This article is updated for Clash of Kings ’24, I have marked changes to the article and units with red text.
With Herd the newest army I (Jake) have been playing/working on, I am going to take a stab at updating this article. I have nowhere near the pedigree or experience as its last update, Keith Conroy, or its original author Brindley Smith, but let’s see if I can stand on the shoulders of titans and make something halfway useful!
We have a special treat for you today, a Herd army review written by the 2021 US Master himself, Keith Conroy!
With the arrival of the new 2021 Clash of Kings update, there’s been a pretty significant shift in the meta. The Herd had a rather big rebalancing, and these changes necessitated more of a rewrite than an update. I wanted to give a special shout-out to my friend Brindley Smith for his original article on the Herd!
Check out our other army reviews found here, keep an eye on the red text at the top to see which Clash of Kings it has been updated for.
Tier Rankings:
Trying to rank units in Kings of War is not a perfect science. By pure design, many units are meant to work in combination with other choices in the army and can be hard to judge on their own. For this exercise, it’s assumed the unit is being used to its utmost potential within the army. This is not just a math problem to determine the most cost-effective unit but is to also see how units compare in scope, role, and impact across not just a single army but all Kings of War armies.
S Tier: Reserved for units that are widely acknowledged as either being significantly undercosted or having a combination of rules that perform well above units in similar roles. These units are often called “auto includes” as any list stands to be made better with their inclusion. Expect these units to be addressed in future CoK book updates.
A Tier: These units are some of the best the army has to offer. They excel in their specific roles and commonly help form the core of most competitive lists. While not auto include, they are great in almost any army they are taken in and will be seen frequently.
B Tier: This unit choice has a mix of strengths and weaknesses that makes it very playable, but balanced. These units work great with specific roles in mind; however, their weaknesses mean they do not help every list. In a perfect world, all units would fit into this category.
C Tier: C Tier units may still shine in niche lists and roles; however, they will feel underpowered when compared to similar units in other armies. Decidedly suboptimal, you could make them work, but you will frequently see other things that are just better. You will rarely see many lists take these units.
D Tier: Units that need some considerable love and attention. You will struggle to find any role for this unit that another unit couldn’t do better. Very often you will see these units labeled as “unplayable.”
Before diving into the army review, I wanted to talk a little bit about the state of The Herd going into Clash of Kings 2024. Herd was an unpowered and underused army going into the most recent update.
While most armies received buffs small and big, Herd sadly received minor tweaks that either failed to address issues in the list or downright downgraded its units. This took the Herd from arguably the worst army in the game to almost certainly the worst army in the game.
This isn’t to say that Herd can’t do some things well; however, anyone considering Herd needs to know that they are taking the underdog army. You will be earning each and every victory, and most will be by the skin of your teeth. Herd units are often faster and fragile, they don’t hit nearly as hard as most alpha-style armies, but they get the perk of ignoring most terrain thanks to extensive Pathfinder.
If playing Kings of War on hard-mode sounds fun to you, or if you want to almost guarantee you will be the only one taking your faction at an event, welcome to the Herd!
The Silent Hunt Formation – C Tier
Coming in at 340 Points (350 if you pay for Thunderous Charge which you should), the best part of this formation is that it is quite cheap! For those points, you get two regiments of Tribal Trappers and a special Tribal Tracker character named Softhoof. These units gain Ensnare and a nice unique “Deadly Snare” ability where they damage units that charge them a little. Softhoof also has Aura(Vicious-Tracker only) giving a little buff to these hunters’ damage.
Unfortunately, Tribal Trappers in general are not very good, struggling to do much except get in the way of units, which granted this formation does even better.
I really, really want to like this formation. It is SO close to being good. If the formation made the Trapper Regular, I think it suddenly would become pretty solid. However, there are just better ways to work shooting and some early board control into your Herd list. If you are taking this formation, it’s because you think it’s thematic and fun, not because you think it’s the best choice.
S Tier
Herd has no S Tier units.
A Tier
Beast of Nature – I’m just assuming that if you take this unit, you are taking the Wings and extra 2 attacks (putting them up to a respectable 7 attacks) upgrades. It’s a common saying that Speed is king in this game, and typically the definition of this is exemplified by flying monsters who can reliably project threat over very wide areas of the table. With only costing 205 points for a “budget dragon”, you can still cause major damage in a flank, grind out units such as cavalry, get into small areas relative to flying Titans, and fly at the double into terrain thanks to Pathfinder. I almost always see these in pairs, and it’s rare to see a Herd list without at least one.
For 205 points you have a mini-dragon which fits in perfectly with our tendency to lean into alpha strike. This unit can threaten almost anything on the flank and at 15/17 can most likely survive a punch. The small base size also gives the unit a good chance of sneaking in between charge arcs or landing behind enemy lines. It is the closest unit we have to an auto-include in our army. Use them to hunt any Calvary that doesn’t have Headstrong or Fury. If you do take the Noxious Mist upgrade, don’t forget the Vicious!
