Creative Assembly has shipped Patch 9.0.4 for Total War: WARHAMMER III, a follow-up to the 9.0.3 rework of Nagash’s campaign that concentrates on the rough edges left behind by that larger overhaul. The update is live on PC through Steam and touches campaign rules, the Black Pyramid, battles, and several stability issues.
Necromantic Energy is easier to read
The clearest change for Nagash players concerns Necromantic Energy, the resource his armies earn from battles. Fights in a region with an abandoned settlement now award the energy, closing a gap that previously left some victories unrewarded. At the same time, battles in regions outside the Land of the Dead now display a warning icon, so players can see at a glance that the fight will not contribute energy. Together the two changes remove much of the guesswork about when a battle will fuel Nagash’s mechanics.
Black Pyramid and recruitment fixes
Several adjustments make the Black Pyramid easier to navigate and recruitment more predictable. The pyramid’s search now matches the names of specific units inside unit sets and other hover-over text, so planning an upgrade path no longer depends on remembering the exact node. The Pinnacle of Servitude skill now grants a recruit rank bonus of 1, but that bonus applies to units recruited through Grave Call. The Grave Call button is also greyed out when it cannot be used, with a tooltip explaining it only works in the Land of the Dead.
Gold resource buildings now grant their correct Lord recruit rank bonus when replacing an existing Lord, while the Black Pyramid landmark no longer adds an extra rank in the same situation. Nagash also can no longer recruit Regiments of Renown outside territories he owns.
Campaign, battle and stability corrections
The patch fixes a long list of progression bugs. Fort settlements gained through confederation or diplomacy no longer inherit the wrong settlement type and main building, the Lahmian Halls and Halls of Glories Past no longer lock again after loading a save, and the Nameless no longer linger on the map after dying in Crisis Mode events. Book of Nagash transfers now work in some sea regions and open seas, and the “Sun-Scorched, Sand-Blistered” node correctly applies flaming attacks to Ushabti (Great Bows), Horse Archers, and Horse Chariots.
In battle, the Screaming Skull Catapults’ homing ability granted by the Seeker of Kindred Skulls node now triggers after 2 seconds instead of 3. The Khemri siege map shows the Black Pyramid of Nagash looming over the city, and the “Incantation of the Skullstorm” spell no longer targets the area behind its target. Creative Assembly also fixed a crash that could occur after ending a turn during the Nagash End Times crisis and a long freeze during very late-game turn ends.
What’s next
Creative Assembly says a Patch 9.0.5 is planned within the next few weeks and will include improvements to Victory Objectives, though the studio has not listed which objectives will change. A few 9.0.4 corrections, such as the Altar of the Horned Rat port building and some Lords retaining access to mounts after confederation, apply only to new campaigns, so players continuing an existing save will not see those specific fixes.
Sources
- Reporting source: GamerHeadlines
- Official announcement: Creative Assembly
