Total War: Warhammer III Says Farewell to... Arse Ladders? (Yes, Really)
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Total War: Warhammer III is removing the infamous "arse ladders" in a new beta, aiming to improve siege AI and balance. Players can test the changes and provide feedback before they go live, so all hope is not lost yet!
Right, so you know how in Total War: Warhammer, every soldier, from the lowliest goblin to the mightiest Chaos Warrior, could seemingly conjure a ladder from… well, a rather *unlikely* place? Yeah, those "arse ladders" are getting the boot.
I've been tinkering with this news all morning, and I gotta say, the official announcement from Creative Assembly (CA) over at Rock Paper Shotgun is wilder than it first appears. Apparently, after eight long years (2016-2025), these magically appearing siege ladders are deemed…unrealistic? Maybe? Look, don't ask me. I just report the news.
Nic Reuben at Rock Paper Shotgun broke the story, highlighting that CA is launching a new "Proving Grounds" beta to test out the ladder removal, along with siege equipment rebalancing and settlement layout tweaks. It sounds like CA actually listened to player feedback (fair dinkum!). This Proving Grounds thingy means these changes won't just suddenly land in your game. Instead, you get to muck around with them in a separate beta, give feedback, and help CA (hopefully) not break the game completely.
Now, I know what you're thinking: "Jeff, why should I care about ladders?" Well, mate, it's not just about the ladders themselves. It's about how the AI behaves during sieges. Turns out, the AI was pretty reliant on those magically appearing scaffolds. CA claims they've "fixed over 50 issues related to how the Battle AI plays" in sieges. That's a whole lotta fixing! (Let's hope they're not just replacing one set of problems with another, eh?).
Other changes coming in the Proving Grounds beta include tower range reductions (but damage buffs!) and sturdier gates. You'll also be able to build siege towers and battering rams faster, which sounds like a welcome change to those tedious siege preparations. And get this: siege attrition is getting a buff, becoming a "linear progression" that gets stronger each turn a settlement is under siege. Brutal!
If you're keen to dive into the nitty-gritty details, check out the original Rock Paper Shotgun article. The beta runs from July 24th to August 7th, so get your testing hats on! There was also a livestream on Twitch with battle team lead Milcho Vasilev, if you are interested in that.
So, farewell, arse ladders. You were weird, you were janky, but you were ours. Let's hope these changes make sieges more challenging and interesting, not just…different.
Tags: Total War Warhammer III, Siege, AI, Modding, Strategy Games
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun