With one of the most diverse units in Total War: Warhammer 3, the Dark Elves have a large selection of chariots, monsters and heavy infantry units to choose from. Each troop comes with the Murderous Prowess perk which gives them a massive boost to Melee, Charge, Armor Piercing Missile and Vigor for 90 seconds when activated, and some special units have an upgraded version.
There are a couple of things to keep in mind when choosing this faction: cavalry units aren’t very useful unless we’re talking about tracking routing enemies, and the faction doesn’t have a good mid-game infantry. Don’t worry, beyond that hill you’ll find some of the best infantry the game has to offer.
S-layer
Black Guard of Naggarond: This halberd infantry unit is the first type to unlock at the end of the game. They have great armor stats, an amazing armor-piercing halberd, are effective against cavalry and can hold flanks like few units in the game. Reason enough to be an S-tier unit.
Blood Wreck Sanctuary: Just looking at this masterpiece should get you hyped for using the Dark Elves in battle. This magic chariot isn’t just a behemoth in missile damage and range with 125 range and magic ammo. Thanks to Aura of Agony and Aura of Ardor, it will break down your enemy’s defense and leadership while also boosting your ally’s melee attack and leadership when in close combat.
war hydra: The War Hydra is not just a monster unit in the literal sense, it is without a doubt one of the best monster units in the game. With Fiery Breath, Scaly Skin and Regeneration, it will deal a lot of damage to your enemies. The skill Another Takes its Place gives you a 12 percent bonus per second and can be used up to four times per battle. Plus, it even has missile resistance. The only weaknesses are lords, magic and the Lothern Spear Guard unit.
A-layer
Dark Shards (shields): The upgraded version of Darkshards makes them a great archer unit in the early game. They will form the backbone of your army once you unlock them. The game version of a Pavese archer, they have missile resistance thanks to their shields (with 55 percent blocking chance) and can be unlocked with a level one barracks. Plus, they have armor-piercing missiles. The only reason they are not S-tier is the lower range compared to other elven archers.
Slaughter sisters: A unique unit type to the Dark Elves, the Sisters of Slaughter are a whip-type infantry. Yes, they use whips in battle. They can withstand hand-to-hand combat with their melee defense at 58, and by activating Trial of Blade they have a bonus to melee attacks and armor piercing.
Har Ganeth executioners: They are not called executioners for nothing, they destroy enemy armored units. The best frontline infantry out there for the Dark Elves, and they also have the upgraded Murderous Mastery. You need them in your army.
Cold One Dread Knights: Cavalry isn’t the Dark Elves’ strongest side, but the Dread Knights can certainly be useful. They have both armor and shield, and they also have some decent armor-piercing melee. But Primal Instincts can be a bummer as they may rage and stop following orders.
Black dragon: Dragons are definitely fun in Warhammer 3, and we couldn’t leave the Dark Elves dragon out of the mix. With its noxious breath, to use before combat, not during, it drops enemies like flies. It’s not in S-tier, as it lacks regeneration, but don’t worry, artillery or archers seeing it coming will wonder why they showed up on the battlefield.
Scougerunner wagon: Chariots are your go-to unit if you want something quick in the mix. They outperform cavalry in every way when it comes to the Dark Elves. The Scourgerunner Chariot’s 173 armor-piercing missile power is the main reason to pick one for your army.
Doomfire Warlocks: This magical cavalry unit can be a great addition to your ranks, casting Soulblight before attacking your enemy is a great way to lower their armor stats. Don’t be put off by the melee defense at 28, they also have a 40 percent physical resistance advantage
B-layer
Reaper Bolt Thrower: A quirky level one artillery unit, the Reaper Bolt Thrower has both Multi-shot to take out units and Single Shot to go after lords. It’s great until it’s flanked, where it goes out in a flash.
Black Ark Corsairs (longbows): These short arc skirmishes are decent for wreaking havoc in enemy lines. With the Fire While Moving advantage, they are great for equipping your enemy.
Dark Shards: We’ve already met the shield-wielding Darkshard in the A Tier, but before you can unlock them, you’ll need to train some of the original Darkshard units. That early game armor piercing damage will be awesome.
Dark Riders (Repeater Crossbow): While the concept of crossbow-mounted cavalry is amazing, the fact that this unit doesn’t come with Fire While Moving is a bummer. Not great at melee, but great for taking out slow-moving infantry.
Shades (Greatswords): The only worthy Shades unit in the faction, dealing hefty armor-piercing damage in melee combat, and great for some accidental ambushes on your enemy.
Witch Elves: Dual Dagger infantry can be a great resource if you’re all about flanking your enemies and have a nice 20 percent physical resistance. They are like the less prepared version of the Sisters of Slaughter – try not to use them as line infantry. Just don’t.
Wild Manticore: The Manticore is a good flying monster to keep in your midst, even if there’s not much you can do about it once it gets into rampage mode. The main reason it is in B is the missile resistance which comes in handy.
Kharibdyss: This monster unit has the Anti-Large perk which is good to have, and with Abyssal Howl it will decimate your enemy’s leadership. If you are on a shallow water chart, be ready to deploy them.
Cold Knights: Spear Cavalry is usually a winner in Total War games, but Dark Elves don’t really excel when it comes to mounted melee units. The Cold One Knights are decent though, as they have more physical resistance and more damage if they are low on HP.
Cold One Chariots: Even though it is an improved Scourgerunner Chariot, this unit has a lower range and is slower. The only two things that keep it going are the high armor level and good missile strength.
C-layer
shades: One of the missile infantry units with the longest range of 130, the shades can provide great ambushes thanks to their Stalk advantage.
Shades (dual weapons): Unfortunately, both melee and missile infantry do not deal armor-piercing damage. But can take out a lot of unarmored infantry units.
dreadspears: Nothing fancy, but still useful to keep in mind while building armies, the Dreadspears will be your first line of defense until mid-game as the Dark Elves don’t have many infantry units. Fortunately they are reasonable.
Bleakswords: A standard infantry unit that is shielded. If melee is your thing, you’ll probably rate them higher than we do, but compared to the late-stage infantry, they don’t hold up. High melee attack, but low melee defense.
dark riders: This is probably the worst unit to grace the list. As nice as the idea of Shock Cavalry is, the Dark Elves really need to upgrade their stables. Their only use is to break down routing units.
Dark Riders (Shields): The upgraded version of the Dark Riders is still not worth your time as they are unlocked with a level three building.
Black ark pirates: The standard Corsairs are nice to look at, but they tend to die like flies once they are within range of enemy archers.
Harpies: They’re nothing to write home about as harpies are usually in these games, but using them on enemy artillery might change your mind.
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