Total War Warhammer/Tactics/Lizardmen

This is the tactics page for the Total War: Warhammer version of the Lizardmen.

Why play Lizardmen

They're dinosaurs riding dinosaurs into battle. Some of those dinosaurs also have magical lasers strapped to them.

Pros

• A Multitude of Monsters - The Lizardmen have the largest diversity of massive monsters at their disposal. Between the various Bastilodons, Stegadons and Carnosaurs you can field, you won't be wanting for big beasties.
• Fearsome Beasts - Unsurprisingly, the average man will struggle to keep calm and collected when facing down a stampede of hungry carnivorous dinosaurs many times larger than he is. Virtually every monster in this army inspires fear and terror in the mortal hearts of men; a few well timed Carnosaur charges can break and rout forces not outright immune to psychology. Conversely, this also renders your monsters immune to fear/terror effects as well.
• Resilient Frontline - Saurus Warriors, even unshielded, are among the most durable baseline infantry units in the game. Though their damage output is rather low, their good armor and leadership will ensure they'll hold the line. Of course this isn't even mentioning higher tier units like the Temple Guard.
• Mastery of Magic - Debatably only second to the High Elves, Lizardmen have reliable access more schools of magic than any other race. Skink Priests, Slann and the mighty Lord Kroak offer not only some of the most reliable casting in the game, but have consistent access to the Arcane Conduit skill.
• Flexible Artillery - Where most other factions have to slowly wheel siege engines into place and are vulnerable to attacks in melee, Lizardmen give no fucks. Due to their solar engines and bastila being strapped on the backs of mighty Bastilodons/Stegadons, they can easily reposition themselves and hold their own in melee combat.
• Cavalcade of Cavalry - Cold Ones, Horned Ones, Terradons and Ripperdactyls, oh my! Though not as fast as some other faction's cavalry, you have a very diverse selection of fast-moving dinosaurs that can flank enemies
• Predatory Senses - As your army consists heavily of predatory animals that excel at sniffing out prey, your enemies will be hard pressed to remain hidden from them. Enemies that rely on stealthy abilities like Stalk are revealed to you far more quickly than others, giving you far more time to react to (in battle) ambushes than other factions.
• Poisonous Assaults - Many of the weapons wielded by your skinks are poisonous, inhibiting the mobility/combat performance of enemies afflicted by their noxious attacks. Despite poison no longer deal constant damage like on the tabletop, their debuff is still useful for weakening the enemy for your frontline troops. Thank to the recent update that removes any form of poison debuffs that can apply to the player units through friendly fire, skink's poison darts are even better.

Cons

• Slow - A majority of the Lizardmen list, namely Saurus infantry, take their sweet time to cross the field. Though there are exceptions to this, namely the various cavalry and skink units available to you, this particular weakness is exacerbated by...
• Vulnerable to Range - ...their dearth of viable ranged units. The only ranged infantry available to you are Skinks; particularly squishy infantry that, though nimble, have pitiful range and DPS against anything shielded/armored. Defensively, though your Saurus are quite tanky, they are very vulnerable to being kited by ranged (cavalry) due to their rather slow movement speed. The same can be said about most of your monsters, with some minor exceptions.
• Expensive Roster - As you can imagine, breeding and training massive dinosaurs and mounting arcane instruments of war onto them isn't cheap. All of your high tier units can get crazy expensive both in initial cost and upkeep. Even the bog standard Saurus Warriors come at a premium compared to some other factions options, though this is only particularly notable in competitive multiplayer.
• Rampage - A majority of the Lizardmen list is prone to going berserk and rampaging towards their deaths if they take too much damage too quickly. Though the Lord/Hero Cold-Blooded ability can help keep this in check, it is in limited supply. That said, though rampaging units will end up dying more often than not, the silver lining is that these rampaging units can still tie up enemy units until the bitter end, which can buy the rest of your army some time.
• DLC Locked Content - Though a con for virtually every other faction in the game, this is a particularly notable one for Lizardmen. Many, if not most of the Lizardmen's better units are locked behind DLC lord packs. Though these DLC packs are definitely worth it for dedicated players, they can get expensive rather quickly and certainly might be a tough sell to players who aren't fully invested in the respective armies included.

