For some time now, Creative Assembly has followed a format of releasing a “Free-LC” every time they release a DLC. Past examples have included adding Lokhir Fellheart to Total War: Warhammer 2 alongside Curse of the Vampire Coast, or Tiktaq’to alongside The Prophet and The Warlock. Now, the studio is releasing its first Chapter Pack DLC for their latest game, Eight Princes, and as such, they announced the simultaneous Free-LC release earlier today; Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode.
What is Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode?
In a move that seems to have caught many fans by surprise, Creative Assembly will be launching Total War: Three Kingdoms Dynasty Mode on the 8th of August; the same day as Eight Princes. Rather than adding in additional campaign content, Dynasty Mode is a totally new way to play the game. In the words of the studio, it is; “a new horde-style arcade mode for Total War: Three Kingdoms where you choose three heroes to fight off as many waves of units as you can.”
The reference to the Dynasty Warriors franchise, also set during China’s Three Kingdoms period, is obvious. In that game, the heroes are greatly exaggerated and wade through hundreds of enemy troops with superhuman ease. Dynasty Mode will be playable solo and co-op with up to three players. The power of the heroes will be greatly increased, while simultaneously, the strength of the enemy troops will be decreased. (To the point that soldiers will die from a single hit.) Additionally, the heroes will have access to new abilities, allowing them to recover health and devastate the enemy with special attacks. Plus, players will be able to upgrade their heroes between waves.
The mode will pit players against increasingly large and powerful enemy waves. Every third wave will also include enemy heroes. Players earn points every time they damage a unit, kill a unit, cause one to retreat, or complete a wave. A time bonus provides points based on how quickly each wave is completed.
Dynasty Mode Will Feature Massive Unit Sizes
What makes Dynasty Mode especially interesting is that it will allow for much larger unit sizes than normal. This is thanks to a partnership with Intel, who helped to develop the mode. Players will be able to increase unit sizes by up to 600%, far above the current maximum size of Ultra! Of course, even with Intel’s help rendering so many soldiers at once, Creative Assembly does advise players without high-end PCs to avoid pushing the limits to the absolute maximum; “[…] unless you have a very high-powered PC, dramatically increasing unit sizes may negatively impact your frame rate or cause gameplay behaviours you won’t see in the main game.”