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Grand Cathay, a nation long mentioned in Warhammer lore but never made playable or visited in media, has at long last made itself known to the Old World in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Total War: Warhammer 3. As something completely new for franchise fans, the Celestial Empire has its own never-before-seen flavor, units, and playstyle. More than any other faction in the series, Grand Cathay requires an even-handed approach to kingdom management; the reward is the full resources of humanity's oldest and mightiest empire.
Grand Cathay plays differently from other factions, so even veteran Total War players might need some help getting the hang of it. This guide touches on all the mechanics that make﷽ the Children of the Dragon unique and offers advice for starting as either of the playable Imperial siblings.
Updated on April 25, 2023, by Branden Lizardi: The armies of chaos grow stronger still. With the recent release of the Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs DLC, a new faction has entered the world of Total War: Warhammer 3. While the introduction of the Chaos Dwarfs faction may not directly influence how the Grand Cathay are played, we've still gone over all of our Warhammer 3 guides to ensure that everything is up-to-date and easy to read.
Yin, Yang, and Harmony
Many Cathayan units, buildings, technologies, and characters are associated with either Yin or Yang, the dual forces that are present throughout the universe. The game tracks your total Yin and Yang, and you can always see your current balance by hovering over the icon at the top of the HUD.
Most basic units, techs, and buildings will only give you a point in one direction or the other, but certain characters and the decisions you make can cause you to lean heavily toward Yin or ꦅYang.
Ideally, you want to have exactly the same amount of Yin and Yang for a balance of zero. In this state, called Harmony, your faction gains large bonuses to their economy and military. The further out of balance you go, the fewer bonuses you'll get, and you'll even start to accrue penalties.
For every action that you take, consider if you can balance the scales to maintain Harmony. For example, if you research a melee tech (typically associated with Yang), 𓄧you might consider researching a ranged tech next since that wiꦗll help shift the balance back toward Yin.
There is no benefit to heavily favoring Yin or Yang. Maintainin🌌g Harmony is the key t♐o success as Grand Cathay.
Wu-Xing Compass
A few turns into the campaign, you'll be able to set a direction for the Wu-Xing Compass, a powerful artifact that directs the Winds of Magic throughout Grand Cathay. Each direction has a passive effect that is always active and will become stronger the longer the Compass is aligned in the appropriate direction.
These bonuses become stronger the more provinces are under Cathayan control. However, the longer the Compass stays pointed in one direction, the bonuses from the other directions will degrade until they reach zero. These will not replenish until the Compass is realigned in the appropriate direction.
Each direction also has an active effect, which you only benefit from when the Compass is aligned in that direction.
Since the Wu-Xing Compass has a cooldown before it can be realigned again, you'll often watch one benefit fade as another becomes ascendant. Plan ahead and use the Compass to complement your strategy as your priorities change.
|
Direction |
Passive Effect |
Active Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Celestial Lake (East) |
Increased Growth in all your provinces. |
More income from buildings in Cathay proper. Increased chance of Winds of Magic becoming stronger in Cathay proper. |
|
Dragon Emperor's Wrath (South) |
Increased Control in all your provinces. |
When this direction's energy is full from the Compass being aligned toward it long enough, all enemy f💦orces on the Cathayan side of the Great Bastion suffer massive attriti🍃on. |
|
Great Bastion (North) |
Increased defensive supplies in all your settlements (used for constructing defenses during sieges)🌟. Armies replenish casualties more quickly. |
The Great Bastion's threat meter degrades slightly each turn. Local recruitment costs less. Armies gain access to "ꦡCelestial Intervention," a power🐎ful explosive spell. |
|
Warpstone Desert (South) |
None |
The Winds of Magic slowly become weaker globally. Reduces Corruption in all your provinces. Enemy armie✃s suffer a Leadership penalty in your tꦍerritory. |
Caravan Guide
Grand Cathay can send caravans along the Ivory Road, bringing goods to cities in the west that will pay high prices for your quality wares. Each caravan is led by a Caravan Master, a special type of Lord whose army protects the caravan on th🗹e way to its destination.
As a Caravan Master levels up, they will gain access to unique skills that make their journeys faster and more profitable. Only one Caravan can be active at a time, so it's worth having at least two Caravan Masters - one traveling west, and one returning home.
When you dispatch a caravan, you'll have to select how much gold to invest in the venture. More experienced Caravan Masters can take larger shipments, and Zhao Ming's caravans have a larger capacity by default. When the caravan reaches its destination, you'll receive several times your investment, with the exact amount determined by how far away t⛎he destination cit🔯y was.
When a caravan successfully reaches a city, that will temporarily become less profitable to trade with, so it's a good idea to send caravans to as many different cities as possible to let demand increase.
Throughout a caravan's journey, it will receive events that can give the Caravan Master more troops or skills, find a shortcut, or result in an ambush. Caravans can also be attacked by hostile forces, just like any other army on the map. If a caravan is destroyed, your investment is lost.
