Army abilities

For unit abilities, hero abilities and lord abilities, see abilities.

Army abilities are active and sometimes passive abilities that can be called upon by the player controlling an army in battles. They were introduced in Total War: Warhammer II. Army abilities are distinct from spells and character abilities which are only usable by specific characters (and if that character dies, then those spells/abilities are no longer available). However many of them operate like spells - as vortexes, summons or bombardments.

Most army abilities are only available in battles in the campaign: not in multiplayer, custom battles or the laboratory.

List of army abilities

Beastmen

• Cacophonous Assault (campaign only)
  • Cacophonous Assault Upgraded (campaign only)
• Shatterstone (campaign only)
• Touched by the Moon (campaign only)
• Vile Entropy (campaign only)

Chaos Dwarfs

• Dreadquake Battery (campaign only)
  • Dreadquake Battery Upgraded (campaign only)
• Chaos Dwarfs have access to army abilities when claiming certain seats in the Tower of Zharr:
  • Armour of Contempt (campaign only)
  • Blood & Fireborn (campaign only)
  • Doom of Hashut (campaign only)
  • Wrath of Zharr (campaign only)

Daemons of Chaos

The Daemons of Chaos faction has access to the same three basic army abilities that Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh and Tzeentch have. These are unlocked in battle by having the army's Lord do damage. After unlocking each tier, a random army ability out of the four available for that tier will be selected.

• Tier One:
  • Horn of Khorne (Khorne)
  • Curse of the Slug (Nurgle)
  • Sweet Sorrow (Slaanesh)
  • Arcane Surge (Tzeentch)

• Tier Two:
  • Relentless Rage (Khorne)
  • Fecundity (Nurgle)
  • Narcissism (Slaanesh)
  • Bolt of Change (Tzeentch)

• Tier Three:
  • Blade of Khorne (Khorne)
  • Rot, Glorious Rot (Nurgle)
  • Fascination (Slaanesh)
  • Storm of Fire (Tzeentch)

• Additionally they can gain one army ability by dedicating fully to one of the Chaos Gods or to Chaos Undivided. These abilities are only available in the campaign:
  • Summoned from Beyond (Undivided)
  • Summoned from Beyond (Khorne)
  • Summoned from Beyond (Nurgle)
  • Summoned from Beyond (Slaanesh)
  • Summoned from Beyond (Tzeentch)

Dark Elves

• Murderous Prowess
• Murderous Mastery
• Dark Conduit (campaign only)
• Lure of the Pale Queen (campaign only)
• Shadows of Anlec (campaign only)
• Black Ark Army Abilities (campaign only):
  • Khaine's Lash
  • Khaine's Flail
  • Khaine's Scourge
  • Sky Cauldron
  • Brazen Cauldron
  • Bloodwrack Cauldron
  • Soul Rain
  • Soul Torrent
  • Soul Storm
  • Bolt of Spite

Dwarfs

• Slayer units in Ungrim Ironfist's army (campaign only)
  • Journey's End
  • Journey's End Upgraded
• Zhufbar 42-Pounders (campaign only)
• Ironbrow's Expedition Subfaction (campaign only):
  • Ancestral Rune of Grimnir
  • Ancestral Rune of Grungni
  • Ancestral Rune of Valaya
• Call the Miners (campaign only)
• Masters of Innovation Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Spirit of Grungni
  • Launch Gyrocopters

Grand Cathay

• Ancestral Warriors (campaign only)
• Celestial Intervention (campaign only)

Greenskins

All Greenskins Lords have access to the Waaagh! army ability and Legendary Lords have their own unique version of the Waaagh! ability. When issuing a Call to WAAAGH! all Lords will receive the Big Waaagh! variant ability that replaces the normal version.

• Waaagh! (Goblin Great Shaman, Night Goblin Warboss, Orc Warboss and Savage Orc Great Shaman)
• Azhag's Waaagh! (Azhag the Slaughterer)
• Grimgor's Waaagh! (Grimgor Ironhide)
• Gorbad's Waaagh! (Gorbad Ironclaw)
• Grom's Waaagh! (Grom the Paunch)
• Skarsnik's Waaagh! (Skarsnik)
• Wurrzag's Waaagh! (Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet)

Campaign Exclusive:

• Big Waaagh! (Goblin Great Shaman, Night Goblin Warboss, Orc Warboss and Savage Orc Great Shaman)
• Azhag's Big Waaagh! (Azhag the Slaughterer)
• Grimgor's Big Waaagh! (Grimgor Ironhide)
• Gorbad's Big Waaagh! (Gorbad Ironclaw)
• Grom's Big Waaagh! (Grom the Paunch)
• Skarsnik's Big Waaagh! (Skarsnik)
• Wurrzag's Big Waaagh! (Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet)

