‘Warhammer: The Old World’ – The Best Lores Of Magic
Come on in young Warhammer: the Old World wizard, and learn which of the Lores of Magic are the best.
Magic is a huge part of Warhammer: The Old World. Magic was one of the bigger changes to ToW. Unlike its predecessor Warhammer Fantasy Battles there is no magic phase. Instead, magic is spread throughout the turn, with spells going off all over the place. This means that every phase is a magical phase and it’s impact if felt throughout the game. Now back in February I went through and made a tier list of the various lores ranking them.
However a lot has changed since then. We’ve gotten new FAQs and Arcane Journals. And we’ve all played a lot more with a meta that is really starting to evolve. So some 8 months later I thought it was worth going back and looking at the lores again. For some my opinions have changed, but others remain the same. Lets take a look at how they are ranking up these days.
Battle Magic
Battle Magic, much of what used to be called fire magic, is the most straightforward lore. It’s also a lore full of bangers. Hammerhand, its signature spell, is a solid assailment, however you likely won’t see it much as most wizards will opt for a faction signature spells. Fireball is the most basic of magic missiles, but it does 2d6 damage at 24-inch range, meaning it’s easy to keep out of dispel range. Thanks to Ruby Ring it’s probably the most common spell in the game.
It’s got a move twice spell, which is amazing, and a good ward save spell is always useful. Pillar of Fire is the best of the damage dealing Vortexes as you get to control where it goes. It’s also the lynch pin of some very powerful lists that spam it out.
Cowardly Flight forces panic tests, which can be devastating, but likely will do nothing. Curse of Arrow Attraction is a very underwhelming and situational and a pretty garbage spells. .
Overall, this is a great lore for a close-up wizard or just someone you want to do some damage, it’s likely the default lore and the one everything else is measured against.
S Tier
Demonology
Demonology is your go-to if you really want to buff up troops in combat. Daemonic Vessel is probably the best buff spell in the game, giving buffs to strength, attacks, and AP. The Summoning is a solid magic missile. Its short range means you are more likely to be opposed when casting it, but it is a signature spell. That does mean you can always get it, but if you are trying for a double magic missel build this lore isn’t good.
Daemonic Vigour is also pretty solid but limited, as you can’t cast it into combat, and it only works on your turn, meaning it’s normally cast on charging units that don’t need it a ton.Vortex of Chaos is a pretty lackluster Vortex as it has random movement, doesn’t do a ton of damage, and can be easily dispelled. Steed of Shadows is situational but can be used from good positioning,and with marching column can shoot units across the tbale. The lores’ assailment is OK, but will normally result in few causalities, while Gathering Darkness is great used in the right situation but very short ranged.
Overall this is lore that can have big rewards, but is also very likely to leave you without anything to do on some turns. It’s good but feels a bit lacking.
B Tier
Dark Magic
Dark Magic is a powerful lore with a mix of options. Doombolt, its signature spell, is a strong magic missile. As it uses a template and has AP -2 is very effective vs large ranked up blocks. Sadly in the current meta where you don’t see a lot of big blocks its not as good as it could be. Word of Pain is a highly useful hex. Giving an enemy unit -1 T for a full turn is amazing and can buff your army’s shooting or combat. Stream of Corruption and Soul Eater are both strong assailments that target different types of units. It’s the only lore you can double up on assailments with. However you’d only want this with a really specific build and a lot of the time it just won’t be worth it.
Battle Lust is a top-tier offense buff as it gives you Frenzy and Hatred. Since you get to choose to cast it you can basically avoid the downsides of Frenzy. If you happen to couple it with Word of Pain you can let even a weak unit destroy a strong enemy. Phantasmagoria is a spell that can single-handedly break an enemy army or send them off on foolish charges, however most of the time it will just do nothing as the enemy has a couple chances to dispel it. Infernal Gateway is pretty situational, but can be used to save engaged heroes or rush someone across the table.
Overall this lore has two of the best spells in the game and several decent ones. None are bad, and with the right combo its amazing, but its not as strong standalone as some.
A Tier
Elementalism
Elementalism is another lore with a wide mix of spells, with a bit of a focus on affecting enemy position. However, it’s also on the weaker side of the lores. Its signature Storm Call is very situational, and not a spell you always want. You’ll almost always take a faction signature instead. The assailment Flaming Sword is one of the worst in the game, much worse than Hammer Hand for instance. Its vortex, Summon Elemental Spirt, is also on the weaker side and generally worse than others. It blocks LoS but can be dispelled and is only a 3-inch. Earthen Ramparts is a slightly better 5+ ward spell for a unit that is standing still, but generally worse than similar spells. Travel Mystical Pathway is too situational to be really good.
That leaves only two decent spells in the lore. Plague of Rust is a solid hex that drops enemy armor. However, it does need a good target to really get use out of it. In the right combo its great. Wind Blast is a low-hit, but strong magic missile that can move the enemy around, which sometimes is meaningful. It does have a short range. Most people are aware of what it does and aren’t going to let you pull any crazy tricks with it.
Overall, Elementalism spells tend to be worse versions of other lores, and it just feels very underpowered. It’s the lore you take because you can’t take a better one.
