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Shooting · 4,080 volleys
Old World shooting units: which ones do the most damage?
Old World shooting units vary far more by target than their points suggest. I decided to find out how much by firing thousands of simulated volleys from 29 units at six very different targets.
My short answer: at short range, Cathay Iron Hail Gunners, Dwarf Irondrakes and Skaven Jezzails were level at the top, all averaging about 3.7 wounds per volley across six targets, just ahead of Empire crossbowmen (3.6). At the long end of their own 12-inch range, Iron Hail Gunners pulled clear (3.4); for a Cathay unit that shoots from much further away, see my Iron Hail Gunners vs Crane Gunners test. Jezzails were the best answer to Ironbreakers because their shots are magical.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 4,080 volleys for the main table: 29 units firing ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at long and short range, with five of them tested again after moving. I added 60 Sky Lantern Bombing Runs and a separate movement and cover test of 32,400 volleys. These were the results.
My shooting table is the most stripped-back test on the site: every unit stood still in the open, which flatters gunlines and undersells elves who shoot on the move. With ten volleys behind each number, treat gaps of a few tenths between units as a draw.
Results by unit and target
I kept every unit between 140 and 150 points. Eleven units came from two later batches under the same conditions: Waywatchers, Irondrakes, Shadow Warriors, Skeleton Horse Archers and Wolf Riders, where I also fired after moving, and six Orc, Goblin, Beastmen and Tomb Kings units. Short range is a quarter of the weapon’s maximum range; long range is three quarters. Click a column heading to sort.
Short range (25% of maximum range). Mean effective wounds per volley, each cell averaged over fresh targets. Darker cells are closer to the best result against that target; bold marks the best. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Unit | Pts | Knights | Ironbreakers | State Troops | Dregs | Rat Ogres | Skirmish Archers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Crane Gunners Grand Cathay | 144 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 2.5 |
| Cathay Iron Hail Gunners Grand Cathay | 144 | 2.9 | 1.2 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Cathay Sky Lantern Grand Cathay | 150 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 3.5 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 2.4 |
| Chaos throwing axes Warriors of Chaos | 143 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 2.4 |
| Chaos javelins Warriors of Chaos | 143 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Wolves of the Sea Berserkers Warriors of Chaos | 144 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Skaven Jezzails Skaven (Renegades fan list) | 150 | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 2.8 |
| Skaven Ratling Gun Skaven (Renegades fan list) | 145 | 1.3 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Empire crossbowmen Empire of Man | 140 | 1.7 | 1.5 | 3.5 | 7.7 | 4.2 | 3.1 |
| Empire handgunners Empire of Man | 144 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 5.3 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 3.5 |
| High Elf Archers High Elf Realms | 140 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 4.0 | 5.7 | 1.6 | 4.1 |
| Sisters of Avelorn High Elf Realms | 150 | 2.5 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Wood Elf Glade Guard Wood Elf Realms | 144 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 3.4 |
| Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts Wood Elf Realms | 140 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 2.1 | 2.7 |
| Dwarf Thunderers Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 140 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Dwarf Rangers Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 143 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 6.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 |
| Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen Kingdom of Bretonnia | 140 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 4.0 | 4.6 | 1.3 | 4.4 |
| Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen Kingdom of Bretonnia | 143 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.2 |
| Wood Elf Waywatchers Wood Elf Realms | 144 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 |
| Dwarf Irondrakes Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 147 | 1.5 | 2.6 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.5 |
| High Elf Shadow Warriors High Elf Realms | 140 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 3.3 |
| Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers Tomb Kings of Khemri | 143 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 1.6 |
| Goblin Wolf Riders Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Orc archers Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 3.3 |
| Goblin archers Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 3.5 | 5.7 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| Ungor archers Beastmen Brayherds | 140 | 1.8 | 0.7 | 4.0 | 5.5 | 2.4 | 5.6 |
| Centigors with throwing axes Beastmen Brayherds | 140 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 2.1 |
| Tomb King Skeleton Archers Tomb Kings of Khemri | 140 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 3.6 |
