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Warriors of Chaos · Wolves of the Sea
Wolves of the Sea: Marauder builds tested
Wolves of the Sea Marauders come in a lot of builds, so I decided to test them properly: great weapons, flails, sword and board, cults, and Marauder Horsemen too.
Quick answer: pick foot Marauders by job, use Horsemen for movement
- Narrow overall leader
- 19 flails: 64.7% across six opponents
- Best receiving build
- 16 great weapons: 71.1% when charged
- Defensive all-rounder
- 19 hand weapon and shield: 63.2% overall
- Marauder Horsemen
- Screening and flanking, not frontal fights
Each Marauder build has a job, and the weapon decides it far more than the cult does.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 1,920,000 complete combats in my dedicated Marauder test, 10,000 per matchup, and 1,576,000 more in the wider Wolves of the Sea pass that also covers Marauder Horsemen. These were the results.
My Wolves of the Sea tests are straight frontal duels on open ground, so they measure a unit in combat rather than in a whole game, with no magic, characters, shooting, terrain or flank charges.
Start here: Best Chaos Marauder Build in Warhammer: The Old World
Great weapons, flails or sword and board? I ran 1,920,000 simulated combats to find out how to build Chaos Marauders for Wolves of the Sea. Read the full Marauder build guide, with every build, every opponent and the tactical conclusions.
The Wolves of the Sea results so far
- Best Chaos Marauder build in Warhammer: The Old World: 16 builds, six opponents, and which weapon to take
- Are Marauder Horsemen good?: 12 builds, and why they belong on the flanks
- Wolves of the Sea Battle March list: box lists and tournament lists at 500, 600 and 750 points, including the Entoyment winner
Every Chaos Marauder build at a glance, averaged across six opponents. n = 10,000 combats per matchup ±1 point
| Build | Pts | Overall | Charging | Receiving |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Marauders, flails | 150 | 64.7% | 62.7% | 66.7% |
| 16 Marauders, great weapons | 145 | 64.1% | 57.0% | 71.1% |
| 13 Marauders, great weapons, Unnatural Fortitude | 147 | 63.4% | 56.8% | 70.0% |
| 19 Marauders, hand weapon and shield | 150 | 63.2% | 59.5% | 66.9% |
| 12 Marauders, great weapons, Carrion Crow + Unnatural Fortitude | 149 | 62.9% | 56.9% | 69.0% |
| 14 Marauders, great weapons, Carrion Crow | 143 | 58.0% | 50.4% | 65.7% |
| 16 Marauders, flails, Carrion Crow | 145 | 55.2% | 53.1% | 57.2% |
| 14 Marauders, flails, Unnatural Fortitude | 143 | 54.9% | 53.3% | 56.5% |
| 13 Marauders, flails, Carrion Crow + Unnatural Fortitude | 147 | 54.0% | 53.3% | 54.8% |
| 16 Marauders, hand weapon and shield, Carrion Crow | 145 | 50.5% | 46.9% | 54.0% |
| 16 Marauders, flail and shield | 145 | 49.5% | 47.0% | 52.1% |
| 14 Marauders, hand weapon and shield, Unnatural Fortitude | 143 | 47.7% | 44.7% | 50.7% |
| 13 Marauders, hand weapon and shield, Carrion Crow + Unnatural Fortitude | 147 | 45.3% | 43.0% | 47.6% |
| 13 Marauders, flail and shield, Unnatural Fortitude | 147 | 44.8% | 43.7% | 45.8% |
| 12 Marauders, flail and shield, Carrion Crow + Unnatural Fortitude | 149 | 43.6% | 44.5% | 42.7% |
| 14 Marauders, flail and shield, Carrion Crow | 143 | 41.4% | 41.0% | 41.8% |
Every foot build carries the light armour Marauders wear as standard. The top of the table is tight, so read it as three strong options with different jobs rather than one winner.
I will add a Chaotic Traits and cults page next. Until then, my earlier Warriors of Chaos builds lab covers the Marks and Cults for the rest of the army.
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use flail Marauders to charge, great weapon Marauders to receive charges and shield Marauders to hold… not Marauder Horsemen as a frontal combat unit.
FAQs
What is the best build for Wolves of the Sea Marauders?
There is no single winner at around 150 points. Flails edged the overall table, great weapons were the strongest when charged, and sword and board was close behind both, so choose by what the unit has to do.