Lords of the End Times: Build a Stronger Empire Defense Against the Vermintide
Shattered skies, rising Beastmen, and swarms of Skaven set the stage for Lords of the End Times. This possible Total War: Warhammer III campaign asks a brutal question: can Boris Todbringer hold Middenland when every enemy arrives at once?
The battles shown focus on gameplay, unit roles, and campaign choices rather than a fixed retelling of the End Times story. Boris faces Beastmen and Greenskins first, then confronts the Skaven Vermintide, Thanquol, Stormfiends, Verminlords, and devastating artillery.
The Empire survives through strong formations, timely cavalry charges, faith-driven heroes, and careful leadership support. The Skaven answer with numbers, monsters, magic, disease, and weapons that can destroy entire formations.
Boris Todbringer Leads the Defense of Middenland
Boris brings flexible frontline power
Boris Todbringer, the one-eyed Elector of Middenland, fights where the battle is most dangerous. He can lead from foot, a warhorse, a Pegasus, or a Griffon, giving the Empire campaign several ways to build around him.
Use a ground-based Boris for sustained infantry combat and steady leadership near the main line. A flying mount gives him more speed and access to enemy artillery, isolated heroes, and exposed rear units. Against the Beastmen, his aggressive style fits the need for quick pressure before their charge power grows.
Knights Panther deliver the counterattack
The Empire’s basic infantry holds the enemy in place while the Knights Panther look for openings. These armored, shielded cavalry units have an anti-large role, making them useful against monsters, mutants, enemy cavalry, and other large targets.
They work best when the frontline has already pinned the Beastmen. Charge their flanks or rear, pull them out, then charge again. Avoid leaving Knights Panther in a long fight against dense infantry, where their anti-large tools offer less value.
Ulric’s Warriors Turn the Beastmen Assault Around
Warriors of Ulric hold cheap battle lines
Warriors of Ulric give Boris an affordable front line for early battles. Their light armor keeps costs down, while the Crush the Weak ability helps them damage rival infantry during close combat.
Use them to pin enemy units rather than expecting them to win every duel. Their job is to buy time for Knights Panther, Wolfkin, and heroes to reach better targets. A cheap unit that holds for long enough can protect the whole army.
Priests and Wolfkin boost melee pressure
Priests of Ulric carry two-handed axes and fight among the troops. Their battle prayers buff nearby allies, while their abilities can weaken enemy units. Keep them close to the main clash so their support reaches Wolfkin and the surrounding infantry.
Wolfkin are hard-hitting and affordable melee fighters. Their frenzy makes them immune to psychology, which helps them keep attacking when fear or terror affects other troops. Place the priest near them, but avoid exposing either unit to isolated monster attacks.
Hounds and Valgar finish the fight
Hunting hounds are excellent for chasing routing enemies. Their speed lets them catch fleeing units and prevent damaged foes from returning later. Hold them back during the first clash, then send them after units that begin to break.
Rick Emil Valgar, high priest of Ulric and former grandmaster of the Knights of the White Wolf, belongs in the center of the battle. His hammer, battle prayers, and nearby buffs help turn a stalled melee into a winning push.
The Lords of the End Times Face the Skaven Vermintide
The Seneschal anchors the Empire line
The Seneschal of the White Wolf gives the Empire a durable lord for the fight against massed Skaven. He improves leadership and defense, and his immunity to psychology activates when Commanding Presence is active.
That support matters when the Empire faces waves of enemies, fear effects, and sudden attacks on its flanks. Activate Commanding Presence during the most dangerous stage of the battle, especially when elite troops are surrounded or close to routing.
White Wolf knights hunt large targets
The Knights of the White Wolf trade shields for heavy hammers and powerful offensive pressure. Their role differs from that of the Knights Panther, since they focus more on direct damage than prolonged defense.
Send them after Rat Ogres, artillery crews, monsters, and exposed elite units. Keep them moving between charges. If they become trapped inside a dense infantry block, their best advantage disappears.
Ulric’s elite guard resists the swarm
Ulric’s elite guard wears heavy armor and carries two-handed war hammers. They attack better than they defend, yet their strong resolve makes them difficult to break.
Place them where the Skaven must commit valuable troops. Their armor helps against massed lesser infantry, while armor-piercing attacks let them hurt tougher targets. Leadership buffs from nearby lords and priests make this defensive position far more reliable.
Thanquol and Skaven Monsters Make the Vermintide Hard to Stop
Thanquol and Bone Ripper lead the assault
Thanquol masterminds the Skaven invasion through the use of ruin and plague magic. On Bone Ripper, his warp-powered Rat Ogre mount turns him into a large, destructive threat that can disrupt several parts of the Empire formation.