Harpies – You get Speed 10, Fly, Pathfinder, and enough attacks to reliably take off other cheap chaff or disorder enemy units. For 90 points, they are also amazingly effective for their cost, and the clear obvious choice for your fast Nimble chaff options. Their main downside is that they rout easily, but this can be a good thing anyway as you don’t want them getting wavered and blocking up your lines. Thanks to their Heavy Infantry profile, their base size can completely protect hammers such as Centaurs.
Still, our best chaff unit, though always make sure you give ample room for your screening units to maneuver around them. Unlike the Wild Gur Panthers, they lose Nimble and are harder to move out of the way. They also do a surprising amount of damage in the flank with Vicious as well. Top 3 chaff units in the game. A word of caution: they do waver easily and make sure that you are not blocking your own charges with their placement.
Moonfang – Moonfang is basically a super Lycan Alpha, for a bargain 50 more points. They get 6 attacks (one more than the Alpha), Crushing Strength 2, Regeneration 4+, Defense 5, Melee 3+, Speed 9, Vicious, and Nimble! A great unit for zipping around and hitting flanks, but Moonfang shines as the king of combo charges. Moonfang gives Vicious to any non-allied unit in the same combat as yourself. This is one of my favorite abilities in Kings of War, and I love trying to maximize the minor synergies you can find with an ability like this. He can tank somewhat reliably, though you still need to worry about getting Wavered (common to most of the Herd anyway). Regen 4+ is awesome.
Moonfang also is one of our best token holders. You usually find them still sticking around at the end of the game due to their Regen 4+ and Defense 5. Granting Vicious is a fantastic, though situational ability, and it does not combine with the Beast of Nature’s Vicious option. The special ability does combo very well with Spirit Walkers, Lycans, Guardian Brutes, and Chariots.
Great Chieftain – This unit is one of the defining units for the Herd. Coming in at 95 points, they have pretty typical stats for a combat character, Melee 3+, 5 Attacks, Crushing Strength 1, Thunderous Charge 1, Pathfinder, 12/14 Nerve, Inspiring, and Defense 5 their stats are fine, but not spectacular. However, one Great Chieftan in the army can take the Horn of Great Migration, which for 15 points provides a Wild Charge +1 Aura AND Dread! Fantastic!
This helps give our units a vital edge in charging slightly further, pop the Wings of Honeymaze on your horn Great Chieftan and you can pop this boost all over your army, plus you have a pretty decent support charger. Charge 21″ Beast of Nature, yes please! Even having our infantry charge 13″ instead of 12″ is a nice boost to outspeeding most Large Infantry.
Don’t forget that the Great Chieftan’s aura also works on itself!
Wiltfather/Tree Herder – Monster slots are in high demand in Herd, particularly if like me you are taking 3 Beast of Nature, so I find if I have any space for a Tree Herder it will be just one, Wiltfather.
Wiltfather is a 300-point Tree Herder (40-point upgrade to the regular Tree Herder). They have Speed 6, Melee 3+, 10 Attacks (1 more than a Tree Herder), Crushing Strength 3, Vicious Aura Verdant (from Wiltfather Upgrade), Cloak of Death (also thanks to Wiltdaddy), Pathfinder, Defense 6, and a -/19 Nerve (one higher from Wiltfather). Wiltfather also has Inspiring, helping support your forward units, and Scout, letting it get up closer to the enemy early, so it doesn’t get left behind by your line.
I don’t think Wiltfather will make it into every list, 300 points is a LOT to spend on 1 Unit Strength, but if you can find the points chances are Wiltfather should do something good for you in the game. I wouldn’t over-invest in Verdant to benefit from Wiltfather’s Aura, Nature and Elves do Verdant better than Herd, but 1-2 Forest Shambler Regiments to act as Thicc Chaff fit nicely with Wiltfather.
I suspect that if you take the Silent Hunt Formation, Wiltfather could support them nicely, helping provide the relatively squishy formation with a little punch, while the formation can protect Wiltfather’s flanks and grab objectives. I haven’t tested this yet though.
Centaur Bray Striders – Bray striders are an interesting unit, they are pretty cheap for what they provide 160 for a Regiment, and 260 for a Horde. Regiments are the most common way to see them, great for unlocks and some damage output, while Hordes are unwieldy but serve as one of Herd’s 3 actual Hammer units.
Bray Strider are Speed 8, Melee 3+, Pathfinder, Crushing Strength 1, and Thunderous Charge 1, which so far is great! However, the rest of the profile is where they get a bit odd. They are Defense 4 (like SO much of Herd), Regiments are Nerve 14/16 making them vulnerable, and Hordes are 21/23, but have an enormous footprint meaning they are still vulnerable. Their attacks are drastically less than other cav units, due to Braystrider’s cheaper price, Regiments have 12 attacks, and the Horde has 24.
