Gorbad & Grom: Essential Fixes For Total War

Hey there, fellow Total War commanders! Today, we're diving deep into some crucial fixes and enhancements for two of the most iconic Legendary Lords in the game: Gorbad Ironclaw and Grom the Paunch. These legendary lords, while powerful, have had their fair share of quirks and minor issues that can impact gameplay. But fear not! A fantastic mod pack has emerged to smooth out these rough edges, ensuring your campaigns with these formidable greenskins are as epic and bug-free as possible. We'll be exploring the specific changes introduced by this pack, focusing on leadership effects, ammunition replacers, and unit ability fixes, all designed to bring Gorbad and Grom to their full, glorious potential.

Stinky Fungi Leadership Effect Fix (Grom's Cauldron)

Let's kick things off with a significant adjustment to Grom's Cauldron, specifically the Stinky Fungi leadership effect. In the original game mechanics, certain campaign effect lists struggled to properly connect faction-wide effects to specific unit types or battle scenarios, particularly when trying to link a faction to a force or a siege situation. This meant that the intended leadership debuff of -8 for Grom's Stinky Fungi, both in general and specifically when besieging enemy settlements, was completely nonfunctional. Imagine building your strategy around a key debuff, only to find it doesn't actually work when you need it most! That's exactly what was happening. The solution implemented in this mod pack is quite ingenious. Instead of relying on the problematic campaign effect lists, the mod reworks the effect to enable a passive unit ability for Lords and Heroes belonging to the grn_characters unit set. This newly implemented ability directly applies a -8 leadership penalty to all enemy units in battle, regardless of the tactical situation. Now, you might be thinking, "What if I have multiple characters with this ability?" Great question! The mod wisely accounts for this: abilities of the same type don't stack. This means that even if you have several Lords or Heroes with the Stinky Fungi leadership ability present, the result is a single, consistent -8 leadership penalty applied to the enemy army in battle. This ensures a predictable and reliable debuff that enhances Grom's strategic capabilities significantly. It’s a smart fix that bypasses the underlying engine limitations and delivers the intended gameplay effect, making Grom’s early game pressure and late-game dominance even more potent.

Ammo Replacers for RoR Units (Grom's Cauldron)

Moving on to another critical area of improvement for Grom's Cauldron: ammunition replacers for Regiments of Renown (RoR) units. A noticeable oversight in the base game was the exclusion of RoR goblin missile units from the existing ammunition replacer system. This is particularly impactful because many of these elite goblin units possess their own unique missile weapons and projectiles, each with distinct characteristics and effects. Without proper integration into the ammo replacer system, these unique properties could be lost or not synergistically combined with Grom's army-wide buffs. This mod pack addresses this by meticulously combining the unique missiles and projectiles of these RoR units with the intended effects of the ammo replacers. For most RoR goblin missile units, this means their inherent strengths are now properly enhanced and supported. A special case, however, is the Deff Creepers. These units, instead of having a direct ammo replacer applied, have been given the existing spider rider poison and Grom combo projectiles. This is a clever solution, as it leverages existing, powerful projectile types that fit the thematic and mechanical role of the Deff Creepers, ensuring they remain a potent threat on the battlefield with the added benefit of Grom’s unique enhancements. This attention to detail ensures that Grom’s elite forces, particularly his unique RoR units, perform at their peak, delivering the devastating ranged support expected from such specialized troops. It’s a nuanced fix that respects the unique identity of each unit while ensuring they benefit from the overall campaign mechanics.

