Not many games give players the opportunity to be the snobbiest elves ever. That’s whyTotal War: Warhammer 2is as much a roleplaying experience as a grandstrategy game. By far, one of the most immersive factions in the game is the High Elves; they’re easy enough to emulate, they just show the world their peaceful ways violently. Everyone else is wrong.
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Well, their faction name says it all. As such, the High Elves have some of the most powerful units in the game and dislike disorder. That’s also one reason why they can be easy to mess up. Knowing the right way to play them and the most effective tactics can go a long way. So make Aenarion proud and crush those Dark Elves and lesser factions by being at the top of the game as a High Elf.
Updated August 06, 2025, by Sid Natividad:Warhammer 2 High Elves have always been an intriguing faction compared to other fantasy Elves. This is because they’re more elitist, and more arrogant compared to other fantasy Elves. However, they do have the strength to back that up. But, like any powerful faction, overconfidence can prove to be a slow and insidious killer. That’s why knowing just how to navigate the thorny rose bush that is Ulthuan is important.
15Always Prioritize The Blue Skill Tree For The Lords
When it comes to building up lords and their armiesinTotal War: Warhammer2, it’s always recommended to make their campaign map interactions more powerful instead of focusing on tactics or combat moves. This leads to an overall positive long-term effect for the faction.
Hence, every lord (Legendary or otherwise) with an army ought to focus on Campaign Movement Range, Lightning Strike, and Casualty Replenishment. Upkeep Cost and Reduced Siege Holdout Time are also good additions, though players should verify to grab those before building up their spells' battle map passives.
14They’re Great At Winning Auto-Resolve Fights
One almost unfair advantage that the High Elves have is that the auto-resolve AI generally favors their high-quality units. They have some of the best stats in the game (second only to Warriors of Chaos) and that means they can often get away with some lopsided auto-resolve matchups.
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This becomes an even more glaring advantage once they have unlocked their dragons and flying units. So, players will want to rush to those if they want an easy time stomping or playing whack-a-mole with enemy armies. Most times, they don’t even need to fight on the battle map, unless the enemy is Chaos or a doom stack.
13Princesses Are Generally Better As Lords
When it comes to picking a generic, non-legendary High Elf lord to lead an army, Princesses offer more well-rounded stats and utility. They can have better traits for recruitment and the armies they control. Meanwhile, their primary weapon is also ranged, meaning they can attack with a bow even if they have a Star Dragon mount.
In melee, they’re not too far off the Princes, especially once the dragon mounts are available. The best part about having a High Elf princess as an army lord is that they buff ranged damage, letting players take full advantage of Lothern Sea Guards and other awesome ranged units.
12Bring Lore of Life Wizards
One of the biggest weaknesses of High Elves is that their combat usefulness wears off the longer they stay in a stressful clash. Once their health is depleted, the other factions' armies will easily rip through them, assuming they didn’t immediately crush the opposition early enough.
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That’s why it’s rather important to nurse these battle-worn units back to health if the opportunity arises (i.e. if the enemy army has reinforcements, or during a siege). For that, a wizard who specializes in the Lore of Life is a literal lifesaver for High Elf armies.
11Grab Treasures By The Sea
High Elf units can be expensive, both when conscripting them and during upkeep. Players might even find themselves running out of gold if they field too many armies with high-quality units. Instead of dismantling these units or armies, what players can do is recruit a lone High Elf lord and send him out to the seas around Ulthuan.
This is because that nautical area is teeming with treasures ripe for the taking. Each of them claimed could yield around 5,000 to 10,000 gold. This is enough to bring the faction out of bankruptcy in some cases. Players should just make sure to grab them before the Vampire Coast armies pick them up.
10Grab The Sword Of Khaine
Sadly, part of making Aenarion proud requires a bit of madness and favor from Khaine, the Elven equivalent of Chaos' Khorne, except nicer. As it is, the best way to ensnare Khaine’s power is by grabbing his sword which is conveniently situated Northeast of Ulthuan.
It’s even better if the faction lord is Tyrion. Tyrion, when paired with the Sword of Khaine, becomes a one-man army and puts the game in easy mode regardless of the difficulty. Of course, the same goes for most lords who wield the sword, but the High Elves have the advantage of grabbing it earlier. Simply wage war against the Scourge of Khaine and take Nagarythe from their degenerate hands.
9Take Advantage Of The Flexible Ranged Units
Regardless of whether players have the Sword of Khaine or not, the High Elf battle map tactic is pretty simple: bring in some quality unfair units then hope that the enemy will be embarrassed at how inadequate they are and rout. If they don’t then the Lothern Sea Guards will make quick work of them.
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These archers are straight-up questionable in their balancing; they’re archers equipped with spears and shields. They also function as early game units or as other players regard them: early game doom stacks in single-player. For multiplayer, they can get a bit tricky to use especially against players that know what’s up.
8Bolt Throwers Are Good For Sniping
Bolt Throwers are not exactly the best artillery units in the game; in fact, they’re the worst out of all the four base factionsofTotal War: Warhammer 2. However, players can even out the playing field by making the Bolt Throwers take out enemy artillery.
Turn out they’re great for sniping and with their alternate “buckshot” mode, one can easily and manually take out the enemy artillery crew with well-placed shots. Since other factions' artillery are straight-up better, then that’s a big advantage for the High Elves if they get dispatched.
7Star Dragons Are The Best
Speaking of big advantages, the High Elves also have some of the best dragonsin the game. They’re usually only available late game though but at that point, they already have a strong economy if they fully control Ulthuan.
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Star Dragons, for that matter, are the most impressive ones on the roster. High Elven doom stacks sometimes consist of 19 of them and one lord. If not, then ensure to always include at least two in an army. They can take out clumps of heavily armored melee units, which the High Elves have difficulty combating.
6Play Defensively
As for the general battle style for the High Elves, it’s best to treat the units like precious action figures. That’s because High Elf units don’t replenish well, especially outside of Ulthuan. So being conservative with them keeps them at full strength.
Moreover, they don’t exactly last well in protracted battles and their strength per battle is on a downward trend so keeping them fresh by sending Tyrion with a Sword of Khaine while Lothern Sea Guards harass the stragglers is a sound strategy.