At 12 attacks, your Regiments will struggle to break anything unsupported, but can be great for unlocks, and combo charges with Moonfang, Beast of Nature, or other Centaur! The Horde should perform a bit better, but will still struggle to break higher Nerve units in one go.
Like most Herd units, Bray-Striders really benefit from Bane Chant support and don’t want to be caught in sustained combat.
B Tier
Spirit Walkers – Spritwalkers are a pretty typical Berzerker style unit, they are Fearless with respectable Nerve, -/22 on the Horde (the most common way to see them) but they are Defense 3 making them extremely vulnerable to shooting, or really any damage. As a trade though, you get a ton of Melee 3+ attacks, 30 on the Horde, with Pathfinder and Thunderous Charge 1.
You also get Speed 6 plus Wild Charge D3 for a really respectable 13″-15″ threat range, throw in the Great Chieftan with Horn and that goes to 14″-16″, give the Spiritwalkers Brew of Haste and Great Chieftan support, and it 16″-18″ charge range!
This is a pricey unit, with a Horde with no items coming in at 265. A Horde of these really benefits from using terrain to try to get cover from shots.
Without extra support from Bane Chant, Moonfang Vicious, or some other method to boost damage, the Horde will struggle to break Defense 5 and up, as Thunderous Charge 1 only goes so far, and only lasts until Spirit Walkers get hit!
They are a really fun unit to use and project a TON of threat, but like almost every Herd unit, are extremely fragile and tend to want support to really break things reliably.
Scorchwings– Scorchwings received a small, but much-needed nerf from Clash ’14, increasing the Horde’s points from 200- 215. This makes it harder for some of those lists that were cramming as many as possible into a list, but doesn’t change that the unit is still quite good in The Herd.
Regiments of Scorchwings get 14 attacks hitting on 4’s with Steady Aim, with an 18″ range. They also have Melee 3+ and Thunderous Charge 1, meaning they can do pretty well in combat too, particularly if someone gives them a flank.
Height 4 is also useful for plinking damage on pesky Snow Foxes or Gargoyles hiding behind a hill or other units. With Speed 10 and Nimble, they can also zip around the board serving as chaff, chaff killers, and support chargers. The Great Chieftan with Horn can boost them to a great 21″ charge, making them perfect for holding down enemy fliers for an important turn. Despite the small points increase, Regiments of Scorchwings definitely still have a place in Herd lists.
Avatar of the Father- The Avatar of the Father is a super version of a Beast of Nature. They come in at 285 points, making it a really pricey choice. For that, you get Speed 10, Nimble, Pathfinder, 9 attacks, Melee 3+, Crushing Strength 2, and Thunderous Charge 1. The Avatar of the Father will put out a bit more damage than a Beast of Nature, but its extra attacks will really shine if an opponent gives it a Flank.
The Avatar also has a few rules to make it just a bit more reliable on the defensive. Defense 5 is great, 17/19 Nerve is very good, Very Inspiring is helpful to keep all your flying threats Inspired while not clumped together, finally it has Fury so once engaged it will keep hitting.
However, unlike many other army’s flying Dragon types, Avatar of the Father is a Monster, NOT a Titan, so they are on a 50mm base. This is great for extra maneuvering room, and easier to fit into small openings opponents might not see, but it also means it isn’t Unit Strength 2. When I am building my lists, I often find the Avatar of the Father directly competing with a Beast of Nature for points/unlock space. However, at 80 points more, I haven’t found myself able to justify taking the Avatar over the more points efficient Beast.
I know Herd players who use and swear by the Avatar, so there is clearly a place for them in some lists, I just haven’t found it yet.
Druid – Druids are great for cheap character support. With built-in Pathfinder and Inspiring, now at a bargain 45 points before spells, they will be in every army. They are our only access to Bane Chant beyond items, which unfortunately is the fickle Bane Chant 2 for 20 points.
Most of the other spells Druids get just aren’t useful for Herd, Heal 2 is too expensive without more Heal in the list, Windblast and Lightning bolt have pitifully low numbers that again don’t synergize with the list, and finally, Surge 4 isn’t often going to come up since Herd isn’t taking Shambling units often.
The other two spells Druids are useful in Herd for is Veil of Shadows for the ever-important Shooting protection, and Barkskin to help shield the unit from damage. Both of these spells can be quite useful to Herd, but I am leaning towards if you have to take just one, Barkskin being the choice. In general, shooting just hurts Herd; however, we are very fast, so we enter combat quickly. If you can close quickly enough, suddenly Stealthy isn’t doing anything. Barkskin will be useful in every matchup, and with nearly every unit Defense 4 (or lower) it should be reliably adding 2-3 counters to your targeted unit, which will be great to last 1 more combat!
