Warcry/Tactics/Untamed Beasts

UNTAMED BEASTS TACTICS

Faction Overview

A warband made up of loincloth-laden barbarians who feast on the flesh of big beasties (and often other people) and have very particular bonds with animals. These dudes come from Ghur, the realm of Beasts, and so truly encompass everything it means to be 'bestial' (hence "untamed"). They might be undivided, but if they ever make it into the Varanspire the copious indoor shitting will surely be a boost to Nurgle. They HATE any type of civilization (almost just as much as Beastmen) and have taken a solemn vow to make it their duty to tear down anything and everything resembling civilization in the Bloodwind spoil--even going so far as vowing to tear down the gates of the Varanspire-Archy's personal fortress. They are REALLY into the whole "hunt-or-be-hunted" philosophy of warfare and consume the flesh of predators routinely because they believe by eating their flesh they will be imbued with the power of the predator. Naturally, they are constantly seeking the biggest predator to kill and eat.

To them, this apex hunter is none other than Archaon himself. This is really interesting, because it means that the Untamed Beasts may actually have the most pure understanding of what Chaos actually is, even more so than Archaon himself. Being haters of all things civilized, their typical form of 'armor' is some poor animal's hide wrapped to cover even hairier genitals. Their weapons are made out of the bones of beasts they've defeated and the only metal they sport is metal that they've plundered of the corpses of defeated enemies (apart from the uniform-issue snazy brass logo they've got on their belts, but branding is the most important thing). They are essentially the Chaos-worshipping human version of these guys. They are also ABSOLUTELY, TOTALLY, UNABASHEDLY PEAK '80'S BODY-BUILDING CULTURE, RIPPED TO THE MAX. We're talking 80s-prime Arnold aesthetics - Archaon is sooo sick of Khornate mass monsters with their Synthol and Palumboism. On the table-top their playstyle matches their lore. Like any good predator, they are fast-moving, hard-hitting and devastating when they get the jump on their enemies, but prolonged combat will see them eventually worn-down.

Pros

• High Movement-Many of their fighters have above-average movement. They also have access to a number of abilities that allow them to take extra move actions.
• Good Damage-They have good damage dealing profiles, with their crit values on the higher end of the spectrum for most fighters. They also have plenty of abilities that grant extra attacks and extra strength to complement their superior movement profiles.
• Limited Ranged Options-The First Fang has a pretty unique and useful Harpoon attack, has no other options for ranged combat, buts that's a leg above most other base game warbands.
• Holds Up Well Against AoS Non-Bespoke Bands-These guys generally do well against even non-Warcry-specific warbands from the general AoS faction pool.

Cons

• Below Average Toughness-None of their Fighters have a base toughness value higher than 4. Their wounds pools are also shockingly average, even for mid-level costed units. They also have no means to increase their toughness in any way.
• Limited Defensive Capabilities-In keeping with the whole 'savage predator' schtick, they really emphasize putting all their effort into killing something as fast as possible. If they get into any type of attrition battle, they have no good defensive options available to them-no wounds or toughness increases, no immobilizing abilities, no teleports, no free disengage, NOTHING. They are highly susceptible to divide-and-conquer strategies and mass KO shooting. Their warband-specific reaction, while defensive in nature, is very lackluster.
• Easy To Learn, Difficult To Master-While these guys aren't all that complicated to use in comparison to other warbands, due to their lack of tankiness, somewhat tricky synergies (namely the First Fang Harpoon and best timing of All-Out-Attack on the Heart Eater), and lack of movement/escape powers, some careful thought and planning are needed when facing off against more complicated and tricky (Hedonites, Arcanites, etc) or tougher (Khorne Bloodbound, Ironjawz), or really shooty (Kharadon Overlords) bands.

