Total War Warhammer 3 introduces "entirely new" Tiger Warriors after working "closely" with Games Workshop

Total War: Warhammer 3 does some excellent things that I wish the tabletop game would recreate. Most of these take the form of powerful units – I want plastic miniatures (or should that be bigatures?) of the Thunderbarge and Necrofex Colossus, please and thank you. The newest addition to the game is Bhashiva and her impressive Tiger Warriors, another character and unit I’d love to make the transition from pixel to plastic.

Bhashiva is the lead of Total War Warhammer 3’s first Character Pack, a small piece of DLC that gives you a character and their retinue to use in the game. Bhashiva herself is known as the Desert Tigress or the White Tiger of Shang-Yang, and you can probably guess which of the strategy game’s factions she represents.

Yes, Bhashiva and her Tiger Warriors will be able to join the forces of Grand Cathay, which gives me hope that she could cross over to the tabletop. The faction has been present in the videogame setting since Warhammer 3’s release in 2022, and Miao Ying and co. jumped onto my painting table last year. There are Cathayan peasant militia on the way already, but could we get an elite group of Tiger Warriors, too? I certainly hope so.

Tabletop aside – head over to our sister site Wargamer for more of that sort of thing – these tigrine soldiers are ready for war. A band of mercenaries under the leadership of one of the Lords of Shang-Yang, the White Tiger is said to emerge whenever the armies of the Everchosen rear their heads and the tides of Chaos break against The Old World’s shores.

“We’ve worked closely with Games Workshop to introduce an entirely new character to Warhammer lore,” reads the blog post from developer Creative Assembly. Senior game director Richard Aldridge adds that the new units give Grand Cathay “this fierce and aggressive predatory edge that both expands their roleplaying potential and their tactical flexibility.” But what does that really mean?

Bhashiva herself is a stealthy assassin who excels at taking down infantry. Armed with flaming twin katara, her attacks continue to do more damage with each devastating slice as they weaken opponents’ resistances to flame, as well as dealing damage. Her signature item, Heaven’s Gate, plays into that stealthy playstyle, letting her cross the battlefield completely unseen. A patient hunter and apex predator, I can’t wait to get my hands on her for my next campaign.

The Tiger Warriors themselves hold a grudge against Tzeentch in particular, as their forebears defied the architect of fate thanks to undying loyalty to their people. On the battlefield, they follow in the White Tiger’s footsteps, pouncing from the shadows and adding a guerrilla-style string to Grand Cathay’s proverbial bow.

Finally, Warhammer 3 is introducing Clawspeakers, spellcasters who worship the old Indish gods – namely, Kamau. Channeling the Wind of Beasts, they can buff the ferocity of your units or summon cruel creatures from the Mountains of Heaven. Utilizing Vanguard Deployment to shape the battle before it has even begun, don’t forget to make use of the Lore of Life to heal your units, as other Cathayan spellcasters don’t have access to these spells.

Bhashiva and her Tiger Warriors will be available in a Total War Warhammer 3 Character Pack, costing $4.99 / £3.99, soon. You can check out the full blog post here.

As the first new unit of 2026, the year of Total War Warhammer’s tenth anniversary, I couldn’t be happier. With striking designs and abilities that add a new playstyle to the Grand Cathay roster, the Tiger Warriors are everything I could have asked for. We already know the Lords of the Endtimes are on their way and Update 9.0 will bring a Vampire Counts refresh, but this Character Pack has piqued my interest. What surprises lurk on the horizon? Who’s to say. But either way, ten years on, TWW3 is looking pretty damn good.