elf lords have a loyalty stat, which can cause them to rebel, taking their army with them. High Loyalty lords can offer items.
 * Sword of Khaine: As a Dark Elf faction, The Blessed Dread can draw the Sword of Khaine.

In Battle
The Blessed Dread uses the Dark Elves unit roster.

Legendary lord choices

 * Lokhir Fellheart - a renowned duelist and raider.
 * Lord effects - Krakenlord:
 * Attribute: Causes Fear for Corsairs units (Lord’s Army)
 * Immunity to High Seas, Reef and Storm attrition (Lord’s army)
 * Upkeep: -50% for Black Ark Corsairs units (Lord's army)

Faction effects

 * +50% income from Slave Pens and Slave Markets (faction wide).
 * Suitable climate: Jungle
 * Suitable climate: Savannah
 * Every owned major port allows recruitment of a Black Ark

Climate preferences

 * Suitable: Frozen, Savannah, Jungle, Island
 * Unpleasant: Temperate, Chaos Wasteland
 * Uninhabitable: Wasteland, Ocean, Mountain, Desert, Magical Forest

Black Arks
The Blessed Dread can recruit Black Arks without needing a rite. Instead, every time they capture a new province capital port settlement, a new Black Ark becomes available to recruit.

Sacrifice to Anath Raema
In place of the usual Dark Elf Black Ark rite (Sacrifice to Mathlann), he can perform a Sacrifice to Anath Raema granting additional campaign movement speed, increased income from sacking and razing, and Balck Arc growth.

Starting Territory

 * Eye of the Vortex
 * Culchan Plains (Chupayotl only)
 * Mortal Empires
 * Headhunter's Jungle (Chupayotl only)

Vortex Victory

 * Complete all rituals.
 * Win the following battle: The Final Battle

Domination Victory

 * Destroy the following factions: Hexoatl, Last Defenders, Order of Loremasters, Eataine, Clan Pestilens, Khemri
 * Maintain control of 50 province(s), either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies.

Short Campaign

 * Maintain control of 12 province(s), either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies.
 * Destroy the following factions: The Awakened, Order of Loremasters, Clan Pestilens
 * Control any 8 of the following settlements either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies: Couronne, Altdorf, Castle Drakenhof, The Oak of Ages, Miragliano, Skavenblight, Kislve, Hell Pit, Karaz-A-Karak, Karak Eight Peaks, Black Crag, Lahmia, Khemri, Itza, Hexoatl, Naggarond, Lothern, Gaean Vale, The Awakening, The Galleon's Graveyard, Sartosa.
 * Ensure that 2 of the following building(s) have been constructed: Fiery Pits of Sacrifice, Slave Traders' Palaces, The Black Tower of Malekith, Vandalised Court of the Everqueen, Sanctum of Quintex, Shrine of the Widowmaker
 * Capture 10000 battle captives.
 * Maintain 3 of the following: Black Ark
 * Maintain a total of 20 units of the following type: Black Ark Corsairs, Black Ark Corsair (Handbows)

Long Campaign

 * Maintain control of 25 province(s), either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies.
 * Destroy the following factions: The Awakened, Order of Loremasters, Clan Pestilens, Eataine, Avelorn, The Dreadfleet, Nagarythe
 * Control any 17 of the following settlements either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies: Couronne, Altdorf, Castle Drakenhof, The Oak of Ages, Miragliano, Skavenblight, Kislve, Hell Pit, Karaz-A-Karak, Karak Eight Peaks, Black Crag, Lahmia, Khemri, Itza, Hexoatl, Naggarond, Lothern, Gaean Vale, The Awakening, The Galleon's Graveyard, Sartosa
 * Ensure that 5 of the following building(s) have been constructed: Fiery Pits of Sacrifice, Slave Traders' Palaces, The Black Tower of Malekith, Vandalised Court of the Everqueen, Sanctum of Quintex, Shrine of the Widowmaker
 * Capture 25000 battle captives.
 * Construct 3 of each of the following buildings: Gargantuan Black Ark
 * Maintain a total of 30 units of the following type: Black Ark Corsairs, Black Ark Corsair (Handbows)

Eye of the Vortex

 * Aggressive - Belligerent and wermongering, their armies reach far with little regard for defence.
 * Supremacy - Hegemony over all lands - no treasures, no resources, no realms are out of reach of the Druchii.
 * Rightly Suspicious - No Druchii is ever a friend - all are potential enemies.
 * Naval Aggressor - Prefers attacking enemy ports settlements, even if easier targets are inland.

Mortal Empires

 * Aggressive - Belligerent and wermongering, their armies reach far with little regard for defence.
 * Supremacy - Hegemony over all lands - no treasures, no resources, no realms are out of reach of the Druchii.
 * Rightly Suspicious - No Druchii is ever a friend - all are potential enemies.
 * Naval Aggressor - Prefers attacking enemy ports settlements, even if easier targets are inland.

Eye of the Vortex

 * War with Southern Sentinels
 * Non-aggression pact with Clan Skryre

Mortal Empires

 * War with Clan Fester

Strategy
As a general strategy it would be recommended to use your Black Ark as your main source of troop recruitment. They are mobile and even with the most modest upgrades can provide Corsairs, which are cheap and can become fearsome opponents if you use the unique rite of this faction. Black Arks also allow you to support your troops with magic artillery, resupply troops and recruit additional troops while in hostile territory. They are a vital part of this strategy for this faction.

For the Eye of the Vortex campaign, you are surrounded by enemies. Your first enemy are a minor Lizardmen faction, but there are many more major factions nearby. Cult of Sotek, Clan Pestilens, Clan Skryre, Court of Lybaras, Itza, even The Awakened. At first, focus on defeating the Lizardmen, then focus on the rats. Build up your starting settlement as it has a gold mine that can be pivotal for your survival. Be aware of skaven corruption and keep in mind the Skaven will become your enemy. Lybaras can become an ally, but aside from that, expect no friends in Lustria.

In Mortal Empires, there are fewer enemies, but there is less space on the map so the conflict is even more fast paced.

Alternatively, as Lokhir starts with a Black Arc, he can simply abandon Lustria and sail to easier pickings such as the Southlands or even return to Naggarond.

It would be recommended to link up with other Dark Elves factions and try to arrange trade agreements, alliances and even confederation, as there are no other Dark Elves near your starting location. For this, try to send a lord or agent to Naggaroth as soon as possible while you conquer Lustria.