Abilities Overview

• [Reaction] Brute Resilience: A fighter can make this reaction when they are targeted by a melee attack action but before the hit rolls are made. Subtract 1 from the damage points allocated to this fighter by each hit from the attack action (to a minimum of 1). (Faction-wide Ability)
  • Ability Commentary -This isn't all that great. Most of the time, the Counter universal reaction is going to be better. It doesn't affect the very common one-pointer damage (due to a minimum of 1), and it doesn't affect Critical Hits, as crits are defined separately from regular Hits. The only time I would see using this over Counter is if a model was facing a lot of 2+ damage normal hits and really needed to survive to hold or contest an objective at all costs.
• [Double] Savage Fury: Add 1 to the Move characteristic of this fighter for the next move action they make this activation, and add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of the next attack action they make this activation. (Faction-wide Ability)
  • Ability Commentary-A very powerful ability which compliments their already high movement and attack values. This ability basically combines the Universal Abilities, [Double] Rush and [Double] Onslaught into one ability. You'll find this is useful for a number of situations, both offensively and defensively. There is absolutely no reason to ever use either [Double] Rush or [Double] Onslaught on their own, as the use of this will grant both effects. Actually, as of 10/05/2022, Savage Fury only affects the "next move action made in the activation" and the "next attack action made" in one activation. If you move up to an enemy and want to attack, Savage Fury is ideal. If you want to do two moves though, Rush is better as it affects both actions in an activation. If you want to spend both actions standing and attacking, Onslaught is better as it adds to both attack actions.
• [Double] All-out Attack: A fighter can use this ability only if an enemy fighter has been taken down by an attack action made by them this activation. This fighter makes a bonus move action or a bonus attack action. (Heart-Eater ability)
  • Ability Commentary-A standard ability which grants either an extra move or extra attack after the Heart-Eater kills an enemy. This can be very useful given its cost, as most factions who have access to a similar ability are typically activating it on a [Triple]. It can be useful for both moving and attacking, but it is perhaps best used defensively as a means to get out of threat range for an enemies follow-up activation (assuming your Heart-Eater is in danger of being attacked, of course). Worthwhile for its cost.
• [Double] Beastmaster: Pick a visible friendly fighter with the Beast runemark within 4" of this fighter. That fighter makes a bonus attack action. (Beastspeaker)
  • Ability Commentary-One of the more powerful abilities in this warband. Use the Beastspeaker to grant an extra attack to your Rocktusk Prowlers. Given the fact that your Rocktusk Prowlers are the best Fighters in your warband, this is a very valuable ability. Keep in mind, you can use this on other Chaotic Beasts in your roster as well. So that means Razorgors, Raptoryx, Harpies, and Chaos Warhounds can all be the target of this ability.
• [Triple] Pounce: Until the end of this fighter's activation, the next time this fighter finishes a move action within 1" of an enemy fighter, pick a visibile enemy fighter within 1" of this fighter. Allocate a number of damage points to that fighter equal to the value of this ability. (Rocktusk Prowler)
  • Ability Commentary-A standard charge/impact damage ability. Given the high movement value of the Prowler, this is a very easy ability to activate. Anytime you are planning on moving in and attacking with a Prowler, turn a double into a tripe with a wild dice and use this. To get the most out of it, hope for at least an ability value of 4. If you can get it to 6, even better. You should be using this at least once per game. This takes the prowlers already high damage capability to absurd levels.
• [Triple] Harpoon Snag: This fighter makes a bonus attack action. After that attack action, the fighter targeted by that attack action makes a bonus move action directly towards this fighter, as if they were jumping, a number of inches equal to the value of this ability. (First Fang ability)
  • Ability Commentary-An ability with a surprising amount of tactical depth to it. This is obviously meant to be used with the First Fang's Harpoon attacks. The Harpoon has a good range of 8" and a good damage profile at 2/5. The uses for this ability are nearly limitless and can result in some hilarious plays. Make sure to yell, "GET OVER HERE!" whenever you use this ability for maximum meme potential. Here's a quick list of ways you can use this ability:
    • Pull targets into attack range of your other fighters
    • Pull enemy Fighters away from objectives
    • Pull enemy Fighters OUT of attack range of your fighters (assuming one is about to get gang-banged and beat on)
    • Pull enemy Fighters off of raised platforms and watch them take impact damage (the most hilarious option)
    • Pull enemy Fighters who throw out "aura" abilities away from their allies, thus fucking their "aura" effect(s)
  • Remember that the distance pulled is tied to the value of this ability which means you can potentially pull someone as much as 6" away from their current position. For most Fighters, this means that they can be pulled further than their movement stat, which is hilarious.
  • Also remember that the "pull" ability occurs regardless of if you actually dealt any damage with the attack.
  • Got errata'd to not be able to pull fighters who are engaged in close combat, since that requires a disengage action and this is a move action. Sadly.
• [Quad] Unleash the Beast: Until the end of the battle round, add half the value of this ability (rounding up) to the Attacks and Strength characteristics of attack actions made by this fighter that have a Range characteristic of 3 or less. (Faction-wide ability)
  • Ability Commentary-A decent offensive ability which can help you take out high Toughness targets very quickly. If you're using this, you'll ideally want to put it on your harder hitting Fighters and use it with a value of, at minimum, 3. Your Heart-Eater, First Fang, and Rocktusk Prowlers are prime candidates for this ability. The real issue with this ability comes in the choice between sacrificing a potential [Triple] Pounce or [Triple] Harpoon Snag to turn it into this [Quad] ability. Most of the time, you'll be better off using the triple for one of the other abilities, but if you have the opportunity to take out a high value target, it may be worth it just to kill it in one activation.
  • Alternative take-The effect lasts until the end of the battle round, if you're lucky enough on your ability dices and/or hoarded wild dices, you may be able to pop [Quad] Unleash the Beast on your big cat and follow up with a [Double] Beastmaster for crazy high damages.