Lords

The scaly faces of the Lizardmen. Compared to a few of the other factions in game, Lizardmen generally have solid lord choices and their legendary lords aren't an exception.

Legendary Lords

• Mazdamundi - The last second generation Slann (lore-wise), Mazdamundi uses magic primarily from the Lore of Light to act as a hybrid support/offensive caster. The two main selling points of Mazdamundi over a generic Slann Mage-Priest are his stegadon mount Zlaaq and his signature spell Ruination of Cities. Zlaaq allows Mazdamundi to actually engage in melee, something no other Slann can safely do, and makes him substantially more durable against most forms of attack. Ruination of Cities, especially when combined with Banishment, makes Mazdamundi an excellent AoE caster capable of tearing infantry focused armies to shreds with relative ease without chewing through your Winds of Magic reserve. These spells are limited however, being bounded spells, so make sure you wait until the right moment to utilize them.

• Kroq-Gar - Your dedicated duelist, Kroq-Gar is an offensive powerhouse that shines when seated atop Grimloq, his faithful Carnosaur mount. Though expensive, Kroq-Gar/Grimloq can tear through virtually any foe with ease and can go toe to toe with almost every other lord and come out on top. Though a monstrous force on his own merits, Kroq-Gar is something of a glass cannon however and as a larger target is prone to getting mobbed by multiple units or getting focused down by ranged infantry/artillery. Another notable shortcoming is that he provides limited support for the rest of your army (a bit of a problem for all Saurus Oldbloods), and as such is not recommended for dino-heavy builds.

• Tehenhauin (DLC) - Your only Skink-Priest lord choice, Tehenhauin is something of a niche pick. He's can deal surprising damage against footlords/cavalry lords in a fight (particularly if on a Ripperdactyl) and is also capable of dealing notable damage to swarms of infantry (with his Lore of Beasts and/or with his Engine of the Gods), but he's extremely frail for a Lizardmen lord.

• Tiktaq'to (FLC) - Another somewhat niche pick, Tiktaq'to is a dedicated flier who excels in lists built with Terradons and Ripperdactyls as the focus. Though mounted on Zwuup, Tiktaq'to is arguably your squishiest (legendary) lord and lacks the support/damage options available to the rest of your lords, but he's inarguably the swiftest of the bunch. He excels at tying up enemy artillery and ranged infantry and is easily able to dodge incoming fire on the approach. Playing him requires far more finesse than is required for virtually every other lord; prolonged combat will invariably whittle him down and may the Old Ones help you if he's surrounded while grounded.

• Nakai (DLC) - The largest and oldest of the Kroxigor Ancients, Nakai is an infantry mulcher who (thanks to his enthusiastic animations) will literally sweep his way through the thickest blobs of infantry. Nakai possesses a few notable traits over his competitors; his ability to grant perfect vigour to nearby allies ensures they're in peak form throughout the entire battle while his Miasma of Dispair can cripple enemies within his presence; a potentially nasty combo that can ensure your forces slowly but steadily chew through enemy frontlines. Unfortunately, Nakai has a few major weaknesses: As a large entity, he's vulnerable to anti-large weaponry (which does abound among baseline infantry) and is an easy, defenseless target for ranged units to snipe. He also struggles to properly duel opposing heroes/lords due to his size and janky animations making him lunge about haphazardly while they continue to poke him to death. Because of this, he tends to work best as a force multiplier for infantry builds.

• Gor-Rok (FLC) - Where Kroq-Gar is the spear, Gor-Rok stands as the shield. Gor-Rok is a dedicated footlord, among the slowest of them, but makes up for it through sheer, unbreaking resilience. Gor-Rok can stand neck-deep among hordes of angry infantry and walk out seemingly unscathed. When equipped with the Mace of Ulumak, Gor-Rok can also prove a competent duelist in his own right, even if it's only in temporary bursts. Gor-Rok does falter against mounted/monstrous heroes/lords and is vulnerable to duelists with good AP values

Generic Lords

Your generic lords are no less able than their famed counterparts, and in competitve multiplayer, are often preferable.

