Treasonous, treacherous rat folk of theWarhammeruniverse, the Skaven are largely their own worst enemy. Despite having some of the most advanced technology in the setting, they spend their time scheming and betraying their allies and rivals alike. InTotal War:Warhammer 3,this is reflected in their play style.
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Skaven are not a conventional army. They lack the courage and individual strength to stand up in a fair fight. Instead, they rely on underhanded and callous methods to win their battles. Many of their units are expendable cannon fodder — Skaven don’t hesitate to sacrifice in order for their important units to do the heavy lifting. Here are the best Skaven units ranked for your armies. This list will focus solely on units, not includingheroes and lords.
10Death Runners
Fast and stealthy killers, the Death Runners are the Skaven’s best assassin unit for hunting down high value targets. With access to stalk and vanguard deployment, you can deploy Death Runners in a perfect flanking position, and your enemy won’t even know it until it’s too late. They’re perfect for skirtingfrontline combatand descending on unprotected artillery and missile units.
As a dual-sword unit, Death Runners excel at anti-infantry combat. Once they reach their target in the enemy back line, they can deal devastating damage quickly, before reinforcements can bog them down. Once they need to retreat, Death Runners can use their concealment bombs to re-enter stealth and scurry to their next opportunity.
9Doom Flayers
Doom Flayers can serve a versatile role in your Skaven armies. They have the speed to serve as excellent interceptors and pseudo-cavalry, but they also have enough bulk to them where they can act as a frontline force. Their passive ability “The Best Defense” grants them an armor boost when they are engaged in melee, further improving their resilience.
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The downside to the Doom Flayers is their small unit size. Even with their high defense, they will eventually be overwhelmed by superior numbers of infantry. However, they are an anti-infantry unit, so they will deal decent damage before they retreat. The interesting part of the Doom Flayers is their small numbers becomes a strength for Skaven. Because they are so few, they won’t block your missile infantry’s shots, and they’ll take less damage than high number units from artillery.
8Brood Horror
The Brood Horror is an absurdly fast Skaven monster. It boasts a speed rating of 95, making it faster than most cavalry and chariots in the game. This speed is its greatest boon for your Skaven armies. You can use the brood horror as a devastating attacker to charge through your enemy’s lines as you would with any monster.
Alternatively, you may use its speed to have it avoid the thickest fighting and target ranged units behind the frontline — or use it to chase down enemy cavalry and protect your flank. Wherever you choose to place the Brood Horror, it can fulfill its role or fall back to recover health with its passive regeneration. The only things to be wary of are fire, and the creature’s own low morale.
7Gutter Runners
Skirmishers play a vital role for Skaven, and Gutter Runners do it better than anyone. These fast-moving rats are armed with throwing stars to harry foes, as they attack on the move. While bows have more range, Gutter Runners can use vanguard deployment and stalk to get close to their targets to start their attacks before they start taking fire.
They are ideal for dividing any enemy force, goading some enemies into chasing them rather than charging your weapon teams and artillery. They’re no slouches, either. So long as they have the speed advantage and enough room to maneuver, Gutter runners will chip away their pursuers until the enemy is forced to retreat. Their Snare-Net ability helps them stay one step ahead, slowing enemy units that get too close. Crafty and quick, It’s difficult to take down these rats.
6Plagueclaw Catapults
Though it’s an early artillery option, the Plagueclaw Catapult is far from standard. It has the usual benefits you expect to see in a catapult: good range and good damage. What sets the Plagueclaw Catapults apart from other factions' catapults is its munitions. Instead of stones, the Skaven use toxic liquid missiles that deal excellent damage to infantry.
Its attacks count as magic, circumventing the physical resistance of their target. It also contaminates the units hit by the toxins, applying a debuff to their leadership. Your foes will stop fighting and run sooner.
5Hell Pit Abomination
The Hell Pit Abomination isa terrifying monstertoo horrible to die. It’s the pinnacle monster for the Skaven. High damage, great leadership. With a lot of health and extreme regeneration, the abomination is a menace on the battlefield. Its high mass lets it wade through combat like knee-deep water.
With a massive 12,000 health pool, regenerating 120 points every second, this monster has enough staying power to survive the most devastating battles. Even if it does get low on health, its unique ability “too horrible to die” with trigger one of two effects: heal 20 percent of health within two seconds or die and spawn a unit of infantry. While healing is the better option, having more fodder in its passing is better than nothing. Every army benefits with a Hell Pit Abomination at its head.
4Death Globe Bombardiers
Short ranged but destructive, Death Globe Bombardiers are a hazard to anything and everything unfortunate enough to be in their range. Even as their commander, you should be wary of their bombs. When the bombardiers throw their payload, the damage they inflict is so intense that most units will immediately route when hit by a full volley.
Unfortunately, this means you could wipe out your own frontline as well as the enemy’s, leaving your ranged units exposed to cavalry and other melee units. Be aware of the risks and the rewards — when use properly, the Death Globe Bombardiers can swing an entire battle in your favor.
3Warplock Jezzails
Warplock Jezzails are Skaven snipers ideal for picking off powerful targets from long distance. Though they only have a small unit size, the Jezzails can punch above their weight thanks to their strong missile strength and armor piercing. Even infantry with shields struggles to avoid their shots, as Warplock Jezzails can pierce through shields with their shield breaker effect.
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Like other weapon teams, they struggle in melee combat, so prioritize keeping them guarded. Thanks to their accuracy and numbers, their damage is very consistent over time. If enemy missile units get in range, the Skaven snipers have shields of their own to protect themselves, letting them fire back at their attackers while reducing incoming damage. Whatever their target is, you can trust they’ll be effective.
2Poison Wind Mortars
One or two Poison Wind Mortars in an army is enough to sway the battle in your favor. While they have shorter range than most artillery, their poison wind bombs afflict an entire unit with a damaging poison. If you manipulate your enemy into clumping several units together, the poison effect will reduce them all to a fraction of their strength in just a few volleys.
Monsters and single target units will not be terribly affected by the mortars, however. Damage over time affects each person in a unit individually, so the more people a unit has, the higher the poison damage will be. They require a bit of management and protection, but they are worth the attention.
1Ratling Gunners
When Ratling Gunners line up a target and let loose, there are few things in game more satisfying than watching their targets disappear. When used properly, they will be the prime damage dealer in your armies. The target you choose for them is irrelevant. Heroes, monsters, armored knights, and conscripted peasants all fare the same once the Ratling Guns start shooting.
The gunners fare poorly in melee, but with their suppression effect lowering speed, units attacking head on won’t get the chance to get so close. Keep them guarded against flanks and ambushing units, and they will win you the battle.
