In another teaser for the long-awaited revamp, GW revealed what the Warhammer Old World Kingdom of Cathay will look like.
Unfortunately this time around, we don’t get any teasers with possible mini pics, but hey, anything about Old World is what we want to see! With the new Total War game, GW has been fleshing out Cathay as it is taking center stage. So, this means they need all the lore behind it they can get.
Even though it was an idea in the old game, it was never really that flushed out. So it’s pretty cool to see them giving it the necessary background to not only be in the video game but also the tabletop game.
Warhammer Community showed a bunch of maps and some heraldry, but we’ll also take a look at some of the most recent teasers as well. Let’s start with some rumors, then jump into the new stuff!
Rumors: Warhammer Old World Timeline & Release Dates
These all come from Faeit 212 and Gary says it’s from a ‘solid source’.
Let’s go over the rumors then take a deeper look.
- No new miniature previews until mid-2022
- Model ranges are in the works, but the backstory is the most progressed part
- The first factions will be old-time favorites like Empire, Orcs & Goblins, Dwarfs, and Chaos. Other niche factions will come, just not at the very beginning
- The Warhammer Old World release could be in 2023, but COVID took a bigger toll than expected
- The main studio will be more involved in the process than originally expected
- Lastly, COVID has destroyed the new edition once every 3 years.
Well, this isn’t great news honestly. We were hoping for a little sooner release date than 2023 for Warhammer Old World.
Again though, these are rumors, so let’s hope they aren’t true and we get a release sooner than 2023. However, with how much COVID slowed everything down, and considering it’s almost March already, this seems pretty solid.
Next, the factions involved also make sense, they will try to launch the game with a bunch of favorites. This way most people will get into the game, which will then allow it to grow into the future.
What Types of Bases & Rules Will There Be?
Definitely square! Warhammer: The Old World is a reinvention of the classic rank-and-file game of Warhammer Fantasy Battles.
They have stated before that they are returning to Squares for the classic Warhammer Fantasy rank and file gameplay, but rumors still rose up that it wouldn’t be so. This is quelling those. Yes and yes the squares are for-real, for-real.
What? No! What madness is that?! The scale will remain the same as it ever was. We want people to be able to use their old armies if they wish, or to start new ones, or to add new miniatures to old armies – whatever they want.
This is also directly quelling some other rumors that had risen up. The game will be the same scale it was, not some flavor of epic scale or anything like that. The emphasis on using old armies or adding or making new ones is fantastic.
Hopefully, this hints at a ton of support to come! Although it does make the “cross-play” between AoS and Old World a little rocky. It certainly won’t be as easy as say Horus Heresy and 40k. Either way, the return will be epic!
Both! We’ve played every single edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles over the years and like every player, we have our favourite bits from each.
This may not sound amazing at first, but the Dev team being able to pick and choose has the potential to create the best, most fun edition of “Fantasy” we have ever seen!
Currently, the new latest updates to both AoS and 40k have been very well received in general, so that’s a great sign!
Da boyz woz called Orcs in da Old World, so datz what dey’z called!
The change to Orruks seemed like mostly adding a “unique” factor to the IP, so the dedication to nostalgia and returning to the old terms is a great sign to trying to really get it right for the players.
Keen-eyed observers will have gleaned by now that Warhammer: The Old World is going to be set several hundred years before the End Times, so there’s plenty of space to explore the history of the setting. Especially knowledgeable students may also note this puts us just before another calamitous Chaos invasion, and one which, while central to the story of the Empire and the entire Old World, was barely touched on in previous iterations…
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This is super interesting! Archaon might not be around, but there were still other Everchosen before him. A quick search places Asavar Kul as the Everchosen a little over 200 years before Archaon. This might be his time to shine! It’s also worth noting that Magnus The Pious helped defeat him, and reunified the empire. So there happens to be a Civil war going on? This might just add up!
Yes, we’re positive!
Warhammer Old World Cathay Maps Laid Out
Since there aren’t too many rules or such laid out in this one, we’ll let the developers tell you a little more about what’s happening with Cathay.
Cathay has been ruled by a race of immortal shape-shifting dragons for thousands of years, and it’s not a place that changes much, so this map is just as valid for the era in which Total War: Warhammer III is set as it is during the earlier period that will be explored by Warhammer: The Old World. Rest assured, scholars of Warhammer, this map works in both settings, so get studying!
We’ll reveal more of Grand Cathay and the fascinating peoples that call it home in future articles – as well as closer looks at other areas of this incredible setting.
Hopefully, this means we’ll be seeing previews more often, and might actually get a mini or something of the like before too long!
Miao Ying defends the Great Bastion to the north, a towering wall that stretches for hundreds of miles across Grand Cathay’s northern border, from the ever-present forces of Chaos and the Hobgoblin Khanates. It is said the strength of the Storm Dragon and her innumerable armies have never faltered in their protection of the empire, thanks to the discipline of Cathay’s soldiers and the wondrous weapons produced by the artificers of Nan Gau.
In the west, Zhao Ming rules the lucrative trade city of Sang Yang, guarding the Ivory Road from the rest of the Old World. However, there’s more than the high walls of Sang Yang and the Iron Dragon’s mercenary armies keeping western Cathay safe. Stretching beyond the gates of his city is the Warpstone Desert, a cursed land forever tainted by the impact of the ancient meteor that created the Great Maw, which makes for a formidable barrier to any who would dare strike at Grand Cathay from the west.
The lore needs to be laid out first and we’re happy to see it, just next time we want minis! Or at least some more concept art of what is to come…
- Cathay Artwork previews
- Cathay Getting New Minis
- Warhammer Old World Timeline
- Base Sizes and Time Period
Are you excited about the Old World?
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About the Author: Travis Pasch
Travis Pasch
Job Title: Head Writer & Editor
Socials: @paschbass
About Travis Pasch: Travis has been a Warhammer 40k hobbyist since the 1990s, playing the game since Third Edition. Through extensive traveling, he’s seen a lot of the miniatures hobby from across the world, giving him a unique perspective on the latest gaming topics and trends.
Travis’s brother even owns a commission painting studio, where he’s picked up a lot of good advice and techniques for painting Warhammer and tabletop miniatures over the years, as well. Travis joined the Spikey Bits team in 2019 and has been the lead writer since 2020.
Currently, he’s working on converting all his 40k Adeptus Mechanicus models and becoming a true tech enjoyer, complete with both sad and happy robot noises!
