‘Warhammer: The Old World’ How To Play Dwarfen Mountain Holds
Today take a look at the basics of how to play Warhammer: The Old World’s Dwarfen Mountain Holds, the shortest army!
The Dwarfen Mountain Holds one of the core armies in Warhammer the Old World. They are an old and conservative people, intractable but skilled in the technology. They eschew traditional magic in favor of Rune Lore. A hardy army they can be though, but rewarding and they know how to hold a grudge!
So below we will offer some tips on how to play The Dwarfen Mountain Holds and get started with the army.
Who are the Dwarfen Mountain Holds?
The Dwarfs as a people are bound to the mountains. Ancient and wise they hail from various Holds, massive underground cities built into the bones of the mountains. They are one of the oldest races int he Old World. They have their own gods and use their own type of magic known as Rune Lore. Though old, they are resistant to change and are known for holding intense grudges.
Long ago in their Golden Age they were a dominate force in the Old World were closely allied to the High Elves. Yet they are now a race in decline. The War of The Beard ended their alliance with the Elves and devastated both races leading a never ending grudge between the races. Earthquakes, disasters and invasions by the Orcs and Goblins led to the loss of many of their holds. What remains now is but a shadow of their old might.
The Dwarfs are a race of master craftsmen, who are prized for their metal working. When not living in a hold many Dwarfs now live among the cities of men, especially in the Empire. Though diminished the scattered holds are still a major player in the Old World and not to be taken lightly.
Why Play Dwarfs
Do you like tough armies? Gunlines? Or armies with unique rules? How about short, grumpy, hairy people who never forget a wrong? Well, then, Dwarfs might be a great army for you! They have one of the more limited play styles in the game. They are a slow army, and lack both cavalry and magic. However, what they are good at, combat infantry and shooting, they are really good at.
Dwarf Strengths
- One of the toughest overall armies.
- Very good armor.
- Powerful Warmachines
- Runes.
- Plenty of high strength attacks.
Dwarf Weaknesses
- One of the slowest armies in the game with most units have movement 3.
- No real magic.
- No cavalry.
- No big monsters or real centerpiece units.
- Almost all infantry in a meta that does not favor that.
Signature Dwarf Rules
- Rune Lore- Allows many non-wizard units to dispel as if they were wizards.
- Runic Items – Rather than having access to normal magic items Dwarfs get a massive customizeable system they can use to custom tailor items.
- Gromril Weapons– gives the armies hand weapons with this rule AP -1
- Gromril Armor – Allows Rerolls of 1s on armor saves for units with this rule.
- Dwarf Crafted – Removes the penalty to hit for standing and shooting.
- Resolute- take a -1 on purist and flee rolls.
Dwarfen Mountain Holds Armies of Infamy
- Royal Clan –An army very on traditional Dwarf units and weapons. None of this steam, or black powder things – just lots of finely crafted traditional weapons. Lots of runes, sometimes lots of Slayers.
- Expeditionary Force –The opposite of the Royal Clan. Focused on modern weapons and techniques. A more mobile force, and can move around and shoot better.
Key Dwarf Units
Here are some of the most important Dwarf Units for you to know about:
Dwarf Lords
Dwarf Kings and Thanes make up your main fight-y characters. Your army will almost always have at least one of these, and maybe a few of them. They are strong combatants and with the right runes can be either super deadly or some of the hardest to kill models in the game. Sadly, they don’t have a ton of tricks and are slow, making it sometimes hard for them to get into combat.
Anvil Of Doom
The Anvil of Doom is the closest thing Dwarfs get to a wizard. Tough and unable to move, it will sit around dealing out damage and buffs. The anvil is able to cast several powerful bound spells, making it both a strong support unit and able to put out some damage. Thanks to Rune Lore it can also dispel like a wizard, making it a strong addition to an army.
