At a glance
- Type
- Legendary Lord
- Battlefield role
- Melee commander and army leader
- Content pack
- Total War: Warhammer (base game)
- Race
- The Empire
- Faction
- Reikland
Availability
Content pack: Total War: Warhammer (base game). Immortal Empires ownership
- Unlocked in Immortal Empires by owning Total War: Warhammer, the first game in the trilogy. Ownership of Warhammer III alone does not unlock Karl Franz.
Reikland in Immortal Empires
Karl Franz is an Empire Legendary Lord and the leader of Reikland. His Immortal Empires campaign centres on the Empire and its Elector Counts. Protecting fellow Imperial factions can matter as much as taking another settlement for yourself.
Imperial Authority and Fealty shape relations with the Electors. Spend Prestige through the Emperor's Decrees to intervene: sending aid can support an Elector, while an Inquisition can help clear corruption. Use those tools alongside your armies when several provinces need attention.
Lead the line without losing the guns
Franz fights in melee and can take to the air on Deathclaw, his griffon. Use him to reinforce a threatened part of the battle or help attack an exposed target. A flying lord also needs a safe route away from concentrated enemy missiles.
Swordsmen give the army a fighting line, while artillery and missile troops need space to fire. Keep some troops available to intercept attackers reaching the guns. A wizard adds spellcasting that Franz himself does not provide.
People around the Emperor
Balthasar Gelt leads The Golden Order with a separate Colleges of Magic campaign. Elspeth von Draken brings the Imperial Gunnery School to Wissenland & Nuln, while Boris Todbringer leads Middenland. Their faction mechanics make the choice of Empire lord matter.
Theodore Bruckner and Ar-Ulric Emil Valgeir are Legendary Heroes from different DLC packs. Their combat roles support an existing campaign; selecting Franz starts the Reikland campaign.
Emperor, Electors, and Deathclaw
Karl Franz is the Reikland legendary lord from Total War: Warhammer. Imperial Authority, Fealty, and the Emperor's Decrees are the political tools. Deathclaw carries him in melee while the guns need a line and a reserve. Warhammer III alone does not unlock him.
Gelt, Volkmar, Wulfhart, Elspeth, and Boris are the other Empire starts: colleges, the Cult of Sigmar, the Lustria expedition, Nuln's gunnery school, and Middenland. The Fall of Altdorf is the End Times novel that names him. It is a separate book from the Elector campaign.
Unlock, campaigns and start position
Karl Franz comes from Total War: Warhammer, the first game. Own it on the same storefront as Warhammer III and Reikland appears in Immortal Empires; he is not a Realm of Chaos lord. His Immortal Empires campaign starts at Altdorf, where CA's 2022 article has him continuing his ambition to unite the Elector Counts.
He fights in melee and can ride Deathclaw, his griffon. The Reikland campaign runs on Imperial Authority, Fealty with the Elector Counts and the Emperor's Decrees.
First turns and early targets
Secure the Reikland province around Altdorf first, then turn to the Elector Counts. Raising an Elector's Fealty opens peaceful confederation, which brings that faction's lands under Reikland without a war against fellow Imperials. That leaves your armies free for Beastmen, Greenskins and Chaos.
Spend Prestige on the Emperor's Decrees when an Elector is under pressure. They also count toward victory: Patch 9.0.5 lowered his Emperor's Decrees objective to three for a Short Victory and seven for a Long Victory.
Army tips for Reikland
Swordsmen or Greatswords hold the centre, Handgunners and Crossbowmen add missile damage, and Mortars or Great Cannons give the early army reach. Reiksguard and Demigryph Knights later provide the hammer; Karl Franz on Deathclaw can join them or hunt enemy casters and artillery.
A Battle Wizard from one of the Colleges of Magic covers the spellcasting Franz lacks, and a Warrior Priest supports the infantry fight.
Questions
How do you unlock Karl Franz in Warhammer III?
Own Total War: Warhammer, the first game, on the same storefront as Warhammer III. Warhammer III alone does not include him.
Where does Karl Franz start in Immortal Empires?
At Altdorf, the Reikland capital.
How many Emperor's Decrees does Karl Franz need for victory?
Since Patch 9.0.5, three for a Short Victory and seven for a Long Victory.
Sources
- Immortal Empires DLC Ownership Guide — SEGA Support — support.sega.com
- Thrones of Decay: Introducing Elspeth von Draken — Creative Assembly — community.creative-assembly.com
- Patch 9.0.5 notes — store.steampowered.com
- Immortal Empires dedicated factions — totalwar.com