[Top 10] Total War: Warhammer 3 Best Artillery (Ranked)

Do you want to demolish the enemy army before they can even get close to you? Do you want to take down walls with ease so your army can pass through? If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then you need to recruit some artillery units or play a faction that has them. But the question lies: which artillery units should you recruit? 

Well, that honestly depends on the faction you’re playing, as some factions, such as Nurgle and Slaanesh, have very little artillery units. So that’s what I’ll help you with today. I’ll be listing and going into detail about which are the best artillery units in the whole game and how good they are, so with that, let’s get into this article!

10. Gnoblar Scraplauncher (Ok)

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This unit is cheap to get, and it isn’t as strong as some other artillery units. But it’s one of the two units that the Ogre Kingdoms can have when it comes to artillery, so we’ve gotta make do with what we have. The unit has 4,580 health, it’s slow, and it has no resistances, but it has 80 armor, which isn’t bad. 

When it comes to the damage it shoots three projectiles in one shot and the base damage of the shot is 110 and does 50 armor-piercing damage. The reload speed is 17 seconds and has a max range of 420. As I said the unit isn’t anything special and it’s good for defending your castles when being sieged to reduce the enemy numbers.

Gnoblar Scraplauncher Pros:

• It only costs 900 gold to recruit the unit.
• The upkeep cost is 225 gold.
• Has a max range of 420.
• Has 4,580 health.

Gnoblar Scraplauncher Cons:

• It’s slow when moving. 
• Doesn’t deal a lot of damage to enemies.
• It doesn't have any resistance.

Gnoblar Scraplauncher Stats:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Gnoblar_Scraplauncher

9. Little Grom (Ok)

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The cool thing about this artillery unit is that the reason it was created was so that it could drown out the screams of the chaos demons with its thundering strikes. Although in the game it doesn’t sound like thunder, it’s close enough. 

This piece of artillery is amazing against walls, especially if you’re trying to siege a castle. Additionally, if you have this unit, you can instantly launch a siege battle without waiting for siege towers to be created. It can also cause fear in your opponents, reducing their leadership when they’re nearby. 

It doesn’t have any resistances, and the melee attacks and defenses are okay. The missile strength is 475, and the base missile damage is 160. The biggest downside to this is that it takes 16 seconds to reload and can only fire one shot at a time. It has a range of 450 and can carry 22 cannon balls.

Little Grom Pros:

• If you have this unit, you don’t need siege equipment to siege a castle.
• It’s great at destroying walls.
• It causes fear in opponents when they are nearby, which reduces their leadership.
• It can carry 22 cannon balls.
• It has 105 armor.

Little Grom Cons:

• It takes 16 seconds to reload.
• The upkeep is 350 gold.
• The speed is 35, which makes it quite slow and can easily be flanked.

Little Grom Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Little_Grom

8. Hellcannon (Ok)

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This piece of artillery can be recruited either when you’re playing the Warriors of Chaos or Chaos Dwarfs races. It does 30 explosive and 90 explosive armor-piercing damage, in an area and the missile strength is 378 and base missile damage is 72. 

Additionally, it does a whopping 262 armor-piercing missile damage. Sadly, it only has 30 armor, which is nothing and easily dies to flanks and enemy chariots. Furthermore, it has a 420 range, which is quite large.

Hellcannon Pros:

• It has a range of 420.
• Does explosive damage an area?
• Does armor piercing damage?
• Missile strength is 378.

Hellcannon Cons:

• It has an upkeep of 300 gold per turn.
• It only has 30 armor which is nothing and can easily die on flanks and chariots.
• It only has a speed of 20, which isn’t a lot, and moves slowly.

Hellcannon Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Hellcannon

7. Grand Cannon (Good)

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This cannon in the shape of a dragon’s mouth that shoots blazing hot cannonballs is nothing short of badass. It’s also carried on two bulls and has a movement speed of 30. This cannon has a base ammunition amount of 22 cannonballs and a range of 450. Also, the missile strength of this cannon is 200, with a reload speed of 10 seconds. 

