To start your Total War: Warhammer 3 campaign in the best way possible, you should know that the Wood Elves have three types of units: Elves, Treemen, and Monsters. They each have their perks, but the combination of Elven troops and Treemen is a killer combo.
Another aspect about the Wood Elves is that they are the only Elven faction with a more than decent cavalry. Compared to their counterparts, they are on a whole other level. Trivia fact before you go on your Warhammer spree: the Wood Elven Cavalry is deer mounted.
Updated on April 22, 2023, by Branden Lizardi: Total War: Warhammer 3 recently introduced a new race and faction known as the Chaos Dwarfs as part of the Forge of the Chaos Dwarfs DLC. While this expansion didn't introduce any new Wood Elf units to the game, it still added a nice pile of new units to play and encounter. This shifts the meta, altering how certain units may rank accordingly. With this in mind, we've taken another look at this tier list and made adjustments as needed.
S-Tier
Treeman
The Wood Elves have a wide variety of creature units, but the Treeman is the strongest it has to offer. This single unit is a hard-hitting and powerful, terror-inducing tree creature. The only downside to it is its numbers. It’s a one-man band, so if you want to use it at its best, have it go in with high-count units.
Great Stag Knights
One thing the Wood Elves do better than their not-so-distant light and dark relatives is cavalry. The Great Stag Knights are the best example of this. The amazing charge bonus and armor-piercing weaponry make them a great shocker troop. Don’t keep them in the fray, though, as they’re only 32 and can get overpowered.
Waywatchers
Another powerful aspect of the Wood Elves is their missile units. The Waywatchers are possibly the most elite archer unit in the entire game. We’re talking armor-piercing arrows, 190 range, Master Ambusher, and Hawkish Precision. They aren’t half bad in melee, either.
A-Tier
Zoats
The Zoats are another type of monster unit that provides great support to your main army. With their base spells that don’t use winds of magic points, they will help you when you’re in a tight spot. They’re also decent siege attackers and a solid front-line unit to deploy.
Glade Riders (Spears)
More good cavalry coming from the Wood Elves, the spear-equipped glade riders are the perfect flanking unit. They’re equipped with a shield and are very fast. Don’t be fooled by the low armor stats.
Wild Riders
Considered by many to be an OP Tier II unit, the Wild Riders have been known to take out whole swarms of enemies. Between their Frenzy mode and great shock unit statistics, you’ll want them by your side.
Wild Riders (Shields)
The shielded Wild Riders are great to deploy if your enemy has a missile-heavy army deployed. The shields will cover your cavalry from the volley. And once they get to those pesky archers, they’ll take them down.
Sisters Of Thorn
A very particular type of unit, the Sisters of Thorn are a Magical Cavalry unit that uses spell-casting to debuff enemies. Don’t forget about using Shield of Thorns to reflect the damage dealt to you by an enemy melee fighter.
Wardancers
Elves are the main reason everyone has gone through a dual weapon phase, and Wardancers are the epitome of that concept. With their physical resistance, dodge ability, and charge, they are your best friends in flanking.
Wardacers (Asrai Spears)
Sure, we’re all about the dual sword, but when you’re about to fight off some large monsters and cavalry, you’ll need to take the Asrai Spears to the battlefield.
Wildwood Rangers
There’s something about Elves fighting in the woods that feels just right, and the Wildwood Rangers are best used to take down large beasts in the forest. But don’t worry; they also take loads of infantry with their glaives out in the open.
Bladesingers
If you’re up against an infantry-centric army, the Bladesingers will help you out a lot. Their magical attacks and infantry bonuses are astounding.
Glade Guards (Starfire Shafts)
Glade Guards usually have a bad reputation, but the Starfire Shafts version can pack a punch. They start with a 170 range, which can be buffed in the long run. They do both magic and fire damage. Worth the upgrade.
Forest Dragon
You can’t say it’s a Warhammer game without a dragon, and the Wood Elves needed a dragon to fit their style. In comes the Forest Dragon. With both poison and magic attacks, these beasts need to be in your final Elven army.
Deepwood Scouts
These master ambushers will give you so much joy if that’s your play style. With a 180 range and the ability to fire while moving and hide while running, there is no way they’ll get by enemy troops.
Deepwood Scouts (Swiftshire Shards)
A pretty fun upgrade to our previous entry. Swiftshire Shards are magic items that allow these Deepwood Scouts to shoot two arrows at a time and deal magic damage.
B-Tier
Glade Riders (Hagbane Tips)
We’re all about good missile cavalry, but when it comes to special units like the Hagbane Tip-equipped Glade Riders, we’re excited to see them in action. This is an extremely fast unit that deals poison damage to your foes; keep them at the ready.
Glade Riders
Weapons don’t need to be poisonous to be cool, and when you bring in the talent of the Glade Riders, you know you won’t be missing out. A skirmishing unit you’ll remember to recruit when it’s time to go to war.
Eternal Guard (Shields)
Pretty much the main line of defense against your archer-hungry enemies. This is probably the front-line unit to recruit. They aren’t great at taking down any attackers, but they can hold a line for as long as needed.
Great Eagle
The Great Eagle is a creature unit that can be useful when trying to take out enemy archers. It’s hard-hitting and an amazing flanking unit to keep amid your soldiers.
Dryads
The first treeman unit you’ll be able to recruit, the Dryads are like small Ents. A good companion to keep in the front lines early on in the game, but the main downfall comes when put up against armored units. Your Dryads usually won’t stand a chance.
Tree Kin
You could pepper your line of Dryads with their bigger relatives: the Tree Kin. Compiled of 16 troops per unit, they have great defense stats. So pop them in that front line and have your archers pepper your enemies.
C-Tier
Eternal Guard
Once you play with the shielded version of the Eternal Guard, you’ll understand why this unit isn’t worth your time. Without offensive power, you’re better off waiting until you can equip them with shields, or they will die and run off.
Glade Guards
A decent missile infantry that isn’t too crazy. Compared to the rest of the Wood Elves missile units you can pick from, the Glade Guard just doesn’t cut it.
Glade Guards (Hagbane Tips)
Poison makes your missile units better, but because the base stats aren’t up to par with the rest, it's better to let them rest in the barracks.
Hawk Riders
The main reliability issue with the Hawk Riders is that they die very quickly once they get into combat with other flying units. A great companion against cavalry, but that’s pretty much it.