Karaz-a-Karak

Karaz-a-Karak is a playable Dwarfs faction introduced in Total War: Warhammer. It is led by Thorgrim Grudgebearer and can be found in the eastern parts of The Old World, deep in the World's Edge Mountains.

How they play[]

General[]

The Forge: Experts in binding the Winds of Magic to stone or metal, Dwarfs can forge magical items to improve their strength in battle.
Grudges: Scores against the Dwarfs must be settled by any and all means necessary to keep order.
The Underway: Dwarfs can use the underground tunnels to avoid impassable terrain and enemy forces.
Roster of heavily-armoured units with strong leadership and a variety of deadly war machines.

Legendary Lords[]

Thorgrim Grudgebearer
Grombrindal (The Old World and Mortal Empires only)
Ungrim Ironfist (The Old World only)

Starting territory[]

All campaigns[]

Karaz-A-Karak, The Silver Road

Faction effects[]

Total War: Warhammer III[]

Diplomatic relations: +20 with Dwarfs
Upkeep: -15% for Longbeards and Hammerers units
Recruit rank: +3 for Hammerers units
All commandments have more powerful effects
Can gain extra High King Decrees through some of Thorgrim's unique skills
High King Decrees: +1

Victory conditions[]

Immortal Empires[]

Short Campaign Victory[]

Complete 2 Legendary Grudges
Destroy the following faction(s): Crooked Moon
Occupy, loot, raze or sack 30 different settlement(s).

Reward

Hero capacity: +3 for all Heroes

Long Campaign Victory[]

Achieve the Short Victory conditions
Complete 4 Legendary Grudges
Occupy, loot, raze or sack 70 different settlement(s).

Reward

Hero recruit rank: +10 (all provinces)

Diplomacy[]

Diplomatic Traits[]

When controlled by the AI, Karaz-a-Karak will have the following diplomatic traits:

Protective
Holds Grudges

Starting Agreements[]

Karaz-a-Karak will start with the following treaties already in effect:

Immortal Empires[]

War with: Bloody Spearz
Non-aggression pact with: Reikland and Barak Varr
Trade agreement with: Barak Varr
Millitary access with: Barak Varr

Strategy[]

Good for Beginners: Karaz-a-Karak has a fairly easy start in the campaign - a good economy, high public order (though they suffer low growth). Their units are powerful, reliable and easy to use.
Where the Vampire Counts epitomize war of maneuver, the Dwarfs are all about attrition warfare. Emphasizing stable defensive lines, overwhelming firepower, and steady advances over brilliant maneuvers, Dwarfs require a patient hand and a defensive mind. A stable gunline defense, small mobile units to counter thrusts, and precise application of fire support are the name of the day - but require careful tactics, as they can easily be undone by flanking or baiting maneuvers. The biggest flaw is the lack of any cavalry units or chariots, making them tactically inflexible. Only the Gyros are fast and they don't make for good melee combatants... The upside is, Dwarfs can put out absolutely ludicrous amounts of dakka including machine guns, flamethrowers, and artillery support. Furthermore, the Dwarfs have no spellcasters, but all Dwarf units have magic resistance. Additionally, Dwarfs have Runesmiths and Runelords to help fill this role.
The Dwarfs have a number of unique features in campaign gameplay. The foremost is the ability to use the Underway. The Underway provides a risky transportation route through impassable and inhospitable territories. When combating an army that has a significant amount of cavalry or units designed for flanking, Underway battles make it nearly impossible to be flanked and renders that segment of your enemy's army ineffective. Though they run the risk of being intercepted, which drops them down in the dungeon in a very bad position, the ability to flank the enemy cannot be overstated: Their tactical inflexibility is thus compensated for by their strategic range.
The second element is the Book of Grudges, which, in a nutshell, is a list of insults/injuries suffered at the hands of other factions (assassinations, trespassing, conquest or razing, running afoul of a script trigger...). Settling them is mandatory if a Dwarf is to remain in control of his kingdom: As they accumulate, public order, leadership, and diplomatic relations with other Dwarf factions start dropping.
Dwarfs benefit from having a very strong economic base, their unique advantage being Tier IV resource buildings providing even more resources and income. This is especially true for Karaz-a-Karak since they start with the Diamond resource in their capital. Dwarfs also enjoy a robust technology tree containing both military and civic branches (the downside is, it takes time to unlock its full potential), and plenty of trade options with their neighbors.
In competitive play, Dwarfs are a problematic army. Their small, but powerful and expensive units are predominantly infantry, allowing enemies to easily shatter their battlelines with cavalry, monstrous infantry, or just bypass them with flying or fast units, exploiting the dwarfs' lack of maneuverability. Regiments of Renown, Rangers, and alternative artillery options help compensate for that, but dwarfs' low mass still allows enemy chariots and beasts to plow right through them.

Trivia[]

In the Potion of Speed Update for Total War: Warhammer II the faction received a name change. Previously, they had the generic name "Dwarfs", sharing the name of their race.