Forget about knights in shining armor riding their valiant demigryphs to death or edgy vampire lords atop undead dragons; they'll never be as cool as humanoid rats with gatling guns and a speech disorder. The Skaven have long been one of the most popular factions in Warhammer and it's safe to say that Total War: Warhammer 2 has done them justice.
They're pretty much a faithful representation of their tabletop counterpart in developer Creative Assembly's critically-acclaimed game. Of course, that isn't to say they're easy to pick up and play. No, the Skaven requires a different kind of mentality. So get off the high horse and stop being a good armchair general; the Skaven are all about bad tactics that work and who better to practice those than you-you?!
Updated August 29, 2022, by Sid Natividad: Total War: Warhammer 2 is still the highest-rated among the series and part of its success is thanks to how well the different factions are represented. The Skaven, for example, functions in the most sinister way possible, usually catching enemies by surprise. Their playstyle can get complicated. Thus, a Warhammer 2 Skaven guide is always welcome for players who are looking to change up and are tired of summoning the Elector Counts. This can also be applicable to Total War: Warhammer 3 and its Immortal Empires campaign.
15 Fight Tough Enemies In Underways
The Skaven have poor units that don't really handle big, burly, armored meanies from other factions. They do have their own monsters, but that's not exactly the best and most efficient way to fight as a Skaven. Players can stick with their cheap Clanrats and ranged Skaven, as long as they pick their battles with guile.
This means taking advantage of the underway. These are practically the same tunnels that the Dwarfs and Beatmen use. The reasoning is that this funnels down enemy forces, putting them in range of the superior Skaven ranged weaponry and artillery.
14 Use Guns
As for the superior Skaven ranged weaponry, not many units can match the Ratling Gun Weapons Team, Warplock Jezzails, and Warp Lightning Cannons. A Skaven army should usually consist primarily of gunners in a firing line that stretches as wide as possible. This ensures a wider killing field for charging units.
Typically, the Skaven artillery will force AI armies to rush toward the player's army in an attempt to minimize losses. Even something as heavily armored as a Dwarven doom stack full of Giant Slayers and Ironbreakers won't stand a chance against Ratling Guns. As long as they don't get close.
13 Melee Units? You Mean Meat Shields, Yes-Yes?
So, what happens if the tailless stink-reeks get close? Well, that's what melee units are for. Players can forget about affording the best Skaven frontliners for their typical army (Stormvermin, etc.), they only need melee units to act as meat shields or tar pits against the enemy army.
As long as the charging melee enemies get caught in the melee mosh pit, the Skaven Ratling Guns should make quick work of them. Sure, they will hit some of their comrades, but that's alright! More food for the clan after the fight. Players can just ignore the Pyrrhic Victory notification.
12 Always Prioritize The Blue Skill Tree For The Lords
When it comes to building Legendary Lords or just about any lord for any campaign, focusing on logistics is always a better payoff. There is a segment in the lord's skill tree for this, and it's usually the blue sequence at the bottom. This focuses on campaign map improvements and abilities.
The most important ones are those which increase Campaign Map Movement Range, unlock Lightning Strike, and increase Casualty Replenishment. Those should always come first before spells or combat passives. That should allow for an easier time managing armies.
11 Build Undercities For Food
Food is more important than gold for the Skaven most of the time because this is what drives their rat armies. That's why allotting some resources for a food surplus will pay better and is an overall better investment compared to hoarding as much gold income as possible.
A good way to generate food (and even gold at the same time) is by setting up Undercities to produce them. It's best to place them in locations that are too tough to conquer or offer no strategic value to an overall goal. That way, Undercities don't get erased by conquered settlements/ruins.
10 Sacrifice Your Weak Units
In case it's not obvious already based on what their roster and units look like, the Skaven are all about strength in numbers and overwhelming their enemies with lots of trash units. Clanrats with shields are some of the best makeshift tar pits in the game to lock down the enemy's more expensive melee combatants.
The Skaven frontline, for that matter, doesn't need to look grand nor intimidating. They're practically just rats with weapons. They still follow the typical hammer-and-anvil tactic but the anvil here is expendable and stinky.
9 Don't Worry About Your Casualties
While on the subject of expendable units, don't worry about what Skaven battle victories might look like. If they're Pyrrhic victories and players lose half their army in the process then good! More food for the army, they're not picky.