I have mentioned a few times that Bane Chant support is desperately needed in the list, every Herd army should have at least one source of Bane Chant, but ideally 2! For better or for worse, those are going to be Druids. And then you just pray Bane Chant 2 cooperates.
Forest Shamblers – As Regiments, they are one of the best fast and resilient chaff units in the game. While normally Speed 6 and Shambling would be a hindrance, being able to advance 12” up the board with Scout is wonderful and all you need to get into the right position. Defense 5 and a -/14 nerve make Shamblers difficult to remove, and they can generally beat out opposing chaff units. Another bonus over our cheap chaff options is their Height 3, which allows you to hide nearly any hammer behind them (just keep in mind that Longhorns and Centaurs would have a 5mm overhang that nimble units can exploit).
Scout continues to be one of our best methods of putting pressure on opposing units early without having reliable shooting as other armies have. A regiment of Shamblers with Mead of Madness can be a fun trick for a first-turn charge for only 130 points. If you are going to take a “surge heavy” list, choose these over Earth Elementals. In general, don’t expect much actual damage out of your Shamblers, with Melee 4+ and Crushing Strength 1 they aren’t bad, but they aren’t going to be breaking things for several turns either.
Guardian Brutes –Our final Hammer unit, Guardian Brutes follows a lot of trends in the Herd. They are Speed 6 and have Pathfinder, making them our slowest hammer. However, they have an impressive 30 attacks at the Horde size with Crushing Strength 1, Thunderous Charge 1, and Brutal! These sadly only hit on Melee 4+, but a Horde comes in at a bargain 225 points.
The Horde has Fury, which can help in certain situations, but with Defense 4 and an average Nerve of 15/17 they tend not to survive most threatening targets hitting them in combat.
They aren’t a bad unit, but I really wish they had Crushing Strength 2, this would let them be unique in the Herd for not actually needing Bane Chant to threaten Defense 5 after one turn of combat.
Guardians Brutes really benefit from there being multiple Guardian Brute Hordes on the table. Like many units that are less effective, but more points efficient than opposing similar choices, their strength of cheapness begins to shine when you can threaten the opponent with a few of them.
Lycans – As Hordes, they are the most mobile hammer available to the faction. Being Speed 9 and Nimble, this unit can get wherever you want it to be and can reposition at the blink of an eye. While they tend to bounce off resilient units in frontal charges, Moonfang and Banechant can each bring your damage output to a respectable level. Their 5+ regen gets its best value if you can consistently take manageable levels of damage, but this is tricky seeing as how they’re only Def 4.
I really struggled with whether to put these in A Tier or B Tier. Think of them more as a B+. I think a common misconception is to think of these as a hammer. They require a ton of support to reach the level of damage output to rout opposing hammers on the charge and rarely survive the counterpunch. Personally, I try to combo charge them with a Beast of Nature or Moonfang backed with Bane Chant as often as I can. I find myself constantly debating between Strength/Elite or Headstrong/Fury on my Lycans. After all, it is a proven fact that if you take the damage output items you will face a shooty or grindy list. However, when used correctly and with the right support, they can be deadly. Regen 5+ is also useful. You can’t always rely on it, but on occasion, you will spike a roll and can change the course of a combat.
Clash of Kings ’24 recently reduced these units to an even more affordable 235 for a Horde. In Herd, which is hurting for decent units, you will use them quite often, and this points reduction is awesome! I do think this is the better profile between the Undead Werewolf and Herd Lycan. Pathfinder lets you keep your mobility and Speed up, no matter what terrain is in your way, which is essential for these units. However, the Defense 4 means they are extremely vulnerable to shooting.
Minotaur Chariots – Minotaur chariots are the most resilient option we have following Earth Elementals between Def 5, decent Nerve, and Fury. I am not a fan of the Troops, but Regiments can hit fairly hard and grind pretty well. Where I think the unit excels is in Hordes, which are perfectly fine with being Disordered because they still hit hard in return, but force your opponent to deal with them. With a whopping 16/19 nerve, the Hordes can also survive anything but a big combo charge.
Speed 7 with Wild Charge d3 is very, very important. With a max range of 17”, this allows you to stand off with opposing cavalry units while your flanking elements have a chance to get into position. Combine a Horde of Chariots with Brew of Haste and the Great Chieftan’s aura for a 20” threat range! I kept this unit in the “B” category due to being Irregular and needing items to function effectively. Unfortunately, with Herd most of our effective unlocks can be a bit pricey, and we continue to struggle with having enough unlocks for our elite Hero options. Also, not having Pathfinder or Strider means that you will most likely prioritize Strider and Pathfinder items on your Chariot units over “damage output” items. While a Horde of Chariots has an impressive threat range, chances are with a base so wide you will run into some terrain on the charge and lose the very important Thunderous Charge 2.
