Why are ranged infantry units important to keep in your army?
Supporting your army with ranged infantry units can provide a huge advantage if your regular infantry can keep enemies at bay and allow you to fire with impunity. If you're able to spend all or most of your ranged infantry ammunition, you've probably already won the battle.
10. Peasant Bowmen (Best for being cheap and expendable with above-average range)
Peasant bowmen loose a volley of arrows
Peasant Bowmen are a cheap and plentiful resource for Brettonian armies, able to be deployed en masse with minimal economic repercussion. These lowly peasants often do not understand their vows to their Bretonnian lords, yet they do know that when confronted with enemy forces in battle, it is do or die.
Why Peasant Bowmen are Great
- They have a longer default range than most other ranged units (160), allowing them to fire the first volley against enemy ranged units.
- They are a cheap and effective way to fill out your roster with ranged support for multiple armies.
- They can come in three variants, regular, with fire arrows, or with pox arrows. This allows versatile responses to different types of threats.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Peasant_Bowmen
9. Darkshards (Shields) (Best for doing massive damage while being sturdy in the early game and throughout)
Darkshards raise their crossbows in preparation to fire
If you are playing Drukhari, the Darkshards will function as the ranged backbone of your army, able to take down almost anything with some focused fire, while maintaining some level of defense with their shields. They are a versatile ranged unit that you would do well to recruit a lot of.
Why Darkshards are Great
- They are available to you for recruitment very early on.
- They have armor-piercing missiles by default, providing an advantage over heavily armored units you may face early on.
- Although their range is below average, the defense that their shields provide allows them to compete with other ranged units.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Darkshards_(Shields)
8. Sisters of Avelorn (Best for being superior ranged infantry in almost all aspects)
Sisters of Avelorn raise their magical bows, preparing a deadly volley
Only the most gifted are permitted to serve among the Sisters of Avelorn, the Everqueen's elite archers. Wielding magical bows and arrows, these deadly archers set their foes ablaze with their deadly arrows.
Why Sisters of Avelorn are Great
- They are a versatile ranged unit that can fare well in melee combat if need be, reducing the need for supporting units to be posted around them.
- They have armor-piercing magic missiles that will set foes ablaze with elven fire.
- They are inexpensive for how strong they are.
- They boast an impressive range of 180.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Sisters_of_Avelorn
7. Thunderers (Best for being a well rounded, armored, and shielded unit with formidable damage)
Dwarven Thunderers fire their rifles in a devastating fusillade
Thunderers are a staple of most Dwarven armies, able to both yield high damage and fare decently against enemy melee units due to their shields and armor.
Why Thunderers are Great
- They are armored and shielded, so they are much less vulnerable to being engaged by enemy melee units than a typical ranged unit would be.
- They have armor-piercing bullets and a respectable range of 145, making them a fine choice to deal with most enemies.
- They are decent melee combatants, able to outdo even some of the weaker infantry units in close combat.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Thunderers
6. Goblin Archers (Best for being a cheap and expendable unit with very powerful scrap upgrades)
Goblin Archers fire their shoddy ammunition at an undead monster
At first glance, Goblin Archers may appear to be a weak option not even worth your consideration. Yet, when their scrap upgrades are taken into account, you will realize that they have the capability to outshine many other ranged units.
Why Goblin Archers are Great
- They are a strong option for filling out your roster early on, as they are cheap and expendable.
- They have access to powerful scrap upgrades, most notably a huge bonus to armor-piercing damage.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Goblin_Archers
5. Lothern Sea Guard (Best for being a versatile ranged unit that is strong against Large enemies)
A group of Lothern Sea Guard steel themselves for the coming battle
Lothern Sea Guard are similar to the Drukhari Darkshards in that they are a shielded ranged unit with armor-piercing damage, but they differ in their strengths against enemy large units.
Why Lothern Sea Guard are Great
- They are a versatile ranged unit that can fare decently in melee combat.
- They have armor-piercing missiles and fire from a respectable range of 165.
- They have anti-large and charge defense against large foes, making them a good choice to deal with enemy monsters.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Lothern_Sea_Guard_(Shields)
4. Marauder Hunters (Best for dealing with shielded enemies from range)
A Marauder charges towards his foes with reckless abandon, low to the ground and ready to strike
Marauder Hunters are one of the few missile infantry units in the Norscan roster and play an important role in dealing with shielded units before your infantry meets them.
Why Marauder Hunters are Great
- They have armor-piercing throwing axes.
- Although their range is short, they possess the Shieldbreaker effect, reducing enemy missile parry by 24. A focused group of Marauders can dispatch a shielded unit quickly.
- They are decent melee combatants, so their low ammunition count is not a huge drawback.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Marauder_Hunters
3. Ratling Gun Weapons Team (Best for having an insanely high damage yield over a short period of time)
A Ratling Gun weapons team fires a devastating fusillade of warp-tainted ammunition
The Ratling Gun is a deadly product of Skaven engineering. These fearsome Gatling weapons have a high rate of fire, good range, and armor-piercing projectiles.
Why the Ratling Gun Weapons Team is Great
- The Clan Skryre Skaven faction has a mechanic that makes Ratling Guns have virtually unlimited ammunition.
- Their decent range, armor-piercing projectiles, and high rate of fire make them formidable foes.
- Their missiles suppress enemies, reducing speed by 36% and making it doubly as deadly to be caught in their firing zone.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Ratling_Gun_Weapons_Team
2. Warplock Jezzails (Best for sniping high priority targets)
Warplock Jezzails aim down the sight of their long-barreled rifle, seeking unfortunate targets
Warplock Jezzails are another deadly Skaven invention. Warplock Jezzails have a much slower rate of fire than Ratling Guns, but they boast a much longer range.
Why Warplock Jezzails are Great
- They have a ridiculously long range of 300, allowing them to dispatch high priority targets before they get anywhere near your front line.
- They deal armor-piercing damage.
- They have the Shieldbreaker ability, rendering shields useless to defend against their deadly missiles.
details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Warplock_Jezzails
1. Irondrakes (Best for fighting against horde armies, killing infantry in one immolating blast)
An Irondrake Dwarf releases a devastating gout of flame from his weapon
Irondrakes are one of the most intimidating Dwarf units. They are heavily armored and wield primitive flamethrowers, capable of immolating entire swatches of unarmored enemy infantry in a single volley of devastating fire.
Why Irondrakes are Great
- They are heavily armored and able to withstand a lot of punishment before dying.
- They wield flamethrowers, capable of dealing massive burn damage in a large area very quickly. This allows them to make short work of unarmored infantry that horde armies use to fill out their armies.
- They have armor-piercing, explosive, and fire damage, making them a deadly foe to face down.
