Reikland

For the province named Reikland, please see: Reikland (province)

Reikland is a playable faction of The Empire introduced in Total War: Warhammer. It is led by Karl Franz and can be found in the western parts of the Empire, close to Dwarfs, Greenskins, Vampire Counts and Bretonnia.

It is the only Empire faction that gets access to Reiksforts and thus easy access to the Reiksguard unit, which can be considered its faction-exclusive.

Heir of Sigmar[]

The Emperor is Karl Franz, Prince of Altdorf and Elector Count of Reikland. Karl Franz is said to be the greatest statesman the Old World has ever seen. He is also a military genius and a valiant general. The Emperor frequently takes personal command of his soldiers, like Sigmar, the Warrior-God of old, smiting enemies of the Empire with every blow.

There is little doubt that Karl Franz is one of the greatest generals of his age. He stands at the forefront of the battles against those that would see his beloved realm torn asunder, and it is a responsibility that weighs heavily upon his shoulders.

Playstyle[]

Colleges of Magic: Harness multiple Lores of Magic to bolster the Empire's strength and destroy its enemies.
Imperial Authority: Develop authority within the Empire by engaging in internal politics and quelling problems to enforce confederation, vassalage or war
Summon the Elector Counts: Secure the fealty of the Empire's Lords to govern or take over by force, assigning new, more loyal Elector Counts.
Well-rounded unit roster with a wide range of magical Lores and war machines.
Enact Emperor's Decrees and arrange Diplomatic Talks as means to unite and protect the Empire with Electoral Machinations.

Campaign[]

Emperor Karl Franz Introduction

The newly-crowned Emperor returned from a tour of Reikland to find his capital, Altdorf, besieged by spider-riding Greenskins. Having seen off the Goblin threat, Franz arrives in his court to find the politicking of the Empire already at its height - Middenheim grumbles, and to the south a secessionist rebellion is in full flow. Franz must tread carefully, a wrong move now could split the Empire asunder before his rule has truly begun.

Starting Territory[]

Reikland Startpos — Mortal Empires start position

Campaign	Territory	Region
Mortal Empires	Reikland Altdorf Eilhart (when AI controlled) Grunburg (when AI controlled) Ubersreik (when AI controlled) Axe Bite Pass Helmgart (when AI controlled)	The Old World

Legendary Lords[]

Control all provinces of the Empire either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:

Control all provinces of the Empire either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:

Victory Conditions[]

Short Campaign Victory

Control all provinces of the Empire either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:

Name	Faction Effects	Lord Effects	Starting Units
Emperor Karl Franz	Heir of Sigmar The newly-elected Emperor is Karl Franz, prince of Altdorf and Elector Count of Reikland. Franz is already garnering a reputation as a great statesman and warrior but has yet to prove himself as sovereign. Diplomatic relations: +10 with the Empire Lord recruit rank: +2 (factionwide) Campaign movement range: +10% (all characters) Upkeep: -15% for Reiksguard and Greatsword units	Emperor "Our names will be remembered in our people's songs until the end of time!" Leadership: +8	1 Halberdiers 1 Swordsmen 1 Handgunners 1 Crossbowmen 1 Reiksguard

Nordland	Ostland	Hochland	Middenland	Talabecland	Ostermark	Reikland	Stirland	Averland	Wissenland	The Wasteland

Reclaim Sylvania either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies:

Eastern Sylvania	Western Sylvania

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	Kislev	Hell Pit	Karaz-a-Karak	Karak Eight Peaks	Black Crag
Lahmia	Khemri	Itza	Hexoatl	Naggarond	Lothern	Gaen Vale	The Awakening	The Galleon's Graveyard	Sartosa

Ensure that any military presence belonging to the following factions exists only in the Chaos Wastes region:

Warriors of Chaos	Warherd of Chaos

Continue to expand your territory, ready for the arrival of Archaon the Everchosen.
Ensure that Archaon the Everchosen is in a wounded state.

Long Campaign Victory

Same as the short campaign victory but you need to control 17 racial capitals instead of 8.

Features[]

Has access to Electoral Machinations which allows you to spend Prestige to perform unique actions across the campaign via two tabs: Emperor's Decrees and Diplomatic Talks.

Emperor's Decrees: You can spend Prestige to perform certain decrees. Here is the list of Emperor's Decrees actions. This can later be upgraded to grant even more powerful effects.

Action	Cost of Prestige	Cooldown	Effects
Call to Arms	500	3 turns	Recruitment cost: -25% (Local Province) Local recruitment capacity: +1 (Local Province)
Commendation	500	3 turns	Grant target army's Lord 2500 experience
Open the Gates	500	3 turns	Grants 1 Population Surplus to region's population
Inquisition	1000	5 turns	Target Empire Region has all province corruption reduce by 50
Conscription	1000	5 turns	Target army completes 1 turn(s) of ongoing local and global recruitment
Send Aid	1000	5 turns	Spawns a degrading army for targeted Empire faction. Target's faction fealty: +2 Can't be used on your own regions
Requistion	1500	15 turns	Replenish all Elector Counts State Troop
Casus Belli	2000	10 turns	Declare war on another Elector Count without losing Fealty of other factions
Unify	2500	5 turns	Confederate target 10 Fealty Elector Count faction. Reduces other faction Fealty by 2

Victory Conditions[]

Immortal Empires[]

Short Campaign Victory[]

Occupy, loot, raze, or sack 30 different settlements
Destroy the following factions: Empire Secessionists, The Barrow Legion, Sylvania

Long Campaign Victory[]

Occupy, loot, raze, or sack 70 different settlements
Control all provinces of the Empire either by direct ownership or diplomatic treaties: Nordland, Ostland, Hochland, Middenland, Talabecland, Ostermark, Reikland, Stirland, Averland, Wissenland, The Wasteland, Northern Sylvania, Southern Sylvania

Chapter Objectives[]

tbc[]

Rank	Name	Objective(s)	Reward(s)	In-game description
Primary objective
Bonus objective I
Bonus objective II
Bonus objective III
Bonus objective IV
Bonus objective V

Diplomacy[]

Diplomatic Traits[]

When controlled by the AI, Reikland will have the following diplomatic traits:

Reliable - What is agreed is set in stone. It is highly unlikely that this one will break a treaty or go back on an agreement.