Ammo Replacers for RoR Units (Gorbad's Stinky Arrers Tactic)

Similar to the enhancements for Grom, this mod pack also brings crucial ammunition improvements to Gorbad Ironclaw’s forces, specifically concerning ammunition replacers for Regiments of Renown units under Gorbad's Stinky Arrers Tactic. The focus here is on Ruglud's Armoured Orcs, a formidable unit that deserved better integration into the tactical ammunition system. The mod introduces a Stinky Arrers Tactic ammunition replacer specifically for Ruglud's Armoured Orcs. This addition ensures that these elite orc archers benefit from the unique buffs and tactical advantages associated with Gorbad's specialized tactics. A key consideration in implementing this fix was whether Ruglud's Armoured Orcs could be technically classified under the 'Orc Arrer Boyz' umbrella for the purpose of these mechanics. By creating a dedicated replacer, the mod bypasses any ambiguity, guaranteeing that this powerful RoR unit receives the intended mechanical support. This allows Gorbad's army to field a more cohesive and potent ranged contingent, capable of delivering sustained and impactful volleys. It’s a targeted fix that recognizes the value of specific elite units and ensures they are not left behind in the synergy of army-wide buffs and tactical options available to Gorbad. This kind of granular attention is what truly elevates a campaign experience, making every unit feel impactful and contributing to the overall strategic depth.

Regular Night Goblin Ammo Replacer Base Damage Fix (Grom's Cauldron)

Let's circle back to Grom's Cauldron with another important fix related to regular Night Goblin ammunition. It appears that at some point during the game's development or through subsequent updates, the base damage of regular Night Goblin missiles was increased by +1, bumping it from 10 to 11. This is a seemingly small change, but in the fast-paced and often brutal battles of Total War, even a single point of damage can make a significant difference, especially when dealing with large numbers of low-tier units. The issue was that the Grom ammunition replacers for these Night Goblins were not updated to reflect this base damage increase. Consequently, these units were not receiving the full benefit of their enhanced ammunition, operating with a slightly lower damage output than intended. This mod pack rectifies this by adding the missing +1 base damage to these specific missile weapons. This ensures that the ammunition replacers are now in line with the current base damage values of the Night Goblin missiles, restoring their intended offensive capability. It’s a meticulous correction that ensures Grom's core goblin infantry, often the backbone of his early-game armies, are as effective as they are supposed to be. This fix guarantees that when you equip your Night Goblins with Grom's special ammunition, you are indeed getting the full, intended punch, contributing more effectively to the overall war effort and reinforcing Grom's ability to overwhelm his foes with sheer numbers and surprisingly potent missile fire.

Gorbad, Strider for RoR Cavalry Units Fix

Finally, we address a fix concerning Gorbad Ironclaw's unique skills, specifically those that grant the 'Strider' ability to his cavalry units, a similar issue that previously affected the 'Dig In' ability for missile units. Gorbad possesses skills designed to enhance his army by granting powerful abilities like 'Dig In' and 'Strider' to specific unit types, typically at rank 7. However, it was discovered that these skills did not effectively apply to Regiments of Renown (RoR) cavalry units. The underlying problem stemmed from how the targeted unit sets were defined. They often used the 'level range' property, which inadvertently excluded RoR units, even though they were technically included in the broader unit sets. While RoR units were listed, they weren't eligible due to this level restriction. To overcome this limitation, the mod pack implements a clever solution: new unit sets have been created specifically for the green tide missile and cavalry RoR units. These new sets are defined without the restrictive 'level range' property. This ensures that when Gorbad's character skill, which contains the enabling effect, is active, it can now properly target and grant the 'Strider' ability (and by extension, similar fixes for 'Dig In' if they existed) to these elite RoR units. This means Gorbad's powerful cavalry, including his unique RoR variants, can now benefit from the increased movement and maneuverability provided by the Strider ability, making them more effective flanking units and shock troops. This is a crucial fix that restores the intended synergy between Gorbad's lord skills and his elite RoR units, enhancing his army's tactical flexibility and combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

In conclusion, this mod pack provides a suite of essential fixes that significantly improve the gameplay experience for both Gorbad Ironclaw and Grom the Paunch. By addressing issues with leadership effects, ammunition replacers, and unit ability application, it ensures these legendary lords and their armies perform as intended, making your campaigns smoother and more enjoyable. These kinds of detailed improvements are what make the Total War modding community so incredible!

For more information on Total War: Warhammer III and its mechanics, check out the official Total War Website. For deep dives into unit stats and campaign strategies, the Total War Wiki is an invaluable resource.