Good morning gamers,
We occasionally get requests for army lists to review - and at the start of last month, we got a request for the Army of Thror (which was originally slotted for coverage in July, but was pushed to make space for last week's article on Moria). Well, we're answering the mail again and we're tackling the Army of Thror - which is a list that comes under a LOT of scrutiny by the competitive community, but I think this is a very solid list if you run it a particular way.
The Army of Thror: Changes for 2025
Profile Selection
This list has the five named Dwarf heroes from last edition (Thror, Thrain, Young Thorin/Balin/Dwalin), as well as three generic heroes (Dwarf Kings - new to the list, Erebor Dwarf Captains, and Grim Hammer Captains), all of whom have Heroic March. The warrior contingent is exactly what they had before: Erebor Dwarf Warriors and Grim Hammer Warriors (with an upgrade for Guardians of the King for any taken in Thror's warband). All in all . . . they gained Dwarf Kings and otherwise, it's the same old profiles we know (and maybe love).
Army List Bonuses
This list started with the least impressive array of special rules in the game: Thror is treated as a 6" banner (which is good - but he doesn't count for VPs and you can't take any normal banners), everyone gets +1 To Wound an enemy model who is carrying an Objective Marker (which aren't always in the game), and everyone gets to reroll 1s To Wound when making Strikes while they're in their own deployment zone.
Now on the whole, these rules - if expanded a bit - would be really good: a 6" banner rule on a hero is always welcome, but it feels a bit bad when compared to the Ravenhill rule for Thorin or the Shire rule for Rosie, both of which give a 6" banner to a list that really needs it AND the target hero counts as a banner for VPs. Additionally, getting +1 To Wound is awesome, but it would be far better if it applied to enemy models who were near or carrying an objective marker (as you'd add a bunch of scenarios where it applies - and it would be more like the Gaffer's Flower Pots, which is a good rule). Finally, rerolling 1s while in your deployment zone is very similar to the Atop the Walls special rule that allows shooting attacks and melee attacks to reroll 1s while the unit is near an objective marker - and while rerolling 1s isn't usually seen as good, the value of rerolling a 1 gets better as your strength value goes up (and Atop the Walls has both kinds of Gondor siege weapons, so they're regularly wounding on 3s or 4s and rerolling 1s).
This list lacks any kind of significant shooting attack, so rerolling 1s in your deployment zone with S3-5 models requires that a) your opponent comes into your deployment zone, b) is engaged in melee with you, and c) you get a 1 that can convert into a success. Not only will there be some boards where you have no deployment zone or a 12" block on your board edge (or less in the case of the ones where you deploy in a corner/opposite corners), but most scenarios involve getting to the middle, which might be in your deployment zone but usually won't be. This leads us to the first rule about using this list (and thinking about this list):
Don't play this list for its special rules.
Except for one of their rules: an errata granted this list a 50% throwing weapon limit and paired with Thror's 6" banner rule, this gives the list some very interest punch threat once it gets close. While Erebor and Dale can also get a 50% throwing weapon limit on its Dwarf contingent, the fact that you have to take Girion (and probably some Dale guys with him) means you'll have fewer Dwarves than you would otherwise have in this list (how much less is dependent on how hard you lean into Dale). This list won't have Esgaroth bows to assist them, but one can make the argument that you don't need Esgaroth bows in this list if you play aggressively enough.
We've seen almost all of these profiles before in the Erebor & Dale list, but the takes on these profiles is slightly different with the alteration of the special rules:
- Thror now has Ancient Enemies (Orc), which gives him a reroll of 1s when making Strikes against them. With Orc armies having some popular builds (anything Angmar and several Mordor builds in particular), this is probably a rule that will come up once or twice in a tournament. Beyond that, Thror went up by 10 points to 130pts and is the same resilient dude he's always been (and with the 6" banner radius he had last edition).
- Thrain remains the heavy-hitter of the Army of Thror, and unlike the Defenders of Erebor list where multiple Dwarf heroes are treated as banners, this list only gives a banner boost to Thror . . . not sure why that is. Still, I've been opting to take him because that allows someone else to be your general (safely in the back - like Balin?) and Thrain can get stuck in and deal carnage and death to whoever's on the other side. With 3s in all the right places, Thrain is a powerhouse for 130pts (10pts higher than the last edition) and adds Hatred (Gundabad) to his damage profile (so if you're facing units with the Gundabad keyword, you'll get +2 To Wound against them). Since he gets the Ring of Durin for free if Thror is not in your list, I'd take this guy every time.
