Are Thunderers with Grudge-Rakers Any Good in Patch 5.0? - Dwarfs Unit Focus

Shotgun to the face of Chaos! They're like Chaos Dwarf blunderbusses, but the volume of lead, shrapnel, whatever going out is a lot like with Outriders, except 80 entities and without the weird infantry knockdown effect, though being pummeled slows stuff down. In other words, 90 range or less and it's a wall of lead for melee units. What's not to love? Unless you're fighting High Elf Archers firing at 180 range, I mean.
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The Off to Battle unit focus format uses combat demonstrations from Skirmish vs. AI, background music and voice commentary, including:
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- Stat breakdown including hidden stats
- Common lord/ tech tree buffs applicable factionwide
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- Bonus footage, playing out the battle once the voiceover is done so you can enjoy the sights and the music
Today's BGM: Running Errands by TrackTribe (KZbin Audio Library)
Total War Warhammer 3 Immortal Empires, Thrones of Decay DLC Patch 5.0!

[@roland228]

They seem a bit better tuned than Chaos Dwarf Blunderbusses that win against more gold worth of enemy missile troops because the enemy can't get their volleys off due to being knocked sprawling by the Chaos Dwarf Blunderbusses.

[@OffToBattle]

Sounds like the whole genre can use a little tightening up.

[@theredbar-cross8515]

They actually have a low key anti large bonus in that the spread will actually hit something if it's large enough rather than just harmlessly fly above infantry heads. When they fire at big SEM like the big Spiders, their damage is INSANE, like it almost feels like you have a cheat mod.

[@OffToBattle]

Yeah, that's why I rate similar units in other factions - including Cathay and Vamp Coast - higher than most people do.

[@alexxu3004]

I keep mostly irondrake flame throwers in my armies and have a few of these just for knock back effects

[@OffToBattle]

That's a very cunning way to use them and I'd thought about it myself.

[@fcon2123]

So glad to see they have the same stunning effect as blunderbusses to slow the enemy advance! Haven't used them yet so it's awesome to see how effective they are. Looking forward to testing out using a front line of like 5-6 of these bad boys with quarrelers behind them to shoot above and create an overlapping field of fire. I heard the cannons are able to use grapeshot now too - have you gotten a chance to test them out yet?

[@OffToBattle]

Nope, not yet. I seem to be making the upcoming week a Dwarf week more than anything else though.

[@Canuovea]

They're actually devastating against ranged infantry too... IF they can close the distance (some missile block chance helps with that). I tested Ironsides against them, and if the Ironsides don't run away, the Grudgerakers (and Blunderbusses too) win. The problem is, of course, the melee infantry that might block em. Great fun though. Bane of the existence of Chaos and Vampire Counts for sure.

[@OffToBattle]

Hai. Well said.

[@wt891]

Definitely agree that they are very good. Just not sure whether to use them or the standard thunderer most of the time.

[@OffToBattle]

Probably fine to use a mix, keep one as a close range damage dealer to deal with whatever survives the regular volleys.

[@obesechicken13]

I thought chorf blunderbusses were op in campaign but these guys are stronger. Seems good in skirmish vs ai too so maybe they're good in mp.

[@OffToBattle]

Yeah maybe so. I haven't experimented enough, but I get why people love the regular ones... done perfectly, nothing gets to grudge-raker range. Some opponents are tougher to do that to, that's all.

[@ricoarmstrong7440]

Are they any good ? Yes see you next time.

[@kirillrivkin4842]

They seem to be absolutely devastating ! It seems to me that Chaos Dwarfs Blunderbusses did more damage when they appeared. Is that true, or Blunderbusses just do more knockback? I know that Grudgebreakers beat Blunderbusses one on one.

[@OffToBattle]

I hear blunderbusses knock infantry down more, meaning they annihilate cavalry. (I mean they'll knock down trolls too I think) That's old memory, so this begs for CA doing a balance pass to make them more consistent across the board.. we'll see. I'm satisfied how Steam Tanks are not behind Chorf war machines now.

[@semi-useful5178]

@@OffToBattle If they did that then that would be quite the nerf for the Drath Zharr. The Blunderbuss is their main form of Anti-Large.

[@atlasstoned]

@@semi-useful5178 chorfs don’t have any shortage of that. Bull centaurs are great for antilarge, fireglaives as well ranged or in melee. deathshriekers pretty decent as well

[@TheRobinholm]

Blunderbusses have longer reload wich makes them lose 1v1 to gruderakers! So the lower dmg seems fair

[@OffToBattle]

@@TheRobinholm Got it. And blunderbusses were always quite strong (and have excellent shields) so I don' t think they'll ever be bad.

[@mikurusagawa6897]

Even against a lot of missle units they are still not terrible, as long as we're talking units without significant armour-piercing, thunderers can endure closing the distance with their armour and shields

[@OffToBattle]

I've done that with Blunderbusses, similar principle.

[@mikurusagawa6897]

@@OffToBattle True, although blunderbusses are even better for that because they have silver shields

[@OffToBattle]

@@mikurusagawa6897 Yes I still remember those shields, saved my bacon a few times. Still have to try and use less offensively central units to tank missile fire with. Like goblin laborers, say.

[@freshgandalf8946]

But is the new, shining and revamped steam tank any good? (Yes, yes it is)

[@OffToBattle]

I don't doubt it, but I only played with a confederated Emperor's Wrath briefly before a hotfix landed so haven't seen the tanks in action MUCH yet.

[@perrymeril]

You should do regular gyros

[@OffToBattle]

Yeah, I want to update my pre-Thrones video. I'll get there. Thanks!

[@perrymeril]

@@OffToBattle They've become gods of the early game.

[@OffToBattle]

@@perrymeril Good! That's one of the most brutal times for most Dwarf factions yes? Perhaps all? So it's not a bad thing.

[@luskieman]

They really took the role of the irondrakes, and i'm not sure if i like that. Gruderakers do enormous amounts of (ap) damage + knockback to infantry like the normal irondrakes, but i've also seen them kill large models faster than trollhammer torpedo's can. Sure they have their niches but to sacrifice such flexibility for a small increase in effectiveness means i'll only pick them for flavour in my armies.

[@aaronlove3102]

I feel like the normal flamethrower iron drakes still heavily outperform them but I get what you mean with the troll hammers as the troll hammers still have a long reload when you could just shoot more with more rounds and a quicker fire rate to tear down single entities.

[@maxisses2709]

trollhammers have 160 range and irondrakes (fire) can arc their shots a lot more. this is the least flexible of the bunch, and their aim is still shit enough to not be nearly as effective as chorf shotguns against cav/foot single entities that aren't huge

[@briar9395]

Didn’t the trollhammer torpedoes get a massive range and missile speed buff this patch?

[@OffToBattle]

So even with supposed improvements the torpedoes don't perform well enough?

[@OffToBattle]

@@briar9395 Supposedly. I'll have to check everything out on the Dwarf side this week.

[@gameruldinica5285]

First Like

[@OffToBattle]

Appreciated!