Before we go any further, check out our previous article and watch Grand Cathay come to life in the epic cinematic trailer for Total War: Warhammer III. Even if you’ve seen it once before (or countless times, like we have), treat yourself to another viewing – it’s that good.
All done? We won’t blame you if you watch it again quickly…
Right, now we can get on with revealing some of the awesome work that’s gone into the development of this previously unseen kingdom of the World-that-Was. Believe it or not, Grand Cathay has existed in the lore of the Warhammer world since its foundation, though with the action focused mostly on the kingdoms and empires to the west of the World’s Edge Mountains, not much was ever revealed about it. The culture and military disposition of Grand Cathay has therefore remained shrouded in mystery… until now, that is!
With this ancient and enigmatic empire set to star in Total War: Warhammer III, the design team in the Warhammer studio set to work developing every aspect of Grand Cathay’s lore, from the architectural style of their cities and buildings to their key military leaders and units. Inspired by this new background material and concept art, the talented designers at Creative Assembly then went about bringing them to life on the screen.
Let’s take a look at three of the most impressive units from the cinematic trailer and learn a bit more about them with some of their official lore straight from the Warhammer studio.
Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon
The undisputed star of the cinematic trailer is Miao Ying, daughter of the Celestial Dragon Emperor, and one of the divine rulers and provincial commanders of Grand Cathay.
The Storm Dragon, as it turns out, is just one of her many titles….
Terracotta Sentinels
These monolithic constructs stand out in the cinematic trailer in more ways than one – they’re absolutely colossal for starters, yet seem able to move with surprising swiftness and grace for towering animated statues.
Kongming Sky Lanterns and Sky-junks
The Cathayans maintain fleets of aerial vessels comprising Kongming Sky Lanterns and larger Sky-junks to keep watch over their borders. In the trailer, a flight of these aircraft took to the skies to battle the airborne elements of their Tzeentchian foes.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg! You can look forward to learning more about the origins of Grand Cathay over the coming months with Warhammer Community, as well as in the video game’s latest lore blog, as we get close to the hotly anticipated launch of Total War: Warhammer III early next year. And, of course, the Old World project is continuing apace, so keep your eyes out for updates on the further development of the Bretonnia, Kislev, the (divided) Empire, and more as it progresses.