Which artillery units have the most impact in your battles?

Artillery units play a vital role in your Total War Warhammer II army, acting as long range fire support that can devastate enemy infantry or obliterate monstrous units. You will have a much easier time defeating your enemies when they’ve been softened up on the approach. Some of these artillery units stand out among their peers for their unique qualities, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that they have awesome lore.

10. Plagueclaw Catapult (Best for spreading plague amongst enemies and early game artillery presence)

Skavenslaves finish loading two Plagueclaw Catapults with plague munitions.

The Plagueclaw Catapult is a twisted invention of the Skaven, created when Skaven Plague Monks learned to fire their plague-loads via catapult. These vile projectiles splash your enemies with virulent plague-liquid, ravaging both mind and body.

Why the Plagueclaw Catapult is Great

• It is a very potent anti-infantry artillery piece that you can access relatively early on.
• Armor-piercing, magical damage, a large explosion radius, and a range of 400 make this weapon a prime choice for taking out enemy infantry.
• Diseased projectiles cause leadership -10, compelling some weaker enemies to break ranks and run, creating chaos among the destruction.

Plagueclaw Catapult details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Plagueclaw_Catapult

9. Blessed Field Trebuchets (Best for bombarding mixed groups of enemies and allies)

Three Blessed Field Trebuchets fire on an enemy army.

These unique artillery pieces fire holy ammunition, blessed by the Lady, that will not damage friendly units, for it will not harm the righteous! They are a trebuchet type artillery piece with a curved firing arc, so they excel at long-range bombardment of dense enemy units.

Why Blessed Field Trebuchets are Great

• They can bombard dense enemy units for significant damage from an impressive range of 440.
• They have a respectable missile strength of 231, but also deal magic damage to deal with the more physically resistant enemy units. 
• They are incapable of friendly fire, able to fire into mixed groups of both enemies and allies while only damaging enemies.

Blessed Field Trebuchet details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Blessed_Field_Trebuchet

8. Doom Diver Catapult (Best for long ranged bombardment accuracy)

Doom Diver Goblins soar towards both their own and their target's inevitable deaths.

The Doom Diver Catapult is a wacky invention of the Orcs, firing an unconventional ammunition, Goblins. Once launched, the Goblin projectile uses a pair of hand-stitched leather wings to guide themself into enemy ranks. Not surprisingly, few goblin doom divers live to tell of their exploits.

Why the Doom Diver Catapult is Great

• It is one of the most accurate artillery pieces due to its “Guided Projectile” keyword, which means that the goblin will actively seek their target.
• Although their missile strength is low for artillery (182), the accuracy and armor-piercing abilities of Doom Diver Catapults more than compensates for it.
• I don’t think there is any artillery piece as cool as the Doom Diver Catapults. What other faction can say that their ammunition is goblins?

Doom Diver Catapult details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Doom_Diver_Catapult

7. Flame Cannons (Best for dealing high fire and explosive damage to enemy infantry)

A few squads of Dwarven Flame Cannoneers fire their incendiary munitions.

The flame cannon is an imfamous Dwarven invention, capable of hurling explosive balls of fire down upon their targets from a moderate range. These potent weapons will set any survivors of their initial impact ablaze, finishing the grisly job.

Why Flame Cannons are Great

• Although their range is short for an artillery piece (230), Flame Cannons have very high missile strength of 555 points and can deal out devastation quickly.
• They can set enemies ablaze, dealing fire damage and reducing leadership.
• A large explosion radius makes Flame Cannons prime candidates for anti-infantry bombardment.

Flame Cannon details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Flame_cannon

6. Luminark of Hysh (Best for sniping monstrous units with a magical bolt)

A Luminark of Hysh fires its destructive arcane beam.

A Luminark of Hysh is a complex war machine made of a series of focusing lenses and a focusing orb of sorcery. It’s manned by students and wizards of the college of light, focusing their energies through the machine like a giant magical telescope until it discharges a destructive beam of soulfire that will vaporize anything it touches.

Why the Luminark of Hysh is Great

• Although it has a low rate of fire, The Luminark of Hysh has an insanely high (and armor-piercing) missile strength of 1136 and does both magical and fire damage.
• It is capable of dealing with powerful threats like Lords and Monstrous units in one or two shots.
• It has a magical aura that can support nearby allies or harm nearby foes.

Luminark of Hysh details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Luminark_of_Hysh

5. Helstorm Rocket Battery (Best for dealing area of effect damage to large areas)

Empire soldiers cover their ears as they fire a fusillade of incendiary rockets from their Helstorm batteries.

