Good morning gamers,
This is our third list in our cruise through lists that feature the Iron Hills Dwarf Warrior profile and while we've looked at Erebor Reclaimed (where the heroes were necessary to get the warriors where they wanted to go on the quick side) and the Defenders of Erebor (where we got a mix of light and heavy warriors to support some budget heroes), this list features all-Dwarves but with a more limited array of them compared to Erebor Reclaimed . . . but with some very interesting hitting power. Let's see if this list is any good - and what the potential traps are in it!
The Army of Erebor: Changes for 2025
Profile Selection
This list has very similar participants to our last list (the Defenders of Erebor), but we've traded the three Dale heroes (Brand, Bard, and a Captain) for Gimli and Dwarf Kings - which I kind of feel is a trade up! Additionally, we've lost access to the Dale warriors, but haven't lost Goat Riders (so we just have to make up for the spear-carrying, banner-carrying, and bow-carrying Dale guys with Iron Hills Warriors . . . done).
As with the Defenders of Erebor list we looked at last time, everyone in this list gains the Erebor keyword (I assume as a replacement for the Iron Hills keyword? Or do they have both?), which is good because it means more people can be affected by Bofur's Steadfast rule. All in all, we've still got lots of Champs with solid profiles, we still have good warrior profiles, and we have some new kids on the block to shake things up. Thanks to losing the Dale guys, our numbers will be smaller . . . but we'll also be more durable, so that may end up being fine in the end.
There are three special rules that this list gets - two of them are fine-to-good and one of them might be good, but might also be a trap. The universally good rule is that any of your supporting models get +1 To Wound when making Strikes. Since Iron Hills Dwarf Warriors have to take spears if they want shields, this means that you probably don't have any shortage of spears. Whether your spears are supporting heroes (who might be two-handing for +1 To Wound) or other warriors (who might have crossbows, mattocks, or spears/shields themselves), your second rank should be raking through the enemy easily with S4 and +1 To Wound - this is absolutely devastating if you're allowed to fight in ranks!
The so-so rule is that once per game, each of your heroes can declare a free Heroic Combat. Like the special rules for the Riders of Theoden or the Defenders of the Pelennor, this is a great rule to help you swing a single turn of the game (and ideally, the rest of the game with it). To truly capitalize on this rule, however, you need to lean into the heroes and while this list certainly has some good heroes in it, I'm not sure how good leaning hard into the heroes is just so you can get a few extra free heroics. We'll discuss that more in the strategies and list building sections.
Finally, if you include both Gloin (who I think should be in all your lists) and Gimli (who might be in all of your lists - but is probably your third or fourth hero choice) in your list, these two heroes can reroll all failed To Wound rolls when making Strikes if the other is within 3". This is good . . . if you want them fighting in the same area. If you split up . . . it's not good. Depending on your scenario, you might want them together or you might want them split up. Personally, I think this rule is a trap, but if you happen to trigger it, it's nice to have. Still, the rules feel very much like a net positive from the spear-supporting rule alone, so having a rule that you may or may not use doesn't make the list unplayable or bad.
I don't know, however, if these rules on the whole are better than the always-banners and every-turn-Heroic-Combat rules of the Defenders of Erebor, but I digress. Let's take a look at the profiles we have to work with!
The list of models today is slightly less than last time - but let's review how these heroes have changed this edition:
- King Dain is 130pts and remains a powerhouse hero (albeit with 5" movement). This version of Dain is F6/3A with 3-Might-and-Strike and retains the combo of Fearless and a battlefield-wide, Erebor-Dwarf-Hero-inclusive Stand Fast, which basically means your guys aren't going anywhere if a) Dain isn't dead, and b) people can see him. His axe is master-forged and two-handed, so he's getting +1 To Wound without penalties and while friendly models won't treat him as a banner in this list, he's still very good at crunching things (though not as good as his younger self). He is your most expensive hero and he will be your army general, so you might choose to pass on him and instead take . . .
