Race

A **Race** is a group of similar factions which generally use the same units and game mechanics. Each race featured in the game. Factions of a particular race receive a bonus to diplomatic relations between each other, and therefore tend to stick together. Some factions are also the main or "flagship" faction for their race, such as The Empire or Dwarfs.

A faction's race/category will be listed below it's name when conducting diplomacy.

See below for a list of racial categories in the game.

## Overview

Factions raise armies which move around the campaign map and battle other armies, or take settlements.

A faction is served by characters such as Lords (who lead armies) and Heroes (who have a variety of uses both in battle and out of it).

Faction may engage in diplomacy with one another, and can even confederate with other factions of the same race if conditions are right. A faction is destroyed when it controls no more armies or settlements.

"Major" factions are playable, while "minor" ones are AI-controlled only.

## Factions

Factions are tribes, peoples or nations on the campaign map that control settlements, amass armies and make war with one another. The player takes command of a faction when playing the campaign mode, or when playing custom battles, set-piece battles/quest battles or multiplayer.

Similar factions are grouped together into Races.

Races and factions have unique units and gameplay mechanics that set them apart from others.

### Hordes

*Main article: Hordes*
Horde factions do not control settlements, instead each horde armies constructs buildings in encamped stance. Example: Warriors of Chaos

## Race/faction and diplomacy

*Main article: Diplomacy*
Race and faction affects diplomacy. Factions of the same race or group have a diplomatic bonus towards each other. See the diplomacy page for a table detailing all the diplomatic racial biases. In some campaigns there is a Chaos Invasion which strongly affects diplomacy via the Shield of Civilization trait given to certain factions.

Factions of the same race may confederate if conditions between them are right.

All human factions, Vampire Counts, Wood Elves, Dwarfs and Norsca. can trade with each other.

## Race/faction and settlements

* Each non-horde faction has a faction capital settlement, indicated by a golden border around the crest.

* Some races have a special racial capital, with unique buildings.

* In Total War: Warhammer, the regional occupation affects which races can occupy which areas on the campaign map.

* In the second game this was replaced by the climate system: different races and factions have different climate preferences.

* Certain races like Norsca and Wood Elves also have special restrictions on where and how they can colonize.

## Playable Factions

### *Total War Warhammer*: Fully playable factions

* The Empire
* Dwarfs
	+ Clan Angrund
* Greenskins
	+ The Bloody Handz
	+ The Crooked Moon
* Vampire Counts
	+ Von Carstein
* Warriors of Chaos
* Beastmen
* Wood Elves
	+ Argwylon
* Bretonnia
	+ Bordeleaux
	+ Carcassonne
* Norsca
	+ Wintertooth

## Minor factions

Minor factions are not normally playable, though there exists *faction unlocker* mods to make them playable.

### Introduced in Total War: Warhammer

**The Empire Provinces**

* Human factions which use Empire units. Example: Talabecland.

**Bretonnian Kingdoms**

* Human factions which use Bretonnian units. Tend to use many cavalry units. See Bretonnia for more info. Example: Artois.

**Kislev**

* A single human nation which uses Empire units. See our Kislev article for more information.

**The Southern Realms**

* Human kingdoms and city-states which use Empire units. Estalia, Tilea and Border Princes.

**Dwarf Realms**

* A proud race of stalwart, well-armoured defenders with powerful steam and gunpowder technology. Dwarf Realms use Dwarf units. Example: Karak Azul.

**Greenskin Tribes**

* A race of brutish, destructive green menaces with many monstrous units. They use Greenskins units. An example faction is the Bloody Spearz.

**Savage Orc Tribes**

* These are Greenskins, but only the Savage Orcs variety. They roam the campaign map as hordes. Example: Skull-takerz

**Undead**

* Legions of undead skeletons, zombies and bat-winged horrors led by immortal Vampires and Necromancers. Example: Mousillon. See Vampire Counts units.

**Norscan Tribes**

* Savage northern humans who seek to raid and pillage in the name of Chaos, using Norscan units. Example: Varg.

**Beastmen Warherds**

* Primitive mutant horde raiders who ambush from dark forests and use Beastmen units. Example: Jagged-Horn Tribe.