Summary of "Fay Enchantress Campaign Start Guide - Total war Warhammer 3"

Overview

Video settings: Legendary campaign, Very Hard battles, no mods. Goal: occupy four provinces (seven settlements) including Paravon before Orion claims it; kill Grom; secure the Questing Vow on the Fae Enchantress, her Paladin, and two different Lords.

This guide covers the Fay Enchantress campaign start for Total War: Warhammer 3 with practical tactics, build and research priorities, a concise turn-by-turn early plan, and notes on battles, economy, and long-term goals.

Key mechanics and rules to remember

Fae Enchantress passive: while in melee she damages nearby enemy units and reduces their melee attack by 5. Use her to “blob” enemies together, but avoid relying on her for single-target duels.
Paladin aura: grants nearby Lords/heroes +15% physical resistance — keep him close to other leaders.
Grail Guardians: starting unit; their upkeep is reduced only when they’re in the Fae’s army.
Knight upkeep reductions for other knight units require progressing Knight vows.
Progress vows early and consistently (Pledge to Chivalry, Pledge to Protect, Pledge to Valor, etc.).

Skill and research priorities

Fae Enchantress: level Earthblood first, then Dwellers Below.
Paladin: get Training, then focus on defensive skills.
New Lords: prioritize pledge/vow progression, then defensive or offensive utility depending on role.
Research: prioritize income and region-specific decrees (the video uses a green decree and later “sewer cleaning” to handle Skaven).

Early-game tactical tips

Fight important early battles manually to minimize casualties and maximize item chances (killing enemy Lords raises post-battle item drops).
Deploy outside enemy artillery when possible; use your trebuchet/long-range artillery to harass.
Hide cavalry (with the Paladin) and reveal them to take out enemy artillery or cavalry.
Use Awakening of the Woods to slow and disrupt enemy blobs; use Earthblood to heal the Fae and nearby heroes.
Blob enemies around the Fae to maximize her passive damage; use cavalry to trample enemy skirmishers and ranged units.
Sack settlements you capture unless you need to occupy them—sacking grants money.
Avoid sieges when possible on Legendary difficulty. If you must attack a garrison, try to win in the field or autoresolve only if losses are low.

Economy, buildings, and diplomacy

Rotate Commandments on settlements to match needs: construction cost reduction, public order, or income as the situation demands.
Build income buildings early (fields, windmills, farms) and prioritize walls on Castle Carcasson for defense against Ikclaw.
Demolish non-income or unnecessary military buildings in newly captured settlements to shift quickly toward income growth.
Use diplomacy to secure income: non-aggression and trade pacts (Estalia is cited) and purposeful wars that benefit you (e.g., join Orion vs Paravon so Orion won’t capture the province).

Turn-by-turn (concise early plan: turns 1–12)

Turn 1
- Attach Paladin to the main army.
- Start Pledge to Chivalry.
- Manually attack the initial enemy: target artillery, use Awakening of the Woods, blob with the Fae, and kill the enemy Lord if possible.
- Occupy Bonn/Bon; activate Commandment for public order.
- Recruit a lord at Castle Carcasson; recruit spearmen/archers and begin field/income buildings.
Turn 2
- Build any building required to complete the “Tower” mission rewards if needed.
- Demolish unnecessary barracks; switch Commandment to construction cost reduction.
- Force-march armies toward Qualis; start vows for new Lords.
Turn 3
- Offer to join Orion’s war vs Paravon (prevents Orion from taking it).
- Besiege Paravon with the Fae; transfer archers to her army.
- Manual battle recommended (defensive with trebuchet; watch for enemy cavalry).
- Sack and occupy Paravon.
Turns 4–5
- Recruit another Lord.
- Build walls at Carcasson; upgrade income buildings.
- Secure non-aggression/trade pacts or sell trades for money.
- Force-march toward Massoral to prepare for Grom; assign pledge skill points as needed.
Turn 6
- Declare war on Grom when positioned advantageously.
- Avoid sieges if the enemy army is outside the settlement.
- Position to allow reinforcement with up to two Lords due to narrow approach.
- Manually fight as needed and run down routing units to reduce future siege burdens.
Turns 7–8
- Prepare for Ikclaw (attacks around turn ~8).
- Attack Aquatan with the Fae.
- Keep armies replenished and in Amber/defensive stance when appropriate.
- Recruit more archers and Lords; secure garrison buildings and income.
Turns 9–12
- Finish off remaining Skaven forces.
- Retake/secure Aquatan and Boro.
- Pledge to Protect for Questing Vow completion.
- Kill or capture Grom during the planned engagement to trigger the quest reward.
- Occupy captured settlements and continue building income and defenses.

Specific building and settlement notes

Paravon: if you capture stables you can recruit knights; otherwise demolish barracks/forge to convert to income.
Massoral: prioritize income buildings and demolish non-income structures; ensure the Fae is present in Massoral on the correct turn to bait Grom.
Castle Carcasson: build walls early to gain autoresolve bonuses against Ikclaw.
Always rotate Commandments per settlement needs (public order, construction cost, extra public order when under unrest).

Battle flow reminders

Transfer units out of the Fae’s army before long marches or turn-ends to avoid vigor penalties and to keep Grail Guardians’ reduced upkeep when needed.
Use the Paladin to buff other leaders—keep him nearby.
Prefer manual battles for important fights; autoresolve is acceptable for trivial engagements if losses are only low-value peasants.
Deploy cavalry to flank and trample ranged/skirmisher lines; use artillery defensively and target enemy artillery early.

End goals and next steps

After securing Paravon, Massoral, and Aquatan and killing Grom, turn attention to Eaw and Morgar (both can be difficult).
Continue vow progression to unlock and recruit higher-tier knight units.

Gamers / sources featured

No external gamers or outside sources are featured in the subtitles — the guide is presented by the unnamed video narrator.
Video title: “Fay Enchantress Campaign Start Guide - Total War: Warhammer 3.”