Quarrelers and Thunderers
Dwarfs are an infantry-heavy army, but sadly in the Old World, infantry is pretty weak. This leaves a lot of the Dwarf core options feeling a bit lacking. Likely the best option, and one you’ll see in a lot of armies, is either Quarrelers or Thunderers. These are your basic Dwarf shooting infentry armed with either crossbows or handguns. They are relatively cheap and decent at shooting. However, unlike a lot of other ranged troops they aren’t bad in combat. In fact, they can get a similar load out and combat profile to Dwarf warriors. Heavy Armor, T4 and great weapons or a shield, combined with standing and shooting make them a strong and sometimes deadly unit.
Rangers
Rangers rock a similar load out to Quarrelers and can act as both a combat and ranged unit. They have better stats and get to scout and skirmish making them a rare unit among dwarfs. A very useful unit to have around.
Hammerers
Hammerers are the most deadly of the Dwarf infantry. An elite and heavy unit, they get better when lead by a King or Thane and get massive buffs when they get charged. This is a tough and hard-hitting unit. With the right runes it can be built as a unit you really, really don’t want to charge into.
Irondrakes
The pinnacle of Dwarf infantry shooting. These super heavily armored dwarfs have some of the strong infantry ranged attacks in the game and while tough, short-ranged, can put the hurt on any unit they want. The champion is very accurate and can have even better guns. You’ll see these in almost every Dwarf army for just how good they are.
Slayers
Both a unit and a subset of the Dwarf army. Slayers are dwarfs that have been dishonored and vowed to hunt powerful enemies until they meet their end. They are unarmored, unbreakable and tend to get buffs vs big targets. Your basic Slayers form an infantry unit, but they also have characters, lone models, and the occasional warmachine. While most Slayer units are not great currently, the Doomseeker is a very strong unit.
Gyrocopter
The rare fast dwarf unit. The Gyrocopter, and its bigger brother the Gyro-bomber are steam powered flying Dwarf helicopters. They flit around the table, shooting up the enemy and dropping bombs. By far the fastest unit in the army, they provide some needed mobility.
Sample Dwarfen Mountain Holds Army
++ Characters ++
King
– Great weapon
– Shield
– General
– Master Rune of Adamant
– Rune of Fury
Thane
– Great weapon
– Shield
– Battle Standard Bearer [Rune of Confusion + Rune of Battle]
– Runes of Parrying + Fury+ Shielding
++ Core Units++
13 Rangers
– Crossbows
– Great weapons
– Shields
– Ol’ Deadeye (champion) [Crossbow]
– Standard bearer [Rune of Battle]
– Musician
20 Quarrellers
– Crossbows
– Great weapons
– Shields
– Veteran (champion) [Crossbow]
– Standard bearer
– Musician
20 Longbeards
– Great weapons
– Shields
– Drilled
– Elder (champion)
– Standard bearer [Master Rune of Hesitation]
– Musician
++ Special Units ++
1 Gyrocopters
– Clatterguns
– Full plate armour
++ Rare Units ++
Gyrobomber
– Clattergun
– Full plate armour
Tips For Playing Dwarfen Mountain Holds
Dwarfs are a tricky army to master in The Old World. They have very tough infantry and good shooting. However, these are not the best things in ToW right now. They are also a pretty elite army with not a lot of chaff and their units can get pricy fast. You’ll need to pick a facet of the army to really lean into. Do you want to go full-on gunline and splurge on warmachines and shooting units? Or do you want to try the harder but maybe more rewarding route of combat infantry?
Whatever you pick, positioning is going to be key for your army. Set up can be the most important part of the game for a Dwarf player. Your units are slow, slower than almost anyone you face. A unit put out of place might never get back into a useful position. You will have some very bad match ups. That being said, there are ways, using a combo of Dwarf Carts, the Anvil of Doom and Drilled, to let at least some of your move pretty fast. You’ll have to take full advantage of these to get your units, and importantly your characters, where they need to be.
~And remember, every loss goes in the book!
