‘Warhammer: The Old World’- Ranking The Core Armies
Take a look at how Warhammer: The Old World’s core armies stack up against each other.
The Old World has been out for just over three months now. In that time a good number of events have taken place. Thanks to this we are starting to get some real data on the game and the current meta. A huge shout out to the fine folks over at Woehammer,com who have been tracking win rates and compiling a ton of data. Now a lot of people will say its far too early to really know what the balance of the game is. And that’s totally fair. It is early days and a lot of things are skewing data, most people are playing with leftover 8th Edition (or older) armies, and not all armies are fully out. However I do think there is enough data to start to take a look at armies and give them some tentative rankings.
For today we are just going to look at the nine core armies. Legacy armies will have to wait for another time. Overall the game does appear to be relatively balanced with a few outliers, so lets jump in.
9. Empire of Man
Sadly, by pretty much any metric, Empire of Man are falling down into the last place army. They have an overall 36% win rate in 2000 pt. events. This is well below the balance zone of 45%-55% you want to fall in. They have gone up a bit since the April FAQ to a still bad 38% but we have a lot less data to base those numbers on. Either way, its not good, and they tend to rank up very poorly vs other armies. Even without the numbers – its clear why they would fall into last. They just don’t have anything going for them. They have no army special rules, and very few unit special rules. The current army focuses a lot on artillery, which had a big nerf. It’s just a pretty boring list with not a lot going for it and some of the weakest characters in the game. Sigmar wept.
8. Dwarfs
Next up, we have Dwarfs, and if there is an army that could give Empire a run for its money as the worst – they make the short list. Now their stats are a lot better. Since the game came out they are sitting at a 45% win rate in 2000 pt. events. This is well above Empire and argues for them being a fairly balanced army. However, post the April FAQ, which again gives us a lot less data, they have dropped to a 36% rate, below Empire. Overall while they are more interesting then Empire I don’t think they are much better. They lack magic and really struggle in movement and maneuver. Their shooting has been massively nerfed and they have only a few good combat units. Large portions of their army, Dwarf Warriors, Slayers, are next to worthless. There are some trick lists, and even meme lists, to build with them – but it’s a real struggle.
7. Wood Elf Realms
Wood Elfs are in the running for maybe the most balanced list in The Old World. Their total win rate sits at 49%, with a slight drop to 45% after the April FAQ. Those numbers put them right smack dab in the middle of the pack. They got a lot of nice tricks to help them out, but I do think people are catching on to them. While their shooting is good, certain lists, and canny players, can really limit it. They have one of the weaker Dragon-riding lords in the game and lack a really punchy unit. Still, they are doing pretty good. It’s unclear how many events are running comp rules like Rule of Three, but this may also be skewing things by cutting down on their MSU.
6. High Elf Realms
High Elfs are a perfectly decent army and have the numbers to back it up. Since the game came out, they’ve racked up a 53% win rate, tied with Orcs and Goblins and Bretonnia. That’s stayed steady with no change post FAQ. This puts them squarely in the balanced bracket, if at the upper end. The army has a lot going for it, with powerful wizards, good dragons and a variety of troop choices. Its infantry is a bit on the weaker side and costly, especially in core. They also have some weaknesses in cavalry. However with a ton of great other options, High Elf lists that might not look quite like how you think they should are doing very well.
5. Kingdom of Bretonnia
The first of the full released armies we’ve looked at Bretonnia is tired with several other armies with an overall 53% win rate. Post FAQ, this has shot up to a 57%, though I don’t trust those numbers a lot yet. It is a strong army that can compete in pretty much every part of the game. They’ve got some of the most cost-effective infantry and Pegasus knights are a menace. It doesn’t have a super glaring weakness, outside of maybe a lack of really good heavy infantry. I also think people have not really caught on to how good the Exiles Army of Infamy is, as it brings a lot to the table. Bretonnia is I think a bit of a sleeper power house and while I’ve kept it mid-ranged for now I could really see it shooting up.
4. Orcs And Goblins
Greenskins coming roaring in at a straight middle-of-the-pack army. They’ve been rocking a 53% win rate for the whole game and 52% post-FAQ. This puts them right in the middle of the pack for the core armies, but on the upper end overall. It’s a good place to be, and they seem very balanced by the numbers. However we should point out that all these numbers are all from before their Arcane Journal came out. For that reason, I’ve ranked them above High Elfs and Bretonnia, as I expect them to get a get a bit of a bump from some of the new options. Like a lot of other good armies, they can compete in every part of the game, though they have a bit weaker shooting. The list has a ton of tricks and… fanatics.
3. Tomb Kings
Tomb Kings, the other release day army, take out the number three spot. They’ve clocked a strong 56% win rate since launch, though this dropped to 55% post-FAQ. This puts them just on the outer edge of balanced, but still probably OK. Now Tomb Kings are a very strong army. They bring a different style of play to the table with the ability to bring models back and being unbreakable. A lot of tactics used vs other armies just don’t work against them. They’ve also got some really strong monsters and hard-hitting units. I do think they may be over preforming a bit, maybe people are still adjusting to face them. I won’t be surprised to see them sink a bit, but overall the army is very strong and in a great spot.
2. Beastmen Breyherds
Looking at total win rate for the game Beastmen are actually number one, with a whopping 58% win rate. However, they have also played a lot fewer games them most of the other core armies, which could have skewed this. Post FAQ they’ve stayed at the 58% but with very few games to go off. They are a strong list with great chariot options, tricky infantry, and a ton of big infantry and monster choices. They’ve got minimal shooting and fine magic, but it’s an army that really shines when running a ton of fast hard, hard-hitting units. On the other hand, Beastmen Breyherds doesn’t have a ton of flying or super fast moving units, so the right army can outrun it. While Beastmen are undoubtedly strong, I do think the limited data set we have might be skewing them a bit high.
1. Warriors Of Chaos
The Age of Chaos is here! Sitting at the top of the current rankings we have Warriors of Chaos. They’ve got a 58% overall win rate and a staggering 68% post FAQ win rate. If that number holds they are going to be the first clearly broken army in the game, and something will need to be done. Warriors bring a very strong game to play, with great infantry, strong cavalry and amazing elite units. While they don’t have at on of shooting, they can bring anything from the best casting list in the game to very annoying MSU to just massive blocks of destruction.
Clinching everything, they’ve got some of the best characters in the game. I suspect a lot of their success comes from having the best Dragon Lord in the game. For example, the top two armies at GW’s recent event at Warhammer World both ran them. This gives them a massive leg up. I also suspect that most attempts events are making at adding comp are only helping this. They tend not to affect a single powerful Dragon Lord while making most other things worse. Still, for right now, Warriors of Chaos have donned the Crown (of Everlasting Conquest) and rule as the best army in the game!
Let us know how you think the armies rank up, down in the comments!
