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Orc & Goblin Tribes · 140 points
Are Goblin Wolf Riders good?
Goblin Wolf Riders are not a serious shooting unit: 26th of 29 at short range in my tests. The bows are a bonus on a fast, cheap harassment unit.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Goblin Wolf Riders at
- Role
- Cheap, fast harassment
- Good against
- Rat Ogres (1.8, 20th): best ranking
- Struggles against
- Knights of the Realm (0.5, 26th), Ironbreakers (0.1, 28th), Empire State Troops (2.1, 25th), Skaven Dregs (3.2, 21st), Rat Ogres (1.8, 20th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (2.2, 23rd)
- Range
- Loses some damage at range (74% kept)
Cheap, fast harassment is the job Goblin Wolf Riders did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 26th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 240 volleys with Goblin Wolf Riders: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range, standing still and again after moving. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Goblin Wolf Riders results.
These Goblin Wolf Riders numbers are not the whole story, because my dice roll on an empty table without terrain, spells, characters or a real player on the other side. With ten volleys per result, Goblin Wolf Riders (1.7) and Chaos throwing axes (1.7) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Read the Goblin Wolf Riders results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
My verdict
Quick Shot let them keep shooting after moving, and they managed 4.5 wounds into Dregs after a move, their best result. Against anything armoured they barely scratched it.
Best and worst targets for Goblin Wolf Riders
Goblin Wolf Riders by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 0.5 | 25th | 0.5 | 26th |
| Ironbreakers | 0.9 | 9th | 0.1 | 28th |
| Empire State Troops | 0.9 | 28th | 2.1 | 25th |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.0 | 25th | 3.2 | 21st |
| Rat Ogres | 1.0 | 24th | 1.8 | 20th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 2.0 | 9th | 2.2 | 23rd |
Range and armour
At long range Goblin Wolf Riders kept 74% of their short-range damage. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (2.0).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Goblin Wolf Riders averaged 0.3 wounds at short range. That puts them 28th of 29 for cracking armour.
Rules that shaped these numbers
- Wolf Riders have Quick Shot, so moving does not cost them To Hit.
- They are Impetuous: if they can charge at the start of the turn, they must on a 1–3, which can cancel a planned volley.
Do Goblin Wolf Riders lose damage after moving?
I fired the same Goblin Wolf Riders volleys again after a legal move to the same firing position. Standing still, Goblin Wolf Riders averaged 1.7 wounds at short range; after moving, 1.8. At long range the figures were 1.2 standing still and 1.2 after moving.
Goblin Wolf Riders, standing still vs after moving. Mean wounds per volley. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Short, still | Short, moved | Long, still | Long, moved |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 |
| Ironbreakers | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 |
| Empire State Troops | 2.1 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| Skaven Dregs | 3.2 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 |
| Rat Ogres | 1.8 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 0.9 |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 2.2 | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.1 |
How I set up the test
I fielded 14 Goblin Wolf Riders with shortbows (140 points), and all 14 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Orc & Goblin Tribes shooters
- Orc archers140 pts · 2.7 avg short, 1.7 avg long
- Goblin archers140 pts · 2.9 avg short, 2.1 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Chaos throwing axesWarriors of Chaos · 1.7 avg short
- Centigors with throwing axesBeastmen Brayherds · 1.7 avg short
- Chaos javelinsWarriors of Chaos · 1.8 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Goblin Wolf Riders for harassing light infantry and chaff on the move, and not for anything armoured, or a planned volley when Impetuous may force a charge, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Goblin Wolf Riders best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Goblin Wolf Riders did 3.2 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 0.1.
Are Goblin Wolf Riders better at long or short range?
Short range. Goblin Wolf Riders kept 74% of their short-range damage at long range, 10th of 29 for holding up at range. Goblin Wolf Riders averaged 1.2 wounds at long range against 1.7 at short range.
Are Goblin Wolf Riders good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Goblin Wolf Riders averaged 0.3 wounds per short-range volley, 28th of the 29 units I tested.