- Thorin is still kinda meh in the damage category, though a 3" Strength +1 bubble is really nice now that the Dwarves in this list can't lean into Piercing Strike. He's also got 3s in all the right places and is tough to crack through (with Heroic Defense, Strike, Strength, and Challenge) and brings 15 models for only 110pts (+5pts over his previous cost). I've run him and he's reliable and survivable, but he's not really dangerous. I am not sure when you slot him in - you probably want Thrain, Balin, a March hero, and Thror before him.
- Balin is 5pts more expensive than he was before (60pts now) and is your cheapest option for a Unique Dwarf hero. At low points levels when you've already taken Thrain, you might take Balin instead of Thror - and getting priority more reliably if you're focusing on the throwing weapon game is quite useful. He's gotten marginally better in combat, but only just - he's F5 instead of F4, D6 instead of D5, and has 2 Might instead of 1 Might - and for 5pts, this is a really good trade for him. However, he's still primarily supporting a list as a Heroic Defense caddy (now with 2 Might points) and to spend his Will to reroll your priority roll. You can field him (a Hero of Valour now!), a March Captain of your liking, and Thrain for around 265pts, which is great at any points levels at/above 500pts.
- Dwalin is in a bad spot - like Thorin and Balin, he's also a Hero of Valour and he's one of your cheaper 3 Attack hero, but he's 90pts and isn't bringing nearly the stats that Thorin is for only 20pts less (-1 Attack, Wound, Might, Will, Fate - and -2 Defense in trade for +1 Strength). As has always been the case, what he's bringing to the table just isn't enough - even if he rerolls all failed To Wound rolls on a 5+. He's F6 now though, so that's good - but he doesn't have Strike anymore, so he'll only be F6 (unless he's F3-5). At best, he's probably your sixth hero - and you have to be leaning HARD into heroes to get six of them in a list!
- Dwarf Kings are 85pts and with the Erebor keyword in this list, they add Ancient Enemies (Orc) to their profile . . . yaye? Without throwing weapons in this list, the hand-and-a-half weapon gives them good damage flexibility with a very respectable F6/S4/2A profile and they've always been resilient heroes with D8/2 Wounds/2 Fate. As one of three 2-Might-and-March heroes and the only March hero who is a Hero of Valor, I think Dwarf Kings are a solid choice in this list if you don't want different offensive threats from the other two options. At 85pts, they're not horribly expensive and might help you avoid awkward points levels where you need to spend 30 more points but ran out of warrior slots in your warbands.
- Erebor Dwarf Captains have changed slightly: they don't have shields anymore but gained 3 Attacks and Mountain Dwellers for a +10pt jump. Honestly, it's not a bad trade - and they're still 15pts cheaper than Dwalin (with -1 FV, -1 Strength, +1 Defense, -1 Will, -1 Fate, and not Fearless), but also bring Heroic March to the table (which you probably want if you don't take a King).
- Grim Hammer Captains are still dangerous threats - they have throwing weapons and a 4+ Shoot Value. They also have Heroic March and I think there's a real question about whether you take one of these guys as your March Captain or an Erebor Dwarf Captain or a King (probably still the King, but you might take these guys). The two-handed weapon can be used to get the old Bash special strike, which can be super good at knocking heroes prone for your other heroes OR for not killing an enemy too quickly.
- Erebor Dwarf Warriors gained Mountain Dwellers for +1pt/model, but lost access to a banner (BOO!) and a war horn (boo!?!?!?!). This is a net-negative in my opinion, but they're still plenty good with shields (and maybe spears - more on that later). As someone who's played Dwarves from the very beginning of his SBG journey, Dwarves have always been undercosted, so going up 1pt when you used to get +1 Defense and +1 Courage for free is absolutely fine.
- Grim Hammer Warriors are also equipped with throwing weapons and while you can't field 50% of your army with throwing weapons in this list (like you can with the Erebor & Dale list), you can field 33% of your army as these guys and have a bunch of guys to back them up or guard their flanks. Having a few spears to help in selective fights is good for these guys, but I think wrapping-and-trapping (and maybe picking a guy off on the way in) will always be the bread and butter for these guys.
- Guardians of the King are a 1pt upgrade on Grim Hammer Warriors and are only available in Thror's warband. While not technically a separate profile, the difference between having a S3 warrior and a S4 warrior is pretty significant in an era where the Piercing Strike ability is no longer available (which all Dwarf warrior models in this list used to have). Since there's a very strong lean in competitive play towards D6+ units (the magical lowest and most common means of being wounded on 6s), having access to S4 troops is huge - and while Thror is a difficult hero to kill off (at least on paper), I think the biggest draw to taking him isn't his resilience, but access to Guardians of the King.
So . . . not a lot to work with and some of these profiles look like they could use a points adjustment (am I the only one thinking that it sounds weird for Dwarf heroes to see a points reduction?!?!?!?!). Still, let's see where the strengths lie in this list (and we'll breeze through some of the more obvious weaknesses).
