The new DLC Total War: Three Kingdoms Fates Divided just got announced! The trailer reveals it’s coming out on March 11th in 2021. This will be over two weeks from now. You probably have also seen their trailer about the new Total War Warhammer 3. This means that there is lots of exciting Total War content coming this year! So what is the ‘Fates Divided’ DLC about?
Here’s some backstory about Total War: Three Kingdoms. The game is based on a realistic time between 220-280 BC (before Christ). This was the timeline that the three kingdoms existed. Who were these Kingdoms? Wei, Shu, and Wu. You can already feel this coming: the game is related to China. This was all where the battle was about. People wanted to get the power to rule these kingdoms.
Source: wikipedia, user: castagna
Total War: Three Kingdoms - Not Just A Game…
The Total War series are very historical, and this has always been their strength. Their gameplay is based on things that have existed in real life!
For example, Total War: Rome was all about the Roman Empire. This game contains realistic missions where you had invasions of Barbarians. These barbarians were the Gauls.A big part of them came from France, with smaller groups coming from Luxemburg and Great Britain.
As you can see in this image, they did capture London but they couldn’t capture the North of Great Britain. There were too few resources plus the Scottish warriors were very hard to defeat.
Total War has always been about who becomes the ruler of everyone. Have you watched Lion King when you were younger? Then you probably remember the saying:
‘’Everything the light touches... is our kingdom. But a king's time as ruler rises and falls like the sun. One day, the sun will set on my time here, and will rise with you as the new king.’’
The new ruler wants to stay the ruler until the next one comes… and hopefully within your kingdom.
After releasing multiple of these realistic games Total War went completely out of the box and started creating fantasy war in the Total War: Warhammer series.
Epic Champion Fights On A Beautiful Game Engine
A nice part about the games from Total War: Three Kingdoms is that besides the faction leader you have heroes. These heroes have unique classes all with their strengths and weaknesses.
They fight in a typical 1 on 1 battle in front of huge armies, as happened centuries ago within the Eastern Kingdoms. The army didn’t get involved: it was only those two people fighting each other. Maybe you have watched the Vikings series where you see both armies circled around the duel fight, hoping that Ragnar would win!
Not only is Total War: Three Kingdoms a very realistic war game, it is a beautiful game too! This is made possible by the strong game engine that Total War runs on. The games of Total War: Three Kingdoms have very unique aspects. You will have your own heroes that can do a lot of things. And, of course, they have certain roles where they are the best at. One hero can be better at diplomacy, whilst it's better to place another hero in battle. For example, the hero's within the vanguard class are very good in fights. Each class shows where your hero will be good at.
Dong Zhuo & Lu Bu: The Evil Empire
We also have the well-known Dong Zhuo, a true tyrant that has really existed who stands for the evil empire of Total War. He rules with tyranny, intimidation, and an iron fist. He was a very powerful man and we think that you can imagine this when you look at the picture. The reason he was in such a powerful position to possess the whole kingdom, was because he held a hostage. He was the heir to the throne. Who had him, possessed the whole kingdom.
Source: totalwar.com
Source: totalwar.com
Lu Bu was also one of the strongest Vanguard heroes in Total War: Three Kingdoms. Besides that he has a massive impact in the storytelling of the Three Kingdom series, Lu Bu is arguably the most legendary warrior in the game – due to his betrayal trait. He was treating his people worse, and he had an enormous temperament.
It was always a goal to obtain his weapons to use for your own heroes, because of the massive stats. We’re curious if in the new DLC there will be a new hero that can challenge his status. Or will he still stay the warrior king?
What is Total War: Three Kingdoms - Fates Divided?
There’s a new DLC coming towards Total War: Three Kingdoms within 2 weeks! Very fast, right? You want to know what this DLC is about. Let us tell you now. This DLC is about two friends called Cao Cao and Yuan Shao who are in a conflict. And yes, also these persons have existed in real life. They have never been real friends and were both fearsome warlords.
Creative Assembly, the games studio behind Total War, explains: "In the Fates Divided Chapter Pack you begin at 200 CE, a period that finds Yuan Shao and Cao Cao at a crucial turning point. These childhood friends have borne witness to each other’s growing ambition, but Yuan Shao’s patience with Cao Cao is fast coming to an end – a childhood bond is about to break."