Those aren’t high numbers, but consider that you will take multiple of these cannons with you, as the cost to recruit one is only 900 gold and the upkeep per turn is 250 gold. That isn’t a lot if you have built a good economy. It’s also great to have these cannons when defending a fortress or a castle.

Grand Cannon Pros:

• It has a range of 450.
• It only costs 900 gold to recruit and 250 gold per turn to upkeep.
• If you have a good economy, you can easily have 4-5 of these cannons.
• They easily destroy the enemy from a distance.

Grand Cannon Cons:

• It doesn’t have a lot of health.
• If it gets flanked, it can’t do much except run away if possible.
• It only has a melee defense of 6.

Grand Cannon Details: 

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Grand_Cannon

6. Magma Cannon (Good)

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This is the newest unit that was introduced with the Chaos Dwarfs DLC. It shoots hot balls of magma that set enemies on fire, and it’s great for destroying a unit's formation and weakening them before they get too close. It has a base damage of 260 and a range of 380. It does flame damage and can set beasts, humans, or anything that’s alive on fire. 

It doesn’t have any physical or magic resistance, so it’s quite vulnerable when the enemies get too close to it, so you have to keep an eye out for cheeky flanks. It costs 1,100 gold to recruit and 275 gold to upkeep. It takes 2 turns to create and does bonus damage against buildings, so it’s good when trying to siege. 

Magma Cannon Pros:

• Does fire damage the opponent?
• When the cannonball lands, it burns in one spot for some time.
• It has a range of 380.
• It doesn’t cost a lot to upkeep.
• It has 15 fire resistance.

Magma Cannon Cons:

• Doesn’t have any resistance against magic or physical damage.
• The reload time is 10 seconds.
• It can only shoot one cannonball before having to reload.

Magma Cannon Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Magma_Cannon

5. Fire Rain Rocket (Good)

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This unit is the real-life equivalent of the BM-21 Grad, except this one is carried by two huge bulls. You can recruit this unit if you’re playing the Grand Cathay faction. If you have 3-4 of these units recruited, you can easily demolish the infantry of the enemy before they have a chance to react. It has a range of 400 and a missile strength of 560. 

Also, it deals explosive damage to an area, so even if it misses, it will deal some damage. To recruit this unit, it will cost you 1,100 gold, and the upkeep per turn is 325 gold. The movement speed of the unit is 30, so it has some chances of escaping a flank, but you’ll need to have at least one infantry unit nearby in case they get flanked.

Fire Rain Rocket Pros:

• Shoots multiple rockets at the enemy.
• If you have multiple fire rain rockets, you can easily destroy the infantry unit of the enemy before they get close to you.
• It doesn’t cost a lot of gold to upkeep.
• It has a missile strength of 560.

Fire Rain Rocket Cons:

• It doesn’t have a lot of defenses.
• It has no resistance.
• Once it gets flanked, you can’t do much except try to run away.

Fire Rain Rocket Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Fire_Rain_Rocket

4. Skullcannon (Best)

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The Khorne faction is mostly known for its infantry, as it has one of the best infantry units in the game. They also have some decent artillery, such as the Skullcannon. Technically, it’s a warmachine due to its ability to charge as a chariot. Also, it can shoot at enemies from a distance due to the huge cannon on its back, which makes it an artillery unit. 

Also, it can shoot while moving. The unit is great against infantry and armored opponents and can set them on fire. It has a missile strength of 418, and the base missile damage is 88 per volley. It’s really hard to flank this unit as it has some great movement speed and can burn anyone that gets too close. It also has a physical and magical resistance of 20%. 

Skullcannon Pros:

• It’s a war machine and an artillery unit in one. 
• It can deal damage from afar and up close.
• It shreds through armored opponents.
• It’s hard to flank it as it has a 68-movement speed, and it can burn anyone who gets too close.
• It’s quite the tank due to the physical and magical resistances it has.