This is a Dwarf list, so let's get the first strength out of the way: this list could have only models that are D7-9. While I think Young Balin gives you some interesting options, this list can certainly field units that will be wounded by most things on a 6 or more - and that gives this list resiliency at a fairly reasonable cost of 75-90pts/hero (more for the "big three") and 10-11pts/warrior. You can get good numbers at most points levels with high resiliency to make sure that you arrive alive. Your only "low Defense" heroes are Young Balin and Young Dwalin, both of whom are D6 - so they're still not "low" by any stretch.
This list does have issues with dealing with threats asymmetrically. The list might have high Defense, but without long-range shooting (though there's a potential torrent of throwing weapons in this list) and without things like magic or even mounted heroes, your options for beating up all kinds of foes is "get to charge range and kill them". There are definitely lists that will do their best to avoid this (hoping to chip through those D7+ units with archery or magic) and others who will happily clash, counting on strong heroes and resilient/high Fight warriors to win the grind against a predominantly S3 army. This isn't a deal-breaker, but it's certainly something you need to be aware of.
This list also has a deep bench of good heroes - the main question is whether or not you can field them all! Thorin is incredibly good for his cost, but for 100pts, there's a really big question mark about whether he shows up in your list (giving out S4 to your warriors for one turn of the game is a nice boon, but that radius is pretty small). Heroes like Dwarf Kings, Young Dwalin, and Erebor Dwarf Captains are incredibly good combat heroes for sub-100pts, but how many of them are you intending to take in your list? Thror is very resilient, but is he worth the investment of 130pts (and realistically closer to 150pts because he gives you access to Guardians of the King)? This is a bit of a mixed bag, but it's generally positive.
I think there are a few special rules that you get in this list that are good, but by and large, you're working without special rules help. If you take Thror, you have a banner and some survivability rules for Thror. If Thror or Thrain is in your list, you can reroll a priority roll (which is good if your opponent's roll is bad and yours was worse) - and you can get more out of this by taking Balin. There are some damage-related rules on Thorin and Dwalin (and Grim Hammers give you non-lethal attack options, which is nice on an army that may need to control when an enemy breaks), but the other heroes don't bring anything to the party. This makes for a pretty good list for new players to try out, as the "special rule tax" is incredibly low, but as you get more experienced, those Iron Hills Dwarf lists look pretty good by comparison.
The Army of Thror: Strategies for the Tabletop
While we certainly could talk about any number of heroes first, let's start off by talking about Young Balin. There are three really solid reasons for taking Young Balin in any list that doesn't have Thror: a) he's a Hero of Valour for 60pts, which gives you an incredibly cheap warband of 16 models that are F4/D6-7, b) he can be your General and safely tucked away so he doesn't cough up points, and c) he helps you get priority more often with his Longbeard rule, which makes your opponent spend Might on Heroic Moves or gives your throwing weapons time to work. This guy might be your first take in this list - and that's something I totally didn't think was true until I played against Rythbyrt's Army of Thror lists in the last edition.
Young Balin can't carry a game by himself, though, so you probably want to take Thrain as well - and I don't know that there's a non-Monster Infantry hero in the game that punches as well as Thrain does for his cost. With a Stand Fast that affects heroes and warriors within 12" and the Ring of Durin for a priority reroll once per game, he's not purely a combat piece, but with F6/S4/3A and 3-Might-and-Strike/Strength with a master-forged two-handed weapon . . . I mean, he's punching with the same expected Strength as Crazy-Helm but for about 50pts less! He's also very resilient with D8/3 Wounds/3 Fate, which means that cracking into him is going to take effort from almost any non-Monster in the game.
Since this is the Army of Thror, we should probably talk about Thror, right? :) Thror is very survivable with D9/3 Wounds and 1 Fate point that comes back on a 4+ and succeeds on a 3+ . . . the running joke is that your first Fate save will always be a 2, but hey, he's pretty tough. :) Thror's combat capabilities are fine (F6/S4/3A with 3-Might-and-Strike), but he's a bit expensive for that profile (especially when compared to Thrain, who stacks +1 To Wound onto that same offensive profile). What he brings, of course, is a 6" banner rule (the only banner rule in this list) and the option for Guardians of the King, who are S4 Grim Hammers. Both of these are great, but I don't know that it's worth taking him for 70pts more than Balin . . . unless your points level is really high or you'd be paying 75+ points for another hero to make the points work.