- Thorin III is 110pts and still has the neat combo in this list of free-Heroic-Combat-once-per-
game-becomes-free-Heroic- Strike/Defense like he has potentially for multiple turns in the Defenders of Erebor list. He is also not a banner in this list, but with F6/3A/shielding and 2 Wounds/3 Fate, he's a pretty survivable guy. Like his dad, he really wants to be backed by a spearman (+1 To Wound), but unlike his dad (and his former-edition self), he can't two-hand to get extra damage. Still, he's a solid take and you might take him for his heroic resources over other options. - Dwalin previously couldn't get his goat in the Defenders of Erebor Legendary Legion, so losing the goat isn't a big deal, relatively speaking. Dwalin is now at 110pts base with the option to either get 3 Attacks at F6/S5 OR 2 Attacks with +1 To Wound and no penalties. His King's Axeman rule allows him to do the old-school Piercing Strike special strike if he's within 3" of "Thorin", which you might want to use if you're against an even-Defense unit and using Grasper & Keeper with your 3 Attacks. The fact that the King's Axeman rule cites being near "Thorin" is interesting here, because it's not "Thorin Oakenshield" - it's just "Thorin". As a result, I _think_ this rule (and Sworn Protector) can proc off of Thorin III Stonehelm, which is pretty cool. I don't know that this 110pt hero is better than a 110pt Thorin III, a 100pt Gimli, or a 100pt Gloin . . . and maybe not as good as a 130pt Dain . . . and I'd definitely take an 80-85pt March hero before Dwalin . . . which makes this profile a bit unplayable for me.
- Dori used to be the cheapest Weapon Master unit in this list and he used to have 3 Attacks base. Now he gets 3 Attacks and rerolling dueling rolls of 1 (sort of like a banner? sort of?) if he's within 3" of Nori . . . which is not as good as he used to be. For 75pts, he's got good stats to borrow with 2M/2W/2F and Heroic Resolve/Defense, so he's not a terrible pick, but you definitely need to ALSO take Nori . . . and I've never had points for both of these guys AND the required Bard/Brand AND a March Captain in my lists.
- Nori is also 75pts and he's finally D9 with F5/3A . . . oh, and he's got throwing weapons and the same stats as Dori. Yeah, there's a reason I don't think you run Dori - Nori is just so much better! Yes, 3 Attacks with +1 To Wound is better than 3 Attacks normal, but 6 dice while shielding with D9 is a great way to stall an enemy unit that doesn't have Rend, so I'd take Nori over Dori every time. That said, there are other really great heroes that are available to you for not that much more, like . . .
- Gloin is 100pts and he's the big winner in this list. He's got F6/3A with the opportunity to get 4 Attacks if he's outnumbered and while his two-handed weapon might suffer from the dueling penalty, it also might not if you can just roll 6s (natural 6 expected ~40% of the time with 4 Attacks - but you might have a spearman/rerolls that make any kind of 6 easier to get). With 3M/2W/3F (like his son), Gloin is probably the best deal of a killing hero you can get in the list (except for maybe Thorin III or Gimli) - though like in the Defenders of Erebor list, he is a LOT more susceptible to magic in this list than he can be in Erebor Reclaimed.
- Bifur has gone from being an auto-include to being a maybe-include now that his Embedded Axe isn't an automatic Heroic Move. With Intelligence 7+ and no way to boost it besides using Might (which he's only a 1-Might hero), he's still more likely than not to get a free Heroic Move off after he's gotten the axe head out. While he still needs to successfully wound with a single die and S4, I've never failed to get the wound to work . . . so he might still be worth including. That said, with only 1M/2W/2F, he's not helping you much in the Might department, so you're counting on an expected higher Might store by calling free Moves - and if he doesn't do that, he's definitely not worth taking over . . .
- Bofur got a HUGE glow-up from a recent FAQ where his Steadfast rule was basically ruled to cancel out anything your opponent is counting on that is an Active/Passive special rule. If you don't want Harbinger affecting you, get a 3+ on your Steadfast roll. If one of your hero models is about to be bowled over by a Monstrous Charge or a Thrown Stones, get a 3+ on your Steadfast roll. Don't want Aunduril carving up your heroes? Turn that off on a 3+ too. Like Bifur, Bofur can only fight two-handed - but he also has throwing weapons and now sports a 2M/1W/2F profile. He doesn't Strike anymore, but that's fine - F5 and Strike aren't the threat they used to be. For 65pts, I think Bofur is great (and as my favorite Dwarf companion from the films, this makes me very happy).
