Undead seem quite good too. A little bit of core tax but nothing critical. I’ll have to donate my lich and mummies to my EoD playing buddy though (or I could slowly work on an EoD mod for my army of course).
7 Likes
The only real potential core tax for undead is having to take zombie hordes over regiments (or take skeletons instead), which isn’t much of a hardship.
3 Likes
I don’t know if you can call Revenants a ‘tax’, they’re even better than they were, and they were already good!
What I find tricky is using the Soul-Reavers/Ghouls-as-Core abilities, because its not like I run out of Specialist slots, and if you want the commands you need to have the blocks of basic undead. Still, my Undead are my only grace in this strange time where most of my projects got put on hold.
One of my Liches is going on a 40mm with my ‘Cursed Pharaoh’ model, to be the Barrow Wight and Grave Guardian! my Mummies are now Revenants with the Brew of Strength.
6 Likes
I feel like I need to take two more units that I normally would have from the core list.
It makes the army looks good though. And the choices are not bad, just not great. Which fits the concept of core. 
2 Likes
Fair. I just miss crushing strength. But then again I feel like no armies should have any crushing in their core (with very few exceptions).
The undead core just feels very defensive/not up to much. That being said my current choices to give me some more functionality are 2 regiments of spear skeletons and 2 regiments of revenant cav.
3 Likes
Overall I would say that it takes a bit more thought to build a list. The only real problem I have is how I have build my units (horde and legion bases), but that is a very personal and minor problem.
I like the rallying heroes for Decaying horde or Fleshfeast. Could come in handy.
2 Likes
Most of the Undead around me are shaping up to have 2-4 regiments of Soul Reaver Infantry in core 
Even with their nerf, those vamps will still lift!
1 Like
Ah right, the Vampire Lord switch!
1 Like
It helps that the Vamp Lord itself is a really solid combat character, as well as an unlocker. With dread even!
3 Likes
I like the fact that an army without Surge is possible.
Vampire, Lykanis, Soul Reavers, Werewolves, maybe some Zombies for Unit Strength and Objectives and Necromancer just for Weakness, Banechant or something like that.
You won’t get anything from the commands, but it’s okay.
3 Likes
Add in a crypt gouger and a lykanis as champions - you get core ghouls and both they and werewolves benefit from the fleshfest vicious & rally abilities the two heroes have.
Undead [2300 / 2300]
Vampire Lord (Hero (Inf)) 1 [220]
Horse [25]
Crypt Gouger [2] (Hero (Inf)) 1 [140]
Lykanis [1] (Hero (Lrg Inf)) 1 [185]
Ghouls (Inf) Horde [220]
Brew of Strength [40]
Ghouls (Inf) Regiment [105]
Ghouls (Inf) Regiment [105]
Ghouls (Inf) Regiment [105]
Soul Reaver Infantry (Inf) Regiment [210]
Soul Reaver Infantry (Inf) Regiment [210]
Werewolves (Lrg Inf) Regiment [270]
Fire-Oil [5]
Werewolves (Lrg Inf) Regiment [265]
Soul Reaver Cavalry (Cav) Regiment [265]
Sir Jesse’s Boots of Striding [15]
3 Likes
Hey, leave my multitudes of KoM halberdiers alone 
3 Likes
Undead always were a Bag of Hammers style army, vampire core just makes it more obvious this edition. (I’m also printing a Fleshfeast army that is a strictly worse version of your list here, since I’m sticking quite hard to the keyword, for thematic reasons …)
4 Likes
The unit I’m most excited about, and need to find good models for, is the Soul Reaver Cavalry. Crush 1 and TC2 with Vicious is pretty sick.
5 Likes
Undead is quite enduring and resilient to changing rules. Even as they got pushed back to earth over 3rd and across game systems.
It’s a big part of why I collected an undead army.
@FredOslow I also find that two more basic units are required. Along with potentially fewer heroes, but undead heroes were already in a more command and control role anyway.
I like that zombie regiments are aux, it gives skeletons a place. Along with phalanx potentially being more useful and less CS in general maybe making De 4+ more worthwhile.
The werewolf buff was unexpected, but welcome, and other changes seem in line with others or fair (sorry wraiths).
The barrow wight seems to have more of a wraith hero profile (De 6+, strider) than a wight to me.
3 Likes
My Barrow Wight will be the Cursed Pharaoh model I have, and one of my Liches. Blizzard/Host Shadowbeast is a fun loadout for a decently fighty caster!
3 Likes
I have two games of 4th with undead, and i am finding that the new sticky combat is a great benefit.
During my last stream game https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVQVGQ69RTg I figured out that using skeletons to engage the enemy line, then using command orders to push flying units over and behind them allows some great attack in depth.
Also, soulreaver cavalry are AMAZING - especially when coupled with brew of sharpness or blessing of the gods.
I am really liking how 4th is playing in all my games so far.
9 Likes
I’ve built these lists too (I mean, who wouldn’t?) but I think it’s a trap.
KoW4 is shaping up to be more grindy than KoW3 and filling core with 4 units of 250 points vampires is a huge point trap. A 2300 point army barely gets to 11 or 12 drops using this method (I mean, you want wights/soul reaver cav too, right?) and I think it’s too few.
I think the new undead benefit from a mix of cheap and expensive units, aiming for at least 14-15 units in a 2,300 point army. And if I want one or two units of Soul reaver infantry, they can remain in special.
The cryp gorger bringing ghouls to core can be very beneficial, though. The gorger itself is not that expensive @140 points and ghouls in core can bring those cheap-ish units to the table if you don’t want shambling skeletons or zombies.
Revenants look decent on paper too. They are very resillent for their points, they just need to be complemented by something that actually hits.
I like the idea of Balefires, it’s just that they take those precious support slots and they have very synergy with the rest of the list. Skeleton archers? hm…..
I’m taking my undead to my 2nd battle in a few days’ time. I’ll post the results either here or on my blog.
5 Likes
So for a battle in a few days time (yes, the Skeleton War is real) I have been puzzling with lists, leaning towards this right now:
Battalion 1
Vampire Lord (Hero (Inf)) 1 [215]
- Banner of Command [20]
Army Standard Bearer [2] (Hero (Inf)) 1 [110] - Tome of Darkness [20]
- Surge (5)
Revenant King [2] (Hero (Inf)) 1 [170] - Mace of Crushing [5]
- Surge (5) [20]
Revenants (Inf) Horde [255] - Brew of Strength [40]
Revenants (Inf) Horde [235] - Hammer of Measured Force [20]
Revenants (Inf) Horde [215]
Revenant Cavalry (Cav) Regiment [180]
Revenant Cavalry (Cav) Regiment [180]
Wraiths (Inf) Troop [140]
Wraiths (Inf) Troop [140]
Soul Reaver Cavalry (Cav) Regiment [275] - Blessing of the Gods [25]
Goreblight (Mon) 1 [185]
A lot of grinding, some chaff, some fast options. It sure does feel like I’m straining for points, I’d love to get SRI in there but maybe not instead of another horde of Revs. Maybe swapping items to make the third horde 2 regiments…
Anyway I think the best thing about the Vampire Lord is being our cheapest Warlord that isn’t Zuinok. Banner to get to 4 dice on the Lifeleech command…
4 Likes