Warriors of Chaos Characteristic TW: Warhammer Guide
Last update: 07 June 2016
The Warriors of Chaos is a faction like no other. Composed of savage men and beasts straight out of hell, their only purpose is to lay waste to the lands of the Warhammer world. This faction differs greatly from others in terms of gameplay - they lack settlements, they don't need to (and can't) capture new ones and they are enemies of all other factions.
General information
The army of Warriors of Chaos is, in general, probably the most powerful in the entire game. While they have their own drawbacks (which will be discussed below), their Chosen units are one of the best melee units in the game, with extremely thick armors, good speed and very high offensive capabilities. Their Gorebeast Chariots are extremely effective at charging enemies, while at the same time causing fear. Their cavalry, Chaos Knights, are second only to the one available to the Empire.
What this army excels at are monstrous units. Chaos Trolls, Chaos Spawns, Chaos Giants - there's plenty of monstrous units that cause fear (and in the case of Chaos Giants terror as well). Their Dragon Ogres Shaggoths are one of the strongest units in the entire game - in terms of pure damage they are second only to Lords.
Without a doubt Warriors of Chaos are the best when it comes to offensive-oriented magic. Aside from the leader of the faction, Archaon the Everchosen (who is an extremely powerful melee fighter, as well as caster - a combination unique to that character), they have access to mages centered around the elements of metal, fire and death. Those spellcasters can wreck entire armies if their spells are properly used - a single Flamestrike can completely destroy and/or cause to route even 4 full units. Unfortunately, they lack decent protection spells.
There are two major flaws with this army - lack of missile and artillery units. Their only missile units are two variants of Marauder Horsemen, and while they are extremely effective at hit & run tactics, they quickly fall behind marksmen unit that are available to other factions. When it comes to artillery, they have access to a single unit of this type - Hellcannon. Hellcannons are extremely effective and one of the best artillery units in the game, but you won't have the variety of Empire or Dwarven units here.
The most unique aspect of this faction is their Horde system. Armies of Chaos lack the ability to have and use settlements, instead using Hordes. Hordes are basically mobile settlements - the Lord can travel with an army like a normal Lord would, but at the same time they are "carrying" buildings together with them. Each Lord is a different Horde, and each Horde must be built separately. This allows Armies of Chaos to be unbelievably mobile - they don't have to protect their settlements, they don't have to care for public order. However, their Hordes come with a drawback - two Hordes can't be standing close to one another or they will suffer attrition. This makes attacking settlements by using two armies a lot harder.
Another thing worth mentioning is the fact that while playing as Armies of Chaos, almost every other faction is your enemies. Your main objective is to destroy Bretonnia, Empire and Dwarfs, which, together with other factions of those races make up about 60% of factions on the map. Only the Vampires and the Greenskins are optional to defeat - you can ally with them, or you can crush them like everyone else if you wish to.
Victory conditions
As with every faction in the game, Armies of Chaos have their own objectives to complete to emerge victorious. Those are:
- Raze or sack 40 different settlements.
- Destroy the following factions: The Empire, Bretonnia, Dwarfs
As you can see, the objective are simple. When it comes to the amount of settlements you must raze or sack, those will quickly add - you will be able to complete this part of the objectives before you get to turn 60. The second objective requires you to destroy 3 factions, but you don't have to defeat all the other "side" ones of those races. You have to destroy The Empire, but you don't have to, for instance, Kislev or Marienburg.
Available faction leaders
There are three starting Lords to choose from - Archaon the Everchosen (who is also the leader of the whole faction), Prince Sigvald the Magnificent and Kholek Suneater. Depending on the one you chose you will have access to different starting units, global bonuses and overall gameplay - those three differ between each other a lot.
Archaon the Everchosen starts with the following units: Chaos Warriors, Chaos Warriors (Halberds), Chosen (Great Weapons). Those three units are extremely powerful (especially considering rather weak Marauder units of the Armies of Chaos) and will give you a huge advantage over the enemies. Chosen are one of the most powerful units in the entire game, with extremely well-balanced stats. However, the thing that makes choosing this Lord the best option is the overall power of Archaon the Everchosen. He is without a doubt the most powerful Lord in the game, excelling in melee (second only to a few Lords) and in magic. Properly developed he will be able to take on multiple enemy units on his own, wrecking them with both his extremely powerful attacks and destructive spells. His global bonuses will give all your Lords increased campaign movement range, as well as decrease the upkeep of Chaos Warriors and Chaos Knights units. Both are extremely useful.
Prince Sigvald the Magnificent starts with the following units: Hellcannon, Chosen (Halberds), Chosen. When it comes to two Chosen units, it's the same as with Archaon - those units will give you a huge advantage over the enemies. What is more, Hellcannon is the only artillery unit of this faction (and a very powerful artillery unit at the same time) and normally you won't get it before turn 30-40. Prince Sigvald is also a powerful melee fighter, capable of both dealing with enemy units and boosting the effectiveness of his troops in battle. The only drawback is the fact that he can't use spells - you will need a hero for that if you want to have access to them. His global bonuses are average compared to the other two Lords - leadership won't give you much, but the 1 point of corruption for all of your characters might prove useful.
Kholek Suneater starts with the following units: Dragon Ogres, Chaos Warriors, Chaos Warriors (Halberds). This Lord lacks the Chosen units of the two previously described, but gets something a lot better in return - a unit of Dragon Ogres. Those are immensely powerful soldiers, which are one of the highest tier units of the Warriors of Chaos. Most units won't be able to keep up with them. Additionally, the Lord himself is a Chaos Ogre Shaggoth - he is as large as a giant, deals insane damage (highest of all the Lords), has extremely high health pool and causes terror to enemy units nearby. This Lord is without a doubt the most powerful unit in the entire game when it comes to offense. However, he has very low armor, which causes him to take a lot of damage. Armor can be increased by skills and items, which will make him a killing machine on the battlefield.