Thorin and Dwalin are in an interesting place in this list: on the one hand, they're very competent combat heroes with F6/S4-5/3A, but they're "just hitters" - especially Dwalin. Thorin can buff his friends once-per-game and makes for a very interesting quagmire hero with 3 Attacks, defending by shielding, and optionally Heroic Defense. I think Thorin would have a much stronger place in this list if he had Heroic March (like he does in his other forms), but without it, he's "just another hitter" who can also stall someone out - Dwalin is just another hitter and not one that stand too much higher than an Erebor Dwarf Captain, who comes in at 20pts less. These guys have epic models, but I just don't know when you take them.
Always take a March hero - I don't think you'll have the points for two at most points levels, so pick the one that you like the most (and if you do find that you're taking two, consider if upgrading to another named hero like Thorin or Thror/Balin is a better play). You need speed in most missions and you really need to get into combat or close enough to throw axes at people, so taking a March Captain should always be in your list no matter how low the points level is.
When it comes to warriors, max out your throwing weapons. 50% throwing weapons means that you have the ability to deepen a model disparity (or even things out if you find yourself behind) with one of the few things in this game that your opponent has absolutely no say over - especially if you're using your throwing weapons on the charge during the Move Phase! Throwing weapons are incredibly swingy but they can easily pay for themselves if you get several volleys/charges in.
I also think that throwing weapons are more important in this list than spears - while being able to support your models is great and all, wrapping-and-trapping is still one of the strongest methods that S3 Dwarves have for carving through the enemy. Back when the front rank could use Piercing Strike to get to S4, you could make a line and carve the enemy up by running a shieldwall - but in this edition, I think you really need to get traps and you can rely on shielding on some of your Dwarf Warriors to tie down sections of the enemy shieldwall while you wrap around and break another side. Heroic Combats are also very good tools for making sure that your troops crack through the enemy - though how many of these you will be able to call depends greatly on how many big threats your opponent has.
Okay, let's look at some lists that use these strategies!
Sample Lists
At 500pts, I have a philosophy that I hope isn't a surprise at this point in the article: leave Thror at home. I know that we don't have a banner if he's not in our list - but I think more than having a banner (and Guardian of the King upgrades), I think we need a heavy-hitter and for that, we need Thrain. The list below has 25 models (not great, but fine) and it sports Thrain, Balin, and an Erebor Dwarf Captain with a 50/50 split of Grim Hammers and Warriors (all with shields, some with spears as well). Also, Balin is the General because he can be:
As we scale up to 650 points, I swapped the Dwarf Captain for a Dwarf King (a bit more flexibility for a little less attack power) and just filled in the warbands and piled in the guys. This list has a much healthier 38 models, all but one of which is D7+ (and Balin, that not-D7 model, is still your General):
If we scale up the army to 800pts, we can get Thror instead of Balin . . . and it's probably a net-positive, but I don't like that our model count has basically stayed the same. 45 models at 800pts is fine, but we've lost some priority tricks with Balin (and our General probably has to be in the action now, instead of sitting on the periphery). I feel like if you're playing this high, you might want to look at a different list, but maybe that's just me:
One last thing I'll say about this list: we COULD swap Thror for Balin and pick-any-March-Captain, but we could only gain a single model (maybe two) by swapping. I think Thror is a hard add to lower points levels, but at 800+, I think taking him is a solid option. I'm not sure if that means that this list is "better" at 800 (because you can defend taking Thror) or if it's "worse" at 800 (because you "have" to take Thror), but I think the list can work in both cases. The big advantage of taking two March Captains at higher points levels, however, is that the fourth warband might give you some deployment advantages over enemy armies (and you can March on two sections of the board, which might be required in either Maelstrom scenarios or Divide and Conquer).
Conclusion
And that's my thoughts on the Army of Thror! Like Khazad-Dum, you can get started with this army pretty quickly by getting two boxes of plastic dudes and then pick up the three hero blisters - that's an army for under $250 in the US right now, which is . . . a little expensive, but it's not THAT expensive (if you'd like to save some money, you could skip on the Captain blister and use your Dwalin model as an Erebor Dwarf Captain after some simple conversions). All told, not a bad army for someone getting started and perhaps not a bad army for someone ready to race into the enemy quickly with survivable troops. Not a lot of tricks in this list, but a good cudgel doesn't need a lot of tricks. :)
If you enjoyed this article or if you've played some games with the Army of Thror, share what you've learned in the comments below! Next time, we're kicking off an entire month dedicated to the battle at the Pelennor fields and we'll start off with examining the Fiefdoms. This is a list that I got started in when the last edition was ending . . . and then they disappeared from the game for a little bit. With the release of a better Imrahil model and a greatly reduced price on Imrahil in the last errata, this list may have some really solid play in the game. Find out what's up in this subset of Gondor next time - and until then, happy hobbying!
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