Dwarf Warriors is a Dwarfs melee infantry unit in Total War: Warhammer. With axe in hand, Dwarf warriors lay into the front lines with unremitting violence.

Description[edit | edit source]

Dwarfs make formidable fighters - they are strong and extremely resilient, broad of shoulder and wide of girth. Although by no means quick, they are physically robust and can maintain a steady plodding pace, marching for days on end despite being loaded down by burdens and heavy mail. When they charge into battle, the momentum generated by their wide, armour-clad bodies is remarkable, hitting the foe with a resounding impact. They have broken many enemy battle lines this way, splintering Elven phalanxes, carving through Orc formations and hacking apart the great masses of Skaven that make up their verminous armies. Protected by their heavy mail, their skillful use of overlapping shield walls and, finally, by their own tough and obstinate nature, Dwarf individuals, units and armies as a whole seem able to absorb punishing blows that would cause other races to break and flee. With Dwarfs, such suffering only serves to make them angrier - and with beards bristling and hands clenched around axe hafts and mighty warhammers, the Dwarfs regroup to charge anew. Their feeble-limbed foes, too worn out and tired at the end to even lift their weapons, are slaughtered, save for those fast enough to flee the iron-shod and implacable advance of the Dwarves.

Arachnarok Spider. Every Goblin army needs an Arachnarok Spider, one of the few boss monsters. A subreddit for the Total War strategy game series, made by Creative Assembly. Discussions, strategies, stories, crude cave-drawings, and more for Medieval 2, Empire, Shogun 2, Rome 2, Attila, Thrones of Britannia, Warhammer, Three Kingdoms and others.

Abilities[edit | edit source]

• ↑Armoured & Shielded: Armoured units can block damage from any source apart from Armour-Piercing damage. Shields have a chance of blocking arrows, bolts, rifle shots and similar small arms fire - but only in a forward facing arc.
• ↑Charge Defence Against Large Foes: When standing and bracing against a charge of large enemies (such as cavalry or monsters) this unit will negate the enemy's charge bonus.

Strategy[edit | edit source]

Dwarf Warriors are exceeding tough for their cost and unless flanked or attacked with units with good AP damage it will take an inordinate amount of time and casualties to rout them. Their melee attack is nothing special, but is enough to cut through lesser units and generally win by outlasting them. They will hold the line against other heavily armor units, but they will not kill as many due to their limited AP damage. Using them instead of Longbeards is a good way to save money if you can make better use of it elsewhere. In the campaigns, Dwarf Lords have a 1st tier red skill that boosts their melee defense and extends their utility. Their charge defense vs. large makes them great at stopping cavalry, but high mass units like monstrous infantry, chariots, and single model monsters can literally send them flying and punch a hole in you line. Most of them will get back up cursing though and mob the attacker if they don't have some help to follow up their penetration. Dwarf missile units, Slayers, and artillery can also be directed at the breach to punish the attacker.

Ah, Goblins. The little stunted folk, full of disgusting appearances and habits. Often regarded as little more than cannon-fodder by Orcs, they can be surprisingly strong in the right army composition. High unit sizes give them a good amount of staying power, although they do tend to rout quite a lot. This is where good micro-managment come into play, as routing units almost always come back into the fight. Every TOTAL WAR: WARHAMMER player must admit an army full of Goblins is something they want to try at least once. To make your unit choices easier, here’s a list of the 10 best Goblin units!

10. Goblin Wolf Rider Archers

Just 350 gold is required to recruit a unit of Goblin Wolf Rider Archers, with a piddly upkeep of 87 gold. Arguably the biggest downside of archers is their vulnerability, it’s simply too easy for artillery or cavalry to reach them. Put some archers on extremely fast wolves and you have a very good unit. They have the vanguard deployment trait too, allowing you to position them properly and maximise their peskiness!

9. Nasty Skulkers

Traits, so many traits. The usefulness of Nasty Skulkers cannot be understated, high amounts of unique abilities grant you tons of flexibility. What goblins lack in size and strength, they make up in cunning. This unit embodies that statement, with plenty of cool traits. In combat, they will slice through armor without any trouble. Poor leadership is a trait all goblins share but in a winning fight, they gain increasingly high melee attack and armor-piercing damage.

The stalk and vanguard deployment traits will allow you to position them wherever you want and your opponent won’t see them until it’s too late!

8. Forest Goblin Spider Riders

In all fairness, Goblin cavalry units aren’t really that potent. Low leadership and base damages prevent them from coming out of fights as the victor but if any melee cavalry unit can do the job, Forest Goblin Spider Riders are the best choice. Poison attacks grant huge advantages in close-quarters combat, giving them an edge over their opponents. The main strength of this unit is their mobility, as they have vanguard deployment and don’t have any terrain penalties!

7. Goblin Wolf Chariot

Only Goblins could think to use a chariot for ranged proficiency, a Wolf Chariot can torment both enemy front and back lines. They can hassle enemies from range and if needed, they can charge into melee combat with their great melee stats. Armor-piercing and bonuses vs infantry, combined with a naturally good charge bonus, is extremely competent against infantry. Overall it’s worth having a Wolf Chariot in your arsenal!

6. Forest Goblin Spider Rider Archers

Like I mentioned with the Wolf Rider Archers, this unit can be a huge annoyance to the enemy. While they have relatively low missile damage/accuracy, each shot will poison their opponent. If you can get a few shots into an enemy infantry unit while they’re fighting your other units, the battle will already be won. Forest Goblin Spider Riders have vanguard deployment capabilities as well as the fire-while-moving trait too!

5. Goblin Rock Lobber

One of only two artillery units available to the Greenskins, the Goblin Rock Lobber is a great choice for its price, especially in the early stages of your campaign. You have to use it properly though, as it has a huge focus on armor-piercing damage. This means some concentrated fire on units with low armor will be quite ineffective. However, against armored units, a few hits from a Rock Lobber can demoralise them almost instantly!

4. Squig Herd

The Dwarf’s worst fear, a Squig Herd will shred through any unsuspecting infantry unit, particularly armored ones. Bonuses vs infantry and a good armor-piercing stat make them one of the best cheap anti-infantry units in the entire game. They look awesome too, it’s so fun to watch these guys rip through those pesky Dwarf units. Immunity to fear/terror is also quite beneficial, although enemies you fight against that can cause these psychological issues aren’t really the units you want to target.

3. Night Goblin Squig Hoppers

This entry could easily be swapped with the previous entry, I chose Night Goblin Squig Hoppers for the top 3 as they’re slightly more versatile. A focus on mobility and defenses give them more staying power while retaining their bonuses vs infantry and armor-piercing damage. A Squig Herd will deal more damage overall though, so it’s really up to you which one is better.

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2. Doom Diver Catapult

Total War Warhammer Dwarf Strategy

This piece of artillery absolutely decimates infantry units from massive range. It’s unique in the fact its projectiles are pretty much guaranteed to hit as they’re guided by suicidal goblins. Not only do they almost always hit, the damage is amplified with armor-piercing. The Doom Diver Catapult is a nightmare for any armored infantry unit!

Total War Warhammer Strategy Guide

1. Arachnarok Spider

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Every Goblin army needs an Arachnarok Spider, one of the few boss monsters available to the Greenskins. Very few infantry units can deal with this hulking beast, although it is susceptible to ranged fire. In combat, it’ll deal heavy damage, even to armored units and with high health/armor itself, it’ll take a beating before going down. The ability to cause fear/terror further exemplifies the effectiveness, it’s without doubt the best Goblin unit in the game!