‘Warhammer: The Old World’- The Five Best Combat Characters
Is this Warhammer: The Old World or is it Herohammer: The Old World, either way these are the punchiest heroes to bring with you.
We’ve all had our hands on The Old World for a bit. Over the past couple of years we’ve really been able to see what’s good and what’s bad in the game. Today, we are continuing our series, looking at the best units form various categories. We’ve at a lot of infantry such as basic core infantry, elite heavy infantry monstrous infantry and ranged infantry. That’s covered most of the infantry and we’ve gotten into cavalry and chariots.
In fact we’ve gone through the bulk of the unit types! But what thing we have really touched is characters. This can be a really tricky to rate as there are a lot more factors that go into a character than a normal unit. You’ve got not just the character, but also the mounts and a magic items they’ve got access to. On top of that you’ve got their whole role in the army. But today we are going to try to tackle these guys a bit, by looking at the best combat characters you can field.
5. Vampire Count
In a world where Vampire Counts are dominated by scream lists it can be easy to forget how much of a beast the Counts are. Vampire Counts are one of the most flexible characters in the game as you can build them as a straight combat lord, a caster or a mix. They’ve got great stats and and have some really sloid mount options. While they can take a decent dragon, the better option is normally the Coven Throne. While it’s technically a chariot its stands above the other chariot characters in being able to fly and having a ton of other rules and buffs. Counts also get access to vampire powers, letting them get extra buffs, the 5+ killing blow axe (awesome) and can be healed. Built in Regen also helps! While you might not see them a ton, they are an underrated and very powerful combat choice.
4. Glade Lord
One of the things that really makes a top tire combat character is the ability to get something with fly so you can actually get into combat. Naturally this tends to favor flying monsters and since Dragons are the most powerful, at least in raw power, of the flying monsters the lords that can ride dragons pop up pretty high on this list. This brings us to the Elves, between their three factions they’ve got a number of Lords who can ride five different types of dragons. They all have some similarities and really any of the Elf combat lords on a dragon is going to be a rough. High Elves for instance can get the most saves. However, if we have to pick just one, I’m going to go with the Wood Elves Glade Lord.
This might be a surprising pick for some people. But I think they’ve got a lot going for them. The main thing that really sets them out for me is access to sprites. In particular Annoyance of Netlings. Sure the -1 to hit only works in a challenge. But against most things that can hurt you in combat, you likely will be in a challenge. Having a good shot at only being hit on 5+s is super great. Couple that with striking first and still having 100 pts to spend on items and I think they are a real strong option. Evasive is also randomly great. On top of that, the Great Stag is likely the best non-dragon mount any of the Elf Lords can get. On of the things really holding back dragons these days in the 500 pt cap, which prevents you from going all out.
3. Shugengan Lord
Grand Cathay has entered the mix with a very flexible character. Now this one is a bit unique in that they are locked into being mounted and as such as a monstrous creature, with the good and bad of that. That said they have a lot going for them. They are fast and have fly. They’ve got very solid stats (counting their mount) with 7 wounds and T5, plus 4 attacks and another 3 + impact hits from the mount. They can just buy a 3+ save and come with a built in 5++ making them plenty tank-y. Those stats might not match up quite to a dragon lord but they are very good, and thats just base.
What really puts them up there is that they are wizards, starting at lvl 2 and going up to lvl 4. They have acess to a ton of good spells and lores. On top of that Cathay has a host of really amazing magic items to load them up with. You can get minus to be hit or reg if you want to be more tank-y, or some of the best offensive weapons in the game. Doppleganger + Monkey King’s Wisdom s one of the hardest hitting attacks in the game. To top it all off, they are cheap enough that you can give them a full load out and fit within the point limit.
2. Chaos Lord
Yeah, it’s no surprise the Warriors of Chaos Chaos Lord is on the list. They are just an insanely brutal combat lord and they bring almost everything to the table. They’ve got great stats, a built in ward save, access to not just magic items, but Marks and Chaos Gifts (and even more things as time goes on) letting them stack a ton of special rules. They’ve also got one of the best dragons in the game. It’s just really the total package here. You can build what I think is, baring monster slayers, the hardest to kill model in the game with a Chaos Lord.
You can also build one that is very very kill-y, striking before the enemy and doing a ton of damage. for all that they are also very costly- ending up in the running for most expensive model in the game. Indeed this is one of the big draw backs. In most types of comp you are limited to 500 pts on a single unit, and can’t field a fully kitted out lord. If you don’t want to go the dragon route, demonic mounts are also very solid and let you still go in a unit.
1. Bretonnian Duke
The only thing that really beats a Chaos Lord for me is a Bretonnian Duke. These guys are absolute beasts. They’ve got a great stat line, almost on par with a Chaos Lord. They’ve got an inbuilt ward save. Most importantly they’ve got access to Bret Virtues which open up some really crazy options and combos for them, allowing them to become deadlier than a Chaos Lord. Bretonnians also have some of the best magic items in the game, which is a huge boon the their lords. Lastly while they don’t have a dragon they arguable have better options. The Hippogryph isn’t bad, and has some fun options. The Royal Pegasus used to be the big start but got nerfed out of the way. While a Bret Duke mounted on a Barden Pegasus isn’t the most tank-y thing around, they remain super flexible. They have a 360 sight/charge arc, can move wherever they want and can hind near units and also join Peg Knights.
You could argue that Chaos Lord should be above him, the Chaos Lord can be a bit more survivable, and can get a few more attacks. However the Duke is plenty deadly and survivable and can’t be avoided like a Chaos Lord. He Will Find You and He Will Kill You. Even the lessor option of the Baron, which is the best Exiles can do, is no slouch and kitted out can give a Chaos Lord or anything else a run for their money.
Let us know what lords you think should be on this list!
