How to Unlock All 9 Nagash Mortarchs in Warhammer 3

Quick Answer

Take Arkhan the Black first, then check Mannfred’s Book counter before sending an army after another Book; Arkhan can already be carrying one when he joins.

Before subjugating Mannfred, Neferata, Vlad, or Luthor Harkon, make sure each target faction controls five regions or fewer. This limit applies to their factions, not Nagash’s own territory.

Combine the Grey Mountains, Nuln, Empire, and Silver Pinnacle objectives into one northern campaign instead of making separate long-distance trips.

Applies to Update 9.0.2.

Nagash has nine Mortarchs, but unlocking all nine is mostly a routing problem. Arkhan and Mannfred fit into the opening campaign, two later unlocks can progress without sending an army across the map, several objectives overlap around the Empire, and Luthor Harkon pulls the campaign toward a separate coastal expansion.

There is also a blocker worth checking before any long journey: the Legendary Lord Mortarchs can require their factions to control five regions or fewer when you subjugate them. Completing a Book, landmark, corruption, or settlement condition does not help if the target has already expanded beyond that limit.

All 9 Nagash Mortarch Requirements

The distinction between Legendary Lords and the other Mortarchs matters. Subjugating Arkhan, Mannfred, Neferata, Vlad, or Luthor brings their existing empire and forces under Nagash. Krell, Dieter, and Walach join as Legendary Heroes, while The Nameless is a Follower rather than another army commander.

Check the Five-Region Condition Before Finishing a Legendary Lord

Mannfred and Vlad’s Mortarch panels explicitly show the requirement that their factions remain at five regions or fewer. Neferata and Luthor follow the same Legendary Lord subjugation constraint. Arkhan’s panel does not show that condition, making him the opening exception.

At six regions, finishing the personal requirement can still leave the subjugation unavailable. Check faction size while the final requirement is still in progress rather than after spending ten turns reaching the target.

Mannfred is the easiest place for this to go wrong because he begins close enough to Nagash to expand quickly. If he reaches five regions while you still need the second Book or Vaulted Chamber, watch his next war closely. Letting him capture another settlement can turn a nearly finished unlock into a war to reduce him again.

Vlad and Neferata have the same risk later, except their requirements take much longer to finish. By the time Nagash reaches the Empire or Silver Pinnacle, their starting factions may have changed substantially.

Arkhan Is the Cleanest First Mortarch

Arkhan asks for two opening-game actions: recruit 5 Tomb Kings units and raise the Black Pyramid’s main settlement to Tier 2 or higher.

Expensive recruitment is unnecessary here. Five cheap Tomb Kings units satisfy the recruitment requirement just as effectively, leaving more money for the Black Pyramid upgrade and the opening expansion. The detailed spending and Khemri route belong to the Nagash economy setup; for the Mortarch unlock itself, only the unit count and settlement tier matter.

Arkhan’s lack of a five-region restriction also removes the main timing risk that affects the other Legendary Lords. Taking him early is still useful because his army, territory, and any Book he is already carrying immediately become part of Nagash’s campaign.

Check Arkhan’s Book Before Chasing Mannfred’s Second Book

Mannfred needs 2 Books of Nagash and Nagash’s Vaulted Chamber at the Black Pyramid.

Subjugate Arkhan before planning a long Book detour. Arkhan can already be carrying a Book of Nagash, and a Book held by his army comes with him when his faction joins Nagash. Check Mannfred’s counter immediately afterward; if it has already moved to 1/2, only one additional Book is still needed.

That can remove an entire early expedition from Mannfred’s route. Look for the second Book along the campaign direction Nagash already wants to take rather than sending Arkhan across the map simply because Mannfred needs two.

The other checkpoint is Mannfred’s faction size. If the Book counter and Vaulted Chamber are nearly complete but the Drakenhof Conclave is already on five regions, control that expansion risk before beginning another distant objective.

Leave Progression-Based Mortarchs Running in the Background

After Arkhan and Mannfred, the Mortarch screen starts pointing toward several distant parts of the map. Not every condition deserves an immediate expedition.

The Nameless advances with Nagash’s wider campaign progression rather than a distant settlement chain. Rank progression and Sigils accumulate while other objectives are being completed, so diverting an army for this Mortarch achieves nothing.

Dieter Helsnicht is tied to Nagashizzar and Morghasts. Once Nagashizzar reaches a Tier 5 Necropolis and the army has recruited 10 Morghast units, his requirement can be completed without another cross-map conquest.

Nagashizzar is already important beyond Dieter, so build it as part of the main campaign rather than travelling there only for one hero. If the distance is the blocker, use the Black Pyramid travel shortcut instead of marching Nagash through the Badlands.

One Northern Campaign Can Advance Krell, Vlad, Walach, and Neferata

The largest saving comes after the opening pair.

Krell points toward the Grey Mountains. Walach needs Nuln and the Blood Keep. Vlad needs Nuln along with three other major Empire settlements. Neferata sits beyond that route at Silver Pinnacle.

Treating them as separate jobs produces repeated cross-map travel. A single northbound campaign can advance all four.

Krell: Let the Battle Count Complete Naturally

Krell requires 50 battle wins, but the territorial part is less demanding than it first appears.

The requirement is to maintain control of at least one of these provinces:

• Northern Grey Mountains;
• Southern Grey Mountains.

Control can come through direct ownership, vassals, or military allies.

