Corruption in Total War: Warhammer III - What is it and how does it work?

Corruption in Total War: Warhammer III functions quite differently than what it used to in previous entries of the franchise.

The system received an overhaul in Warhammer III and with the title going live today, returning fans of the franchise are quite curious as to how the new Corruption works in the game.

In previous titles, Corruption was used to dictate public order, which is now being attributed to “Control.” Control is a more simplified system that oversees how much influence a particular faction is allowed to have in a territory.

Corruption is what manipulates Control, and apart from the Chaos, Vampire Lords, and Skaven Corruption, each of the Chaos Gods have their own Corruption stats as well.

When the Corruption of a particular faction is high, it will provide a lot of bonus stats to the said faction, and mortal factions will suffer attrition in return. The losing faction will receive a severe blow to their Control, and if their grip on the territory falls too low, then the rebel armies spawned by the dominant faction will start attacking cities.

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How does high Corruption level affect the four Chaos Gods in Total War: Warhammer III

As mentioned, each of the Chaos Gods is affected differently by high and low Corruption levels. So, what are some of these buffs and debuffs that players can look forward to in the RTS?

1) Slaanesh

Slaanesh (Image via Total War: Warhammer III)

Unlike other Chaos gods who only interest themselves in destruction, Slaanesh advises his followers to pursue pleasure, decadence, and overindulgence. By improving his faction's Corruption, Slaanesh and his followers will be able to enjoy a much higher rate of income in the territory.

Consequently, Invaders will lose their growth, as well as the income from buildings and Control over other regions.

High Corruption benefits to Slaanesh

• Enabled attrition for non-Chaos worshipping armies
• Improved Control
• Improved Income from all buildings
• Reduction to all other corruption

High Corruption drawbacks to invaders

• Reduced Growth
• Reduced Control
• Reduced Income from buildings

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2) Khorne

Khorne (Image via Total War: Warhammer III)

Known across the land for his title “Blood for the Blood God!”, Khorne is one of the more fearsome Chaos Gods in Warhammer III. The factions that worship him will see a tremendous boost to their combat potential when Corruption is high, with improvements specifically targeting Melee attacks.

Invaders, on the other hand, will not only see reduced growth and Control, but nerfed melee defense as well.

High Corruption benefits to Khorne

• Improved Control
• Improved Melee attack (local armies)
• More Charge bonus (local armies)

High Corruption drawbacks to invaders

• Reduced Growth
• Reduced Control
• Nerfed Melee defense (local armies)

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3) Nurgle

Nurgle (Image via Total War: Warhammer III)

In Warhammer III, the ancient Chaos God Nurgle is attributed to bringing Plague to the provinces who refuse to worship him.

With high Corruption, Nurgle and his faction will see improved Growth and Control, while invaders will have the Plague in their territory, whose duration will be vastly increased.

High Corruption benefits to Nurgle

• Enabled attrition for non-Chaos worshipping armies
• Improved Growth
• Improved Control
• Reduction to other types of corruption

High Corruption drawbacks to invaders

• Increased chance of plague spreading (local armies)
• Higher Plague duration (local armies)
• Reduced Growth
• Reduced Control

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4) Tzeentch

Tzeentch (Image via Total War: Warhammer III)

The magician trickster Tzeentch is one of the more unique Chaos Gods in Warhammer III, atleast when it comes to the type of benefits and drawbacks he provides with higher Corruption.

When the attribute is high, then his followers will have Winds of Magic strengthen their power. Additionally, they will also have improved Control over the province as well.

High Corruption benefits to Tzeentch

• Enables attrition for non-Chaos worshipping armies
• Increased Control
• Improved chance of Winds of Magic increasing

High Corruption drawbacks to invaders

• Reduced Growth
• Reduced Control
• Reduced chance of Winds of Magic increase

It’s important to note here that the amount of Corruption effect will vary based on the overall strength of the attribute. The level is capped at 100 in a region, which can be manipulated by buildings, hero abilities, and even province research.