- Gimli, Son of Gloin is a very interesting alternative to the other expensive beater options of Dain, Thorin III, Gloin, and Dwalin - and he's got 3M/2W/3F, which makes him extra durable on a number of levels compared to the other Champs. I think you would still take Gloin over Gimli, but I think more than likely, you're going to say, "Well, shouldn't I just take both?" I think the special rule for Gloin and Gimli is a bit of a trap, but if you want to make a "Death ball" that has these two guys very close together, you certainly can do that. He also won't benefit from his "kill count" rule, but he doesn't really need it.
- Iron Hills Captains are still very good (Master of Battle (5+) with F5/S4/D8-9 is still good value for under 100pts), and while they weren't great in Erebor Reclaimed, they're FABULOUS in this list. This is a mostly-infantry army, so Heroic March is pretty important, but is it better than our other March hero option? . . .
- Dwarf Kings in this list differ from Dwarf Kings in the Khazad-Dum lists that we looked at a few weeks ago. While the Khazad-Dum Dwarf Kings get throwing weapons for free (and the Iron Hills Dwarf Kings that we'll look at later this year get Fearless), these guys get . . . wait for it . . . Ancient Enemies (Orc) . . . or basically, rerolling 1s To Wound against Orc models. This . . . could be good? But in general, this isn't very good. What the biggest draw of these guys is for me is that they're 85pt Heroes of Valour who are durable and have March - so they're the same value as they are in the Khazad-Dum list for me. Is this guy better than an Iron Hills Captain? I don't know.
- Iron Hills Dwarves are fabulous for their cost - they're double-digits per guy for F4 units, but with S4/D7-8 if equipped with shields, they're incredibly hard to shift and they do well against most shieldwalls. Being F4 with no way to get F5 help in this list isn't that great, but since their primary job is to buy time for your heroes to do their thing, I think they're more than adequate - paying 60pts for a block of 5 guys to escort a hero means you can get slightly-low numbers with lots of Might and killing power for 110-200pts! I also think the mattock weapon option isn't a trap - while the crossbow, shield/spear, and shield/banner are clearly good options, taking a mattock if it helps you spend a few left-over points and eek an extra guy out of it isn't a bad thing (and since I was a fan of mattocks in the last edition when they didn't retain their 6s to win the duel, it should come as no surprise that I like them this edition too).
- Iron Hills Goat Riders are your only mounted models - and my general rule of "4 cavalry" still applies. If possible, spend 80pts to get 4 of these guys in any list that you write. You probably want an actual banner first and you probably want at least 6 archers and 12 melee infantry too for numbers - but you definitely want to look into a few of these guys!
These units are, for the most part, great units. Let's take a look at what the rules and profiles give us to work with - and what we're missing in the mix.
The Army of Erebor: Strengths and Weaknesses
Like most Dwarf lists (not the one we're looking at next week), this list is packed full of high Defense units. The warriors are all D6+, the heroes are all D7+, and there's not a bad apple (from a profile perspective) in the list - there are definitely some that don't seem worth their points, but nothing is "bad". Additionally, you get S4+ with the option for +1 To Wound on almost every unit in the army. Iron Hills Dwarf Warriors can be equipped with Mattocks to get +1 To Wound if they're engaged and the spearmen can get +1 To Wound when supporting. The Goat Riders get +1 To Wound while on the charge from their war spears. All of the champs except Nori have two-handed weapon options as their only or one of their choices. Iron Hills Captains can be equipped with Mattocks as well and Dwarf Kings have hand-and-a-half weapons. Dain and Gimli have Master-forged two-handed weapons, but Thorin III does not. All in all, two of your heroes (Nori and Thorin III) don't have access to +1 To Wound - and both of THEM can defend by shielding if you just want to win the duel! All in all, very elite and very dangerous stuff!