| Ushabti with greatbows Tomb Kings of Khemri | 147 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 1.9 | 1.2 |
Long range (75% of maximum range). Mean effective wounds per volley, each cell averaged over fresh targets. Darker cells are closer to the best result against that target; bold marks the best. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Unit | Pts | Knights | Ironbreakers | State Troops | Dregs | Rat Ogres | Skirmish Archers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Crane Gunners Grand Cathay | 144 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 1.3 |
| Cathay Iron Hail Gunners Grand Cathay | 144 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 3.6 | 3.2 |
| Cathay Sky Lantern Grand Cathay | 150 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Chaos throwing axes Warriors of Chaos | 143 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 0.6 | 0.9 |
| Chaos javelins Warriors of Chaos | 143 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.0 |
| Wolves of the Sea Berserkers Warriors of Chaos | 144 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 1.4 |
| Skaven Jezzails Skaven (Renegades fan list) | 150 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 3.4 | 1.7 |
| Skaven Ratling Gun Skaven (Renegades fan list) | 145 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 1.6 |
| Empire crossbowmen Empire of Man | 140 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 3.7 | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.2 |
| Empire handgunners Empire of Man | 144 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 3.5 | 3.8 | 1.7 | 2.1 |
| High Elf Archers High Elf Realms | 140 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 1.4 | 2.8 |
| Sisters of Avelorn High Elf Realms | 150 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 1.6 |
| Wood Elf Glade Guard Wood Elf Realms | 144 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 3.6 | 1.8 | 2.9 |
| Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts Wood Elf Realms | 140 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 1.7 | 1.9 |
| Dwarf Thunderers Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 140 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Dwarf Rangers Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 143 | 1.2 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen Kingdom of Bretonnia | 140 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen Kingdom of Bretonnia | 143 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| Wood Elf Waywatchers Wood Elf Realms | 144 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 1.6 | 1.8 |
| Dwarf Irondrakes Dwarfen Mountain Holds | 147 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 3.2 |
| High Elf Shadow Warriors High Elf Realms | 140 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers Tomb Kings of Khemri | 143 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 1.6 |
| Goblin Wolf Riders Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| Orc archers Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Goblin archers Orc & Goblin Tribes | 140 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 1.6 |
| Ungor archers Beastmen Brayherds | 140 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Centigors with throwing axes Beastmen Brayherds | 140 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| Tomb King Skeleton Archers Tomb Kings of Khemri | 140 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 1.4 | 3.5 |
| Ushabti with greatbows Tomb Kings of Khemri | 147 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 1.6 |
Best shooters against each target
Knights of the Realm
Six Knights of the Realm: 3+ armour, Lady’s Blessing.
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners2.9 short · 2.7 long
- Skaven Jezzails2.5 short · 2.1 long
- Sisters of Avelorn2.5 short · 1.7 long
Ironbreakers
Ten Ironbreakers: 3+ armour rerolling natural 1s, 6+ ward against nonmagical shooting.
- Skaven Jezzails3.5 short · 2.0 long
- Cathay Crane Gunners2.7 short · 0.8 long
- Dwarf Irondrakes2.6 short · 1.1 long
Empire State Troops
Twenty Empire State Troops with 5+ armour.
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners5.3 short · 4.2 long
- Empire handgunners5.3 short · 3.5 long
- Dwarf Irondrakes4.8 short · 2.0 long
Skaven Dregs
Twenty unarmoured Skaven Dregs.
- Empire crossbowmen7.7 short · 4.2 long
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners6.2 short · 5.1 long
- Dwarf Rangers6.1 short · 4.1 long
Rat Ogres
Three Rat Ogres: T4, three wounds each, 5+ armour.
- Skaven Jezzails4.3 short · 3.4 long
- Empire crossbowmen4.2 short · 3.2 long
- Dwarf Rangers3.9 short · 3.1 long
Skirmishing Empire Archers
Twenty unarmoured Empire Archers deployed as Skirmishers (−1 To Hit, 5×4 grid, 0.75-inch gaps).
- Ungor archers5.6 short · 1.6 long
- Dwarf Rangers5.0 short · 2.8 long
- Dwarf Irondrakes4.5 short · 3.2 long
What changes after moving or in cover
My main table is a clean stationary volley in the open, which flatters gunlines. So I ran a second test of 32,400 volleys at fixed distances, with movement and cover, for the original 18 units. At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, Glade Guard averaged 1.80 wounds across all six targets, Sisters of Avelorn 1.47 and Empire crossbowmen 0.43. At 10 inches, standing still in the open, the crossbows led all 18 at 4.00.
