[Update] The patch is now live. You can find the full patch notes, as well as more about the accompanying "The Queen and the Crone" DLC over here.

After a bit of a hiatus, Total War: Warhammer 2 will soon be getting a whole bunch of new content. The Queen and the Crone DLC will bring with it two new Legendary Lords and a whole host of additional units, the Alith Anar free DLC will add yet another Legendary Lord to toy around with, Norsca will finally become available in the Vortex and Mortal Empires campaign, and last but not least, the Dwarfs will be getting a bunch of changes to make them a lot more interesting.

The first and more exciting change is that Ungrim Ironfirst will now be starting from Karak Kadrin, the Slayers Keep. Given the presence of the Great Slayer Shrine I'm sure it won't come as much of a surprise to hear that Ungrim will be able to recruit Slayers (likely including the new Giant Slayers) from the very beginning, but what you might not expect is that Ungrim will also come with the ability to settle in Frozen climates. So if you're up for a bit of diversity in your Dwarf campaign, build up your armies and head north to liberate Kraka Drak, and eventually even the whole of Norsca!

The very angry, and very hairs Giant Slayers

"Dwarfs were slightly underrepresented in the legendary building department, so we’re adding some interesting new options for them," reads the developer update. "The ancestral birthplace of the Dwarfs, Karak Zorn in the far south, can now host the Hall of the Ancestors. In the far north, at Kraka Drak, Dwarfs can now build the Silver Hall to show off the great wealth of this remote hold. Karak Izor is famous for its copper, so Dwarfs can exploit the Copper Mountain. Additionally, below Iron Mountain vast magma chambers are uncovered, providing a way to acquire high-quality obsidian – which is sure to come in handy as Richard will explain. The last two buildings can also be exploited by Skaven. Speaking of which, Skaven may also have found a use for Brightstone…"

On a slightly different note, the developers have also added two unique buildings to Sartosa - the famous pirate haven. Additionally, they will be putting Sartosa onto the campaign map in the Mortal Empires, which leads me to believe we're going to be getting a Dogs of War themed DLC at some point in the future.

To come back on topic, however, the Dwarfs will also be getting the Forge - an alternative version of the Tomb Kings Mortuary Cult. As the name itself would imply, the Forge will allow Dwarfs to create weapons, armor, talismans and even enchanted items, all themed around Dwarf heroes and legends of old. While it is going to be similar to the Mortuary Cult, the Forge will come with some minor differences.

"First up, Dwarfs have no need for Canopic Jars, and instead have their own unique resource that they can collect throughout the game called Oathgold," continues the developer update. "This precious material is used in conjunction with other trade resources to forge unique items and can be acquired from completing Grudges, constructing specialist buildings such as the Smithy and Trade building chains, and via a number of new and existing character skills."

"The other difference comes in the form of Recycling. This option within the Forge allows you to crush down and make new any unwanted magic items you’ve either randomly received throughout your campaign or forged but no longer wish to keep. The amount of Oathgold gained via this method will vary greatly based on the rarity of the magic item, with Legendary items offering the highest return and common items the least."

While all of these changes are relatively minor when compared to The Queen and the Crone DLC, I can't help but be extremely pleased with the amount of care Creative Assembly has put into the Dwarfs. I can only hope the Empire will also get similar changes in the future because right now their campaign is just a bit too bland when compared to all of the new and exciting ones.

Once more details get revealed I'll make sure to cover them, but until then I'll leave you to read the rest of the developer update over at the official website. Enjoy!