Today take a look at the basics of how to play Warhammer: The Old World’s Warriors of Chaos, the real bad(ass) guys!
The Warriors of Chaos one of the core armies in Warhammer the Old World. They are, more than any other faction what makes Warhammer, Warhammer. Brutal warriors who walk the Path to Glory and pledge themselves to the Gods of Chaos, and the end of the world. All Conquering armored Lords and northern tribes steeped in warrior culture they descend upon the Old World with fire, blood and pure Chaos. They are an army that focuses on combat, but is one of the easiest to get into, yet remains hard to master.
So below we will offer some tips on how to play The Warriors of Chaos and get started with the army.
Who are the Warriors Of Chaos?
The Warriors of Chaos are a diverse faction. They can however be roughly divided into two groups. On the one hand you have the quintessential “Warriors of Chaos”. These are armored elite brutes that comprise, and lead, armies out of the Chaos Wastes to attack the settled realms. Brutal, cunning, and greedy they strive for power and the favor of the Dark Gods.
On the other hand you have the “Marauder” groups. These generally represent the Norsca tribes, savage barbarians for the lands north of the Empire. Driven by their harsh life into the service of the Chaos gods they raid for plunder, profit and glory. While they are still Slaves to Darkness, their connection to the Dark Gods is more tenuous than that of the more elite warriors. They are in effect the Vikings of the Old World.
Among both factions you can find those blessed by the Gods, mutated and even possessed. A few might be outright Daemons, though those are rare in this time-period. Whatever group they belong to, they are driven to conquest and war in a doomed quest to try and gain favor with the Chaos Gods.
Why Warriors of Chaos?
Do you like Conan the Barbarian and the art of Frank Frazetta? No, seriously this piece of art is like half the inspiration for the whole faction!
Or maybe you like Vikings a ton? Want to command a howling horde, or an army of fully armored warriors steeped in magical powers? Do you want some of the most hard hitting units and best Characters in the game? Powerful magic and in your face punchiness? Then Warriors are the faction for you!
Warriors of Chaos Strengths
- Very good magic options
- Powerful monsters and the best dragon rider in the game.
- Strong close combat options.
- Access to a lot of good armor.
- Lots of powerful items and mutations.
- Option to take units form other armies.
Dwarf Weaknesses
- Very little non-magical ranged options.
- Very expensive units.
- Middle of the road for speed.
- Can be hard to focus an army.
Signature Warriors of Chaos Rules
- Gaze of The Gods – Allows characters to roll on a table each turn to (normally) get a buff.
- Marks of Chaos – Allows you to pledge units to a certain god, or the whole pantheon, for various buffs.
- Ensorcelled Weapons – Gives the armies hand weapons with this rule AP -1 and magic attacks.
- Chaos Armor – Allows wizards to wear amor, and also provides ward saves.
Warriors of Chaos Armies of Infamy
- Heralds of Darkness – An army that focuses on armored mounted Knights and other cavalry. It’s all mounted and fast.
- Wolves of The Sea – An army that focuses on the Norsca part of the army, adding several new fun units and great special rules.
Key Warriors of Chaos Units
Here are some of the most important Warriors of Chaos Units for you to know about:
(Note: While Warriors of Chaos have access to a number of units form other factions, this list is only going to cover units that are from the Warriors of Chaos faction itself.)
Champions of Chaos
Champions of Chaos, Chaos Lords, Exalted Champions and Aspiring Champions, are you primary fighty characters. They don’t have a ton of tricks, but are some of the best fighters in the game and amazing at beating face. They have access to lots of items and mutations and a wide variety of mounts. A well built Chaos Lord on a Dragon is a true terror of the table and a meta defining unit.
Sorcerers of Chaos
Sorcerers are your main casters. They are not at base any better at being a wizard than those in other factions. They do however have access to some great upgrade options and amazing spells. They can also wear armor and are a lot better fighters than other wizards.