Fighters Overview

(Updated for Heart of Ghur/Warcry 2.0)

Leader

Heart-Eater

• Stats: Movement 5"; Toughness 4; Wounds 20; 200 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Bone Axe-Range 1"; Attacks 5; Strength 5; Damage 2/5
• Fighter Commentary-This Warband's only leader so you MUST take him. Luckily, he's a pretty solid beatstick. Good movement with a solid number of attacks with a great damage profile makes him a melee powerhouse. He's pretty decently costed for what he can bring to the table. As discussed above, he's not the most durable of faction leaders and the Warband's lack of overall defensive capabilities don't help him in this regard. His ability is cheap but is attached to a condition. Given this, he's actually a very good chaff killer. Send him in to take out low durability targets, kill a few, and then use [Double] All-Out Attack to get out of harm's way. You can also make great use of [Double] Savage Fury to make his guerilla-style, hit-and-run tactics even more effective. Against higher-tier Fighters, he won't last long. Avoiding any type of prolonged combat is ideal for him.

Fighters

First Fang

• Stats: Movement 4"' Toughness 4; Wounds 15; 130 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Harpoon-Range 8"; Attacks 2; Strength 5; Damage 2/5
    • Bone Axe-Range 1"; Attacks 3; Strength 5; Damage 2/4
• Fighter Commentary-If the Rocktusk Prowler is the flashy Running Back MVP of this Warband, then the First Fang is the ever dutiful lineman workhorse for it. The First Fang offers two things this Warband really needs-a solid ranged attack option and a movement disrupting ability. His Harpoon has a respectable range and a surprisingly solid damage profile, making him a prime target for either [Double] Savage Fury. If you get lucky with rolls you can easily take out the chaff and even some mid-tier Fighters in one activation. The positional usages for [Triple] Harpoon Snag were discussed above. Overall, the silent star of this Warband.