D Tier
High Magic
High Magic is a strong buff lore with some very powerful spells, and some weaker ones. Walk Between Worlds has to be one of the best buff spells in the game. It not only lets a unit move extra, but gives them Ethereal, making them immune to non-magical attacks. This spell alone can give you a unit that some armies just can’t hurt. Fury of Khaine is another super strong buff, giving a unit +1 attack; it’s never not useful. Shield of Saphery is a standard 5+ Ward save spell, but still welcome. Fiery Convocation, the only big damage spell in the lore has pretty much the highest damage potential of any Magic Missile, shooting a 5 inch template with decent S and AP. It can wipe out whole units, though it’s not as good in the current meta.
On the downside of the lore, Corporeal Unmaking is only an OK Assailment, with low attacks, but a good chance to wound. Tempest is a pretty bad Vortex as it doesn’t directly do any damage. Since it doesn’t have any effect until the enemy movement phase they have a chance to dispel it before it has any effect. Lastly, Drain Magic might be the worst signature spell in the eight lores. Look if its goes off and stays off it can be useful, but its a remains-in-play that can be dispelled before it really affects the enemy, effectively giving them two chances to dispel.
On top of that I think the lore is held down but only High Elves really getting regular access to it. It’s a lore that likely should be better, but just isn’t making the impact it should due to the meta and the army that has it.
Overall, High Magic is a lore with two great spells, a couple mid spells and in the end is held back by a few duds.
B Tier
Illusion
Illusion magic has some of the potentially best spells in the game, but generally needs a bit of work to set up properly. Glittering Robe, its signature spell, is an always useful and solid spell giving you a -1 to be hit. This is just always good. It’s one you could conceivable take over a signature spells. Column of Crystal can help you control the table and be very useful, locking down whole enemy units, but it has a short range and can be dispelled. Spectral Doppelganger has the potential to be the best Assailment in the game. If you’ve got it on the right character with the right loadout, it can devastate the enemy. If you’ve just got it on old average Bob it slides into the OK territory.
Shimmering Dragon is a fairly OK movement spell that lets you boost a single character around a bit more. But it’s nothing to write home about. Confounding Convocation has a very short range and while it can be good really needs a low LD enemy to target, which normally means a not very valuable target. Meanwhile, Mind Razor is one of the worst magic missiles in the game. It has short range and deals poor damage unless the enemy fails a LD test, and even then its only mediocre damage.
Miasmic Mirage though has become the real star of the lore. This is a spell that can basically take a unit out of the game. Reducing movement, no marching and preventing it from charging is a brutal, brutal debuff. It’s short ranged and hard to cast but there are whole armies built around using this spell a few times. With some casting buffs or tricks its one of the most game changing spells around.
While there are few duds, the lore has a couple of the most impactful spells in the game.
S Tier
Necromancy
Necromancy is a lore that really focuses on leadership tricks. Spirit Leech is a decent Hex that lowers the enemy LD by 2 and makes it so they can’t use their general’s LD. Spiritual Vortex gives an aura that does the same, but only gives -1 LD. Like all Vortexes, it can be dispelled, but it is a little harder to do. Deathly Cabal gives you a pretty anemic 6+ Ward, but also gives unit Fear or upgrades fear to Terror.
Curse of Years is a solid hex that hurts a lot of enemy stats, but has a short range and can’t target into combat. Spectral Steed is a pretty standard move spell, but does give a character ethereal. Sadly it can be dispelled. The Dwellers Below can hit a lot of targets in combat, but is pretty weak. Likewise Unquiet Spirits does a lot of hits, but against most things that matter will be doing 1-2 wounds (you can combat Curse of Years on a base T3 unit to be pretty devastating).
All of that does make the lore look pretty weak on the face of it, and I certainly disregarded it on first pass. However with the right spells and number of wizards it can be really punishing. The option to combo multiple Spiritual Vortexes and Spirit Leeches can absolutely tank an enemies LD. This is a key combo for many undead lists that rely on doing damage with LD checks. In these lists it is a superpower lore.
It’s just not a lore that has any real stand-out spells. If you have a solid plan, it can be good, but without a real plan it feels pretty underwhelming.
B Tier
Waaagh! Magic
Mainly used by Orcs and Goblins, Waaagh! magic is one of the more random lores in the game. Both it’s Assailment First of Gork (or Mork) and it’s vortex Foot of Gork (or Mork) can put out a ton of damage. They throw around large templates with good damage and some AP. However both are very random and can hurt friendly units, are even likely too, making them a big risk. Hand of More (Or Gork) is also a very random movement spell that probably isn’t very good.
On the flip side Bad Moon Rizin’ is a decent Hex that can cripple enemy Initiative. Evil Sun Shinin’ is a strong buff made even better by affecting units in an aura. ‘Ere We Go! is more situational, but when you need extra charge distance, it’s really good and affects a range of units as well. Lastly, Vindictive Glare is an odd magic missile, it’s useless in a lot of situations but pretty great against a single strong enemy model.
This is a lore that would actually be a lot better in almost any other army!
B Tier
Let us know how you’d rank the lores, down in the comments!
