‘Warhammer: The Old World’ – The Five Best Basic Infantry Units

Take a look at some basic infantry units from Warhammer: The Old World you might actually want to take.

We’ve all had our hands on The Old World for a bit. The game is starting to shake out. We’ve gotten a decent look at what is good and bad and how people like to play. The truth is as things are shaking out infantry, and in particular, Core basic infantry are kind of on the bottom of the pile. Most people don’t think they are any good, without some kind of trick. Now, this is a little sad. Warhammer: The Old World is a rank-and-flank game. That means not having big ranked up blocks be good, is maybe not ideal. On the other hand, it is pretty true to all previous editions of old Warhammer Fantasy.

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. So today, let’s take a look at the five best Core basic Infantry units you might actually want to take. Today, we are going to focus on the core 9 nine armies and on units that can fight in combat.

5. Skeleton Warriors

Skeleton Warriors aren’t the deadliest of 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.

4. Chaos Marauders

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 arguably one of the best weapons in the game. 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.

3. Quarrelers

OK, this is a bit of a cheat as I did say we are sticking to combat units, but hear me out. Dwarf Warriors are just… bad. They aren’t really worth taking at all. So what’s a Dawi to do? Well, this is where Quarrelers come in. Now sure, they are technically a shooting unit, and have crossbows. But they can also get all the same weapons as a unit of Warriors, Heavy Armor, Shields, and Great Weapons. All of this makes them just a much better choice for a Core Infantry unit. They can shoot and fight almost as well as a Warrior, the main difference being WS 3 vs 4. However, the range threat they gain from crossbows more than makes up for this. This makes them pretty much the best choice for a block of core infantry you can get in Dwarfs.

2. Yeomen Guard

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.

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 a static 5 in combat res and be stubborn with shield wall. These also get two champions for extra 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.

1. Night Goblins

Night Goblins are another pretty points-efficient unit. 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, 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!

<style=”text-align: center;”>Let us Know What Basic Infantry You Like Best, Down in The Comments! 

Author: Abe Apfel

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.