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Chaos Warriors
You can’t talk about Warriors of Chaos and not mention Chaos Warriors! This is a unit that should be a core of any army. They are heavily armored, strong and tough and can outfight a lot of other basic infantry. Unfortunately they are also very pricey and don’t have a great damage output or any real tricks. Taking them is a bit of a trap as they will struggle to affect the battle or earn their points back. Any real elite unit will wipe the floor with them. You can take the upgraded version, Chosen Chaos Warriors for a more deadly options.
Forsaken
This is the actual infantry unit you want to take. Forsaken are warriors that have given themselves over the Dark Gods and been mutated as a result. They are faster, hit hard, and more cost effective than the other infantry Chaos can take. While Characters cannot join them they do get some nice upgrade options and though a bit random often punch above their weight class.
Chaos Knights/ Chosen Chaos Knights
Decently mobile and hard hitting, Chaos Knights are armored juggernauts. Many lists use these to fill out their core as they a good mix of speed and deadliness, and Characters can join them. You can take one unit of upgraded Chosen Chaos Knights and properly supported these can make one of the deadliest traditional units in the game.
Chaos Spawn
Though they are quite random Chaos Spawn are a cheap and useful addition to an army. They are deadlier than they appear and can be hard to deal with. As they are Unbreakable they are as a cheap unit that can gum up the enemy army. Normally best fielded in units of one.
Warpfire Dragon
The warpfire dragon is one of the few ranged units Chaos gets access to, being able to act like a stone thrower. It’s also, you know, a dragon, and can fly around and beat people up. It can also be a wizard and has just a ton of tricks up it’s sleeve. It’s one of the better unridden monsters in the game much better that the other ranged option, the Hellcannon.
Sample Warriors of Chaos Army
++ Characters ++
Chaos Lord
– Full plate armour
– Shield
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Chaos Undivided]
– General
– Chaos Chariot [Mark of Chaos Undivided]
– Ogre Blade
– Brazen Collar
– 2x Favour of the Gods
– Enchanting Aura
– Acid Ichor
++ Core Units ++
16 Chaos Warriors
– Shields
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Chaos Undivided]
– Champion
– Standard bearer
– Musician
16 Chaos Warriors
– Shields
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Chaos Undivided]
– Champion
– Standard bearer
– Musician
++ Special Units++
10 Chosen Chaos Knights
– Lances
– Shields
– Full plate armour
– Mark of Chaos [Mark of Chaos Undivided]
– Drilled
– Champion
– Standard bearer
– Musician
Chaos Chariot
– Mark of Chaos Undivided
Tips For Playing Warriors of Chaos
Warriors of Chaos can be a very straightforward and easy army to play. You buy things with big sticks and you hit the enemy very hard with those. You can play it simply and just try to run over the enemy, and a lot of armies will just get run over! However there are dangers there as well. It’s very easy to sink points into units that are not very effective. It’s an expensive army and you’ve got to really be careful what units you can and use. It can be easy to end up with only a few big units and allow the enemy to dance around you with ease.
To get the most out of the army you can’t just focus on the “most powerful” units. You’ll want to look at taking smaller units and explore units with less raw power and points efficiency. Or you can just sink half your army into a super powerful dragon and go smash things! While Chaos has some tricks, it tends to have less, and rely on less, then some other armies. Instead you’ll want to focus on good maneuvering and setting up the right charges.
~And remember, glory to the Dark Gods!
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Abe is that rare thing, an Austin local born and raised here. Though he keeps on moving around, DC, Japan, ETC., he always seems to find his way back eventually. Abe has decades of experience with a wide range of tabletop and RPG games, from historicals, to Star Wars to D&D and 40K. He has been contributing to BOLS since almost the start, back when he worked at and then owned a local gaming store. He used to be big into the competitive Warhammer tournament scene but age has mellowed him and he now appreciates a good casual match. He currently covers 40K tactics and lore, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe remains in mourning over the loss of WFB to this day.
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