Games Workshop has confirmed that Ork Warboss Nazdreg Ug Urdgrub is not only getting a new miniature for the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game, but that he’s also in Creative Assembly’s upcoming strategy game, Total War: Warhammer 40,000.

Nazdreg is boss of the Bad Moon clan, sitting comfortably behind the all-conquering Ghazghkull Thraka, the mighty prophet of the Waaagh!, in the pantheon of Ork characters. In a post on Warhammer Community, GW revealed Nazdreg’s impressive mini, which includes his Kustom Blasta X and Bad Moon banner, as well as a screenshot of how he looks in Total War: Warhammer 40,000.

Nazdreg in Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Image credit: Games Workshop.

It’s a long time coming, as fan-favorite Nazdreg hasn’t had a model release this century, despite being a prominent figure in the lore. And that’s where his appearance in Total War: Warhammer 40,000 comes in.

Nazdreg has history on Armageddon, the war-torn world at the heart of the 11th edition narrative. And there’s a lot of Armageddon bleeding into Total War: Warhammer 40,000, not just in terms of characters, but the planet itself.

GW said Nazdreg will be one of the “key characters” you can battle with, and against, in Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Nazdreg will feature “heavily in some of the early in-game narrative, in events that tie in to the ongoing pivotal battles around Armageddon.”

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 named characters confirmed so far

Nazdreg isn’t the only named character confirmed for Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Marneus Calgar, boss of the Ultramarines chapter of Space Marines, is in the game, as is Commissar Sebastian Yarrick of the Astra Militarum (once known as the Imperial Guard). The aforementioned Ghazghkull has also joined the fray. Yarrick and Ghazghkull in particular have plenty of history — a mutual respect, perhaps, fueled by endless war — so it will be fun to see these two legendary characters lock horns in Total War.

We know that more named characters are set to be announced for Total War: Warhammer 40,000. We expect more Space Marine and Astra Militarum characters, for example, since we only have one each confirmed so far. Ursula Creed, Lord Castellan of Cadia, seems like an obvious Astra Militarum choice to me. We know the Aeldari are a launch faction, so surely Creative Assembly has two space elves ready to go. Eldrad Ulthran, one of the most potent Aeldari psykers to have ever lived, would be a good shout here, as would Asurmen, the legendary Phoenix Lord of the Dire Avengers Aspect Warriors. But CA has plenty to choose from; Warhammer 40,000 lore is vast and packed with eyecatching characters.

Could Total War: Warhammer 40,000 add a primarch to its ranks? To me, having a character so clearly ahead of the others in power status could feel like a bit of a stretch. But that’s not stopping Dawn of War 4 from having Dark Angels primarch Lion El'Jonson playable in the game, albeit briefly and in specific moments where the campaign is letting the player cut loose. Could Ultramarines boss Roboute Guilliman, for example, appear in Total War: Warhammer 40,000 in a similar “cameo” form?

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 Screenshots

In truth, we don’t know how these named characters will actually work in Total War: Warhammer 40,000. Nor do we know exactly how Armageddon will factor into the overall campaign. GW’s note about Nazdreg being one of the “key characters” you can battle with, and against, featuring “heavily in some of the early in-game narrative, in events that tie in to the ongoing pivotal battles around Armageddon,” may apply to the other named characters, too.

Creative Assembly’s Total War: Warhammer games have Legendary Lords, or LLs, which are powerful characters from Warhammer Fantasy lore. They’re playable in the campaign, multiplayer, and custom battles, leading their own faction unique to them. Will these 40k named characters work much the same?

Total War: Warhammer 40,000 is due out on PC and console. There's no release window yet.

Wesley is Director, News at IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.