‘Warhammer: The Old World’- The Nine Best Basic Infantry Units Post 1.5 FAQ

In Warhammer: The Old World Infantry are finally good! So take a look at some Basic ones you’ll want to include.

Not long after the game came out I went through and ranked a ton of the units in it. I think its a useful process to try and see what’s worth taking, and what you should fear facing. However the game has changed a lot since then. We’ve got new armies, and a major FAQ/Errata. The meta has shifted. So I though now was a good time to go back and revisit what is best in the game. In particular now that infantry appear to be good, thanks to a number of changes, lets take a look at some good infantry units worth taking. We’ve already looked at heavy units, so today let’s take a look at the most humble basic units that are still pretty good now.

Basic infantry just isn’t all that amazing, and never has been. And that makes sense. They are, after all, the most basic part of an army. These are the cheapest, least elite troops. And yet, some of them are pretty good. In particular many of these are great at holding objectives. So today, let’s take a look at the ten best Core basic Infantry units you might actually want to take. Today, we are going to focus  units that can fight in combat and just to keep some verity no army gets more than one entry on the list.

9. Empire State Troops – Empire of Man

We are going to start off with a pretty basic infantry unit indeed, Empire State Troops. This unit is so basic it really doesn’t have anything special. Indeed up till now it really wouldn’t make it on to these lists. However with all the updates they do have a place to fit in. With hand weapon and shield they are able to be a bit more tank-y. They are also pretty decent at holding objectives with a big block. And thanks to some good support options they can get a really great static combat res. Take the Veteran versions, for something that’s no longer quite basic, but can stick around and hold an objective. And maybe kill a model.

8. Plaguebearers of Nurgle – Daemons of Chaos

The most expensive unit on the list, we’ve got Plaguebearers. Now they are honestly pretty close to a more elite unit,  but hey Legacy factions sadly are kind of lacking in good choices in this category. What puts Plaguebearers in the list is having S and T4. That’s a great stat line for a core troop like this. Combined with a light regen, making enemies re-roll 6s to hit them in combat and their daemon save and they are pretty tanky. As daemons, they also aren’t going to run away, making for a hard-to-shift unit. Their attacks are… S4! So that’s nice, also randomly good vs Undead. This isn’t a flashy unit, but it’s reliable, and that often is what you most want from your basic units. While they can be hard to shift off objectives, they are a bit hurt by their very cost, making them a lot less likely to have the numbers you really want from this kind of unit.

7. Chaos Marauders – Warriors Of Chaos

Foot Marauders really are at the bottom of the heap among Warrior of Chaos armies. This has led to a lot of people dismissing them. However I think they are a bit of a sleeper power unit. This is a super flexible unit with a ton of options and some great rules. They also get access to flails, which are a decent weapon. Marks also let you tailor the unit to your needs. The kicker for me is the option to give one unit skirmish. A decent size skirmishing unit of Marauders with flails punches way above its weight and is a pretty solid choice. In the Wolves of The Sea list they also get some nice buffs. Relatively cheap they are hold objective much better than Chaos Warriors.

6. Hobgoblin Cutthroats – Chaos Dwarfs

Next we swap over to the “good” old Chaos Dwarfs. Their most basic unit are the Hobgoblin Cutthroats. This a very basic unit, with threes almost across the board. However, where they shine is in cost. At 3 pts they are a cheap option and you can take plenty of them. This makes them really solid for holding objectives and scoring. Compared to common and Night Goblins they actually have better WS and lose Impetuous. They can also take bows for free, rather than the 1 pt other goblins must pay. You can spam them as cheap ranged units or flankers and with Backstab they might kill something. Add in Horde and Warband and they’ve got good rules. You probably won’t build an army around them, but I think most Chaos Dwarf armies will have room for a couple units. (Infernal Guard are great, but a little too elite for this list). Cheap scoring units are a great, and this fits the bill.

5. Dwarf Warriors – Dwarfen Mountain Holds

Dwarf Warriors not have a great reputation. In fact in the past I’d say that they aren’t really worth taking at all. But the Dawi have gotten a lot of buffs? Now this isn’t a cheap unit, and is on the heavier side, but it is basic for Dwarves. They are a though unit, with good armor and T4. It’s also not a crazy costly unit, so you can have a big block. And two ranks of great weapons isn’t anything to sneer at! While they are slow, there are tricks around this, and of course objective play gives them a better role. This is a unit that’s really had a glow up. Yes, you might be better off running Longbreads in Dwarfs, but the basic Warriors are not longer a joke.

