I have already done a review for the base game, “Total War: Warhammer,” which you can find here.This review is for the first ever large-scale DLC to release for this game, titled “Call of the Beastmen.”
As mentioned in my original review of the game, there were four core races: Empire, Orcs & Goblins, Undead and Dwarves. Without having mentioned it before, another playable race was added upon release of the game in the form of micro-DLC; the Chaos Warriors. The Chaos Warriors, having already existed in the game as an AI faction, wasn’t necessarily worthy of a review, considering the pack didn’t offer much. In fact, it really only infuriated gamers, as the DLC pack had the already-existing content locked off at $7.99 (granted, if you pre-ordered the game, you got the race pack for free).
That being said, “Call of the Beastmen” added a sixth race to the game, called the Beastmen. Having been out only a few days, “Call of the Beastmen” has already stirred a bit of controversy among fans. The DLC released at a whopping $18.99, perhaps one of the highest costing single DLC packs ever to be released of any game. There is a strong difference between a single DLC pack as opposed to a season pass. Season passes, if purchased, give you a handful of DLC packs released over time. A single DLC pack is just a single DLC pack. The average season pass costs about $30 and is typically worth the price, depending on the offered content. “Call of the Beastmen,” a single DLC pack, is almost more than half that price, which is completely absurd. Hell, there are even entire games that are sold for less than that price, such as “Dead by Daylight.”
This is the second time Creative Assembly has pissed off their loyal fan-base. As much as I love “Total War: Warhammer” and previous ‘Total War’ games, I can’t help but have a mixed opinion on this DLC pack.
Having tried it, I cannot deny how much fun I had with “Call of the Beastmen”. As I stated in my review of the game, the factions all offer different playstyles as opposed to the previous ‘Total War’ games. Sure, in the other games you could have upwards of 20+ factions, but none of them truly felt original as they were basically re-skins of each other. Each faction in “Total War: Warhammer” really feel unique, offering different playstyles and challenges. “Call of the Beastmen” continues this trend as the Beastmen playstyle is completely unique to the game, with exception to some similarities to the Chaos Warriors and Orc factions.
Not only did this pack offer a new faction, but it also contained a campaign, complete with a new map and objectives. The Beastmen playstyle was horde-like, unable to take control of settlements or have a consistent economy. This playstyle means you’ll constantly be on the move, having to adapt to each new situation. The more narrative-driven campaign was fun, though underwhelming, even with the new map. I would’ve preferred the new map being added to the already existing map that released with the game; which would’ve made the original map much larger. So is that really enough to justify the $18.99 price tag? Not really.
I’ll most likely get my money’s worth. I’ve already dropped more than five hours of gameplay into the DLC, which is more than I can say for other games I’ve played. I also have a deep love and respect for the Warhammer lore and universe. Quite frankly, I’m having a lot of fun with the faction and will more than likely continue playing it for a hefty number of hours. However, I simply cannot recommend it to the average gamer. $18.99, practically the price of most indie games, is simply too much to confidently justify the single faction and short underwhelming campaign.
“Call of the Beastmen” is a fun addition to “Total War: Warhammer.” Though I don’t recommend it to the average gamer, I do believe there are players out there that may find this DLC pack worthwhile. For those on the fence, I’d recommend watching gameplay on YouTube and judging for yourself.
