Few things are more frustrating in Total War: Warhammer 3 than preparing for a major war, opening your recruitment panel, and realizing you cannot recruit new units. Whether the button is grayed out, the recruitment pool is empty, or nothing happens when you try to add troops, this issue can quickly derail a campaign. Understanding why recruitment is locked is essential to keeping your empire expanding and your armies battle-ready.
TLDR: In Warhammer 3, recruitment issues usually stem from missing buildings, insufficient funds, global or local recruitment limits, army stance restrictions, or unit caps. Players should check settlement infrastructure, army stance, global recruitment slots, and faction-specific mechanics. In rare cases, mods or corrupted files may be the cause. Fixing recruitment typically involves upgrading military buildings, adjusting lord position, or resolving cap and resource restrictions.
Understanding How Recruitment Works
Before diagnosing the issue, it helps to understand how unit recruitment functions in Warhammer 3. Recruitment is divided into two primary systems:
- Local Recruitment – Units raised in friendly territory with appropriate military buildings.
- Global Recruitment – Units recruited from global infrastructure but with longer recruitment times.
Each faction also has unique restrictions, such as unit caps, resource requirements, or special mechanics tied to corruption, devotion, or allegiance.
Image not found in postmetaCommon Reasons You Can’t Recruit Units
1. Missing Required Buildings
The most common cause is lacking the military building required to unlock certain units. Advanced units typically require upgraded versions of barracks, stables, or monster pens.
Fix:
- Open the settlement building panel.
- Check the required building chain for the desired unit.
- Upgrade the settlement capital if the building tier is locked.
Remember that minor settlements often have limited building slots and lower tier caps. If you’re attempting to recruit elite units from a tier 3 minor settlement, recruitment will be unavailable.
2. Insufficient Funds
Even if a unit appears available, lacking gold prevents recruitment. Some elite units cost thousands in upfront expenses.
Fix:
- Check treasury funds at the top of the screen.
- End a turn to accumulate income.
- Disband unnecessary units to free upkeep and raise funds.
High upkeep can also indirectly restrict recruitment by pushing income into the negative.
3. Unit Caps and Faction Restrictions
Many factions now have unit caps. For example:
- Chaos Dwarfs require armaments to increase caps.
- Beastmen have elite unit caps tied to herdstones.
- Warriors of Chaos depend on warband upgrades.
If the cap is reached, recruitment becomes impossible even if buildings exist.
Fix:
- Increase cap through faction mechanics.
- Construct buildings that expand unit limits.
- Disband capped units you no longer need.
4. Army Stance Restrictions
Armies cannot recruit while in certain stances. For example:
- March stance – No recruitment allowed.
- Raiding stance – Typically prevents local recruiting.
- Encamped stance – Required for some factions.
Fix:
- Switch to normal stance in friendly territory.
- Ensure the army has full movement points available.
If movement points are exhausted, recruitment may also be blocked.
5. Out of Friendly Territory
Local recruitment requires friendly or allied territory. Being inside enemy land often removes the option entirely, unless using global recruitment.
Fix:
- Move into owned region.
- Enter encamp stance where allowed.
- Use global recruitment instead.
6. Global Recruitment Disabled or Limited
Global recruitment has limited slots. If all slots are full, no more units can be queued.
Fix:
- Wait for current global recruitment to finish.
- Research technologies that increase slots.
- Construct buildings that expand recruitment capacity.
Global recruitment also takes more turns—some players mistake the extended timer for a bug.
7. Lord Rank Too Low
Certain units require a lord to reach a specific level before unlocking.
Fix:
- Level up the lord through battles.
- Recruit a higher-rank lord if available.
8. Corruption and Control Issues
Some factions rely on corruption levels to unlock recruitment potential. Low corruption can affect available units.
Fix:
- Construct corruption-generating buildings.
- Embed heroes that spread corruption.
- Capture and stabilize territory.
9. Settlement Under Siege
If a city is under siege, it often blocks recruitment.
Fix:
- Break the siege.
- Defeat the besieging army.
10. Mod Conflicts or Bugs
If none of the above applies, the issue may be technical. Mods frequently interfere with unit databases or building chains.
Image not found in postmetaFix:
- Disable mods temporarily.
- Verify integrity of game files via Steam.
- Update outdated mods.
- Load an earlier save file.
Major patches sometimes break mod compatibility, causing recruitment panels to malfunction.
Faction-Specific Recruitment Issues
Some factions have mechanics that directly gate recruitment.
Warriors of Chaos
Use a warband upgrade system. Basic units are upgraded rather than recruited traditionally.
Kislev
Supporter mechanics between Ice Court and Great Orthodoxy can influence technology and infrastructure progression.
Skaven
Require food. Low food levels can cripple expansion and recruitment efficiency.
Ogre Kingdoms
Depend heavily on camp infrastructure. Without camps, recruitment options are severely limited.
Understanding faction mechanics prevents confusion when standard recruitment logic doesn’t apply.
Quick Troubleshooting Checklist
If recruitment fails, players should quickly verify:
- Is the army in normal stance?
- Is it inside friendly territory?
- Do required buildings exist and match the tier?
- Are there enough funds?
- Has the unit cap been reached?
- Are global recruitment slots full?
- Is the settlement under siege?
- Are mods interfering?
In most cases, one of these explains the issue.
Preventing Future Recruitment Problems
Proactive planning reduces surprise lockouts. Players should:
- Develop at least one dedicated military province.
- Diversify military building chains.
- Monitor unit caps regularly.
- Keep a treasury buffer.
- Research recruitment-enhancing technologies early.
Efficient provinces with high growth allow faster access to tier 4 and tier 5 units, minimizing frustration mid-campaign.
When It’s Actually a Bug
True recruitment bugs are rare but possible. Symptoms may include:
- Completely empty recruitment panels despite correct setup.
- Clickable units that never enter the queue.
- UI elements missing or transparent.
In those cases, verifying files or reinstalling typically resolves the issue. Reporting the bug on official forums may also help identify patch-specific problems.
FAQ
Why is the recruit button grayed out in Warhammer 3?
The button is typically grayed out because the army is in march or raiding stance, lacks movement points, or is outside friendly territory. Switching to normal stance often fixes it.
Why are no units showing up in the recruitment panel?
This usually means the required buildings are missing, the settlement tier is too low, or a mod conflict is interfering. Check infrastructure first.
How do I increase unit caps?
Unit caps are expanded through faction-specific mechanics, buildings, or technologies. Review your faction resource systems such as armaments, herdstones, or camps.
Can I recruit while in enemy territory?
Local recruitment is usually unavailable in enemy lands, but global recruitment may still work if slots are available.
Why does global recruitment take so long?
Global recruitment adds extra turns by design. Technologies and buildings can reduce recruitment time.
Does corruption affect recruitment?
For certain Chaos-aligned factions, yes. Low corruption may restrict optimal unit effectiveness or availability.
How do I fix recruitment issues caused by mods?
Disable all mods, test recruitment, then re-enable them individually to find the conflicting one. Updating or removing outdated mods usually resolves the problem.
Recruitment in Total War: Warhammer 3 is rarely broken without reason. In most cases, the restriction is intentional and tied to mechanics that reward strategic planning. By carefully reviewing stance, infrastructure, faction systems, and economy, players can quickly restore their ability to field powerful armies and continue their conquest of the Mortal Realms.
