‘Warhammer: The Old World’ – The Ten 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 over a year. The game is starting to shake out. 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 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.
10. Hobgoblin Cutthroats – Chaos Dwarfs
We are going to start off our list here with 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. 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).
9. Black Arc Corsairs – Dark Elfs
Jumping over to the Dark Elfs, next up we’ve got the Black Arc Corsairs. Of the basic combat infantry Dark Elfs have they are in my opinion the better option. You’ve got the normal solid Elf stat line going for you. Move through cover and Open order make them a mobile unit. Sea Dragon Cloaks gives them a bit of a buff vs enemy shooting. On top of that you’ve got the option of either an extra hand weapon for two attacks or a repeater hand bow for some nice shots. If you want to be aggressive and mobile with an infantry force, these aren’t a bad choice. Of course, the current meta will likely see your core filled with Dark Riders or the arguably superior Repeater Crossbowmen, but hey, you take what you got.
8. Daemonettes of Slaanesh – Daemons of Chaos
Next up we are jumping over to Daemons. Up first we’ve got classic Daemonettes, everyone’s favorite NSFW Warhammer unit. While we again push what a basic infantry unit, these aren’t heavy infantry and what daemons get, so I’ll say they fit. They are also a fairly decent unit. They are basically rocking an Elf stat line with the nice buffs of M5 and WS4 giving them some speed and killing options. They’ve also got I5, which is pretty handy – when charging, great weapons are going to go after them.
While Daemonettes don’t have a ton of survivability, just their daemon save, they have good damage output. Two Attacks at AP -1 and Armorbane -2, and the aforementioned WS4, lets them put a bit of hurt out. They aren’t cheap but they can likely win a fight vs most other basic infantry.
7 . Plaguebaerers of Nurgle – Daemons of Chaos
The most expensive unit on the list, we’ve got Plaguebaerers. It’s no wonder they are high on this list as they are the closest to an elite unit, but hey Legacy factions sadly are kind of lacking in good choices in this category. What puts Plaguebaerers in the list is having S and T4. That’s a great stat line for a common 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.
6. Skeleton Warriors – Tomb Kings of Khemri
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. All this makes them a unit that might be worth taking.
5. 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 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. In the Wolve of The Sea list they also get some nice buffs.
4. Quarrelers- Dwarfs
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.
3. 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.
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.
2. Zombies – Vampire Counts
A classic unit and still a mainstay of Vampire Counts for decades. VC probably 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. This is a unit you will see in most VC armies and one that will provide utility beyond its cost or damage output.
1. Night Goblins- Orcs and 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! They’ve made it a little harder to just spam the little balls o’ death, but you still can pull it off.
Let us Know What Basic Infantry You Like Best, Down in The Comments!