With such an elite corps of units, however, comes a very elite kind of cost - this army is expensive. Paying 12-20pts per warrior (more if you get a banner - and you definitely want one) and paying 65-130pts per hero (with a rough average at 100pts for your standard F6/3A heroes and 75-85 for second-tier 3A/March heroes) means that you're likely to spend a good bit of money on your units, regardless of how you try to build your list. If you liked getting good numbers in the last list, you'll be feeling a little down in this list. Compared to the last list, however, it won't be THAT low: you were fielding at 100-110pt Dale hero, which means that if you were taking Thorin III and Bard II, you can take Thorin III and Gloin in this list (or Gimli and Gloin) for the same cost (or 10pts less if you go with the father-and-son-night-out list). Similarly, if you took ten 9-pt Warriors of Dale (2 spearmen and 8 bowmen), you will only be able to fit seven Iron Hills Dwarves (maybe eight if you save some points somewhere). Losing three models may not make that much of a difference - and you'll boost your survivability, for sure - but one should know that this is the cost of doing business with this list.
The list also can struggle, like the Erebor & Dale list, between utilizing its special rules, since there are rules that incentivize spamming out guys (+1 To Wound on your spearmen) and spamming out heroes (once per game free Heroic Combats). And to get use out of one of them, you have to commit to both Gloin (who's awesome) and Gimli (who is also awesome, but might not be as awesome as other hero options). This doesn't have to be a deal-breaker - and I think this list is FAR more forgiving than the Erebor & Dale list is (those free-on-a-6 Might points are a trap!). Still, you will have to pick and choose how much you want to lean into the rules - and if you choose to focus on heroes and are forced to spread out against a horde list, your ability to spear support may be limited and your ability to Heroic Combat through enough guys might not feel like you're getting to use your rules at all!
That said, the list is incredibly forgiving and super powerful. The heroes are (with the exception of Dwalin and maybe Dori) incredibly well costed, your March heroes are great combat heroes, and your troops should weather whatever your opponent brings to the table. If you can get them the matchups they want, you'll be in an incredibly good place. Let's talk about how to do that in the strategy section below!
The Army of Erebor: Strategies for the Tabletop
Let's get this out of the way first and foremost: this list is all about Gloin. In Erebor Reclaimed, you get a banner bonus from Thorin and in the Defenders of Erebor, you get banner bonuses on the four royals. In both of those lists, one could argue that those heroes are better than Gloin. There is no such argument in this list - Gloin is the best beater your have and he's also on the cheaper end of the high-cost hitters. In any list, at any points level, Gloin is your first hero - second only behind a Dwarf King or an Iron Hills Captain who can be your General so Gloin can be your grenade piece. He's F6/4A when he's fighting more than one guy and with +1 To Wound from his two-handed weapon (penalty applied on any non-natural-6s), he cleaves through all kinds of things in this list - and he does it more reliably than any of the other heroes (except for maybe Dain, who ignores the two-handed penalty).
Besides Gloin, you'll want to build a solid shieldwall. We have a bunch of articles in the Tactics tab that talk about using shieldwalls - and while they're all from the previous edition, the content is still accurate (better, actually, because you can't turn Shieldwall off by killing people nearby or knocking someone over with a horse anymore). In order to benefit from your +1 To Wound on your spearmen, you have to actually support people - and to do that, you probably need a shieldwall. The lists you're about to see have six-man bricks (three files, two ranks deep) that you can maneuver easily - and with a little creativity in your charges (and your blocks working together), you should be able to crack through whatever the enemy has if you can focus your strength into a few strategic fights (and use those heroes to Combat through the enemy ranks).
Part of how your heroes will do this is with the principle of cascading Heroic Combats. There are two ways that you can do this: first and foremost, you can declare multiple Combats on the same turn, using your heroes to punch several holes through the enemy ranks (assuming they don't botch their rolls) and making the lives of your troops generally much easier. If you can do this for 2-3 turns in a row, you stand a very good chance of evening whatever model count disparity you faced at the start and you very well might turn a flank where you were downhanded into one where you have a solid advantage. Like using Death! in the Riders of Theoden, a well-timed turn where you can get your big hitters into two models each, back each up with a spearman, call Heroic Combats with them all for free, and then cleave through two guys each and ramming into two more guys each . . . I mean, multiple flanks can collapse under that kind of pressure if it's followed up by ANOTHER set of Heroic Combats on the following turn.
