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Warriors of Chaos (Marauder Tribe) · 137 points · All-round melee infantry
Are Berserkers with flails good?
Berserkers with flails are good at almost everything, which makes them my pick for an uncertain centre. They won 29 of 40 charges in my tests and still held up when the enemy charged first.
Quick answer: it depends what you point Berserkers at
- Role
- All-round melee infantry
- Good against
- Jade Warriors on the charge (9/10), Ironbreakers on the charge (7/10), Rat Ogres on the charge (9/10), charging Knights of the Realm (13/20)
- Struggles against
- charging Gors (3/10): their worst result
- Record
- 29/40 charging · 16/30 receiving
They come closest to an all-rounder, which is exactly why I use them when I do not know what I will face. Big ranked chaff is still a problem.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 70 complete combats with Berserkers with flails, each fought through break tests and pursuit to the end: 40 with them charging and 30 with the enemy charging. My build lab also ran 6,000 combats with this exact Berserkers build, and it points the same way. These were the results.
Simulations have limits, and a real game with Berserkers adds terrain, magic, characters and an opponent who reacts, none of which is in these rolls. One lucky break test can move a result by a whole fight, so the Berserkers’ result against charging Knights of the Realm (13/20) could easily have come out one either way. Read the Berserkers results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
How do Berserkers do on the charge?
Berserkers charging. Fights won. n = 10 fights per opponent
| Opponent | Pts | Won |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Jade Warriors | 138 | 9/10 |
| 8 Ironbreakers | 141 | 7/10 |
| 20 Clanrats | 137 | 4/10 |
| 3 Rat Ogres + Master Moulder | 150 | 9/10 |
How do Berserkers do when the enemy charges?
Berserkers receiving. Fights won. n = 20 and 10 fights
| Charging enemy | Pts | Won |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Knights of the Realm | 141 | 13/20 |
| 17 Gors | 136 | 3/10 |
What I think Berserkers are good at
- They got strong results into Jade Warriors, Ironbreakers and Rat Ogres, and stayed respectable when receiving charges.
- T4, Frenzy, flails, a decent body count and a 6+ non-magical ward give them several ways to stay relevant.
- I would use them as the central combat unit when I do not yet know what it will have to fight.
Watch out
Big ranked chaff blocks can beat them on static Combat Result even when the Berserkers are better fighters. They won only 4 of 10 into Clanrats.
Combinations that worked for me
I paired Berserkers with other units in these combinations, which I explain on my Battle March units page:
- Berserkers in the uncertain centre
Is this the best Berserkers build?
The Berserkers on this page are one of several Berserkers builds I tested, and my best weapon for Berserkers page compares them all at 500 combats per matchup.
Other Battle March units I tested
- Khorne Chaos Warriors with great weapons137 pts · Armour and monster breaker
- Khorne Chaos Warriors with additional hand weapons130 pts · Attack-volume infantry
- Khorne Chaos Knights with lances142 pts · Elite shock cavalry
- Huscarls with flails120 pts · Cheap shock hammer
- Bloodied Hound Marauders with great weapons143 pts · Ranked block with sustained S5
- Bloodied Hound Marauders with flails137 pts · Charge-dependent ranked infantry
- Rat Ogres with a Master Moulder150 pts · Monstrous hammer
- Plague Monks153 pts · Attritional attack-volume block
- Jade Lancers138 pts · Support, flank and pursuit cavalry
- Giant Rats and handlers115 pts · Screen, bait and redirector
- Clanrats with spears and shields137 pts · Tarpit and ranked anvil
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use Berserkers with flails for the uncertain centre, where they can take on almost anything, and not for grinding against deep blocks of ranked chaff, to get the most out of them on the battlefield.
FAQs
What are Berserkers with flails best against?
Jade Warriors: the Berserkers won 9 of 10 charges into them in my tests. The worst charging matchup for the Berserkers was Clanrats, at 4 of 10.
Are Berserkers with flails better on the charge or receiving one?
Charging. The Berserkers won 73% of their charges in my tests, against 53% of fights when the enemy charged them.