Unofficial fan reference · game data patch 9.0.4 (Oct 15, 2026)

Dark Elves · Immortal Empires

The Thousand Maws

wh2_twa03_def_rakarth

Comes with Rakarthfree(Warhammer II)

The Thousand Maws is a playable Dark Elves faction in Total War: Warhammer III, led by Rakarth. In Immortal Empires it starts in Great Turtle Isle with 1 region. It comes with Rakarth. Faction key wh2_twa03_def_rakarth. Patch 9.0.4, from the game's data tables.

Start here

Immortal Empires, patch 9.0.4: facts from the game's data, each linking to the full section.

Start and neighbours

Starts at Great Turtle Isle (The Turtle Isles)

  1. 1.Sentinels of Xeti — Sentinels of Xeti · near (3.3%) · minor faction
  2. 2.Deserters of Khatep — The Golden Colossus · medium (5.0%) · minor faction
  3. 3.The Accursed Troupe — The Blood Hall · medium (6.5%)
  4. 4.Blooded Wanderers — Hualotal · medium (6.7%)
  5. 5.Spine of Sotek Dwarfs — Mine of the Bearded Skulls · medium (6.7%) · minor faction

Nearest starting capitals, measured on the game's minimap as a share of its width: near ≤ 4%, medium ≤ 10%, far beyond. See it on the full map

Climate at a glance

6 suitable · 2 unpleasant · 4 uninhabitable · 3 climates differ from the race

Every climate below · what each level does

Victory at a glance

Short victory: 4 objectives · long victory: 5

  • Recruit 10 different units from the Monster Pen.
  • Win the following battle: Whip of Agony
  • Maintain control of the following 1 province(s), either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies: The Turtle Isles

All objectives and rewards below

Leader's quests

The quest battles

Key units and where they are recruited

COMPUTED — per role, the Dark Elves unit that tops the role's cost list on best units by the numbers (base stats, multiplayer cost; the race's standard roster — units it has only with Unit caps off, the extended roster, are left out). Recruitment: the first building level that unlocks it (building_units_allowed).

Faction leader

Rakarth

Rakarth

The Thousand Maws

The Beastlord has reached the Great Turtle Isle off the coast of Lustria, in search of ever greater monsters to enslave to his will.

Under the Lash
  • Forces do not receive Vigour penalties from Raiding stance
  • Monster Pens: Capture a variety of hideous beasts and send them into battle
  • Upkeep: -10% for all monstrous units (all armies)
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Dark Elves are no strangers to war; their heartless credo is that the strong take whatever they wish, and that the weak choke on their own blood. There is no realm that has not suffered the predations of their corsairs or the blood-mad march of Khaine’s worshippers. Every victory against the lesser races of primitive lands strengthens their battle against their hated cousins the High Elves, whether by an influx of fresh slaves, the honing of battle skill, or simply the culling of the weak from Druchii ranks. A cruel and wicked race, the Dark Elves revel in the pain and despair of others and are capable of the most wanton acts of depravity and murder. The means by which they carry out their immoral causes are many-fold, but from Karond Kar come the beasts of war that are trained to serve such twisted desires. The city also known as Slaver’s Gate is where the stolen steeds brought up by the soft Asur are brought to bear by whip and red-hot brand, and where the ferocious Cold Ones are hatched, hand-reared, and forced to accept their cruel masters as riders. For the Druchii have always been experts at bending beasts and animals to their will, though some show exceptional aptitude in this, commanding even the unruliest beasts with a single word. They are the famed Beastmasters. It is said that Karond Kar’s dungeons are filled with one or more of every monster ever discovered in the known world. Such an impressive distinction, however, is by virtue of the single greatest Beastmaster of Naggaroth and one of Karond Kar’s greatest sons, the Beastlord Rakarth. His exploits throughout the world’s oceans have caused him to be well known and feared by many who reside along the world’s vulnerable coastlines. Those who survive the slave-raids of the Thousand Maws speak of the mighty beasts which tower over Rakarth’s ranks and salivate within his battle lines, for no other Dreadlord of the Druchii goes to war with such a number or range of abominations. With an almost supernatural ability to subdue and control wild creatures, Rakarth is as fell and dangerous a being as any tyrant of Naggaroth, having laid waste to countless towns and ports, from Norsca in the far north to the Bay of Corsairs in the south. It is not for nothing that he is known as Beastlord, as testified by the hordes of roaring, smoke-spouting monsters that bring him glorious, blood-soaked victory time and time again.

Faction effects

  • Sea Lanes journey duration: -1 turns (factionwide)
  • Underworld Sea travel time: -1 (factionwide)
  • Seductive influence: +150 required for complete seduction
  • Seductive influence: -2 per turn from race

Victory conditions

Immortal Empires, from the campaign script (victory_objectives_config.lua) in the game's own words. All factions

Short Campaign Victory

  1. Recruit 10 different units from the Monster Pen.
  2. Win the following battle: Whip of Agony
  3. Maintain control of the following 1 province(s), either by direct ownership or through vassals and military allies: The Turtle Isles
  4. Construct landmark: Chamber of Visions

REWARDS

Beast Baiters
  • Monster Pen Unit capacity: +2

Follower or item: Black Ark Privateer

  • +1 Monster Pen units available for recruiting: Feral Cold Ones, Black Dragon, Kharibdyss, War Hydra units

Long Campaign Victory

  1. Achieve the Short Victory conditions.
  2. Destroy the following faction(s): Hexoatl, Itza
  3. Recruit all unit types from the Monster Pen.
  4. Get 20 Monster Pen units to rank 9.
  5. Recruit 3 Black Ark and upgrade them to a Grand Black Ark level or higher

REWARDS

Droves of the Dispossessed
  • Income from slaves: +15%
Masters of Torment
  • Hero recruit rank: +10 (all provinces)

Slaves: +2,000

Plan a co-op campaign with The Thousand Maws — partners by start distance, climate and victory conditions. Its start next to the race's other factions: best Dark Elf factions.

Climate

Suitable

  • Chaotic Wasteland
  • Desert(race: Uninhabitable)
  • Frozen
  • Temperate Island
  • Jungle(race: Unpleasant)
  • Savannah(race: Unpleasant)

Unpleasant

  • Mountain
  • Temperate

Uninhabitable

  • Magical Forest
  • Ocean
  • Undead Wasteland
  • Wasteland

How settling The Thousand Maws fares in each climate (campaign_group_racial_suitability_effects and its member criteria). What each level does, for every race.

Source: factions, start_pos_factions and start_pos_regions (campaigns wh3_main_combi and wh3_main_chaos), frontend_faction_leaders and faction_groups, patch 9.0.4.