That makes Krell much easier to fold into the northern advance than a route that tries to conquer both Grey Mountain provinces. The 50 battles will usually accumulate during the rest of Nagash’s expansion; there is little reason to farm throwaway fights purely for the counter.

Vlad: Treat the Four Cities as a Major Campaign Goal

Vlad requires control of:

• Castle Drakenhof
• Altdorf
• Nuln
• Middenheim

He also needs 5 Vampire Heroes.

The settlement requirement is the expensive part because it spans a large section of the Empire. Prepare the Vampire Heroes while the armies are already moving through those cities rather than waiting until all four are captured.

Vlad’s reward is also larger than adding another Lord to the recruitment pool. His faction and armies come with him, and Isabella von Carstein joins Nagash’s faction when Vlad is subjugated.

Walach: Finish Blood Keep While You Already Hold Nuln

Walach Harkon should be handled during the same push that satisfies Vlad’s Nuln requirement.

Take Nuln, raise it far enough to construct The Blood Keep, then finish the landmark before moving the campaign permanently away from the region. The Blood Keep itself requires substantial settlement development, so arriving at Nuln is only the first half of this unlock.

A separate expedition for Walach later repeats the most expensive part of the trip for no gain.

Neferata: Continue From the Empire Toward Silver Pinnacle

Neferata needs:

• Silver Pinnacle
• 5 regions with at least 75 Vampiric Corruption
• 12 Vampire units

The corruption and recruitment requirements can develop while the northern campaign continues. Silver Pinnacle determines the geographic commitment.

Moving there as an extension of the Empire campaign keeps the route continuous. Sending a separate army toward Silver Pinnacle before the northern front is secure leaves another long line of territory to defend and increases the chance that Neferata herself grows past the five-region limit while the other requirements are still incomplete.

Luthor Harkon Is the Separate Coastal Commitment

Luthor breaks the continental route because his requirements point toward The Awakening and 10 ports.

Ten ports can be expensive even when capturing them is easy. Scattered coastal settlements need armies, garrisons, or enough strategic control that enemies cannot repeatedly take them back while Nagash is campaigning elsewhere.

That makes Luthor a natural later target unless the campaign already owns a large coastal network. Check his five-region condition before beginning the long trip; finishing ten ports only to find his faction too large wastes the entire detour.

Why Can’t I Subjugate a Mortarch?

If a Mortarch’s requirements appear complete but the subjugation remains unavailable, check the faction limit before assuming the unlock is bugged.

1. Check the Target Faction’s Region Count

For Mannfred, Vlad, Neferata, and Luthor Harkon, the target faction must control five regions or fewer.

This means the settlements owned by that faction, not the number of provinces or regions Nagash controls.

A faction with six or more regions can remain unavailable even after its Book, landmark, corruption, recruitment, or port requirements are complete.

If the target has expanded too far, reduce its holdings before attempting to subjugate it again.

2. Recheck Every Requirement in the Mortarch Panel

Open the Mortarch panel and check the individual counters rather than assuming the main settlement or recruitment objective is enough.

Mannfred is a common example: collecting the required Books does not replace the need for Nagash’s Vaulted Chamber. Similarly, taking the necessary settlement for another Mortarch does not automatically complete its recruitment requirements.

If a counter has not advanced, finish that requirement before treating the unlock as a bug.

3. Separate Unlock Problems From Reward Bugs

An unavailable subjugation is not the same problem as successfully subjugating a Mortarch but finding their associated buildings still locked.

A reported issue involving Neferata caused building access to become locked again after changes to the Lord’s character state. Creative Assembly indicated that a hotfix should address that issue, but affected players may need a new campaign save for the fix to apply.

If a Mortarch has already joined Nagash, do not repeat the original recruitment or territorial requirements simply because a related building remains unavailable.

4. Check Game Version and Mods

If the visible requirements and region limit are satisfied but subjugation still does not activate, confirm the game version and check whether mods alter Legendary Lord recruitment, faction ownership, or defeated Lord recovery.

For persistent issues, preserve the current save before testing a separate unmodded campaign or reporting the problem.

Every Mortarch Gives 5 Sigils, but the Next One Costs More

Each Mortarch adds 5 Sigils to the Black Pyramid. All nine therefore contribute 45 Sigils. Mortarchs are only one source of Black Pyramid progress; provinces transformed through the Ritual of Undeath can also activate additional Sigil rewards on eligible buildings.

Those Sigils are permanent progression: losing territory later does not remove the points already gained from Mortarchs.

There is a cost on the other side of that progression. Subjugating a Mortarch applies +35% subjugation cost for other Mortarchs. The first pickups are therefore cheaper than the later ones, and collecting a Mortarch merely because the button is available can raise the price of a more important target you are about to finish.

This is another reason Arkhan and Mannfred make sense as the opening pair: their requirements fit the opening map and immediately add useful armies. After that, compare the next unlock with its actual campaign cost instead of clicking whichever Mortarch happens to become available first.

A practical order is:

Arkhan → Mannfred → Dieter or The Nameless when their progression requirements complete → Krell during the Grey Mountains advance → Vlad and Walach through the Empire → Neferata at Silver Pinnacle → Luthor when the coastal requirement is economical.

The middle of that sequence can change with wars and faction expansion. The important route decisions are to finish the opening pair early, combine the Empire objectives, and avoid a separate cross-map march for every Mortarch.

Nagash’s Long Campaign Victory only requires 6 Mortarchs, not all nine. Once six are unlocked and the other Long Victory requirements are ready, the campaign can move toward A Triumph of Death without waiting for every remaining Mortarch.