Clanrats (w/shields) best infantry for Skaven?

[Bersaglieri]

Anyone else feel like for the price the shielded clanrats are just the best choice for Skaven campaigns? Slaves being good for fodder at most and Stormvermin being heavily overpriced for what they are? Opinions?

[Manabeans]

Well I like the staying power of the Stormvermin and typically I'm not hurting for the cash to field a few. They tend not to route as much for me.

[Garatgh Deloi]

If you spend points in the red tree for Clanrats, sure.

If you do not spend points buffing clanrats the stats aren't that different and you can afford multiple Skavenslaves for every Clanrat even with the supply lines mechanic..

[Bersaglieri]

Originally posted by Manabeans:

Well I like the staying power of the Stormvermin and typically I'm not hurting for the cash to field a few. They tend not to route as much for me.

maybe I've played greenskins so much that the hammer and anvil tactic is about all I know how to do to consistently win without heavy casualties anymore lol. Love my wolf chariots and trolls for the flanks.

[Bersaglieri]

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

If you spend points in the red tree for Clanrats, sure.

If you do not spend points buffing clanrats the stats aren't that different and you can afford multiple Skavenslaves for every Clanrat even with the supply lines mechanic..

but skavenslaves lack shields and break on contact a lot. The shields imho make all the difference. At least in my campaigns. I figure never using stormvermin or slaves and going straight for the middle road with buffs seems to work best for me. Again maybe it's just due to my play style. I dont tend to use things like ratling guns and prefer to go for other things like doomwheels/flayers, rat ogres, and things that can send shock from the rear.

[Manabeans]

Originally posted by Bersaglieri:

Originally posted by Manabeans:

Well I like the staying power of the Stormvermin and typically I'm not hurting for the cash to field a few. They tend not to route as much for me.

maybe I've played greenskins so much that the hammer and anvil tactic is about all I know how to do to consistently win without heavy casualties anymore lol. Love my wolf chariots and trolls for the flanks.

Oh yeah I love the new Greenskin trolls, I can never properly use the chariots though. I'm a main Skaven player so I just let my recovery rate bring me back up.

[Manabeans]

Originally posted by Bersaglieri:

Originally posted by Garatgh Deloi:

If you spend points in the red tree for Clanrats, sure.

If you do not spend points buffing clanrats the stats aren't that different and you can afford multiple Skavenslaves for every Clanrat even with the supply lines mechanic..

but skavenslaves lack shields and break on contact a lot. The shields imho make all the difference. At least in my campaigns. I figure never using stormvermin or slaves and going straight for the middle road with buffs seems to work best for me. Again maybe it's just due to my play style. I dont tend to use things like ratling guns and prefer to go for other things like doomwheels/flayers, rat ogres, and things that can send shock from the rear.

Oh yeah if that's how your playing Skaven then that makes sense, I'm all about setting up the Stormvermin to hold the line while I blast away the enemy with my weapons teams.

[Lord_WC]

I use ratling guns for infantry line, works way better than trying to swamp the enemy.

[Lack of Stuff]

Plague Priests make the best frontline.

[DeepDorkFantasy]

why even bother with useless by definition melee infantry if you can have it free and teleporting anywhere you want.

[Barser]

Fort he price range? Well it really depends on what you can afford. But yes they are great for the price.

[Bersaglieri]

Originally posted by Manabeans:

Originally posted by Bersaglieri:

maybe I've played greenskins so much that the hammer and anvil tactic is about all I know how to do to consistently win without heavy casualties anymore lol. Love my wolf chariots and trolls for the flanks.

Oh yeah I love the new Greenskin trolls, I can never properly use the chariots though. I'm a main Skaven player so I just let my recovery rate bring me back up.

i've been using chariots since RTW. Pontus Scythed Chariots from the rear and Phalanx from the front. It's a tactic I've always loved. The trick to chariots is take them off skirmish, leave them on fire at will, bring them to the very rear of the battle. Then once everyone is engaged just mop up everything from the back and watch the mayhem ensue. Also a unit of trolls/rat ogres on each flank closing in on the sides. I typically bring 4 wolf chariots, 2 stone trolls, Orc Warboss, Riverhag, 3-4 units of Arrer Boyz, and a line of Big Uns. I mop up everything with that build. If I am using my boy Azhag then I dont need a second hero and take out one unit of Big Uns and put in 2 units of black orcs. I have Azhag casting from the sky, chariots in the back, trolls on the sides, Big uns for the line and 2 units of Black orcs reinforcing the center. ABSOLUTE CARNAGE!

[Bersaglieri]

Originally posted by клоун снаружи:

why even bother with useless by definition melee infantry if you can have it free and teleporting anywhere you want.

because
enemy: *breathes*
skavenslaves: Run-Run away! Aaaaaagh!

[Lack of Stuff]

Shields just mitigate some missile fire from the front. So if your infantry are getting shot a lot then the clanrats will hold up better. In melee it's just down to defense and leadership which the clanrats will do slightly better but for cost are less efficient than skavenslaves just cause they are so damn cheap.

Except for early game or multiplayer it seems like a moot point though since Menace Below and Vermintide summon clanrats.

[Sn3z]

You would never run alot of stormvermin 4 units is a good number to work from, the real reason to use them is with + monster support and niche infantry units because alone they can't do at that much. You can use clanrats but they won't hold long enough or get abdly wrecked by high tier infantry, whereby the niche infantry/monsters are left isolated.

Ideally you start the process of upgrading some slaves/clan rats into SV.

[Pancakus ante Omnia]

I found buffed clanrats to be just the thing for the Ikit to hold while the shooty things eviscerate everything, but later in the campaign im like "now i can afford all the stormvermin in the world, but i kinda dont want to since 4 red line skills would go to waste". And shields let you just stand there and catch arrows with your face while your gunners do their thing. This works fine untill suddenly you need to hold at all costs against overwhelming odds like the ride of jurassic glory or something.
At the same time skavenslaves are kinda nice if you can do things fast. Like terror bomb everything with fat stacks of monsters/flamers/globe grenadiers/plagueclaws, skavenslaves acting as a meaty pillow between your ratogres and enemy spears, no lord buffs required. Clanrats die just as fast as slaves in those kinds of situations for more upkeep. The new ratwolves and crazy fast brood horror lets you envelope the enemy army faster than ever before, greatly speeding up them routs and making the frontline staying power less important. Siege battles are a pain though (1-2 stormvermin with some buffs from the lab help alot). Meanwhile the new meat lab makes me think that skavensalves would be main troops for moulder.
I only wish that arty and weapon teams didnt hesitate as much when shooting over skavenslaves.
And the price for the unbuffed stormvermin is just insane.