Total War: Three Kingdoms - Fates Divided Trailer Breakdown
In the trailer, it looks like we’ve seen that if you do not properly maintain people, they will not remain loyal. This can have something to do with the gameplay that you will experience soon. The troops you have seen at the start can be the new units. When looking at their outfits and shields we couldn’t spot other infantry that looks exactly like this.
What also might be new units, are the guards that you see around 0:30 of the trailer. They wear typical helmets. And let's take a moment for the music in the background. Can you hear that Chinese string instrument? It gives the trailer a nice touch.
There is Lu Bu!
Did you also see that man on his knees at 0:33? This is Lu Bu, someone who was not trustworthy at all. He switched from alliences a lot. Lu Bu asked why he was tied up that firmly. Cao Cao told him that this was because he saw him as a tiger! Yes, this is seriously true... Lu Bu wanted to lead their troops, but the advisor of Cao Cao did not agree with this.
Lu Bu was very bad for his people and had an enormous temperament. He was only busy with: ''What can I get from this myself?''. Liu Bei told them that Lu Bu is not trustworthy, and he advised Cao Cao to execute him. So they did. They got his head off and sent it to the capital.
How These Buddies Got Into War
How come that these friends got into conflict? This is because Yuan Shao was dominating the North of the Yellow River, whilst Cao Cao was dominating the Central Plains. The Central Plains is a plain in Northern China in the lower reaches of the Yellow River. You can see why it was hard for them to stay friends?
The trailer ends with Cao Cao and Yuan Shao talking on the battlefield. They reveal that the general of Yuan Shao called Zhang He, goes over to Cao Cao's side because he didn’t like the way he was treated. In the meantime, the army of Cao Cao is already on its way to attack Yuan Shao by surprise. You can see a huge army coming their way trying to flank them! We don’t think that this will happen in the game itself. The one that has complete control of this battlefield is you.
Fates Divided – Decide Who Controls China
Fates Divided lets you also learn about the stories and motivations of these ‘friends’ from the 200 BC (before Christ) timeline. Who will get to control China?
This DLC gets you reworks for the factions Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. Also, the Faction Council will get improvements, there will be a new Imperial Intrigue mechanic, and more! This DLC also adds plenty of era-defining units.
Three Kingdoms: Fates Divided – New Unit Roster
Examples are Ye Vanguard Spearmen, Xiongnu Noble Cavalry, and Qingzhou Halberds. And lots of other names that can be a bit hard to pronounce.
What’s also new, is that when you claim victory you can control the elite Northern Army. Based on the FAQ of Creative Assembly, we think that both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao will get five new unique units. It is also possible that they belong to the Northern Army.
A New Campaign Within Fates Divided!
What’s also cool is that this DLC gives you a new campaign where you start as the faction Liu Yan. He too is a historical character and one of the strategist class heroes. Once, he was a military general serving in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms of China. He leads his own faction in Western China. He does his very best to create a future for his son, Liu Zhang to eventually take over his kingdom.
Our Conclusion On Total War: Three Kingdoms - Fates Divided
The trailer has teached us a couple of new things. There is going to be a huge battle between old friends called Cao Cao and Yuan Shao. With the arrival of this legendary clash, we can expect a huge overhaul of the two factions. New and powerful warriors, stronger and more influencial heroes, and the conclusion of who is going to rule the Three Kingdoms of China.
We have also seen Lu Bu on his knees, waiting for judgement to fall upon him. I am curious to see if we are getting a choice of sparing him, or that it follows the course of history. Personally, I would love to add Lu Bu in my army, as he was one of the most legendary fighters that has ever lived!
Overall, it is the right moment for Three Kingdoms - Fates Divided to entertain us and keep us warm for the upcoming Warhammer 3 series. Three Kingdoms didn't live as strongly within the fanbase as the Warhammer series did. However, with Fates Divided we have faith in the rebirth and rise of the love for Three Kingdoms, as this new DLC will add the storytelling that we missed in the original Three Kingdoms.
By the way, there is also a new Warhammer 3 game coming...
Have you already seen the trailer of Warhammer 3? The trailer reveals more than you could have hoped for. In our trailer breakdown, we will discuss all the hidden little secrets that Total War put into this trailer. It will prepare you for the epic conclusion of this trilogy.
