
The winter winds of the north are stirring and it’s time for Total War: Warhammer 3’s Norse hordes to head south to the warmer lands as Immortal Empires has doubled it again in size. There are hundreds of settlements to burn and factions to wipe out, so grab Throgg and Wulfrik and saddle up for a world journey through chaos.
While Norsca’s roster isn’t great compared to the other factions, it’s rumored to be getting a rework. What they have in the meantime is pretty nice. So for those looking to beat these Nords in a carnage, here’s a rundown of their entire roster of Norsca’s units, ranked from best (S-Tier) to worst (C-Tier).
S-layer
Mammoth: With solid health bars, high damage and a tendency to go into a frenzied frenzy, Mammoths are groundbreaking tanks of fur and fury. Available in three flavors, one for friendly troops and another that adds ranged javelin attacks. Mammoths are a high-health, top-tier endgame unit for Norsca’s barbarian hordes, probably the best part of their DLC and you can’t do without at least one in Turn 100. Plus, Wulfrik The Wander has one as mount and one great number of his skills goes to lowering their costs and maintenance. If you use it right, you can get a horde of them roaming around for next to nothing.
skin wolves: The Skin Wolves, who deal a lot of damage, are the ideal ambush unit for Norsca. They can hurt a lot and it takes a whole regiment to take them down. Their unit count may be small, but these walking war dogs come with Rain, Anti-Large, and a Frenzy mode that can destroy anyone nearby. Their cavalry speed also makes them great when attacking or overtaking other fast-moving units.
Frost Wyrm: An eldritch icy fury enslaved by the master hunters of the northern tribes. Frost Wyrms are flying, fire-breathing monstrosities that can tear apart infantry or take on most other large monsters. Although they cost over 1700 gold with a maintenance of about half, these scaly ice boys are only worth it if you have the economy to cover it. But their innate ability to inflict fear and frostbite on those around them also makes them great for routing weakened troops. Plus, their Frost Breath ability works well on large infantry blobs.
A-layer
looters: Marauders are your main infantry force for Norsca and they do a lot of heavy lifting. They are quite replaceable, they have many different variants that are much more useful. For example, they can have awesome weapons, spears or dual-wield axes as Berserkers. There are also Champion versions that are essentially the tier-3 version of these units. Unfortunately, they don’t get access to the various customization options that the hordes of Chaos have, but they’re still a solid choice for infantry.
trolling: Regenerating steamrollers that can crush skulls with their hammers and torpedo dents in enemy formations with their payloads. Trolls are cheap, great for flanking maneuvers or smashing a fortress’ doors during siege battles, and despite a weakness to reach and fire, they’re a solid choice for early to mid-game. In addition, Norsca gains access to Frost Trolls with a hair-raising debuff.
B-layer
Marauder hunters: If you’re looking for an option with good range, the Marauder Hunters are what you need. There are Javelin and Ax-Throwing variants, with one being slightly better at melee than the other. Their range is decent and their Armor-Piercing makes them good at taking out some of the big tough monsters, which makes sense since they’re hunters after all. They’re also very cheap, so it’s easy to turn them into a horde pretty quickly, especially if you take on some of Throgg’s special hunting missions.
Marauder riders: Marauder Horsemen, who are on horseback at a distance, are great for defeating large monsters or infantry as they get close to your battle lines. While they’re easy to route, they offer both Axe and Javelin throwing variants that specialize them in Anti-Infantry or Anti-Large, so there’s a nice amount of adaptability going on. Although they have very little ranged protection and if caught in melee they die quite quickly. The most you need is one or two in an army, more and you’re just asking for trouble.
norwegian giant: Norsca’s giants are nothing like their southern, temperate-climate cousins. These battle-scarred, ice-spouting behemoths work great with support and can terrorize troops into fleeing for their lives. They inflict terror on anyone who comes close, and their massive clubs can carve huge chunks out of infantry health bars in just a few swings.
Fimir warriors: Fimirs, a monstrous contact unit clad in solid plate armor, is the armor-breaking damage dealer for Norsca. While their model number is a bit underpowered (four on Small, 16 on Ultra), their ability to break through armor makes them a great support troop against tough late-game units. In addition, they also have a missile resistance of 22 percent thanks to their From The Mist ability.
C-layer
Wild Manticore: If ever there was a unit that was a waste of time, it would be the Feral Manticores. While useful for strapping down archers or flying straight at artillery at the start of a battle, they fall into Rampage without warning, even when in high health. Which leads to them getting into fights they really can’t handle. They are a huge liability and should be considered expendable if you ever decide to use them.
Norwegian Warhounds: Marginally better than Feral Manticores. These Doggos of the Frozen North are good guys when it comes to ambush attacks on archers, siege machines and routing units. But if they get trapped and surrounded, it’s game over. Their Vanguard deployment makes them great at rounding up enemy armies into a big ball before the main force arrives, but their low armor makes them vulnerable to being picked at a distance.
Marauder Chariots: Save yourself some gold and don’t buy Marauder Chariots. Unless you can guarantee battles that require charging in the back lines, they’re pretty useless. They’re only good if they push through a thin line of swordsmen or something smaller, as any model object larger than them will keep them on their trail. Their leadership is low and if they intercept continued missile fire, they flee frustratingly fast. For most battles, they’ll end up half dead or stuck due to path issues that still plague the game from time to time, so don’t bother with Chariots.
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