Here's our first look at Grand Cathay in Total War: Warhammer 3

YouTube YouTube
Watch On

Grand Cathay, one of the oldest and most powerful civilizations in the world of Warhammer, is also one of its least-known. We'll learn more in Total War: Warhammer 3, though, and today Creative Assembly revealed "the land of celestial dragons, unyielding warriors, and wondrous war machines" in a new cinematic showcasing the power of Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon, ruler of Northern Cathay and commander of the armies of the Great Bastion.

Grand Cathay and its army is one of the most advanced in Total War: Warhammer 3, with a particular focus on defensive capabilities. "Ranged and melee units receive buffs when in close proximity, their power boosted as the Yin and Yang that runs through every inhabitant of the empire works in concert," Creative Assembly said. "This gives them incredible ranged firepower and a stalwart, hardy frontline. They are slow-moving and easy to flank, but their flying machines, alchemists, and dragon sorcerers do much to make the army a formidable one."

The factions legendary lords are Miao Ying, seen in the trailer, and her brother Zhao Ming, the Iron Dragon, ruler of the Western Provinces and Lord of Shang-Yang. Despite how it may seem in the trailer, they are not humans who can take dragon form, but dragons—immortal dragons—who can take human form: "This makes them incredibly powerful combatants, amazing sorcerers, and natural leaders."

A more detailed breakdown of the Grand Cathay faction in Total War: Warhammer 3, including a full roster reveal and unit spotlights, will be rolled out in the coming weeks. For now, you can peek some screens below and find out more about Creative Assembly's ideas for the faction at totalwar.com.

TOPICS
Andy Chalk
US News Lead

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Total War: Warhammer 3 Grand Cathay faction
A not-so-subtle tease suggests Games Workshop is finally bringing Total War: Warhammer 3's Grand Cathay army to the tabletop wargame
Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3's next patch will overhaul its Kislev faction, which Creative Assembly has 'identified as the most in need of a deep review and rethink'
Ulrika Magdova, wielding two silver blades
Turns out the reason Total War: Warhammer 3's campaign AI sometimes played too defensively was a bug that made it overreact to the presence of even a single hero
Mongolian throne room
Crusader Kings 3 saddles up for a long-awaited return to the east with its first Asian DLC, Khans of the Steppe
An army of the Empire clashes with an army of beastmen
Cubicle 7 explains why its fantasy RPG based on Warhammer: The Old World will be a separate game and not a line of supplements for its existing Warhammer fantasy RPG, which is called Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play
Total War will ditch blood packs, early-adopter faction DLC, and its launcher
Latest in Action
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft reportedly has an anti-harassment plan in place for Assassin's Creed Shadows developers
Monster Hunter Wilds' stockpile master studying a manifest
Monster Hunter Wilds' new gyro controls are a fantastic option for disabled and able-bodied players alike
Manhunt 2
I played the notoriously ratings-board-ravaged Manhunt 2 and was quite glad for the censorship actually
Commander Shepard in Mass Effect 3.
Mass Effect's Jennifer Hale, who played femshep, 'saw no line' before she recorded them for Bioware's flagship trilogy: 'It was all cold reading on the spot'
A hunter hefts a massive Mega Barrel Bomb in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds players can't stop blowing themselves to smithereens with its rollable barrel bombs
A hunter poses with a large hammer as their palico cheers nearby in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds weapon tier list
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft reportedly has an anti-harassment plan in place for Assassin's Creed Shadows developers
Avowed Kai holding out his hand toward camera while explaining something to the player.
Avowed's new patch just gave you 6 more talent points to muck around with, along with a heap of fixes and improvements
In-game recreation of iconic Indiana Jones stealing the idol in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Silent Hill 2 remake and Indiana Jones are at historically low prices this Steam Spring Sale—so long as you don't buy them directly from Steam
MSI RTX 5070 Ti Gaming Trio OC Plus graphics card under a red light
This MSI Afterburner file unlocks 36 Gbps RTX 50-series memory overclocks for, y'know, the few people that actually own a card
A Steam Deck with SteamOS running in desktop mode.
A new and improved desktop experience just landed on Steam Deck and SteamOS is readying 'support for non-Steam Deck handhelds'
Olivia, a hunter from Monster Hunter Wilds, looks perplexed in an icy blue environment.
Monster Hunter Wilds players wonder if frenzied monsters are a little undercooked, as one slaps a sickly bird into a fine paste in just 25 seconds