Disclosure: This post is reader-powered and contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
Warriors of Chaos · 141–164 points · 10 builds
Chosen and Forsaken: which elite Chaos unit is best?
Chosen and Forsaken both look like elite hammers on paper, but my simulations split them into very different jobs. I fought 10 builds 2,000 times against each of eight opponents: 160,000 combats in all.
Quick answer: it depends which job the elite unit has
- Best all-rounder
- Chosen Warriors: all three builds won about 75% of their fights
- Best hammer on the charge
- Khorne halberd Chosen Warriors: 93.5% across four charges
- Best at taking a charge
- Nurgle Chosen Warriors with plate and shields: 72.5%
- Best Forsaken
- Forsaken by Khorne: 75% charging, 58% receiving
- Charge only
- Chosen Knights: 73.3% charging with Khorne, under 35% receiving whatever the build
Every one of these units has a job it does well, and the job decides the build far more than the Mark or god does.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 160,000 complete combats: 10 Chosen and Forsaken builds, each fighting 2,000 times against eight opponents, charging into four of them and receiving charges from the other four. These were the results.
These Chosen and Forsaken numbers come from a fixed frontal duel on open ground, so they measure a unit in combat rather than a whole game. The charging unit always reached combat, 43 fights hit my 12-round cap and did not count as wins, and gaps of a few points between builds with different command and points are too close to call.
All 10 builds at a glance
I love Battle March, and that is why I test units at around 140–160 points: it is the size where a single elite unit can decide a game. Bigger-game builds will follow later. Two of the Knight builds (160 and 164 points) sit over my usual budget, so bear that in mind when you compare them.
Chosen and Forsaken, average win rate across four charges and four receiving fights. n = 8,000 combats per direction ±1 point
| Build | Pts | Charging | Receiving | Overall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, halberds, full command | 141 | 93.5% | 58.0% | 75.8% |
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, great weapons, full command | 147 | 91.5% | 59.5% | 75.5% |
| 6 Nurgle Chosen Warriors, full plate and shields, full command | 153 | 78.5% | 72.5% | 75.5% |
| 4 Chosen Knights, lances | 152 | 52.3% | 22.3% | 37.3% |
| 4 Khorne Chosen Knights, lances | 160 | 73.3% | 29.5% | 51.4% |
| 4 Nurgle Chosen Knights, full plate | 164 | 42.8% | 34.0% | 38.4% |
| 8 Forsaken by Khorne | 152 | 75.0% | 58.0% | 66.5% |
| 8 Forsaken by Nurgle | 152 | 56.0% | 45.5% | 50.8% |
| 8 Forsaken by Slaanesh | 152 | 43.3% | 33.5% | 38.4% |
| 8 Forsaken by Tzeentch | 152 | 55.3% | 45.8% | 50.5% |
When the Chaos unit charges
I sent each build into the four opponents from my earlier combat lab: Jade Warriors, Ironbreakers, Clanrats and Rat Ogres.
Win rate when the Chaos unit charges. n = 2,000 combats per cell ±2 points
| Build | 15 Jade Warriors | 8 Ironbreakers | 20 Clanrats | 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, halberds, full command | 99% | 78% | 98% | 99% |
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, great weapons, full command | 99% | 88% | 85% | 94% |
| 6 Nurgle Chosen Warriors, full plate and shields, full command | 87% | 55% | 83% | 89% |
| 4 Chosen Knights, lances | 53% | 5% | 73% | 78% |
| 4 Khorne Chosen Knights, lances | 89% | 14% | 94% | 96% |
| 4 Nurgle Chosen Knights, full plate | 45% | 10% | 57% | 59% |
| 8 Forsaken by Khorne | 74% | 62% | 84% | 80% |
| 8 Forsaken by Nurgle | 51% | 49% | 67% | 57% |
| 8 Forsaken by Slaanesh | 34% | 34% | 54% | 51% |
| 8 Forsaken by Tzeentch | 51% | 49% | 65% | 56% |
When the Chaos unit receives the charge
Knights of the Realm and Gors return from my earlier lab. Empire halberdiers (135 points) and Swordmasters of Hoeth (144 points) are new benchmarks for this test.
Win rate when the opponent charges. n = 2,000 combats per cell ±2 points
| Build | 5 Knights of the Realm | 17 Gors | 20 Empire halberdiers | 9 Swordmasters of Hoeth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, halberds, full command | 56% | 60% | 78% | 38% |
| 6 Khorne Chosen Warriors, great weapons, full command | 66% | 64% | 65% | 43% |
| 6 Nurgle Chosen Warriors, full plate and shields, full command | 84% | 79% | 81% | 46% |
| 4 Chosen Knights, lances | 48% | 20% | 12% | 9% |
| 4 Khorne Chosen Knights, lances | 71% | 22% | 13% | 12% |
| 4 Nurgle Chosen Knights, full plate | 53% | 35% | 30% | 18% |
| 8 Forsaken by Khorne | 66% | 34% | 71% | 61% |
| 8 Forsaken by Nurgle | 55% | 23% | 56% | 48% |
| 8 Forsaken by Slaanesh | 46% | 12% | 42% | 34% |
| 8 Forsaken by Tzeentch | 57% | 22% | 57% | 47% |
Which Chaos elite unit I would pick for each problem
My pick from this test for each problem on the table.
| Problem in front of me | My pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Ironbreakers | Khorne Chosen with great weapons | 88% on the charge, against 78% for halberds |
| A wide, lightly armoured regiment | Khorne halberd Chosen or Forsaken by Khorne | A strong first round, though frontage and ranks can still swing the result |
| An incoming cavalry charge | Nurgle Chosen with shields | 84% when Knights of the Realm charged them |
| Swordmasters arriving first | Forsaken by Khorne | 61%, the only build here to win more often than not |
What I take from it
- Chosen Warriors are the dependable choice: whichever build I picked, they won about three fights in four.
- Chosen Knights need the charge. Four models cannot out-rank ordinary infantry, so they lost most fights when infantry charged them.
- Forsaken by Khorne were the only build to beat Swordmasters more often than not (61%). Hatred makes their first round far more reliable.
- Forsaken god gifts are not Marks of Chaos. Forsaken by Tzeentch get Magic Resistance, which does nothing in a spell-free duel.
To see what a single Chosen or Forsaken build should charge, or to put two builds head to head, try my matchup finder.
Full results for each unit
- Are Chosen Chaos Warriors good?: every matchup, with destroyed rates and first-round wounds
- Are Chosen Chaos Knights good?: every matchup, with destroyed rates and first-round wounds
- Are Chaos Forsaken good? Which god is best?: every matchup, with destroyed rates and first-round wounds
For ordinary Chaos Warriors, Knights, Marauders and Huscarls, see my Warriors of Chaos builds lab.
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Chosen Warriors as my default elite infantry, Khorne Chosen Knights only for a clean charge, and Forsaken by Khorne when I want a hard-hitting unit that copes with Swordmasters. I would not take Slaanesh or Tzeentch Forsaken for a pure combat job.
FAQs
Are Chosen or Forsaken better?
In my simulations, Chosen Warriors: every Chosen Warrior build averaged about 75% across eight fights, against 66.5% for the best Forsaken (Khorne) and about 50% for Nurgle and Tzeentch Forsaken.
What beats Chosen Chaos Warriors?
Swordmasters of Hoeth. They strike earlier and cut armour, and no Chosen Warrior build won more than 46% when Swordmasters charged it.
Which Chaos elite unit is best against Swordmasters?
Forsaken by Khorne, at 61% when the Swordmasters charged. The best Chosen Warriors managed 46% and the Chosen Knights 18% at most.