You can also take an upgrade on a Regiment to turn it into the Stampede, for 30 points. This gives them Strider and Pathfinder, as well as +1 Waver/Rout value, but brings The Regiment to a super pricey 240 points before items. You get 15 attacks at Melee 3+, Crushing Strength 1, and Thunderous 2 for this value, which isn’t terrible, but isn’t great either.
Overall, I think Minotaur Chariots, like Guardian Brutes, benefit from building an army around them, because of their bigger footprint, and need for support, they really need other things such as flanks and combo charges.
Tribal Spears – If there is one unit that really benefits from the game-wide reduction in costs to Phalanx units, it’s Tribal Spears. They were already tied for the best infantry unit in our faction. With the points reduction, I think they are still tied, but just more usable at all levels. With Thunderous Charge 1, Melee 4+, Pathfinder, and a decent pool of attacks, Tribal Spears can be a decent and cost-efficient threat.
One of my favorite ways to run them is on a Horde with Brew of Sharpness. It becomes very similar to a Horde of Spirit Walkers at that point cost but with +1 Defense and Phalanx. Regiments of Tribal Spears can be very effective as well, especially combined with the Longhorn’s Rally aura. 135 points means you can be comfortable leaving a Regiment or two behind on an objective with their US 3, and Phalanx helps them repel pesky fliers or mounted heroes trying to knock you off a token late game. Piloting Hordes of infantry takes lots of practice to use effectively, so plan on getting lots of games in if you intend to use them to their greatest effect.
Centaur Bray Hunters – Centaur Hunters got a nice little boost in Clash of Kings ’24, boosting their attacks to 7 and 14, so they mimic Sorchwings’ attacks. This came with a small points increase with 120 points for the Troop and 180 for the Regiment.
Centaur Hunters are Speed 8, Melee 4+, and Ranged 4+. They have Pathfinder, Nimble, 18″ range with Steady aim, and Thunderous Charge 1 letting them be great quick Cav to shoot and threaten flanks. Importantly the Regiment is Regular, giving it a pretty interesting role as a potential unlocker for the army.
The main downside for them is they are Defense 3 and 14/16 Nerve as Regiments, causing them to die to stiff breezes. I think there is a place in Herd for this unit, both by providing really needed to unlock slots, some desperately needed efficient shooting, and finally, some Nimble Flanking shenanigans that never hurt.
Hydra- The main benefit which may be overlooked initially is the amazing price tag. For 150 points you get a Defense 5 monster with 16/18 nerve. That is incredible and gives us a cheap Nerve block we so desperately need. Add in Pathfinder, Regeneration, and a variable number of attacks, and this beast can start punching above their weight class. I like them a lot as a token holder in Push or Loot scenarios. With Speed 6 the reduction to Speed 5 while carrying a token isn’t too big of a hit as well. Melee 4+ and 5 attacks initially are the only things keeping this from being regularly seen, but when it’s turn 5 or 6 and you’re looking down to see what’s still left on the table for you, chances are the Hydra will still be there.
Hydras benefitted from Titans bumping up to Unit Strength 2. If Monster slots were in such demand with Herd, I think you would see these more; however, I think they have a place with a slower build that uses Tribal Spears, Guardian Brutes, and other not Beast of Nature/Centaur units.
C Tier
Gladewalker Druid – Commonly known as the “big boy druid”, for a base cost of 15 points over the druid, you gain +2 Nerve, and a very different spell selection. Once again the mount option is a steal, and I don’t think you can really go wrong with any of the spells. The downside is that as soon as you get 2 spells, a mount, and an item like Shroud of the Saint, you are well over 150 points on this mage. The two builds I would consider are Heal 6 (particularly for lists featuring def 5 or 6 units) and Surge, or as more of a utility build with Blizzard and Surge/Heal. Blizzard for 20 points is very good, but the price and lack of Bane Chant make the cheaper druid stand out in comparison.
This was the most difficult entry in the list to place. First off, these can get very expensive, very quickly. Don’t get me wrong, a fully kitted-out Gladewalker Druid is the linchpin of an Elementals list. It is very effective at what it does. However, the units we have in Herd with the “Elementals” keyword don’t usually make the best use of the abilities to justify the steep cost. As a seasoned player will tell you, building a list where every unit hits on 4’s is tough to rely on. Not having the choice to take Bane Chant beyond Lute of Insatiable Darkness also limits the effectiveness of this unit. Now that Scorched Earth is in the meta, our need for damage output with Bane Chant is more crucial than ever. It is, however, our only reliable source of Heal and can be a pretty good option in “hammer and anvil” lists. A mounted Gladewalker Druid with Shroud of the Saint clocks in at a hefty 140 points for Heal 6, and that is before you choose to add in any other spells. If you pair them with a Tree Herder though, that can be a lethal combination.
