About Skavens - hints, advice and tips | Factions Total War: Warhammer II Guide
Last update: 22 November 2017
Skavens are a race of mutated rats who live in hiding from all of the other races.
About Skavens
Skaven armies rely on numbers and setting ambushes for their tactics. Although there are stronger, and more specialized units in their ranks (such as Warpfire Thrower), their main strength is in numbers. Skavens can very quickly form numerous armies that flood the enemy. Additionally, the default mode of movement for them gives high chances of catching the enemy into their ambushes.
Skavens have their unique set of spells. They have access to two types of magic - destruction and plague. They can be accessed by two of their heroes (Warpgineer and Plague Priest) and their lords - Greyseers. Also, one of their Legendary Lords - Skrolk - wields magic. Skaven magic mainly hinges on offensive spells, but there also are several army-supporting spells here - e.g. ones that summon an additional Skaven unit into the battlefield.
Skaven Lords have their leadership levels. Low leadership in a lord may lead to rebellion and, as a result, he may lose his army and you will have to defeat them. Lords' Leadership can be boosted using the hero that is included into the lord's army, as well as by recruiting new units and winning battles.
Have their food mechanics, whose meager involves considerable negative effects for the army. Food is stored in settlements and by the army. You can spend it on immediate development of the seized settlement into the level of your choice, and also use it in the battle to summon additional units into the battlefield. You obtain food in battles. Additionally, you can produce it in provinces that have their own pastures.
Skavens spread warp in provinces, where it has a twofold role. On the one hand, it decreases contentment in the province, however it allows you to summon additional Skaven units into the battlefield. This is why, you should monitor its level and balance it correctly, so that discontent is not too high, and you can still summon reinforcements into the battle. How warp affects both of these can be viewed by activating appropriate mode of the campaign map.
Skavens actually fight with everyone. Other factions hate them and even they often have feuds between themselves. In the case of this faction, there is no counting on any diplomatic relations.
Available leaders
Just like any other race in the game, Skavens have two Legendary Lords. Your choice of the lord determines bonuses and starting units that your faction receives, and abilities of the Legendary Lord. Additionally, they have different starting positions, which affects difficulty level at the beginning of the game. You gain access to the other Legendary Lord by entering a confederacy with his faction.
Queek Head Hunter (Clan Mors) - he is a powerful Skaven warlord, who is a fierce warrior. He starts his game to the South of the Southern Lands. Around, there are enemy factions of High Elves and Lizardmen, as well as Skavens, whom you will have to eliminate, most probably. The game as Queek is hampered mainly by shortage of food - the closest settlement that can deliver food is located a a short way off his starting province. While playing as this faction, a part of the experience obtained by Lords is gifted away to Queek. However, Leadership in the recruited Greyseers will be lower.
The remaining effects are connected with battle - increased combat abilities in battles against dwarves and greenskins. Additionally, upkeep costs of Clanrats and Stormvermin (that make up the staple of your army) is lower by a half, while they are in Queek's army.
An additional trump in the hand of this commander is the ability to summon additional units into the battlefield. Queek's starting units are Warpfire Thrower, Rat Ogres and Stormvermin with halberds. All of those units will be highly useful at the beginning of the campaign. Rat Ogres are a very strong monster unit, whereas Stormvermin are Skavens' elite units.
Lord Skrolk (Pestilens Clan) - he is a Skaven monk of pestilence. His abilities allow him to weaken the enemy during the battle. Additionally, he has two special spells that allow him to summon additional units into the battlefield. He starts the campaign to the South of Lustria, where his main enemies are Lizardmen.
The upside of this stating location is proximity of settlements with pastures, which ensures regular replenishing of food. The downside is a quite long distance away from the nearest ritual resource location. During the campaign, your rate of spreading warp will be increased, your cost to erect some buildings, and of one of the rituals decreased. Additionally, upkeep costs of units connected with Pestilence is lower, when they are in Skrolk's army.
His starting units are Plague Censer Bearers, Plagueclaw Catapult and Plague Monks. All of these are quire specialized units. Plague Censer Bearers and Plague Monks deal high damage in battle, but they have weak armors, even for Skavens. Fire from Plagueclaw Catapult affects Leadership of the targeted units, which is useful during sieges.