Rocktusk Prowler

• Stats: Movement 8"; Toughness 4; Wounds 20; 195 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Teeth-Range 1"; Attacks 4; Strength 4; Damage 2/5
• Fighter Commentary-The single best damage-dealing model in this Warband. He costs nearly as much as a Heart-Eater and has a similar profile--only he has an additional 3" of movement which is downright nasty for a model with these stats. While the Heart-Eater is more self-sufficient with his [Double] All-Out Attack ability, the Prowler has just as many ways to dish out the pain. He can be given an extra attack from a Beastspeaker with [Double] Beastmaster so long as he is within 4" of her. He can also give himself [Double] Savage Fury or [Quad] Unleash the Beast if you really have to kill something. His high movement also allows him to get in and out of combat more easily than anyone else in this Warband. If you have the opportunity to use [Triple] Pounce you should always take it. When using [Triple] Pounce make sure the value is at last 3+ against chaff fighters and 4+ against higher-tier units. Remember that damage from [Triple] Pounce is a flat amount, and ignores a targets Toughness, meaning that if you can get it on a 5-6 and follow it up with an attack you can pretty much guarantee a kill on models with 10 or less wounds. Simply put, Prowlers are the most versatile and dangerous Fighter in this warband.

Beastspeaker

• Stats: Movement 5"; Toughness 4; Wounds 15; 110 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Whip-Range 3"; Attacks 4; Strength 4; Damage 1/3
    • Bone Kris-Range 1"; Attacks 3; Strength 4; Damage 1/4
• Fighter Commentary-An average fighter with some above-average movement. Her whip is a range 3" weapon, which is a weird range in Warcry and extends her threat range while allowing her to stay out of harms way. It's a shame that her damage potential is so lackluster compared to every other fighter in the army. The real reason you bring her is for her [Double] Beastmaster ability. With it, she can grant a Prowler within 4" (or any other Chaotic Beast that's a part of the Warband) an extra out-of-activation attack, which is one of the Warband's defining combos. Have the Prowlers charge ahead and bring her up behind them. She can park behind the Prowlers, hand out [Double] Beastmaster and whip the shit out of any poor bastard who is still left alive after the Prowler has had their way with them.

Preytaker with Fanged Axe

• Stats: Movement 4"; Toughness 4; Wounds 10; 100 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Fanged Axe-Range 1"; Attacks 3; Strength 5; Damage 2/5
• Fighter Commentary-Preytakers are in an odd spot. They cost almost double the amount as Plains Runners and for that price you'll get +1 Toughness, 2 extra wounds, and a better damage profile. Yet for a mere 10 pts. more you can get two Plains Runner. This version wields the Axe, which trades a higher number of attacks for an increase in strength (Strength 5). Given the prevalence of toughness 4 Fighters in Warcry, he really isn't all that impressive. You're mostly better off taking another Plains Runner or saving points for another Prowler rather than grabbing a Preytaker. Which sucks, because their models are very manly. If you're going to take a Preytaker, this is the one to take, given how easily you can gain extra attacks with this Warband.

Preytaker with Sawtooth Blade

• Stats: Movement 4"; Toughness 4; Wounds 10; 100 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Sawtooth Blade-Range 1"; Attacks 4; Strength 4; Damage 2/4
• Fighter Commentary-The same as the Preytaker with an Axe only this time with a big fang sword. Swaps out Strength for an extra attack. Other than that, everything which was said above applies here. When comparing the two Preytakers, this one is generally better than the axe version now that this Preytaker is now Strength 4 with the 2.0 update.

Plains-runner

• Stats: Movement 5"; Toughness 3; Wounds 8; 55 Pts.
  • Weapons:
    • Dual-Bone Weapons-Range 1"; Attacks 3; Strength 3; Damage 1/3
• Fighter Commentary-Plains-runners act as your standard list fillers. For their points, they will do their job well. Their extra movement makes them valuable as chaff and they can easily move from one objective to the next very quickly (often within one activation) if necessary. They aren't going to be doing much damage, but for their points costs, you shouldn't expect them to. Piling cheap bodies is a Warhammer tactic as old as a Plains-Runner's crusty loincloth. You are almost always better off taking more Plains-runners over Preytakers as it will result in more wounds, more models, more activations, etc. Apart from that, these are this warband's standard chaff units. Boring, yes. But you'll always field them.