The Gladewalker would really benefit if Mantic chose to give a “Build-a-Bear” approach in future updates to spellcasters instead of automatically paying the cost of spells already included in their profile. There are some intriguing builds with Scorched Earth or Alchemist’s Curse, and I will be curious to see how others fare in trying them out. I placed this unit in the B tier due to the ability to take all the new spells such as Barkskin and Veil of Shadows, but it may go back to C tier in the next version of this article if we deem it too expensive for its effectiveness. Lastly, I think the Gladewalker has the most synergy in our army with Forest Shamblers and Tree Herders over Earth Elementals.
I kept the description above, but have shifted the Gladewalker Druid down to C Tier. This is because while the unit itself can be quite good, it does not provide things the Herd wants from support characters. Lack of Bane Chant is probably the biggest option, if saying in nearly every entry “This unit really wants Bane Chant,” didn’t make it clear, Herd wants Bane Chant badly! Spending a lot of points on a caster that isn’t providing that just doesn’t make sense for Herd.
The builds mentioned above for Defense 5/6 are more Forces of Nature builds, shoehorned into Herd. If you want to play them you can, but then you might as well just play Forces of Nature and have access to more elementals. Heal 6 on a 140 chassis isn’t efficient when 90% of your army is Defense 4 and taking oodles of damage. Particularly when you compare that to a 100-point Druid on Foot (or 125 mounted) that has Barksin 5 AND Bane Chant 2, which will be nearly as efficient at damage reduction while also helping damage output.
There are probably some Herd builds that could like the Gladewalker, Blizzard alongside Barkskin for instance could work well with a build with lots of Scorchwings and Bray-Hunters. But overall, this isn’t a unit that quite fits what Herd needs.
Longhorns – Longhorns used to be one of the most efficient hammers IN THE GAME thanks to their high volume of attacks hitting on 3’s with Crushing Strength 1, Thunderous Charge 1, and Pathfinder. Despite this, you rarely saw them, but I think that was more due to Herd being a rare sight.
Longhorns are Speed 6 and Rallying 1 (Herd Only) giving them the ability to boost nearby units a bit.
Unfortunately, in Clash of Kings ’24, Longhorns were changed pretty drastically for the worse. The Regiment has been reduced from 20 attacks, down to a paltry 12 attacks. They gain Defense 5, letting them survive a bit better, but with no Horde option, they are still capping out at a mediocre 14/16 Nerve, or 16/18 if you take 3 units that are all Rallying each other.
The Regiment did get a points reduction, now costing 135 ( Compared to the 205 of the previous Regiment) but sadly this just means they gave Herd another medium-cost, mediocre unit. Whereas before we had a great if fragile hammer. Overall, I think you will rarely see Longhorns on the table. I may stubbornly field a regiment or two to boost Guardian Brute’s Nerve, but overall they are just a lackluster Infantry regiment with no real role. I’m incredibly sad that Herd lost what was one of its defining unit profiles, and now has this generic bland Infantry regiment.
Wild Gur Panthers – At 85 points, Gur Panthers are a fantastic chaff option when you factor in speed 10, Nimble, and Pathfinder. The obvious downside is there is almost NO reason to take them right now due to Harpies just being such a clear winner. For 5 points, Harpies gain Fly and 2 attacks?!? The only reason to take Panthers aside from model limitations or the rule of cool is the bonus for charging off hills and retaining Nimble after being disordered.
Same concerns as before, and after this update you will see them even less. Harpies are always the best choice for the extra 5 points, which relegates this to the C Tier. Retaining Nimble and getting WC1 off of a hill is still awesome.
Flaxhoof – I put Flaxhoof in the C tier due to their usefulness only in specific builds. When paired with Centaur Bray Striders, Flaxhoof is an auto-include. On their own? You are better off taking a Great Chieftan with Wings or a Centaur Chief if you want to disorder fliers or add in a few more points of damage to a combat. With Defense 4 and 13/15 nerve, Flaxhoof is very squishy and can be a liability if a savvy opponent charges them and overruns into your “equally as squishy” Centaurs. In a list without centaurs, for 10 points cheaper you can take a Great Chieftan with Wings of the Honeymaze, or for 50 points cheaper, take a Centaur Chief.
Lycan Alpha – This hero is an effective addition to a fast-flanking group. They are expensive though and really outshone by Moonfang. They are also surprisingly resilient thanks to inspiring and def 5.
The change away from conditional Inspiring definitely merits a second look at the unit. For 165 points, you get a large infantry hero with Regen 5+, Pathfinder, CS 2, and Defense 5+. Not a bad package, but it suffers from an awkward points level.