If you are a humble infantryman, the Helstorm Rocket Battery is your worst nightmare. Able to fire off a fusillade of incendiary rockets in a wide spread, this intimidating piece of artillery can obliterate large groups of enemies with brutal efficiency.

Why the Helstorm Rocket Battery is Great

• It can fire off nine rockets in quick succession, bathing large areas in fiery wrath.
• It’s parabolic firing arc and long range of 480 allow for bombardment from a safe distance.
• Taking into account that each Helstorm Rocket Battery will fire off nine rockets at a time, their (armor-piercing) missile strength of 339 is formidable.

Helstorm Rocket Battery details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Helstorm_Rocket_Battery

4. Organ Gun (Best for focused obliteration monstrous units and versatility)

Two rows of Dwarven Organ Gun crews loose their devastatin rounds into an oncoming army.

The Organ Gun is one of the Dwarves’ proudest inventions, a quadruple barreled cannon capable of firing large caliber armor-piercing ammunition in fusillades of four shots from a respectable distance.

Why the Organ Gun is Great

• It has armor-piercing missiles with a strength of 330 which it fires off four of at a time.
• Extremely good at taking down Lords and monstrous units quickly and from a safe distance.
• Fast-moving projectiles with an almost straight firing path enable the Organ Gun to hit large targets with ease.
• It’s effective against enemy infantry.
• It’s able to be recruited at tier 4, yet outshines tier 5 artillery pieces.

Organ Gun details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Organ_gun

3. Helblaster Volley Gun (Best for peppering your enemies with armor-piercing projectiles)

Rows of Helblaster Volley Guns fire their armor-piercing rounds in bursts of three at enemy forces.

The Helblaster Volley Gun is a creation of the deranged empire engineer, von Meinkopt. It is an infamous artillery piece with nine barrels, on three rotating decks, that fire armor-piercing rounds by groups of three in quick succession.

Why the Helblaster Volley Gun is Great

• It is able to fire nine armor-piercing rounds with a huge missile strength of 750 in rapid succession at a decent range of 290, allowing it to dispatch large enemies quickly.
• When compared to the Dwarven Organ Gun’s 330 weapon strength and four shots at a time, the Helblaster Volley Gun’s 750 strength and nine shots at a time are the better choice for taking down a large target quickly. Although, it is fair to mention that the Helblaster Volley Gun fires in a relatively straight line and as a result is prone to friendly fire on even ground, making the two artillery pieces comparable.

Helblaster Volley Gun details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Helblaster_Volley_Gun

2. Steam Tank (Best for being a moving fortress armed with a powerful cannon)

A steam tank escorts Empire Knights to the front lines.

Steam tanks are without a doubt the Empire’s most terrifying artillery unit. Their thick armor plating makes them impervious to all but the most savage attacks, while a steam-powered cannon and a turret-mounted steam cannon (not to be confused with one another) make them formidable damage dealers.

Why the Steam Tank is Great

• It has an insanely high armor value of 160, a leadership of 100, and has the “unbreakable” keyword, meaning that it will never retreat. 
• It is a moving fortress that causes terror, able to smash into enemy ranks with it’s 200 weapon strength ram and cause them to flee in a panic. 
• It has a range of 380 and an (armor-piercing) missile strength of 444 for its main cannon, allowing it to quickly dispatch monstrous enemies or lords from a distance. 
• It’s turret-mounted steam cannon can bathe enemies that get too close to it in scalding steam.

Steam Tank details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Steam_Tank

1. Necrofex Colossus (Best for functioning as a monstrous melee unit once its cannon’s ammunition is spent)

Three Necrofex Colossi lurch toward the battlefield, cannons primed.

The Necrofex Colossus is an amalgamation of flesh and ship created by the Necromantic magics of the Vampire Coast factions. It is an intimidating enemy, able to fire cannon balls from its powerful arm or smash through swathes of enemies in melee combat.

Why the Necrofex Colossus is Great

• Like the Empire’s Steam Tank, the Necrofex Colossus can be effective in close combat as well as act as an artillery piece. Although one advantage it has over the Steam Tank is that it is undead and can be targeted by the many undead-specific spells of the Vampire Coast faction (such as heals). 
• It can take down monstrous units and lords with ease and from a distance using its triple cannon arm.
• It causes both fear and terror, reducing enemy leadership and causing them to route, respectively. 
• It is a zombie-boat with a cannon for an arm and an evil will of its own.

Necrofex Colossus details: https://totalwarwarhammer.gamepedia.com/Necrofex_Colossus

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