"Start da Waaagh!"
- an excited Gobbo
Overview
The Greenskins are a race introduced in Total War: Warhammer. They have five playable factions, each led by different legendary lords.
Greenskins is the collective term for Orcs, Goblins and other similar races. These unruly warriors dwell in the Badlands, mountains and other wild areas and love nothing more than a good fight. From time to time, they will come together in a great “Waaagh!” - an invasion of civilised lands. Armies of Greenskins feature masses of poorly-disciplined infantry, alongside boar-riding cavalry and monsters like trolls and giant spiders.
How they play
A summary of Greenskins gameplay:
- Units: Masses of cheap infantry, combined with cavalry, and large monsters.
- Regiments of Renown: These are unique, more elite versions of regular Greenskins units.
- Vandalism: Greenskins leave behind harmful buildings for the enemy, after sacking or razing a settlement.
- Unique stances: The Underway stance allows Greenskins to traverse impassable terrain, while Raidin' Camp combines raiding and encamp.
- Savage Orcs: In campaign, Savage Orcs units can only be recruited with the special Savage Orcs resource.
- Fightiness and Waaaghs!: Successful Greenskins factions can receive additional Waaagh! unis to their armies.
Background
| “ | Stoopid humie gitz – we iz da best! | „ |
Orcs and Goblins are the scourge of the Old World. Collectively known as Greenskins, they are an aggressive and brutal race with an unquenchable love of fighting. For most nations, war is a means to an end - an act of aggression to conquer and dominate an enemy. However, the Greenskins - and the Orcs in particular - revel in battle purely for the sake of it. Orcs are built for violence - brutal, bullying creatures of jutting jaws and hulking appearance. The Goblins, by contrast, are smaller but more cunning as they mob up in greater numbers. This motley cast is supported by a fell menagerie of other creatures from wolves to Trolls, monstrous spiders to lumbering Giants.
Yet it’s the Orcs that dominate - their violent temperament keeping them top of the Greenskin tree. Orc attacks range from raids to mighty Waaaghs! where Greenskins of all stripes congregate in their tens of thousands under a single leader, who they believe has been chosen by Gork (or Mork) - the fickle gods of Orc-dom - to lead the mighty green tide on a rampage across the world. It is the Waaagh! that the other, weaker, races fear the most, as once an Orc Warboss gains enough momentum his horde can only ever be stopped at great cost. The Empire is a common target - having been ravaged countless times by infamous Waaaghs! throughout history. Yet it is the Dwarfs that harbour a special hatred of Orcs and their despicable kin, as the Dawi have lost many of their legendary strongholds to Greenskin incursions.
While the Greenskins have made lairs in ransacked Dwarfen holds, they can be found across the world - the majority residing in the arid Badlands, mainly fighting amongst themselves and occasionally coming together as a greater threat. Now such an occasion is upon us, for Grimgor Ironhide comes south. Goaded by Gorfang Rotgut, the boss of Black Crag, Ironhide marches with his Black Orcs. Once Black Crag is his, surely the Badlands will follow? And then the rest of the Dwarf realms shall fall to his ever-growing Waaagh!, all while the Empire and the other humie realms burn. This is what Gork and Mork demand; please them and ensure the mobs shout the name "GRIMGOR" for the rest of time!
In Battle
Unit Roster
The Greenskins have a diverse unit roster which is not really lacking in any one area. There are many kinds of fairly cheap or expendable infantry, ranged and melee cavalry, heavy infantry such as Black Orcs, warbeasts, chariots, artillery (eg: the Doom Diver) and monstrous units such as Trolls, Arachnarok Spiders, Giants. Their sole flying unit is the Wyvern, available as a mount.
Their generic spellcasters have access to two unique lores of magic: the Lore of the Big Waaagh! and Lore of the Little Waaagh!, while Azhag the Slaughterer has access to the Lore of Death.
