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Skaven (Renegades fan list) · 12 builds
Skaven melee units: which builds win combats?
Skaven melee units split cleanly into hammers, anvils and harassers in my testing. I fought 12 builds of about 140 points against six benchmark opponents, charging and receiving, 120 combats each.
Quick answer: it depends what the Skaven unit is for
- Best hammer
- 9 Plague Censer Bearers: 41 of 60 charges won
- Best anvils
- 20 spear-and-shield Clanrats and either Stormvermin build: 25–26 of 60 won when charged
- One-turn spike
- 10 Plague Monks with the Plague Banner: 28 of 60 charges won
- Keep out of fair fights
- Rat Swarms, Gutter Runners and Night Runners
The two joint-best Skaven builds both reached 52 wins from 120, one by hitting first and one by refusing to break, so I pick them by job rather than by total.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 1,440 complete combats: 12 Skaven builds, each fighting 10 times against six benchmark opponents while charging and again while receiving. These were the results.
Every Skaven result here uses the fan-made Skaven Renegades draft v1.5.2.2 rather than an official Games Workshop list, and ten fights per matchup is an exploratory sample. My Skaven duels also left out shooting, magic and characters, so treat them as a guide to each unit’s job rather than a forecast for your table.
All 12 Skaven builds, charging and receiving
I built every unit to roughly 140 points and fought it against the same six opponents as my Chaos lab: Jade Warriors, Ironbreakers, Clanrats, Rat Ogres, Knights of the Realm and Gors.
Skaven melee builds, wins from 60 combats each way. n = 60 combats per direction ±13 points
| Build | Pts | Charging | Receiving | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Plague Censer Bearers | 144 | 41/60 | 11/60 | 52/120 |
| 20 Clanrats, spears, shields, full command | 137 | 27/60 | 25/60 | 52/120 |
| 12 Stormvermin, hand weapons and shields, full command | 140 | 22/60 | 26/60 | 48/120 |
| 13 Stormvermin, halberds, full command | 137 | 23/60 | 26/60 | 49/120 |
| 10 Plague Monks, additional hand weapons, Plague Banner | 138 | 28/60 | 16/60 | 44/120 |
| 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder | 150 | 24/60 | 19/60 | 43/120 |
| 17 Plague Monks, hand weapons | 137 | 17/60 | 15/60 | 32/120 |
| 15 Giant Rats + 5 handlers | 115 | 17/60 | 12/60 | 29/120 |
| 13 Plague Monks, additional hand weapons | 135 | 10/60 | 8/60 | 18/120 |
| 4 Rat Swarms | 144 | 6/60 | 3/60 | 9/120 |
| 10 Gutter Runners | 140 | 5/60 | 0/60 | 5/120 |
| 19 Night Runners + Nightleader | 139 | 1/60 | 2/60 | 3/120 |
The Skaven role map I would use
My pick for each Skaven job.
| Role | Build |
|---|---|
| All-out hammer | 9 Plague Censer Bearers |
| One-turn spike | 10 Plague Monks with additional hand weapons and the Plague Banner |
| Main anvil | 20 Clanrats with spears and shields |
| Elite grinder | Stormvermin with hand weapons and shields |
| Offensive elite infantry | Stormvermin with halberds |
| Monstrous hammer | 3 Rat Ogres with a Master Moulder |
| Screen and redirector | Giant Rats with handlers |
| Harassment, not frontal combat | Night Runners and Gutter Runners |
Skaven units I looked at in detail
- Are Plague Censer Bearers good? My standout Skaven hammer, with per-opponent results.
- Are Stormvermin good? Halberds against hand weapons and shields.
- Is the Plague Banner worth it? The one-turn Plague Monk spike.
- Clanrats with spears and shields, Rat Ogres and Giant Rats from my Battle March tests.
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Censer Bearers to hit first and Clanrats or shield Stormvermin to hold the line. I would not use Gutter Runners, Night Runners or Rat Swarms in a fair frontal fight: together they won 17 of 360.
FAQs
What is the best Skaven melee unit?
It depends on the job. 9 Plague Censer Bearers and 20 spear-and-shield Clanrats both won 52 of 120 combats in my tests: the Censer Bearers by winning 41 of 60 charges, the Clanrats by holding when the enemy charged.
Are Gutter Runners good in combat?
Not in a fair frontal fight. 10 Gutter Runners won 5 of 60 charges and none of 60 fights when charged. I would use them to harass rather than to fight.
Are Rat Swarms good?
Not as a combat unit: 4 Rat Swarms won 9 of 120 combats in my tests, 6 charging and 3 receiving.
Are Plague Monks good without the Plague Banner?
Less so. 17 hand-weapon Plague Monks won 32 of 120, and 13 with additional hand weapons won only 18. The Plague Banner lifted 10 Monks with additional hand weapons to 44.