He combines spellcasting, leadership, and close combat pressure. Empire players should answer with focused ranged fire, anti-large cavalry, or several coordinated melee units. Allowing Thanquol to move freely gives the Skaven too much control.
Poxwalkers turn death into damage
The diseased expendable troops shown in the campaign are built to die. Their passive effects drain them over time, but their deaths also trigger explosions that damage and contaminate nearby enemies.
Skaven players can trade these units for disruption and area damage. Empire armies should keep valuable infantry spread out when possible and remove the units before they reach the main formation. Cavalry and ranged attacks are safer answers than allowing them to explode in the center of the line.
The Verminlord adds magic and fear
The Verminlord is a huge demonic Skaven lord with spells, fear-based pressure, and a doom glaive. It can fight infantry, threaten characters, and break defensive positions through sheer size and mobility.
Keep leadership support near units facing it. Focus fire when the Verminlord commits, and protect ranged troops from being isolated. A distracted support unit can fall quickly once this monster reaches the back line.
Stormfiends and Skaven Weapons Break Battle Lines
Ranged Stormfiends fill different attack roles
Stormfiends give the Skaven campaign a set of specialized monster units. Each variant targets a different weakness, so the best choice depends on the enemy army and the battle map.
- Shock Gauntlets target heavily armored units and apply the Zap debuff.
- Warpfire burns tightly packed infantry.
- Rattling Cannons attack armored targets from a distance.
- Grinder Fists damage walls and immobilize enemies.
- Wind Launchers provide long-range attacks against many unit types.
- Doom Flare Gauntlets are presented as a particularly effective answer to the Empire.
Protect ranged Stormfiends with screening troops. Their damage matters most when they have clear firing lanes and don’t hit friendly units in the same engagement.
Artillery turns numbers into destruction
The Celestial Hurricane brings ice shards, tornadoes, lightning strikes, and meteor attacks. It can also boost nearby allies’ melee attacks, giving the Skaven a useful tool near the front line.
The Warp Doom Magma Cannon adds siege-level destruction. It can melt enemy formations and even damage friendly troops, so Skaven players must check firing lanes before every shot. Empire players should attack it with cavalry, flying units, fast infantry, or an aggressive lord.
Verminlords and Relics Push the Campaign Toward Collapse
The Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes buffs the army
The Cauldron of a Thousand Poxes is a sacred Clan Pestilens relic taken from Nurgle. Its passive effects improve damage, defense, and leadership across the army.
Its active spells and auras spread disease and pain at key moments. Use the passive bonuses before a major clash, then save offensive abilities for dense elite formations or an important objective.
Four Verminlords support four strategies
The four Verminlord types give Skaven armies different ways to solve battlefield problems:
- Corruptors focus on armor-piercing anti-infantry attacks, plagues, and pestilence.
- Warpseers combine armor-piercing anti-large attacks with strong warp-powered spells.
- Warbringers specialize in armor-piercing melee damage against large targets.
- Deceivers use ranged weapons, teleportation, and snares while operating alone.
All four are capable melee fighters with magical attacks and useful spells. Choose a Corruptor against infantry hordes, a Warpseer against monsters, a Warbringer for direct combat, or a Deceiver for independent ranged disruption.
The Final Battle Depends on Role Coverage
The Empire wins by keeping its formation intact. Infantry must hold, cavalry must charge at the right time, priests must stay protected, and leaders must prevent fear from becoming a mass rout.
Skaven armies gain strength through layered pressure. Expendable troops absorb attacks, monsters break formations, Stormfiends punish specific targets, and artillery finishes units trapped in place. Each side must assign targets before deployment: anti-large units should hunt monsters, armor-piercing weapons should hit heavy troops, and area attacks should punish dense infantry.
Conclusion
This Lords of the End Times campaign gives Boris Todbringer a desperate defense of Middenland. Ulric’s warriors, priests, Wolfkin, cavalry, hounds, and heroes can defeat early threats, but the Skaven Vermintide brings far greater pressure.
Thanquol, Stormfiends, Verminlords, disease troops, relics, magic, and artillery push the conflict beyond a normal invasion. The Empire needs discipline and target priority, while the Skaven need layered attacks and careful support for their specialized units.
Boris and the Skaven campaign are set to continue through future battles, with later coverage turning toward Nagash and Ghoritch’s campaign mechanics. The real danger is not one unstoppable unit. It’s the moment every Skaven tool works together and the Empire’s last line finally gives way.
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