Regiments of Renown
Greenskins have several Regiments of Renown available. These are elite, unique versions of standard Greenskins units. They are available with the King and the Warlord DLC.
Waaagh!
Waaagh! (ability) is an ability available to all Greenskins lords which gives speed, melee attack and charge bonus to all units in their army.
Template:Navbox greenskins units
In the Campaign
An Orc Warboss on a Warboar, flanked by Orc Boar Boyz.
The Greenskin factions are normal, non-horde factions who control settlements and provinces.
There are some non-playable Greenskins minor subfactions who are hordes, though.
Playable Subfactions
In campaign, there are five playable Greenskins factions, each with its own starting position, led by separate Legendary Lords, and having different climate preferences. See individual pages for faction-specific info.
Grimgor's 'Ardboyz, led by Grimgor Ironhide
The Bloody Handz, led by Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet
Crooked Moon, led by Skarsnik
Broken Axe, led by Grom the Paunch
Bonerattlaz, led by Azhag the Slaughterer
The Underway
The Underway is a network of caverns and tunnels that run under much of the world. Greenskin armies (like Dwarfs and Skaven) can enter the Use Underway stance to travel underground, avoiding danger. However this carries a chance of being intercepted. Many battle maps take place underground in the underway, see underway for a full list.
Fightiness and Waaaghs
Greenskins armies' used to, through battle victories and raiding increase their fightiness level, and could spawn AI-controlled Waaagh! Armies. Low fightiness, however, causes attrition due to infighting. This was changed in the Warden and the Paunch DLC.
Savage Orcs
The special 
Savage Orcs resource, present in certain settlements, allows a controlling Greenskins faction to recruit Savage Orcs units.
The resource is found in Southern Badlands, and allows construction of the Savage Orc Gathering, which in turn allows the recruitment of the following units:
Savage Orcs (Unit), Savage Orc Big 'Uns, Savage Orc Arrer Boyz, Savage Orc Boar Boyz, Savage Orc Boar Boy Big 'Uns.
Vandalism
Greenskins leave behind vandalism buildings for the enemy, after sacking or razing a settlement.
Buildings
Technology
Inventory
Stances
Special stances: Use Underway, Raidin' Camp
Common stances: March, Ambush, Channelling
Post-battle options
Greenskins post-battle options for captives are as follows:
- Eat Captives (regenerate units)
- Slaughter Captives
- Ransom Captives
Settlement options
Greenskins have these settlement options when they have captured a settlement:
- Occupy
- Sack
- Loot and Occupy
- Raze - also leaves harmful vandalism buildings behind
Commandments
See the article on commandments for a list of Greenskins commandments:
- Brag about da Boss: cheaper unit recruitment, extra capacity
- Camp Ruckus: +growth and +public order
- Give it 'ere: province tax income +5%
Forced Confederation
Like Norscan factions, if the player defeats an enemy Greenskin lord in battle while also playing as a Greenskin faction you get the Warboss Defeated dilemma, which the player to either confederate with his faction instantly, release him for extra affinity or execute him to kill him permanently.
Climate preferences
Greenskins climate preferences for settlements change depending on the subfaction. See the climate page.
Followers
Dilemmas and Events
Start Positions
Grimgor's 'Ardboyz starts in the Black Crag region of Death Pass.
The Bloody Handz starts in the Western Badlands.
Crooked Moon starts in the Southern Grey Mountains, between Athel Loren and The Empire.
Bonerattlaz starts in the Northern Worlds Edge Mountains.
Broken Axe starts in the Southern World's Edge Mountains in the Eye of the Vortex campaign and in Massif Orcal in the Mortal Empires campaign.
Strategy
- Greenskin armies are extremely varied, comprising orcs, goblins, trolls, giants, squigs and spiders. This melting pot excels at adapting to any battlefield circumstance. Combat is what Greenskins live for and unsurprisingly, periods of peace cause major attrition as they start stabbing at each other. Keep everyone on a warpath and the troops will not have to resort to infighting. Speaking of infighting: Internecine warfare makes the Greenskins scattered and individually weak. Settling quarrels between the tribes is the first step to uniting them and creating a Waaagh! that will shake the very foundations of the world.
