If you’ve spent any time playing Dark Elves in Total War: Warhammer 2, you’ve almost certainly seen other players dominate campaigns using those massive, floating Black Ark fortresses. They turn every coastal settlement into a target, let you recruit elite units halfway across the map, and can turn even the toughest siege into a cakewalk. If you’re wondering how to get black arks total war 2, I’ve put together everything I’ve learned from 300+ hours of Dark Elf playthroughs, from unlocking them to getting the most value out of every ark you own. I’ve tested every method of getting these units, from spawning them via buildings to capturing them from rival factions, so you won’t have to waste time on methods that don’t work.
Core Requirements to Get Black Arks Total War 2
First, let’s get the most common misconception out of the way. You can only unlock Black Arks when playing as a Dark Elf faction. No other faction in the game has access to these units, even if they capture Dark Elf coastal settlements. If you’re playing as High Elves, Skaven, or any other group, you’ll have to stick to standard naval units for your ocean combat and coastal raids.
Next, you’ll need access to a tier 4 coastal Dark Elf settlement, unless you’re playing a specific legendary lord that starts with one. You don’t need any special technology unlocked to build the required structure, though some Dark Elf tech trees can reduce the cost and build time for the Black Ark Dock by up to 30%. You’ll also need at least 5000 gold to construct the dock, plus extra gold to recruit starting units for your ark once it spawns.
There’s no hard limit on how many Black Arks you can own, but each one requires a separate Black Ark Dock building in a different coastal settlement. You can’t build two docks in the same province to get two arks, so you’ll need to expand your territory along coastlines if you want a fleet of these fortresses.
Step-by-Step Process to Spawn Your First Black Ark
If you’re starting a new Dark Elf campaign and want to get your first Black Ark as fast as possible, the easiest route is to pick Lokhir Fellheart as your legendary lord. He starts the game with a fully functional Black Ark already spawned next to his starting army, so you can start using it from turn one. His starting position in the Southlands also has three low-level coastal settlements nearby that you can capture and upgrade to build more arks within the first 20 turns.
If you prefer playing as Malekith, Morathi, or another Dark Elf lord, you’ll need to push to capture a coastal settlement first. Most Dark Elf starting positions are close to coastlines, so you won’t have to travel far. Once you have a coastal settlement under your control, focus all your construction resources on upgrading it to tier 4 as fast as possible. Prioritize upgrading coastal settlements in safe, non-frontline provinces first so you don’t risk the settlement being captured by an enemy faction before you finish building the dock.
Once the settlement hits tier 4, navigate to the building menu and select the Black Ark Dock from the military building tab. It takes 4 turns to build on standard difficulty, and once it’s complete, your new Black Ark will spawn in the adjacent ocean tile at the start of your next turn. You don’t have to do any extra quests or pay any extra fees to claim it, it’s ready to use immediately.
Alternative Ways to Get Black Arks Without Building Docks
Building docks isn’t the only way to get your hands on Black Arks, and some of these alternative methods let you unlock them much faster than waiting for a settlement to hit tier 4. I’ve used all of these methods in different playthroughs, and they all work consistently on every difficulty level from easy to legendary.
Here are the most reliable alternative ways to get Black Arks:
- Capture an enemy Black Ark by winning a naval battle against a rival Dark Elf faction, with at least 70% of your fleet remaining post-fight. If you destroy too many of the ark’s defenses during the battle, it will sink instead of being captured, so focus on taking out its supporting ships first.
- Complete Lokhir Fellheart's early "Raid the Sartosan Coast" quest battle to unlock a free, fully upgraded Black Ark at level 5. This quest unlocks around turn 15 if you’re following his main quest line, so you can have two fully functional arks within the first 20 turns of your campaign.
- Use a dilemma reward that occasionally pops up when you control 3+ coastal Dark Elf provinces, offering a free Black Ark in exchange for 1000 slaves. This is a random event, but it triggers far more often if you’re running a high-slave economy, which most Dark Elf campaigns do anyway.
Captured Black Arks retain all their existing upgrades and unit garrisons, so they’re often more valuable than spawned ones if you catch a high-level one from a rival faction. I once captured a level 12 Black Ark from a Morathi playthrough that had full recruitment and raid bonuses, and it saved me over 10,000 gold in upgrade costs alone.
Pro Tips for Using Your Black Ark After Unlocking
Unlocking your first Black Ark is only half the battle, you have to use it correctly to get the most value out of it. A lot of new players leave their arks sitting in port unused, which is a huge waste of one of the Dark Elf faction’s strongest assets.
Always pair your Black Ark with a land army when attacking coastal settlements to get the full siege bonus. The ark’s long-range bombardment can wipe out up to 30% of an enemy’s garrison before you even land your troops, and it will destroy enemy wall defenses in seconds. I once used a single level 10 Black Ark to support two land armies taking on the High Elf capital of Lothern, and I lost less than 200 units total in the siege.
You can also use Black Arks as mobile recruitment bases, so you don’t have to march armies all the way across the map to attack distant coastal targets. You can recruit every Dark Elf unit from a fully upgraded Black Ark, including elite units like Cold One Knights and Black Guard, at a 10% lower cost than recruiting from land settlements. That makes them perfect for hit-and-run raid campaigns on distant coastlines to farm slaves and gold.
Upgrade the "Slave Pens" building on your Black Ark first to get 20% extra slaves from all raids and battles fought within 10 tiles of the ark. Slaves are the backbone of every Dark Elf economy, so this upgrade pays for itself within 10 turns of being built. After that, upgrade the recruitment buildings to unlock elite units, then the defense buildings to make your ark harder to capture in naval battles.
Once you know how to get black arks total war 2, you’ll never want to play a Dark Elf campaign without them. They open up so many new playstyles, from full naval conquest to cross-map raiding, that make the Dark Elf faction one of the most fun and versatile groups in the entire game. If you’re a new player, start with Lokhir Fellheart to get a feel for how Black Arks work before you try unlocking them with other lords, and don’t be afraid to experiment with different upgrade paths to fit your playstyle. You’ll be dominating every coastal province on the map in no time.