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Warriors of Chaos · 144 points
Are Wolves of the Sea Berserkers good?
Wolves of the Sea Berserkers are good at short range and poor at long range. They lost half their damage at range in my tests, the steepest drop of any unit I ran.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Wolves of the Sea Berserkers at
- Role
- Close-range softener before the charge
- Good against
- Empire State Troops (3.5, 11th): best ranking
- Struggles against
- Knights of the Realm (0.6, 24th), Ironbreakers (0.5, 18th), Rat Ogres (2.4, 15th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (3.0, 14th)
- Range
- Needs to get close (51% kept)
Close-range softener before the charge is the job Wolves of the Sea Berserkers did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge them by, rather than their 16th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with Wolves of the Sea Berserkers: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range. I then fired 1,800 more Wolves of the Sea Berserkers volleys at fixed distances, after moving and into cover. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Wolves of the Sea Berserkers results.
Treat my Wolves of the Sea Berserkers results as evidence rather than gospel: I strip out terrain, magic, characters and an opponent’s choices so the unit’s own performance shows through. With ten volleys per result, Wolves of the Sea Berserkers (2.5) and High Elf Shadow Warriors (2.5) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. They show the right place for Wolves of the Sea Berserkers in a list; your dice on the night are another matter.
My verdict
Up close they hit light infantry hard: 4.7 wounds into Dregs. I think the bigger question is whether Frenzy even lets them take that volley, because a visible enemy in charge range forces them to charge instead.
Best and worst targets for Wolves of the Sea Berserkers
Wolves of the Sea Berserkers by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 0.4 | 26th | 0.6 | 24th |
| Ironbreakers | 0.3 | 23rd | 0.5 | 18th |
| Empire State Troops | 1.4 | 23rd | 3.5 | 11th |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.3 | 22nd | 4.7 | 11th |
| Rat Ogres | 1.7 | 12th | 2.4 | 15th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.4 | 23rd | 3.0 | 14th |
Range and armour
At long range Wolves of the Sea Berserkers kept 51% of their short-range damage, so they need to get close to do the job. Their best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (2.3).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Wolves of the Sea Berserkers averaged 0.6 wounds at short range. That puts them 24th of 29 for cracking armour.
Rules that shaped these numbers
- Their throwing weapons reach 9 inches.
- For the short-range volleys I assumed the Berserkers moved into position without seeing a chargeable enemy at the start of their turn. A clear target within Frenzy charge range at that point would force a charge instead of a volley.
- As skirmishers they use whichever legal arrangement gets the most models shooting, so the number of models firing changes by matchup.
Wolves of the Sea Berserkers after moving and in cover
My main table is a clean volley in the open, so I also fired Wolves of the Sea Berserkers at fixed distances, after moving and at targets in partial cover. Wolves of the Sea Berserkers could not reach a target 22 inches away, so the short distances are the ones that matter here. At 10 inches Wolves of the Sea Berserkers could not reach the target at all, so only the 6-inch column shows their damage.
Wolves of the Sea Berserkers after moving into partial cover, by distance. n = 60 volleys per cell
| 6in | 10in | 16in | 22in | 28in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.68 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
How I set up the test
Against the Knights, 11 Wolves of the Sea Berserkers could shoot at long range and 14 at short range; against the skirmishing archers, 15 and 16. My method page has the full setup.
How do they compare?
Other Warriors of Chaos shooters
- Chaos throwing axes143 pts · 1.7 avg short, 1.2 avg long
- Chaos javelins143 pts · 1.8 avg short, 1.2 avg long
Similar overall damage
- High Elf Shadow WarriorsHigh Elf Realms · 2.5 avg short
- Wood Elf WaywatchersWood Elf Realms · 2.4 avg short
- Wood Elf Glade GuardWood Elf Realms · 2.3 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Wolves of the Sea Berserkers for a close-range volley into light infantry before the charge, and not for long range or armour, or any turn where Frenzy will force a charge instead, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Wolves of the Sea Berserkers best at shooting?
Skaven Dregs: Wolves of the Sea Berserkers did 4.7 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Their lowest number was against Ironbreakers, at 0.5.
Are Wolves of the Sea Berserkers better at long or short range?
Short range. Wolves of the Sea Berserkers kept 51% of their short-range damage at long range, 29th of 29 for holding up at range. Wolves of the Sea Berserkers averaged 1.3 wounds at long range against 2.5 at short range.
Are Wolves of the Sea Berserkers good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Wolves of the Sea Berserkers averaged 0.6 wounds per short-range volley, 24th of the 29 units I tested.