- Greenskins are a faction geared towards aggressive gameplay focusing on sacking and raiding thanks to the bonus income received that way; their settlement options and technology trees are limited, not to mention they cannot trade at all, so resources are also largely meaningless. Your primary focus, therefore, is striking deep into enemy territory, aided by your ability to recruit anywhere on the map, aided by a very robust catalogue of units ranging from the cheap, yet easily routed goblins to the stout, aggressive orcs. Flexibility and mobility are the greenskins' distinguishing feature - well, that and the large number of monsters. This makes playing them a bit of a diverse challenge, on the one hand, they are quite forgiving in battle mode, but maintaining fightiness and logistics during the campaign can be a challenge.
- Fightiness deserves elaboration: Greenskins who don't fight start to tear themselves apart. Those who fight a lot get a chance of spawning a Waaagh!, an AI controlled Greenskin army. Fightiness is what also makes Greenskins a challenge to confront: Trying to disassemble them piecemeal only makes them stronger. Decisive battles work best.
- Regiments of Renown are particularly strong insofar the Greenskins are concerned and can easily form the core of an army. However, where the greenskins really shine is competitive play, where they have a well-rounded unit roster that only lacks for decent AP ranged units. Wurrzag da Great Green Prophet is a particularily viable lord choice who not only is capable of buffing the entire army with his spells and abilities (especially the Bone Wood Staff which in synergy with Waaagh! can turn a greenskin infantry line in an unstoppable force) but who is also a decent and for a caster rather survivable melee combatant.
DLC
There is the following paid DLCs which has extra content for the Greenskins:
- The King and the Warlord (adds the Crooked Moon playable subfaction).
- The Warden and the Paunch (adds the Broken Axe playable subfaction).
Minor Factions (Greenskin Tribes)
On the campaign map, many minor factions are grouped together as Greenskins. These all have a diplomatic positive racial bias towards each other, and use units from the Greenskins unit roster.
Introduced in the Old World campaign:
- Scabby Eye
- Black Venom
- Bloody Spearz
- Top Knotz - has a strong tendency to use Savage Orcs style units
- Teef Snatchaz
- Skullsmasherz - a roaming horde faction which keeps respawning after it is destroyed
- Red Fangs
- Red Eye
- Necksnappers - previously a minor faction, removed when Crooked Moon was added as a playable subfaction.
- Broken Nose
- Crooked Moon Mutinous Gits
- Greenskins Rebels
- Orcs of the Bloody Hand - previously a minor faction, removed when The Bloody Handz was added as a playable subfaction.
Introduced in Eye of the Vortex:
- Arachnos
- Blue Vipers
- Top Knotz - also present in the Eye of the Vortex campaign.
Introduced in Mortal Empires:
- Skull Crag
- Leaf-Cutterz Tribe - also present in the Eye of the Vortex campaign.
In other campaigns:
Chaos Invasion
During a Chaos Invasion, the AI Greenskins factions do not gain the Shield of Civilization trait.
Trivia
- Greenskins was originally the name for the Grimgor's 'Ardboyz faction, sharing the generic name with its race. This was changed with the Potion of Speed Update for Total War: Warhammer II. It was named "Black Crag" for a short while, as well.
- Azhag the Slaughterer was moved to his own faction, the Bonerattlaz, with The Total Waaagh! Update for Total War: Warhammer II. He was previously sharing the same faction as Grimgor Ironhide.
- Though introduced in the first Total War: Warhammer game, the Greenskins received a considerable overhaul with the release of the The Warden and the Paunch DLC for Total War: Warhammer II, due to one of the lords, Grom the Paunch, being a Greenskins lord.
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