After what has been openly acknowledged as a ‘frustrating year,’ the developers at Creative Assembly are working hard to restore player confidence in Total War Warhammer 3. Their latest communication offers a candid look at the crucial problems they’re addressing in the upcoming 6.3.4 hotfix, tentatively scheduled for an early November release. Key areas of focus include resolving the baffling issue of idle armies, fixing ongoing recruitment problems for the Chaos Dwarfs, and enhancing the campaign AI for the Ogre Kingdoms’ newest legendary lord, Golgfag Maneater. However, players should be prepared for the possibility that their current campaigns might not fully benefit from these crucial improvements.
A recent apology from Creative Assembly hinted at a renewed commitment to transparency, following a series of frustrating bugs and a second delay for the ‘Tides of Torment’ DLC. With a major strategy title like Total War Warhammer 3 needing significant course correction, Adam Freeman, the head of community, has provided what he calls ‘pretty raw information, hot from the ovens’ to keep the player base informed.
Addressing the Idle Army Phenomenon
At the top of the fix list are the notorious ‘idle armies.’ This issue sees both player-controlled and AI forces simply lingering on the campaign map, doing nothing productive, severely breaking immersion. Creative Assembly believes this stems from a complex interplay of several conflicting issues. They aim to ‘significantly reduce (though likely not entirely remove)’ these instances of inaction. The underlying causes are identified as an overly aggressive defensive prioritization in the campaign AI, a specific recruitment logic bug affecting Vampire Counts (similar to recent problems with Lizardmen and Tomb Kings), and factions remaining passive even when surrounded by allies with distant enemy targets. While most of these are being addressed, a ‘cowardly diplomacy AI’ that keeps factions confined to their settlements when not at war might not be fully resolved in the 6.3.4 update.
Chaos Dwarf Recruitment and Golgfag’s Rampage
Recruitment challenges have also plagued the Chaos Dwarfs, but the team reports ‘early indicators that we’re starting to see some success in changing that.’ Extensive testing is still underway to ensure these changes don’t introduce new, unintended issues, but progress is reportedly moving ‘in a positive direction.’
Significant improvements are also coming to Golgfag Maneater, the legendary lord introduced in the ‘Omens of Destruction’ DLC, who has been criticized for being too passive. This is the fix the developers are most confident about. Early tests show Golgfag now ‘properly attacking and expanding his territory,’ though there are humorous reports of him entering a ‘megabonk’ state, becoming a considerable menace to anyone within his reach. (Image: A close-up of the Ogre Kingdoms legendary lord Golgfag Maneater, looking menacing.)
A video from Creative Assembly showcases key updates and developer insights on these issues.
The Need for a Fresh Start
Crucially, Creative Assembly warns that for players to experience the clearest form of these improvements, they will likely need to start a fresh campaign once hotfix 6.3.4 arrives. Current testing is primarily focused on new campaigns, as the AI often struggles to correct existing bad behaviors in ongoing save files.
While the exact release date for 6.3.4 is not yet ‘locked in,’ Creative Assembly is ‘softly targeted’ for Thursday, November 6. They emphasize that rigorous testing is essential for such significant changes, and players should understand that this might lead to adjustments in the release schedule. Given recent community feedback regarding QA and oversight, many will likely welcome a more thorough testing period.
For those awaiting the patch, there are many other excellent titles available. If you’re looking for other grand strategy experiences, or other Warhammer-themed adventures, you have plenty of options to explore. We encourage players to join the community Discord server to share their thoughts on the current state of Total War.