Faction Exclusive :

• Doom Diver Strike ( Broken Axe)

High Elves

• Channelling Spire (campaign only)
• Vaul's Hammer (campaign only)
• Eagle Sanctuary (campaign only)
• Yvresse Subfaction (campaign only):
  • Envelop in Mist
  • Invocation of Ending
  • Summon the Sentinels
    • Summon the Sentinels Upgraded
  • Oath of Replenishment
    • Oath of Replenishment Upgraded
  • Unleash the Winds
  • Warden's Cage

Khorne

• Horn of Khorne
• Relentless Rage
• Blade of Khorne
• Summoned from Beyond (campaign only)

Kislev

• Via The Motherland Mechanic (campaign only):
  • The Bitterness of Winter
  • Wrath of the Bear
  • The Land Awakened

• Via Ataman's Stormweavers in the skill tree Biting Wind

Lizardmen

• Feral Cold Ones (campaign only)
• Geomantic Nexus (campaign only)
• Holy Stela (campaign only)
• Temple of Mists (campaign only)
• Spirit of the Jungle Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Beasts of Itzl
    • Beasts of Itzl (Upgraded)
  • Protection of Quetzl
    • Protection of Quetzl (Upgraded)
  • Storm of Xholankha
    • Storm of Xholankha (Upgraded)
• Cult of Sotek Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Jungle Swarm
  • Great Invocation of Sotek
• Ghosts of Pahuax Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Sotek's Sanctum
  • Tzcatli's Sanctum
  • Xapati's Sanctum

Nurgle

• Curse of the Slug
• Fecundity
• Rot, Glorious Rot
• Summoned from Beyond (campaign only)
• Pandemicium (campaign only; The Maggot Host only)

Ogre Kingdoms

All Ogre army abilities are unlocked in battle by charging against the enemy.

• Dismember
• Massacre
• Meat Feast

Campaign Exclusive:

• Gluttony
• Thunder Charge
• Stoneshaker

Faction Exclusive:

• Boiling Cauldron ( Disciples of the Maw)

Skaven

• The Menace Below (campaign only)
• Warpbomb (campaign only)
• Clan Mors Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Mors Clanstone
• Clan Pestilens Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Pestilens Clanstone
• Clan Skryre Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Skryre Clanstone
  • Warpstorm Doomrocket
• Clan Rictus Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Rictus Clanstone
• Clan Eshin Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Eshin Clanstone
• Clan Moulder Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Moulder Clanstone

Slaanesh

• Sweet Sorrow
• Narcissism
• Fascination

The Empire

• The Huntsmarshal's Expedition Subfaction (campaign only)
  • Man the Cannons

Tomb Kings

• Through the Realm of Souls mechanic:
  • Realm of Souls Tier 1
  • Realm of Souls Tier 2
  • Realm of Souls Tier 3
  • Realm of Souls Ushabti
• Sand Veil (campaign only)
• Tomb Swarm (campaign only)
• Legionary Barrage (campaign only)

Tzeentch

• Arcane Surge
• Bolt of Change
• Storm of Fire

Vampire Coast

• Zhufbar 42-Pounders (campaign only)
• Sartosa Grapeshot (campaign only)
• Norse Roar (campaign only)
• Shanty: First Verse (campaign only)
• Shanty: Second Verse (campaign only)
• Shanty: Third Verse (campaign only)

Warriors of Chaos

The Warriors of Chaos are able to access several Campaign-exclusive army abilities by sacrificing souls with the Gifts of Chaos mechanic.

• Shatterstone
• Summoned from Beyond (Khorne)
• Summoned from Beyond (Nurgle)
• Summoned from Beyond (Slaanesh)
• Summoned from Beyond (Tzeentch)

Certain Warriors of Chaos subfactions affiliated to a certain Chaos God can gain access to the basic army abilities of the mono-god factions, only available in Campaign.

• Legion of the Gorequeen subfaction
  • Horn of Khorne
  • Relentless Rage
  • Blade of Khorne

• The Fecundites subfaction
  • Curse of the Slug
  • Fecundity
  • Rot, Glorious Rot

• The Ecstatic Legions subfaction
  • Sweet Sorrow
  • Narcissism
  • Fascination

• The Decadent Host subfaction (Sigvald's army only)
  • Sweet Sorrow
  • Narcissism
  • Fascination

• Puppets of Misrule subfaction
  • Arcane Surge
  • Bolt of Change
  • Storm of Fire

Wood Elves

• Zhufbar 42-Pounders (campaign only)
• Sartosa Grapeshot (campaign only)
• Heralds of Ariel Subfaction via Forge of Daith (campaign only):
  • Vaul's Hammer