General Tactics

Untamed Beasts are the quintessential glass cannon warband no that is Corvus. They can dish out some serious damage but can't take much in return. What makes them interesting is their high movement values and abilities. In a game of Warcry, where the table is only 22"x 30", this makes getting to important places on the board very easy and reliable. It also gives them some reliable means of escape. Always look to ways to maximize your movement advantage. Because most of your Fighters only have a 1" reach, use terrain and LoS to block any potential ranged damage and confer cover when available until you can get in range. Use [Double] Savage Fury often. Not only does it give you an extra attack, but the extra 1" range can get you both into combat or put you out of range of retaliation. Your Heart-Eater should be used as a roaming assassin. Use him to kill chaff and mid-tier fighters. Against higher-tier fighters, he may be able to do some damage, but chances are he'll fall to any type of prolonged attrition combat. As far as battlegroup groupings are concerned, it doesn't necessarily matter which group you put them in, but some good pairings are detailed below:

• First Fang+Plains-runner x2+-Probably best used in either the Shield or the Dagger. Use this grouping to claim objectives. Stick the First Fang in behind your Plains-Runners. He can chuck harpoons and use [Triple] Harpoon Snag to pull targets into range of your Plains-runners. They can then swarm the isolated target and trap it, preventing escape and forcing activation's on low-value targets.
• Beastspeaker+Rocktusk Prowler-The innate synergy the Beastspeaker has with the Prowler means that these two should always be grouped together. If you can fit another Prowler into your list, it will go here too. Best used in the Hammer or Dagger group given their high movement and threat range.
• Heart Eater+First Fang+Plains Runner x2-A solid all around grouping. You can use the Heart Eater to hit-and-run while your First Fang drags other targets into range. The Plains-Runners act as chaff. Best in the Shield grouping.

Minions, Thralls, and Allies

You want to look for fighters who either compliment your play style or can fill a need you can't otherwise fill. So for Untamed Beasts, that's any Fighter who can tank, deal solid ranged damage, or throw out some nifty buffs/debuffs. You are a Chaos Warband, which means you can only ally with: Skaven, Beasts of Chaos, Slaves to Darkness, Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, and Slaanesh. Below are some interesting choices:

• Chaos Sorcerer Lord: He offers a solid ranged attack and a surprisingly high amount of wounds for a caster(25). His [Double] Daemonic Power grants a target within 8" +1 to Strength and Attacks until the end of the battle round. You can combo this with [Double] Savage Fury, [Double] All-out Attack, [Double] Beastmaster, or [Quad] Unleash the Beast and you can easily one-shot even high-cost targets in one activation.

• Tzaangor Shaman: Another beefy caster-type Fighter. He comes equipped with a whopping 10" move, a decent ranged attack, and 25 wounds. His ability, [Triple] Visions of the Future lets you activate another fighter within 9" immediately after this fighters activation. Given the hit-and-run playstyle of the Beasts, this can sometimes be the difference between a win and a loss. His only downside is his massive points cost (260). While you'll usually be better off bringing another Prowler, his ability does have the potential to turn the tide in your favor.

• Aspiring Deathbringer: If you're looking for a Fighter who can just sit on objectives and kill anything that dares challenge him for it, look no further. This dude packs in a massive 5 attacks at strength 5 for a 2/5 damage profile. He has a load of wounds (30) which means he's going to stick around for a while. What makes him even more ridiculous is his ability, [Quad] Slaughter Incarnate which grants half the value of the ability (rounding up) to all damage points from both hits AND critical hits to ALL fighters within 8" of him. Turn a 4+ Triple into a Quad and combo this with [Double] Savage Fury, [Double] All-out Attack, or [Double] Beastmaster and again you can one-shot most mid-cost Fighters and severely cripple others. He is pricey at 200 pts., but he fills the tank role you need while also synergizing with your already inherent strengths.