At first glance, you may think they can form a good flank with Lycans, but a mounted Druid with Bane Chant will already give the Lycans their Inspiring and the same damage output with Bane Chant that the Lycan Alpha’s 5 attacks otherwise would. For 40 points or so more, you can get a Beast of Nature or Moonpie. If you’re looking for a combat character that can project threat and also play the scenario: try the Great Chieftan on Minotaur Chariot for 25 points less or a Hydra for 15 points less. For 5 points less, you can get a regiment of Centaur Bray Striders and a much-needed unlock. 160 points gets you a regiment of Earth Elementals. What I’m trying to say is that 165 points is just too much when we have much better options. I personally believe between 130-140 points is the “sweet spot” for large infantry combat heroes. Speed 9 is awesome, don’t get me wrong, but with only 5 attacks and 13/15 Nerve don’t expect it to kill much or survive a countercharge.
Centaur Chief – The centaur chief is one of our best units for disordering enemy hammers or flying monsters, thanks to reliable attacks and Mighty, so that even when they fail those knights won’t be able to simply ignore you. On top of this, they are also useful with inspiring centaurs and the ability to contribute to combat alongside your hammers to get in those few extra wounds. The short bow could be handy, but I don’t see it doing too much.
I was back and forth about adding this to the B tier but opted for C. Think of this more as a “C+” unit, and can be valuable in low-point games. This used to be our go-to unit for Disordering fliers, but now we have the Great Chieftain. I’ve tried builds with the bow and with Duelist, but they were seldom useful I found. I liked the Pipes of Terror on them the best for adding a few points of damage to a combat, but now the Great Chieftain with the Horn of Great Migration has Dread as well as a bevy of more useful abilities. Mighty is very useful in a pinch, but be careful of placement so you don’t allow any overruns into your other units.
Centaur Chief really suffer from a few things that I think keep it from seeing the table. First, the Great Chieftan will now be in every list, and if you give them the Wings it can do the Centaur Chief’s role, but better. Also, the Centaur Chief is inherently Defense 4 and 11/13 Nerve, making it super vulnerable to literally everything. Character unlocks are also extremely in demand in Herd, Druids, Moonfang, and a Great Chieftan will be in every build, meaning rarely do you have an extra slot. Finally, Herd has access to some spectacular chaff in Gur Panthers and Harpies, why pay 110 points for something that they will often do just as well cheaper while also having Unit Strength!
Earth Elementals – What’s the point of writing these if you can’t make outlandish, bold claims? I put Earth Elementals into the C tier because I believe they are a trap. Fight me. Here’s why. At first glance, these seem like the perfect unit for us. They are Defense 6 and Fearless with a smaller footprint and Brutal. They can just sit back and hold objectives while our faster elements engage the opposing forces, right? What’s not to love? In my experience: plenty.
First off, time and time again you may find your opponent killing the faster elements of your lists while these sit back, waiting to be killed on turn 5 or 6. With the advent of Siege Breakers, most opponents in a competitive scene will be coming with tools to deal with 18 nerve and defense 6. They are a cornerstone (pun intended) of some lists, but they also require the tools in your list to make them effective. Tools that do not synergize with the rest of our list very well. They require a source of Surge or two, Bane Chant, and some Heal support, and the options we have such as the Gladewalker Druid can become expensive very quickly. Against a shooting-heavy list, your opponent will most likely shoot all of your other units off first before targeting them at the end of the game. Any person who has played them before will tell you that you should never rely on them for damage output, ever. Hitting on 4’s will break your heart every time. If you’re adamant about taking an Elemental unit list in Herd, try Forest Shamblers and Tree Herders. If you want to take Earth Elementals, I like the regiments over the hordes.
Greater Earth Elemental – The struggle is real. Not only would the Greater Earth Elemental have a tough time keeping up with the rest of your army, but it is also vastly outclassed by the Tree Herder. Hitting on 4’s also means that you are not guaranteed to kill everything you hit. That being said, it is a good anvil for the base size and certainly combos well with the improvements to the Gladewalker Druid. Dwarfs of all flavors and Forces of Nature just do Earth Elementals better.
D Tier
Tribal Tracker – In an army filled with essential character options, we don’t have a place for a mediocre unit that shoots 4 shots and scouts. If you want to take a Tribal Track, take the formation as Softhoof is a bit better, but overall this is just a bad option in Herd.
Forest Warden – The Forest Warden is a cheap source of unit strength at 90 points and is useful if you’re planning on bringing a lot of units with Shambling. They suffer from Herd having too many quality Hero options to bring otherwise, especially now that the Avatar of the Father is competing for the hero unlock. 3 attacks is still not guaranteed to ground a flier. If you’re fielding a combat block with Scout, you should be taking a Tree Herder.
There isn’t really a purpose for Forest Wardens often in actual Nature lists. In Herd, which won’t be taking many of the options Forest Warden supports, it’s a pointless choice.