Since overwhelming the enemy with cheap melee units so that the elite guys can do their work is the best Skaven strategy, expect to see some big losses. Additionally, friendly fire is tolerated among the Skaven ranks so use those spells with reckless abandon!
8 The Menace Below Is Your Bestfriend
Speaking of overwhelming enemies, the Menace Below faction ability is one of the best ways to do that for Skaven. It's that one hilarious ability that lets players summon some cheap rats from underneath the ground. This can throw off enemy morale and formation-- even make quick work of some defenseless artillery.
Abusing this ability is key to getting the upper hand on the battle map as Skaven. In fact, some players might even want to hold off on some battles and wait until the Menace Below is at full strength. Of course, don't be afraid to sacrifice them as well, they're still fodder units.
7 Ranged Units Are The Main Damage Dealers
Now, making the frontline sacrificial won't lead anywhere without the best on the Skaven army roster. When it comes to that, the ranged units can make the frontliner sacrifice worth it. As for which ranged units to consider? That would be the Death Globe Bombardiers.
They throw some noxious purple grenades at their targets (enemy units + other Skaven) and can decimate multiple enemies. This already makes them a cut above the usual archer. It's best to defend them with some Stormvermin though as losing them can cripple a Skaven army.
6 They Have Some Of The Best Artillery
For alternative ranged damage dealers, players can't go wrong with Skaven artillery. Out of the four base factions in Total War: Warhammer 2, they have the best big guns. The Warp Lightning Cannon can give even the Chaos Hellcannon a run for its money.
It's one of the best ways to deal with heavily armored enemy units, which the Death Globe Bombardiers might have trouble dispatching. Additionally, the Skaven's spellcasters can double as artillery due to their range and how destructive they can be. Maximizing lords and Plague Priests or Warlock Engineers to buff the artillery is always a good strategy.
5 Don't Get Flanked
When fighting the AI, it's easy to leave ranged units unguarded since they're not exactly great at threat assessment. However, for multiplayer games, it pays to keep Death Globe Bombardiers and Warp Lightning Cannons well-guarded.
Because if the enemy somehow flanks a Skaven army, then it's game over. Skaven units have some of the worst morale in the game and typically give up as soon as they get a taste of their own medicine, which is getting swamped. The same advice goes for every army, but Skaven can't recover from such a maneuver that well.
4 Always Use The Stalking Stance
On to the campaign map. Skaven armies are a lot more mobile than others and have a huge advantage in Stalking mode. Moreover, facing enemies head-on and expecting to win a fair fight is not a very Skaven victory. More often than not, that can result in some losses.
That's why ambushing enemies is the most recommended way to win a battle on the campaign map as the Skaven. Reserve those fair fights for the elite stack of Doomwheel or Rat Ogre armies, the typical Skaven setup that uses cheap units as fodder mostly should attack in ambushes.
3 Don't Conquer Everything
The Skaven faction is certainly unique and requires a different strategic mindset compared to the more straightforward factions in Total War: Warhammer 2. Instead of settlements, they occupy ruins, and to be honest, ruins tend to be liabilities in the campaign.
For one, the Skaven's "settlements" don't produce food so players can easily go into a food deficit if they have too many ruins. This can quickly end the campaign or cripple it. For better asset management, razing or sacking anything that doesn't offer strategic value is preferable.
2 Don't Go Into Negative Food
As for food management in the game, going into negative values is something Skaven players need to avoid. More food means more settlements and eventually, more armies. The catch is that too many of those things can lead to a food deficit.
It might sound ironic but being picky with which settlement to conquer leads to a more efficient Skaven play. The settlements or provinces with their own fields or harbors tend to produce a lot of food so prioritize taking those. Food is the key to the Skaven strategic superiority as more armies mean more units to overwhelm opponents.
1 Cannibalize Your Own Rats
That isn't to say mortal fields and sustenance are the only sources of food for the Skaven. True to their real-life inspiration, these rodents also consider their own kind as free meals. So how exactly do players make other Skavens food? By inciting them to rebel.
Skavens thrive on unrest and they're even encouraged to rebel. Players can accelerate this self-sustaining Skaven process by raiding their own territory, waiting for the public order to plummet, and then killing Skaven militants who are too subversive for their own good. Rinse and repeat for free free-range food, yes-yes?
Total War: Warhammer 2 is available on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, and Macintosh operating systems.