Skullcannon Cons:

• The accuracy isn’t that good, especially when moving and shooting.
• It only has 12 ammunition.
• It has a reload speed of 12 seconds, which isn’t that good as it only fires one projectile and has a chance to miss.

Skullcannon Details: 

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Skullcannon

3. Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher (Best)

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Does the opponent have a ton of huge beasts? Or maybe they are hiding behind huge walls that can’t be easily penetrated? Then this unit is the solution, as it will demolish anything that stands in its way with multiple rockets fired at the same time. The missile strength is 185, while the base missile damage is 36 per volley. It also does some decent explosive and armor-piercing damage. 

The upkeep for this unit is 325 gold, and if you have more than one, that can be quite a hefty price to pay to upkeep this unit per turn. It is also very slow when moving, but thankfully that isn’t that bad as the melee damage is quite high, can easily be defended if attacked or flanked, and has 70 armor. Additionally, it has 15 fire resistance and 5010 health. 

Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher Pros:

• It has 5010 health.
• The melee damage of the units controlling the rocket launcher is quite high, and they can defend the artillery if flanked.
• It has 15 fire resistances.
• Great for taking down large beasts and huge walls.
• Can easily demolish infantry units.

Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher Cons:

• It costs 325 gold to upkeep each turn.
• It doesn’t have a lot of speed when moving.
• The base missile damage is 36 per volley. It can be high if all rockets hit the target but it also has a chance to miss.

Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Deathshrieker_Rocket_Launcher

2. Ironblaster (Best)

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This is the second artillery unit that the Ogre Kingdom have, and it completely shreds the infantry units. If the enemy army has a lot of infantry, put a couple of these bad boys, and they will shred through them. It also has a decent movement speed of 66, 6,112 health, and 90 armor. If this unit gets flanked, you can easily get out of that problem without losing too much. 

Additionally, the damage that it deals is insane, as the missile strength is 1,172 and the base missile damage is 75. The number of projectiles that it fires is 5, it takes 16 seconds to reload, and it has a max range of 380. Also, when it hits enemies, it applies a passive debuff to them called “Sundered Armor,” which shreds their armor and makes them take more damage.

Ironblaster Pros:

• It shreds through infantry units.
• It has decent movement speed and can easily get out of a flank.
• It has 6,112 health and 90 armor, making it able to tank damage.
• On the enemy, it applies a debuff called “Sundered Armor.”

Ironblaster Cons:

• It’s quite an expensive unit, as the recruitment costs 1,750 gold.
• It has absolutely no resistance and can easily be destroyed by enemy artillery with greater range.
• The upkeep per turn is 438 gold.
• Reload time for each shot is 16 seconds.

Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Deathshrieker_Rocket_Launcher

1. Dreadquake Mortar (Excellent)

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I mean, it’s not a nuke that the Skaven have, but holy smokes, it’s close. This thing can single-handedly demolish a single infantry unit if the shot lands perfectly. It’s monstrous in size, and the impact it has when the cannonball lands on the spot is insane. It ranks as one of the best artillery units in the game for taking down armies from afar and demolishing walls. 

It has a range of 450 and a missile strength of 177, with armor-piercing missile damage of 262 per volley. Furthermore, it has 6520 health and 70 armor. Even if the enemy gets close enough to damage it, they will have a hard time taking it down.

Now, the drawbacks of this insane artillery piece are that it costs 2,000 gold to recruit and has 500 gold upkeep per turn. It is not cheap to own this thing. It also takes 3 turns to create, which can be bad if you need to launch an attack quickly or the enemy is moving to attack you.

Dreadquake Mortar Pros:

• It can single-handedly demolish a whole infantry unit.
• It’s the best for taking down huge walls.
• Deals huge AoE damage.

Dreadquake Mortar Cons:

It costs 2,000 gold to recruit and 500 gold to upkeep each turn.

It takes 24 seconds to reload.

It takes 3 turns to recruit the unit.

Dreadquake Mortar Details:

https://totalwarwarhammer.fandom.com/wiki/Dreadquake_Mortar

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