• Slann Mage-Priest - Your almighty magic toads, Slann are dedicated mages who don't participate in fights directly, but wreak havoc upon your enemies from afar with their magics or supplement your forces with defensive/healing energies. Slann are the only generic lords who have access to the Greater Arcane Conduit ability which, when combined with their reliable casting, can allow savvy players to call upon vast reserves of the Winds of Magic long after lesser mages have tapped out of theirs. In addition to Greater Arcane Conduit, each Slann has access to Banishment as a bound spell as well as the Shield of the Old Ones; a large AoE defensive buff that applies a 22% damage resistance modifier to all allied units within it's bubble. Understandably, for all their arcane might, Slann are practically helpless if caught in a fight. They are the single slowest unit in your entire army and are quite chunky, making them easy targets up close or at range. To this end, you'll almost always want a screening unit of Temple Guard (or at least shielded Saurus) to keep enemies from ganking them. Outside of that, there are four varieties of Slann Mage-Priests, each dedicated to a specific lore of magic:
  • Fire Slann - When you want to burn the heretic in holy fire for the Old Ones. Combined with their bound Banishment, Fire Slann are capable of mulching clumps of infantry wholesale and can even churn out respectable single target damage with their Fireball and Piercing Bolts of Burning spells. Fire damage is particularly useful against the myriad of enemies with regeneration, though you're not exactly short on unit options capable of filling that niche.
  • Life Slann - These guys are debatably the MVP in a monster heavy list; Life Slann are your only dedicated magical source of healing in the entire army, and the only other unit outside Revivification Bastilodons capable of healing other units at all. If you want an army built on the back of beasts, a Life Slann is essential to keeping them in the fight.
  • Light Slann - Light Slann are fantastic supports for an infantry-heavy army namely due to two spells: Net of Amyntok and Birona's Timewarp. Like every other army, Net of Amyntok is an excellent tool for pinning down cavalry or elite units so that your much slower Saurus can catch up and engage them in melee (or to keep them still while your Salamanders incinerate them wholesale) and Birona's Timewarp can turn the tide in a key engagement. Offensively, being able to cast Banishment much more frequently can also deal devastating damage to enemy infantry. That said, even your Greater Arcane Conduit will struggle to keep you topped off; the Lore of Light can consume your Winds of Magic quite quickly.
  • High Slann - Similarly to Light Slann, High Slann are a hybrid offensive/support caster. Unlike the Lore of Light, you do have access to minor magical healing through Apotheosis and have access to an excellent anti-flier vortex spell in Tempest (Net of Amyntok is superior, however). High Slann offensively specialize in single target damage and can deal devastating amounts of it between Arcane Unforging and Soul Quench spells, giving them a solid niche against duelist lords/heroes and larger monsters.

• Saurus Old-Blood - Offensive duelists through and through, Saurus Old-Bloods are flexible masters of combat who can lead on foot, on the back of a Cold One, or atop a mighty Carnosaur (you'll usually want one on a Carnosaur).

• Red-Crested Skink Chief - Your discount Lord and the one you'll want to take if you want to reserve as much money for your big beasties as possible. Of course, you could splurge a little to put one on a Ripperdactyl if you want to harrass enemy ranged infantry or artillery or put one atop an Ancient Stegadon to scorch swaths of infantry with the Engine of the Gods (though if you're going to do that, you may as well spring for Tehenhauin so that you at least have access to the Lore of Beasts as well). The RCSC, like anything distinctly skinky, is also supremely squishy on his own and can't hold his own against enemy duelists or being tied down in a fight.

• Kroxigor Ancient - Baby Nakais for those who don't quite feel up for splurging on the big boy himself. Kroxigor Ancients are quite literally just watered down versions of Nakai; though they won't grant perfect vigour to all friendly forces near them, they will still wade through most infantry with ease due to their size, mass and pure damage output. However, just like Nakai, they are completely helpless at range, are vulnerable to AP and anti-large weapons and are slow.

Heroes

Lizardmen have a surprisingly versatile selection of heroes, including one of the strongest Legendary Heroes in the game: Lord Kroak. These guys are capable of dealing immense damage to your enemies and all of them (except Kroak) can be mounted on one of your massive dinosaurs.

Legendary Hero

You've only got the one, but he's all you'll need. Lord Kroak is your expensive but powerful offensive caster and forms the center of many army formations.

