Total War- Warhammer has two main problems that make me not want to recommend it even if you can get some enjoyment out of it. The first one is that it has the most insane monetisation scheme I've ever seen in any game ever released. The base game is bare-bones and offers only a small number of races. If you wish to have an actually complete experience you're expected to purchase a large number of absurdly overpriced DLCs that amount to a total sum of over 300€. Creative Assembly have even gone so far as to require you to own the previous two Warhammer games (including their DLCs) in order to access the full content. Some content is even locked behind requiring you to create a CA account and linking it to your steam account, something that isn't mentioned anywhere on the store page mind you. Not only are races and factions tied to DLCs but essential units as well. For example, you might be interested in playing as the Skaven after watching some gameplay on YouTube, so you purchase Warhammer 2 only for you to find out that their best and most exciting units, the Weapons Teams (Ratling Guns, Warplock Jezzails etc.), aren't even part of their base roster. So if you want to have the true Skaven experience you have to buy even more DLCs just to get their full roster. The game is essentially a big jigsaw puzzle where you have to buy each individual puzzle piece separately at ludicrous prices. Just to put this into context, the Chaos Dwarf DLC costs 25€. Half the price of a full game for just one measly race.

The second big problem with the game is that after all that you're left with a rather mediocre gameplay experience. I've played previous Total War titles extensively and I must say that the battle mechanics are incredibly watered down. Tactics barely matter (unless you count cheese) and it's mostly a stat game. The majority of battles revolve around you decimating the enemy with overpowered magic or artillery and any "tactic" you might use simply aims to abuse the AI and make them bunch up their troops in one big blob to make killing them easier or you dancing with a single entity unit in front of them to make them waste their precious ammo. What was once known as morale is now called leadership and basically doesn't matter anymore. Each battle is fought to the death as routing a unit from the battlefield is utterly impossible in most circumstances. Flanking and charging in the rear does nothing. Formations are gone, even something as basic as loose formation has been removed. The game has the depth of a puddle and can only be described as a glorified spectacle of explosions and magic fireworks. Some people like that. But if you're looking for something with strategic depth and more along the lines of a battle simulator packaged as a video game (which Total War aimed to be a long time ago) you'll be very disappointed.

This was my first Warhammer Game and after 100 + hours into it Ican say that I do NOT recommend this game for a multiple of reasons. So ill start with my two biggest gripes.

1. Monetization tactics: I am immensely disappointed in the greedy monetization tactics used. DLC after DLC that cost half of the game PER RACE. Its ridiculous, predatory and feels honestly gross. They don't even update the previous races. To my dismay i was trying Daemon Prince chaos race and I learned that I dont get to use all the units unless I cough up money. This campaign was incredibly difficult on harder difficulties with races that I got from the Base game and having units locked behind a pay wall is scummy. Considering that 80% of the game now is DLC I cannot recommend it.
2. Game Mechanics/Gameplay: After round 20-40 I completely snow ball and the game becomes a cake walk that is uninteresting and when i play on Hard mode The Game is INCREDIBLY difficult in the early game. The AI has buffs and bonuses where you dont. It makes game mechanics USELESS. Corruption is USELESS, Ai gets a bonus to negate it so Attrition doesn't effect them. control is USELESS. Rebellions do not matter and it feels lazy. AI knows where you are 100% of the time and just doesn't feel fun and fair when I am trying to manipulate the AI instead of playing the game. This is where everyone is telling to get mods and makes the game much better. But why do I have to do that?
Putting up settlements and trying to raise troops when my building slots need Growth/Income so the Control building is again, Useless. I dont feel like I can experiment with troops when im just dishing out armies of the same trash to discard because sitting in one spot to raise some troops is a death sentence. Having Multiple Armies filled with useless cheap troops is better than having one army with decent troops.

In all I want to love this game. the game is there and could be amazing. But I do not condone predatory Monetization practices and churning out DLC after DLC where other races need love and mechanics fixed.

the constant updates has rendered my previous saves unplayable thus making me lose hundreds of hours of play. pretty close to just not playing this game anymore