The Great Bastion
This mechanic is of critical importance to Miao Ying, but Zhao Ming players can safely ignore it (unless you plan on conquering or confederating your sister, in which case you'll have to take on her responsibilities). The forces of Chaos will constantly assault the wall on Grand Cathay's northern border.
Keeping the Great Bastion in top shape will blunt the worst of these attacks, but if any of the gates fall, you could have an invasion on your hands. Miao Ying starts with the nearest gate to her capital in the hands of Tzeentch. Her first priority should be securing the gate, or she'll be fighting Daemons constantly.
Grand Cathay Battle Strategy
More than any of the other base factions in Warhammer 3, Grand Cathay's armies exemplify the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. When your units "fight in ordered ranks," as you'll often hear your officers shout, you can dismantle most foes with ease.
For this reason, Cathayan armies are at their best in a defensive position, where they can maintain their formation and let en𒁃emies🍸 come to them.
Peasant units - Long Spearmen and Archers - form the backbone of any Cathayan army. Long Spearmen standing on the front line, ideally behind cover or at the crest of a hill, can absorb most charges while the archers behind them fire at will. Once the enemy is engaged, more eli🍬te units like Jade Warriors can strike from the flank.
Grand Cathay has more ranged capability than any other faction in the Realms Of Chaos campaign. Even in Immortal Empires, with the whole globe to conquer, you'll have to travel far from home before you find an opponent capable of matching you from a distance. Use this to your advantage!
When you need to go on the offense to dislodge an entrenched enemy, march your entire army forward until the enemy line is within range of your bows, Crane Gunners, and artillery. Have you🧜r melee units protect the flanks until your shooters are in position, then advance with your Jade Warriors.
The strategy here is the opposite of your defensive strategy; the Jade Warriors do the bulk of the fighting, relying on charge impact to break enemy li🐬nes, 🅘while your Long Spearmen remain on the flank to halt any countercharges.
In both cases, having a unit or two of cavalry to draw enemies out of position or chase down fleeing foes is always smart. Having an Alchemist on hand to buff your main line can💟 also go a long way toward increasing your margin of victory.
Cathayan Lords, particularly Grand Magistrates, are exceptional in both combat ability and leadership, so always keep your leader where the fighting is fiercest!
Miao Ying's Campaign
Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon, excels at fighting against Daemons with unending ranged attacks. Her provinces all get -2 Corruption regardless of whether or not she is present, and all of her faction's ranged units get additional ammunition.
Combined with the fact that Ying's personal army pays only half upkeep on ranged units, 🔯this ensures that when the Storm Dragon marches at the head of an army, the sky will be dark with arrows. This is good because her territory is under assault from the Daemons of Chaos from the get-go.
At the beginning of Miao Ying's campaign, your first priority is securing the Gunpowder Road province. After defeating the enemy army that starts to the east of your capital of Nan-Gau, recruit a unit of Iron Hail Gunners and an extra unit of Peasant Long Spearmen. Attacking the Mines of Nan-Yang right away is risky, but after sieging the settlement for a few turns, you sh🐈ould be able to defeat the rebels there with little trouble.
During this time, Chaos forces may spawn in your territory due to the breach in the Snake Gate to the north. Dispatch them as needed - it's unlikely to be more than a handful of Beastmen units, and the rebels might even take care of the problem for you.
Once the Mines of Nan-Yang are secured, Nan-Li should fall easily. With the entire province secure, you can bolster your forces to march north and retake the Snake Gate. When the Bastion is fully retaken, begin preparing to take the fight to the enemy on the other side. Your first major goal is to defeat Kairos Fateweaver, the leader of Tzeentch's forces beyond the wall.
Zhao Ming's Campaign
Ying's brother, Zhao Ming the Iron Dragon, has a much more economic and expansionist focus. His melee units boast heavy armor, and he excels at using Grand Cathay's unique caravans to generate more wealth which can be reinvested in Ogre mercenaries at reduced upkeep. If you're more interested in extending Cathay's influence to the west than holding off the forces of Chaos, Minꦺg is the right choice.
Zhao Ming begins the game heavily shifted toward Yang. Since Control is low in your starting province, you can stop the bleeding and work to restore Harmony by building a Conscription Field. This will also 𓆏make recruiting large numbers of Peasant Long Spearmen for your early battles is cheaper.
After defeating the Skaven army near Hanyu Port, travel north to Xen Wu with your army. While it looks like the town is ruined, it's actually a hidden Skaven settlement. Zhao Ming's army can easily defeat the defenders even without recruiting new units.
Be sure to watch out for Deathmaster Snikch, a powerful ꦺSkaven commander who lurks near the ruins of Tai-Tzu.
Once you've taken Xen Wu, you'll receive a quest to conquer Shang-Yang which is occupied by rebel forces. Before you do so, take a detour north to the City of Monkeys. Taking the city will give you complete control of th🔴e Wastelands of Jinshen, allowing you to issue a Commandment.
After eliminating the Jinshen rebels, you can proceed with the campaign however you see fit. Eliminating the Skaven of Clan Eshin is a good next step. Remember to send fully-loaded caravans far and wide to keep your coffers full, and pursue either victory condition as the situa▨tion merits.