• Lord Kroak - The first of the Slann doesn't let something as death inconvenience him, or keep him from kicking warmblood ass. Lord Kroak is the only hero in the game with access to Greater Arcane Conduit (which can be paired with another Slann's Greater Arcane Conduit), making him a fantastic force multiplier in a caster-heavy list just from being present. For better or worse, Kroak doesn't have access to any lore of magic and only has two notable abilities. But damn can those abilities turn the tide of battle. His only bound ability (other than the universal Cold-Blooded) is the Supreme Shield of the Old Ones, an upgraded version of the regular Shield of the Old Ones that grants allies a 44% damage resistance while within it (and stacks with the regular version if you're really in a bind). The only spell(s) he has access to is his signature Deliverance of Itza (and its three varying strengths). Deliverance of Itza, the reason you're bringing him, can virtually delete entire units from existence with an efficiency only known to the Winds of Death spell, but it has a few major drawbacks. First, it is intensely mana hungry: you'll typically only get one or two DoI (III) casts per battle before you run dangerously low on magic. By relying on DoI I or II, you won't consume as much magic per cast, but the difference in damage dealt becomes very apparent. Secondly, there is a very lengthy and obvious tell for when the spell is cast; most competent opponents will be able to move their forces away from the blast before it goes off unless you manage to pin them down with supporting spells like the Net of Amyntok or simply bodyblocking them from all sides. Thirdly, this spell is virtually useless against single entities such as Lords/Heroes and giant monsters

Generic Heroes

• Saurus Scar-Veteran - A step down from the Old-Blood, Scar-Veterans behave in much the same manner as your generic Saurus lords. Vicious and powerful combatants, Scar-Veterans are built to brazenly charge into combat and deal bloody death to all who stand in their way. The real reason you'll want to take any Scar-Vets isn't for the Saurus himself, however badass he may be, but for the carnosaur mount you can put him on. Though a more expensive version of the feral carnosaur, Scar-Vets are immune to rampaging (and can indeed stop others from rampaging thanks to their Cold Blooded ability) and have a slightly stronger statline, making them excellent all-round threats to whatever your opponent might be packing. These Scar-Vets are ideal choices for armies led by Slann-Mage priests; they won't be competing for Winds of Magic like the Skink Priests and will more than make up for the Slann's melee deficiency. If you want to keep him cheaper, you can take one on foot to lead fellow Saurus infantry into battle, or stick in on a Cold One to ride with the rest of your cavalry.

• Skink Priest - Skink Priests are your humble, mortal casters. Cheap and nimble, these guys can easily outrun most footslogging infantry and are fantastically flexible mages that can fill any offensive or defensive holes your army might be lacking. If mounted on a Terradon, their speed will be unparalleled; they'll be able to rain magical death anywhere on the battlefield with ease and can quickly deliver support to your forces no matter how spread out they may be. Alternatively, you may mount them on Stegadons or Ancient Stegadons to make them terrifying all-rounders, though their price tag will quickly reflect that.
  • Skink Priest (Heavens) - The Heavens discipline is among the better offensive lores of magic in the game for the instant raw damage output it's capable of. Wind Blast and Chain Lightning will be your go-to offensive spells. Comet of Cassandora, though powerful, should generally be avoided due to how long its casting time is. Harmonic Convergence and Curse of the Midnight Wind are staples of support sets and can turn your Saurus infantry into immovable walls of tooth and claw.
  • Skink Priest (Beasts) - The lore of beasts, though filled with supporting spells and a few offensive powers, is arguably the least useful lore of magic at your disposal. The one major niche that Beast Skinks are taken at all for is the Transformation of Kadon, as Feral Manticores can easily be summoned in a position to flank exposed artillery, mages or ranged infantry without giving your opponent much time to respond to their approach. Though the supporting spells are still certainly useful, they pale compared to the raw damage output your other lores are capable of achieving.

• Skink Chief - Your skirmishing duelist, Skink Chiefs cripple enemy forces with their poisonous darts so that your army can face weaker resistance. Skink Chiefs are a force to be feared when mounted on a Stegadon, allowing them to easily face down many enemy heroes/lords in a one-on-one fight.