Great Chieftain on Minotaur Chariot – The Great Chieftain on Chariot went up to Speed 7 with Wild Charge D3, giving them a threat range of 17”. With 14/16 nerve, Defense 5, and Fury, they can hopefully survive any countercharge. They also can stand up to any chaff unit and most Large Infantry heroes trying to knock them off a token. The lack of Strider or Pathfinder with only five attacks does mean you should not expect much damage output from them, but they are a relatively cheap scoring unit that can clear chaff and project threat. I also like their utility for carrying tokens and sitting on objectives
The lack of Strider or Pathfinder, combined with a mediocre number of attacks makes it really tough to see what place this unit has in the army. While previous reviewers seemed favorable on the unit looking at the state of the game and the competition I don’t see why you would take this unit over the other better support characters the Herd needs to function.
Hunters of the Wild – One of the more expensive mid-range infantry in the game, hunters are very similar to Forest Shamblers in terms of high Nerve and Def 5. Their lack of Crushing Strength results in a unit that doesn’t hit hard enough for its price point.
Forest Shamblers can do everything they can do, but without the fear of being wavered and innate CS1. Hunters of the Wild still need support in the form of Bane Chant to be effective, and the volume of attacks from the Regiment suffers in comparable ways to the Stampede. 15 attacks with no crushing strength is simply not enough to threaten most units. I never thought I would say this before, but Tribal Trappers in the Silent Hunt formation are worth taking over Hunters of the Wild for their role as a pseudo-anvil and shooting unit. They don’t even benefit from the Gladewalker Druid’s “Nature in Balance” or “Ring of Harmony” special rule like the Forest Shamblers do because they do not have the “Elemental” keyword.
Woodland Critters – Not worth taking when we already have Harpies. Have we mentioned before that Harpies are good? You should take Harpies instead. The only benefit of these critters is they can hide behind some units to be safe from shooting. However, at Defense 2 and 9/11, they will die to almost anything.
Tribal Warriors – Warriors are at a bit of a weird place as mid-range infantry (evenly between say Goblins and Palace Guard). Relative to men’s Shield Wall infantry, the Horde gains Pathfinder, +1 Speed (at Speed 6), and Thunderous Charge 1 for 35 points which is fantastic. However, you’re only Defense 4, and with hitting on 4’s you are still an unreliable hammer (as a Horde). I could see these used at any size, but the Horde is the only one that can really take a hit.
One can surmise with relative ease that when Brittney Spears penned the lyrics “Not quite a girl, not yet a woman”; she was of course referring to Tribal Warriors. This unit continues to struggle to find a place in this new update, as do most other “light infantry” options across the board. Tribal Warriors are not a hammer unit. Tribal Warriors are not an anvil. They do not have a special defensive ability such as Phalanx or high Defense. At 120 points and 13/15 nerve, Tribal Warriors are not a cheap, unlocking unit such as Scarecrows or Zombies where you can just leave them on objectives all game. For the extra 15 points, you should upgrade a regiment of Tribal Warriors to Tribal Spears every time. Light infantry regiments above 100 points are not worth taking in my opinion.
Tribal Trappers – Don’t take them unless you’re taking the formation. Our army already struggles with unlocks and these are still Irregular. If these units are FAQ’d to no longer be irregular, they would bump up to C tier. If you’re taking them without the formation, do the opposite. What’s the point of Melee 4+ if you won’t survive a charge in the first place? You should consider taking these units in the Silent Hunt formation. Am I getting my point across? Once again, Brindley showed his savant-like ability by correctly guessing the update they would receive before CoK 2022.
Summary
Well there you have it, the Herd in a nutshell. Overall, Herd needs to think in terms of supporting each other and combo charging to succeed. Their army is an odd one in that a lot of the units the parent army Forces of Nature provided don’t mesh well with what Herd wants/needs. This means the army sometimes has a disjointed feeling, with several options being “traps”.
Despite these shortcomings, Herd does have several pretty cool units and tricks they can do. Below you will see an example list for a more balanced Herd build I have been contemplating. This list tries to take advantage of the Herd’s cheap, but efficient units so that everything projects some threat, but nothing is the lynchpin of the list.
Guardian Brutes benefit a lot from potential combo charges from supporting Beast of Nature or Hydras, some with the Tribal Spears. The Bray Striders give the army a little range threat, while also being able to move up a flank in certain matchups and look for juicy charges.
Hydra are pseudo anchors in the list, and perfect for carrying tokens. The Beast of Nature are both there to look for flank and combo charges, while also projecting 21″ charge threats to hopefully create needed space for your main line to move up into combat.
For Herd, the Nerve across the board is pretty decent, with most things theoretically able to survive a single charge from most things. Two Tribal Spear Hordes give some tactical flexibility too, letting you really mess with enemy fliers and cav.
You will also notice that the list has double Bane Chant supporting the army once the lines clash.
