Zhao Ming is a son of the Celestial Dragon Emperor and a younger sibling to Grand Cathay’s other Legendary Lord, Miao Ying. Zhao starts near the desert city, Shang-Yang. Shang-Yang is considered a gateway to the West, but in Total War: Warhammer III, he watches over the deserts that surround Cathay and the Great Maw.
Zhao Ming has a handful of unique faction and battle mechanics. Here are his unique traits.
Faction Effects
- Maximum cargo capacity +20% for caravans
- Hero recruit rank: +5 for Alchemists
- Upkeep: -25% for Ogre mercenary units.
- Armour: +15 for melee units
Lord Effects
- Magic item drop chance: +100%
- Upkeep: -25% for melee units (Lord’s army)
- Harmony: +3 Yang
Zhao shares the same units as Maio, with unique bonus stats for Alchemy heroes. His skill and research tree also focus less on spells and more on powerful unit buffs. Zhao’s most powerful ability is similar to his sister, the power to shapeshift. Zhao can turn into a dragon and revert to his human form at will. Each form allows for unique abilities and spells, but not all spells can be used in his dragon form.
Here are his base stats and full skill tree.
Zhao Ming has weak spells but more than makes up for it with robust melee attack and defense. Zhao starts in the desert, just to the North of the Ogre kingdom. This open starting area is under constant siege from surrounding enemies. Moving out and clearing out neighboring factions is key to Xhao’s early game.
Zhao is a strong melee hero and benefits from dedicating additional points to his base stats. His dragon form is much more powerful in close combat than his sister. Diving into an enemy’s most powerful melee unit or rival hero can help minimize damages to his core military.
Zhao’s best army composition should be melee and cavalry-focused. His alchemy lords are powerful at boosting a unit’s base attack. They can also imbue weapons with poison, a powerful debuff to inflict on opposing forces. Building his army with heavy front-line fighters benefits his skill set.
Zhao Ming is a strong but familiar Lord in Total War: Warhammer III. His dragon form is powerful and should be used often during battle. But, like his sister, knowing when to use each form is key to a Grand Cathay victory.