4. Yeomen Guard – Brettonian Exiles 

Much of what I’m going to say also applies to the basic Men-At-Arms, however the Yeomen Guard that Bretonnian Exiles can take just get more of everything. Basically, this is a super points-effective infantry unit.  At 5 pts a model, you get a straight average human, with 3s in most states. That’s fairly normal. The unit also gets both shields and either spears or halberds for free, a nice bonus. For a point they can take polearms, which lets them switch between spears and Halberds, but it’s normally not worth taking this. You can rock out with a 4+ save or get a lot of spear attacks.

Where the unit really shines is the special rules. Horde. Veteran. Warband. These are three of the best special rules in the game. They also have the option to upgrade to Stubborn. All of this means that a big block of them will count as LD 9, get to re-roll LD tests and charges. Have at least a static 5 in combat res and be stubborn with shield wall. These also get two champions for extra challenge options. 30 of them with all the important upgrades clocks out to a super efficient 200 pts and is a very reliable unit. These men(-at-arms!) are great for sitting on a center objective.

3. Skeleton Warriors – Tomb Kings of Khemri 

Skeleton Warriors aren’t the deadliest of Khemri units – not by far. However, they do bring a lot to the table that other Core Infantry doesn’t.  The combo of Unbreakable and the ability to heal the unit makes them a pretty much-unmatched tarpit unit. While they aren’t amazing at killing things, they are very reliable and can be counted on to do what you need them to do. They also have a lot of good options to buff. On top of that, it can be quite hard to score points off of them as they won’t run away and can come back. It’s a unit that brings its own unique bit to the game.

However its with the newest rules updates that they really really shine. These boners get good static combat res, and can shut down a lot of charge bonus over time. And they can be taken in big units and just…. hold objectives. Their special Phalanx rules means if you take it they won’t even give ground. So any objectives that require you to be closest, such as the hill, are… well theirs’s until you kill them!

2. Zombies – Vampire Counts

A classic unit and still a mainstay of Vampire Counts for decades. VC are the best of the Legacy factions, so it’s no wonder they get the basic core troop. These guys are about as basic as you can get, with most of their stats actually being sub 3s! They are slow as they can’t march and only have a 6+ regen save. Don’t look to them to win any fights (unless you happen to try charging your most expensive knights into an enemy unit of Zombies, in which case they will invariably kill several.).

So what are they here for? Well, they are an amazing and cheap tarpit unit. At 3 pts they are about as cheap as you can get. More than that “The Newly Dead” means you can heal them past their starting size. Take 20 and soon have a unit of 40! They are unbreakable and can get a decent static res, you’ve also got some not horrible buff options for them. All this combined ups them to… if not an outright threat, then a unit you have to be aware of. They can eat charges and tie up units, if you can’t kill them all in one round, expect them to be back at full strength next round. At half the points of Skeleton units, losing them just isn’t an issue either.

All of this also makes them amazing objective holders. They are cheap and disposable, but hard to kill (and don’t crumble as much anymore!). A really cheap unit bulked up can score you a ton of points. I honestly feel like at least one unit is kind of mandatory in VC armies right now.

1. Night Goblins- Orcs and Goblin Tribes

Night Goblins are another pretty points-efficient unit for the Greenskins. The great combo of Horde and Warband is in play here and they can take either spears or bows. This makes them a pretty decent unit in comb… OK, who am I kidding? You don’t take Night Goblins for Night Goblins. You take them to be able to take Fanatics.

This is a cheap unit that can kind of do OK. It’s not totally useless. In fact they are cheap enough that they can score objectives pretty well as cheap core troops. But yeah, you want it for the Fanatics. Throw them in the unit of Night Goblins and you’ve suddenly got one of the most dangerous and scary units in the game. A few of them can destroy armies, and I do mean armies (plural) – as they might wipe out both sides! This is a pretty rare find in a cheap basic infantry unit as it both good as an objective holder, and has a deadly side to it!

Let us Know What Basic Infantry You Like Best, Down in The Comments! 

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 Warhammer: The Old World, as well as all things Star Wars, with occasional dabbling in other topics. Abe mourned over loss of WFB for its entire hiatus, but has been reborn like a gaming phoenix with Warhammer: The Old World.

Read the Comments (0)

Read more at this site