Mean wounds across all six targets at fixed distances. “Cover” means partial cover. Click a column heading to sort. n = 60 volleys per cell
| Unit | 10in still, open | 10in moved, cover | 22in still, open | 22in moved, cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cathay Crane Gunners | 2.53 | 0.00 | 1.65 | 0.00 |
| Cathay Iron Hail Gunners | 3.97 | 1.10 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Cathay Sky Lantern | 2.15 | 0.00 | 1.58 | 0.00 |
| Chaos throwing axes | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Chaos javelins | 1.12 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Wolves of the Sea Berserkers | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Skaven Jezzails | 3.75 | 0.00 | 2.48 | 0.00 |
| Skaven Ratling Gun | 1.02 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Empire crossbowmen | 4.00 | 0.68 | 2.50 | 0.43 |
| Empire handgunners | 3.18 | 0.62 | 2.37 | 0.50 |
| High Elf Archers | 2.55 | 1.38 | 1.92 | 0.80 |
| Sisters of Avelorn | 3.13 | 2.25 | 2.13 | 1.47 |
| Wood Elf Glade Guard | 2.40 | 2.30 | 1.67 | 1.80 |
| Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts | 2.03 | 2.10 | 1.33 | 1.47 |
| Dwarf Thunderers | 2.88 | 0.47 | 2.05 | 0.27 |
| Dwarf Rangers | 3.17 | 0.95 | 2.38 | 0.58 |
| Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen | 3.02 | 1.15 | 1.47 | 0.38 |
| Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen | 1.07 | 0.45 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
In my opinion that second test explains why elf archers feel better on the table than the first table suggests. Jezzails and both crane-gun units cannot fire at all after moving, and Ponderous handguns and crossbows lose most of their damage.
Every shooting unit I tested
- Cathay Crane Gunners144 pts
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners144 pts
- Cathay Sky Lantern150 pts
- Chaos throwing axes143 pts
- Chaos javelins143 pts
- Wolves of the Sea Berserkers144 pts
- Skaven Jezzails150 pts
- Skaven Ratling Gun145 pts
- Empire crossbowmen140 pts
- Empire handgunners144 pts
- High Elf Archers140 pts
- Sisters of Avelorn150 pts
- Wood Elf Glade Guard144 pts
- Wood Elf Deepwood Scouts140 pts
- Dwarf Thunderers140 pts
- Dwarf Rangers143 pts
- Bretonnian Peasant Bowmen140 pts
- Bretonnian Mounted Yeomen143 pts
- Wood Elf Waywatchers144 pts
- Dwarf Irondrakes147 pts
- High Elf Shadow Warriors140 pts
- Tomb King Skeleton Horse Archers143 pts
- Goblin Wolf Riders140 pts
- Orc archers140 pts
- Goblin archers140 pts
- Ungor archers140 pts
- Centigors with throwing axes140 pts
- Tomb King Skeleton Archers140 pts
- Ushabti with greatbows147 pts
Looking for artillery? See my Old World war machines results. For fast cavalry shooting, see Outriders vs Pistoliers.
Ten volleys per cell show broad patterns, but small gaps can be ordinary dice variation. Across all my shooting trials the firing units lost 25 of their own models and failed 135 Panic checks, and the Ratling Gun rolled 3 double misfires.
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Iron Hail Gunners as a close-range firebase and Jezzails to kill armour. I would not judge elf archers on the stationary table alone, because they did their best work on the move from cover.
FAQs
What is the best shooting unit in The Old World?
In my tests, Cathay Iron Hail Gunners. At short range they, Dwarf Irondrakes and Skaven Jezzails all averaged about 3.7 wounds per volley across six targets, and Iron Hail Gunners pulled clear at the long end of their own range (3.4), because they ignore the long range and multiple shots penalties. Their gun only reaches 12 inches, though, so for fire from across the table I would look at Crane Gunners.
What is the best Old World shooting unit against armour?
Skaven Jezzails. Their shots are magical, so Ironbreakers lose their ward, and they did 3.5 wounds per short-range volley into Ironbreakers: the best result of any unit I tested.
Which shooting unit is best against skirmishers?
Ungor archers did 5.6 wounds per short-range volley into skirmishing archers, the best figure I recorded, with Dwarf Rangers next on 5.0.
Are Empire handguns or crossbows better?
Crossbows held up better at long range (2.7 against 2.2 average wounds) and did more to Dregs and Rat Ogres. Handguns did more to State Troops and skirmishers at short range.
Does moving and cover change which shooting unit is best?
Yes, a lot. At 22 inches after moving into partial cover, Glade Guard averaged 1.80 wounds, the best of 18 units, while Empire crossbows fell to 0.43 and Jezzails and Crane Gunners could not fire at all.