• Lord of Plagues: A good zone controller. He has a massive 6 Strength, 3/6 weapon (but can only swing twice per attack action) and a whopping 35 wounds. His ability [Triple] Grandfather's Gift is a good AoE zone control ability (roll a dice for each fighter within 3"; on 3-4 deal 1 damage; on 5-6 deal ability value). He's more useful against warbands that rely on a lot of low-wound models to swarm objectives, as he can use his AoE ability to weaken them and then simply fish for a few crits to easily take out 8-10 wound models.

• Lord of Blights: Like the Lord of Plagues above but has Toughness 5. If you want a beefy tank, this is your guy. He also has a voodoo-doll like ability in [Double] Thrice-ripened Death's Head (roll a dice for an enemy in 6"; on a 4-5 deal 1 damage; on a 6 deal ability value damage). Only 10 points more for Toughness 5 may be worth it if you really need a tank. Otherwise, you may be better off with the Lord of Plagues. It really depends on your match-up.

• Raptoryx: Generally, your Rocktusk Prowlers are much better than these murder turkeys. But they do have an interesting ability in [Double] Crazed Flock which increases their attacks a strength by 1 for each other Raptoryx within 3". If you're roaming with 3 of these things they can put out four S6 Damage 2/5 attacks per attack action. That's nothing to sneeze at. It gets even stupider when you remember that your Beastspeaker can use [Double] Beastmaster to grant one of them another attack. You're generally better off with another Prowler, but there is some great meme potential in this combo.

Example Builds

For those just starting out, here are two decent lists for matched or narrative play.

Basic balanced build:

-Heart-eater -Beastspeaker -First Fang -Plains-runner x3 -Rocktusk Prowler x2

Shield: Heart-eater, First Fang, Plains-runner; Dagger: Rocktusk Prowler, Rocktusk Prowler, Beastspeaker, ; Hammer: Plains-runner, Plains-runner.

Total: 995

More bodies and activations build:

-Heart-eater -Beastspeaker -Rocktusk Prowler x2 -Plains-runner x5

Shield: Heart-eater, Plains-runner, Plains-runner, Plains-runner; Dagger: Rocktusk Prowler, Beastspeaker, Plains-runner; Hammer: Rocktusk Prowler, Plains-runner, Plains-runner.

Total: 975

Warcry Tactics
Grand Alliance: Chaos	Corvus Cabal Cypher Lords Darkoath Savagers Horns of Hashut Iron Golems Rotmire Creed Scions of the Flame Spire Tyrants Splintered Fang Tarantulos Brood The Unmade Untamed Beasts
	Blades of Khorne (Bloodbound Daemons) Disciples of Tzeentch (Arcanites Daemons) Hedonites of Slaanesh (Sybarites Daemons) Maggotkin of Nurgle (Rotbringers Daemons)
	Beasts of Chaos Skaven Slaves to Darkness
Grand Alliance: Death	Flesh-Eater Courts Legions of Nagash Nighthaunt Ossiarch Bonereapers
Grand Alliance: Destruction	Bonesplitterz Gloomspite Gitz Ironjawz Kruleboyz Ogor Mawtribes
Grand Alliance: Order	Daughters of Khaine Fyreslayers Cities of Sigmar Idoneth Deepkin Khainite Shadowstalkers Kharadron Overlords Lumineth Realm-Lords Seraphon Sylvaneth
	Stormcast Eternals (Sacrosanct Chamber Thunderstrike Vanguard Chamber Warrior Chamber)
Monsters & Mercenaries	Chaos Gargant Chaos Spawn Chaos Warhound Chaotic Beasts Cygor Fomoroid Crusher Ghorgon Gotrek Kharibdyss Mindstealer Sphiranx Ogroid Myrmidon Razorgor Skitterstrand Arachnarok Terrorgheist War Hydra Zombie Dragon