Earlier today, Creative Assembly announced Mandate of Heaven, the next major Chapter Pack DLC for Total War: Three Kingdoms. This new pack, releasing on the 16th of January, will feature a whole new campaign set twelve years before the main game, along with six new playable warlords and forty new units, among other things. However, as per usual for Creative Assembly, the studio will also be releasing a Three Kingdoms Free-LC alongside the DLC. In this case, that Free-LC is the character Tao Qian. This Strategist warlord will be playable in both Mandate of Heaven and the base game’s campaign.
Total War: Three Kingdoms Free-LC Warlord – Tao Qian
“Tao Qian has long been a steward of the Han and his own territory,” states the Three Kingdoms Free-LC Steam page; “He is renowned as a dependable and respectable governor, and one who focuses on building tall. He wants to make life better for the people he governs, and defends his lands against those who would dare to encroach upon it.”
Tao Qian, the “Benevolent Arbiter,” has been in Total War: Three Kingdoms as a unique character since its release. However, he has not been available as a playable warlord. In fact, as he starts the game as an old man, he dies of natural causes relatively early in most campaigns. (He generally leaves his territory to Liu Bei as part of a story event.) This new Free-LC will finally make Tao Qian a playable warlord. However, it remains to be seen what dilemma players will face when he does die in the main campaign. Of course, he will be twelve years younger in Mandate of Heaven, and so will last much longer for players who elect to play as his faction.
In campaign, Tao Qian’s faction effects will be a general -2 Public Order bonus and -10% Corruption bonus. As a result, his territory should be a bit more stable than normal. He has access to a unique spear unit and unique archer unit, and a unique resource called Displaced Population. Effectively, whenever any faction in a campaign conquers territory, Tao Qian generates Displaced Population as he welcomes refugees into his lands. The more Displaced Population he amasses, the better his Public Order becomes. Additionally, his construction and mustering times speed up, and even his militia units gain improvements. However, this resource decreases naturally over time. It also goes down whenever he occupies new territory himself and when he sends characters on assignments.