Starting Treaties[]

Reikland will start with the following treaties already in effect:

Non-Aggression Pact:

War:
- Warherd of the One-Eye
- Empire Secessionists

Strategy[]

Unlike other factions, Reikland does not stard with a Hero, but randomly get a Battle Wizard of random magic upon 2nd turn.
Reikland plays similarly to traditional Total War factions, with diplomacy playing a major role in the initial stages of the campaign (uniting the Elector Counts with the strength of their arguments or the argument of strength) and strengthening the realm against future threats. Late game focuses on frontline affairs more strongly, as the Empire comes under attack from Chaos.
This faction starts with a fractured Empire, whereby the provinces of the Empire are ruled by Elector Counts over whom the Emperor has tenuous control at best. However, this same situation also allows for plentiful confederation options that allow other Empire factions to be merged with the Emperor’s via diplomacy. Dwarfs are a vital ally in any Empire game, as they have generally non-overlapping territorial interests and can provide a strong boost to trade. Bretonnia is an excellent ally as well, but can also be dismembered and annexed for special building chains and raw income (eg. Couronne), while Southern Realms can also play that role. Notably, the Southern Realms and Bretonnia can act as a buffer for Beastmen and the Wood Elves of Athel Loren, which have a habit of stomping neighbors into the ground thanks to the edge they have in low tier battles.
Numerous enemies, dissatisfied Elector Counts to the north and east, Chaos looming even further up, belligerent Orcs to the south, sinister Vampire Counts in Sylvania, vengeful treemen to the east and Beastmen all around. Bretonnia, Tilea, Estalia and the Border Princes can become your enemies should relations turn sour. Lastly, the Dwarfs and their heavily armoured warriors will stop at nothing to settle any grudges with the other factions, try not to put yours on the list. Reikland has a challenging strategic situation, especially under an AI player.
Overall, The Empire is a very strong race in both singleplayer and multiplayer games. Infantry, especially Halberdiers and Greatswords, can hold the line well, but their ace in the hole is their war machine and cavalry catalogue. Imperial commanders can snatch up Demigryph Knights for wiping out enemy beasts and dealing with large armored threats (though fielding them against Bretonnian massed cavalry charges is a good way to get them killed) together with the Reiksguard shock cavalry (excellent against weaker opponents). The Steam Tank shines among other war machines thanks to its versatility (ram and artillery), with Karl Franz being very powerful (though prohibitively expensive in multiplayer games). Other Lord choices are good, especially Balthasar Gelt after the Lore of Metal improvements. Heroes like the Witch Hunter, Jade Wizard, and Warrior Priests round out the roster for single models, though they might be more useful on the campaign map than in battle.
No flying units other than high level characters mean the Empire is effectively hamstrung when dealing with factions that love flying units, like Bretonnia, Wood Elves, or Vampire Counts. They have to deal with them defensively, using units such as Handgunners (accurate, high AP), Lore of Light, or the Luminark of Hysh to deal damage to the enemy. Combined with a trapping spell like Net of Amyntok enemy flyers need to be wary of wandering into imperial fields of fire.
With the upgraded Karl Franz's Electoral Machinations mechanic after researching it in the technology tree, you can confederate any Empire faction using Prestige, such as the The Huntmarshal's Expedition, Cult of Sigmar and The Golden Order, no matter the fealty of the faction. You still can confederate them the usual way with diplomacy if you don't want to spend prestige. Only Karl Franz has access to this mechanic, which makes him the easiest Empire faction to confederate everyone else and Karl Franz starts at the "center" of the map, allowing you to contact other factions easier. You can just send a Hero to go around the map (Lustria, North of Southlands and South of Cathay and you can travel between Cathay and the Southlands using the sea path if you have it enabled). Strangely enough, Karl Franz still can confederate Border Princes factions and Marienburg using the upgraded mechanic despite them not being "The Empire" race but a race on their own but usually, by the time you research that specific technology, there's a low odd that those factions are still alive.
After sending a trading pact with a faction, you can use prestige to manipulate the diplomacy between 2 factions, just like the High Elves. With this, you can easily befriend factions or start war 2 of them. But it's not as versatile as the High Elves as you need pacts with the said factions which may help if you want to avoid wars between 2 allies.
If you are forced to declare war on an Elector Count faction due to an event, unless it's Wissenland & Nuln, they'll probably want peace due to probably being attacked by other factions anyway, which is free money from peace treaty.

Trivia[]

Reikland, and the Empire in its entirety, has a special place in the Total War: Warhammer community, often being first place in community polls on their favorite faction.
In the Potion of Speed Update the faction received a name change. Previously, they had the generic name "The Empire", sharing the name of their race.
As of 2023, there are roughly 2.2 million Reikland campaigns, making it the most-played campaign.