The second way you can do it, however, is to have your heroes near each other with one hero on the end of a battle line, joined by a bunch of friends (maybe a Goat Rider or two?). He resolves his Heroic Combat before the other heroes, kills his one guy, then he and his buddies hop over to tag spearmen who were supporting in other fights. The next hero goes (maybe joined by someone from the previous fight - or having the spearman who was supposed to be in that fight pulled out of it) and wrecks his guy and then moves to join yet another fight. The final hero (or heroes if you have more than two) will resolve theirs, trying to get into existing fights. This method of Heroic Combatting is more reliable at winning fights and clearing out guys, but will clear out fewer models than the more "go-it-alone" approach from the previous paragraph.
Be careful how you march up your infantry. Like I recommended with the Erebor Reclaimed army list, use flexible formations to move your guys - examples like the Pac-Man formation can be found on our Tactics page. You want to maximize the number of infantry you can move quickly with March so you don't waste Might points unnecessarily - and with the hitters in this list, I don't think you're going to have more than one March hero in any list that you're taking, so you really do need to make the most of the Marches you get. You want your movement to be able to adjust your shieldwalls to face the enemy well, so make sure you're careful about how you move them around!
Finally, take enough archery to do something, but I wouldn't take 33% unless you're playing at low points levels. When the points level is low, archery can swing games quickly. As the points level gets higher, you probably want some people sitting back on objectives shooting, but most of your efforts should be focused on getting more spearmen into the fight! You're never going to break a big army with a dozen crossbows (no matter how good they are), but you can certainly break an army with spears that are getting +1 To Wound. You _could_ run 33% of your army with crossbows and back those guys up with spears, but unless you're playing one of the few scenarios where you can sit back and shoot, you're either going to skip on the shooting with your crossbows OR you'll be sacrificing your front-line defense while trying to plink damage through the enemy. Either way, for the same cost, you could have a D8 front-line guy backed by the same spearman . . . I think that's just better in this list (and this comes from one of TMAT's biggest proponents of archery).
Sample Lists
In our 500pt list, I've opted for a Dwarf King and Gloin as my heroes - and with 25 models, we have almost everything we want with 2 cavalry, 1 banner, and a good mix of crossbows and spearmen. This is quite the terrifying 500pt death ball of Dwarves:
As we scale up to 650pts, I wanted to add another hero, so I opted for Thorin III, who I have not made my General so he can be a bit of a grenade. You could have added Gimli instead and eeked out another guy (if you were okay trading 1 crossbow for 2 mattock guys), but I like Thorin III a little more than Gimli:
At 800pts, I've added Gimli and just a handful of additional guys. This list is only 33 models (low for 800pts), but it's super tough and hits very, very hard:
In any of these lists (not the 500pt list), you could swap any of the beater heroes that aren't Gloin for Nori (75pts) or Bofur (65pts), depending on what you want out of life. Doing this swap will reduce some of your damage output (Bofur because of a reduced number of attacks, Nori because he can't two-hand), but you'll also get yourself 25-45pts to buy 2-4 more guys, depending on what you want. Is a handful of extra guys worth it (pushing up your break point a little and giving you a few more units to spread out)? I don't know - but that's up to you to decide.
Conclusion
This list is good - I personally like the Dale additions from the Defenders of Erebor, but this list is an interesting alternative to an all-Erebor-Dwarves list than Erebor Reclaimed. If you've run this list and have thoughts on how to use it, let us know in the comments below! Next week, we're looking at a very different kind of Dwarf list: Thorin's Company. We need to get this list out of the way before we hit Elf month, so join us next time to see if this average-Defense hero-heavy/all-hero list can size up to the other monstrocity lists we've been looking at . . . and what family ties are worth taking in THAT list. All this and more will be on the way next time - and until then, happy hobbying!
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