| “ | The daughter of Manann himself is the most feared captain in Sartosa, as merciless as an ocean tempest. | „ |
Aranessa Saltspite is a 
Vampire Coast Legendary Lord unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with Curse of the Vampire Coast. In the campaign, she leads the 
Pirates of Sartosa.
Description[ | ]
Amongst the most feared of all the pirate captains of Sartosa is the Queen of Tides, Aranessa Anja Saltspite. Rumour has it that she is the daughter of the Sea-God Manann himself; that she rose fully grown out of the waves in a froth of gore, with seawater flowing through her veins instead of blood. To others, she is simply a mutant who cut off her own fishtail after being cast out of her Norscan tribe as a child. Whatever her origins may be, her skill at a ship’s helm or with a weapon in hand is such that none can dispute her lethality in a sea battle. Having absorbed all there is to know about the art of sailing over her lifetime, she now leads the crew of her mighty square-rigged galleon known as the Swordfysh, hunting down the wolf-ships of the Norscan fleets with a cold vengeance that makes even her own crew invoke the sign of Manann for protection.
Attributes[ | ]
Halberd Infantry- ▲ Armour-Piercing: The damage of armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
- ▲ Anti-Large: Anti-Large: Anti-large units have an advantage against targets that are at least as large as a horse. This advantage can be a damage bonus against large targets or an attack that focuses on a very small area. However, some units are simply better against large targets because their attacks are slow and easy to dodge by skilled melee combatants.
- ▲ Melee Expert: Melee Experts might have a very strong melee attack or melee defence, or high values in both. Some also have melee-focused skills like Charge Defence. Use them to counter other strong melee units. When facing them, it is best to take them out before they can enter melee.
- ▲ Aquatic: Where other units of small stature struggle to fight and move in shallow water, Aquatic units excel.
armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
Character Abilities[ | ]
Active Abilities[ | ]
Campaign only[ | ]
Passive Abilities[ | ]
Item Abilities[ | ]
Unique Item[ | ]
Mounts[ | ]
Campaign starting units[ | ]
Eye of the Vortex[ | ]
Mortal Empires[ | ]
Immortal Empires[ | ]
Lord effects[ | ]
- Character's aura leadership effect: +12
- Melee attack: +8 for Sartosan units (Lord's army)
- Weapon strength: +20% for Sartosan units (Lord's army)
Character traits[ | ]
Personal trait[ | ]
Queen of Tides: Aranessa Saltspite is the most feared pirate in all of Sartosa, but none fear her more than the Norscan curs she hunts.
- Character's aura leadership effect: +12
- Melee attack: +8 for Sartosan units (Lord's army)
- Weapon strength: +20% for Sartosan units (Lord's army)
Defeat trait[ | ]
Consigned to the Drink: Once again, the Norscans can raid and rob and plunder in peace. For now, at least.
- Income from sacking settlements: +15%
- Passive ability: "Regeneration" when fighting at sea
Talent Tree[ | ]
- Aranessa's skill tree on TWWH Characters
- Skill Tree on TotalWarhammerPlanner
Strategy[ | ]
- In combat, Aranessa is a somewhat plain melee fighter with a defensive focus; she can be used well to tarpit enemy infantry far in front of your lines while your mortars and cannons blast the melee blob around her to bits. She doesn't get any exciting mounts or spells (the promethian mount makes her worse), but she does come with a net ability (ground only) which can be used to root enemy cavalry or monsters so your gun lines can eradicate them safety. Her starting army is potent and fun however, including 2 deck gunners which can bully early game enemies ferociously.
- In the Vortex Campaign: Aranessa currently begins at war with Yvresse and has missions that encourage her to conquer this faction. This is a viable option, however it commits the player to protecting their portion of Ulthuan against hordes of High Elves, against Eltharion and Tyrion close by and Alarielle not very far, this will be a hard and time consuming fight.
- Another option is to sack/raze Yvresse to end that war before returning to Sartosa and sailing the high seas, or attacking the Bretonnians/Tomb Kings close by (note Tomb Kings are poor and will make very little money from sacking/razing).
- Through the combination of skills and traits, Aranessa can gain boatloads of money from raiding as well as sacking. Given the public order bonuses she can stack as well as the Vampiric Corruption her faction spreads, she can incite rebellions in enemy provinces relatively easily. This can lead to Aranessa farming a province for raiding income, waiting for the rebels to attack, and regardless if they win or lose the victor will be easy pickings for her to sack/conquer.
- Notably, Aranessa has a base 20% physical resistance on foot which she loses when mounted on her rotting promethean.
Gallery[ | ]
Silhouette of Aranessa Saltspite (Prior to reveal)
Aranessa Saltspite's ship, the Swordfysh
Concept Art
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