Dead Men Do Tell Tales!
In the immortal words of Captain Hector Barbossa, “Ye best start believing in ghost stories, Ms. Turner. Yer in one!” Total War: Warhammer II: Curse of the Vampire Coast has arrived with much bravado from Creative Assembly. A surprise and niche faction from the lore of Warhammer Fantasy, the development team has really given this content pack their all, resulting in one of, if not the best DLC’s for the series thus far. If buried treasure, buccaneers and giant creatures of the deep are some of your favorite things, then read on me hearties, yo ho!
Curse of the Vampire Coast, like the Rise of the Tomb Kings before it, is a massive content patch, and despite the somewhat hefty price point of twenty dollars, is well worth the price of entry for what it brings. Released alongside of the Aye, Aye! Patch, the release brought numerous changes and faction fixes to the game, perhaps the biggest of the bunch being the fact that sea battles are no longer auto resolved, as both armies now disembark on a convenient local island to fight to the (un)death! The DLC itself contains four different factions – the eponymous Vampire Coast, led by the mad pirate king himself, Arch Grand Commodore Luthor Harkon, the Dreadfleet, led by Count Noctilus, the Pirates of Sartosa (a hybrid undead, human pirate faction) commanded by Aranessa Saltspite, and finally The Drowned, led by the first all new character in the Total War: Warhammer series’ history, the ghost of Bretonnian opera singer Clyostra Direfin.
Harkon is so insane, he actually shoots the player upon selection! 
Singing so bad, it kills!
Each of these factions has their own unique starting location and campaign mechanics, including being able to set up hidden pirate coves in the ports of other factions for added income, rum and tavern brawls, managing lord loyalty (they can and will mutiny!), and Ms. Direfin’s ability to call upon a squad of damned knights errant and paladins in battle The plot also varies, as for example Harkon’s campaign (my personal favorite) is defined by the quest to reclaim his fractured psyche utilizing stolen lizard trinkets in order to prove once and for all that he is the most infamous pirate to ever sail (and curse!) the Warhammer seas. No matter your choice of legendary lord, each faction has the same overall agenda to recapture the lost star metal harpoon needed to slay the giant merwyrm Amanar, for in doing so they will be able to resurrect him and rule the waves unopposed
The Zombie Pirates of the Vampire Coast play almost as a hybrid of other factions. While undead, you still need to pay upkeep unlike the Tomb Kings, however unlike the Vampire Counts, you have access to gunpowder. A LOT of gunpowder! The Vampire Coast can pump out more shots per soldier than almost any other army, a claim only contested by the most range-based builds of the Dwarfs, Empire and the three Elven armies. They even get an ability aptly named “MORE POWDER!” meaning that when you are above a certain amount of ammunition, your units do even more damage with their black powder rifles, flintlocks, cannons, and the almighty Queen Bess herself.
As for the presentation and sound – if the release trailer and the Tattered Sails Shanty were not enough to convince you of the triple-a production values at work here, the artwork, voice acting, and hilariously, the pirate names (Shout outs to first mate Artie Sharp-Eye and quartermaster Richard Nutt!) are all of a top-notch quality, and help sell both the pirate theme and setting with much potency.
Keep rowing there, Long John!
The dialogue is exactly what you want and expect from a pirate game.
Total War: Warhammer II: Curse of the Vampire Coast is maybe the most fun I have had with a game this year. Admittedly, I am biased because I love the setting, tabletop game, the undead, and pirates, but even so, this is a high-quality content pack that will be fun and creatively refreshing to anyone looking to buy into the series, or return to the game after an absence. Creative Assembly has definitely raised the bar with this update, adhering to Mr. Gibb’s famous catchphrase of “Take what you can and give nothing back!” I think about the only thing left for me to say is grab your bottle of rum and drink up me hearties, yo ho!
Rating: 10/10
Check Out the Total War: Warhammer II Curse of the Vampire Coast DLC Trailer:
Total War: Warhammer II: Curse of the Vampire Coast is available for PC for $18.99 via Steam.
Steam Review
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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