Warpfire Thrower

Warpfire Thrower is a Skaven missile infantry unit in Total War: Warhammer II. Warpstone fire belches forth, reducing targets to nothing more than bubbling, crusted blobs.

Description
Warpfire Throwers are one of the deadliest weapons within the arsenal of Clan Skryre, a weapon so powerful and dangerous that it is considered the hallmark of Clan Skryre ingenuity. The Warpfire Thrower is a crude yet highly volatile flamethrower that hurls a blast of concentrated Warpfire upon an enemy or a small area of ground. Warpfire Throwers are almost always grouped into teams of two Skaven; one carries a bulky and highly unstable fuel-tank filled with chemicals mixed with powdered Warpstone, while another aims the weapon at the enemy. With a single flick of a switch, a torrent of fuel will be unleashed that ignites into a greenish flame. Once the blast hits any solid object, the Warpstone imbued flame that the weapon spews forth sticks to almost any surface. Nearly nothing can douse the flames of a Warpfire thrower once it has engulfed its intended victim.

Strategy
Warpfire Throwers are the weapons team best suited to killing hordes of lightly armored melee infantry (including other skaven). While their range and AP damage are lacking, their base damage output is extreme and a full volley will mostly wipe out and probably rout any lightly armored infantry (shields don't offer any noticeable protection). Often it is best to take them off skirmish mode and use their firepower to keep attackers from reaching them. While their decent armor provides protection, their low model count makes them vulnerable to focused AP missile fire and will result in them eventually losing in virtually any melee (which will also disable their ranged attack). They work best on the flanks if cavalry is not threat or in a checkerboard pattern shooting through gaps in your front line. They can also shoot over your front line if they have some elevation, but this will cause friendly fire which is particularly dangerous for skaven as Stormvermin are the only front line units well armored enough to not quickly melt. In contrast to other weapons teams that generally benefit from elevation allowing them shoot over units screening them, Warpfire Throwers can be frustrating to use on uneven ground. Their range is short and they require a direct LoS to fire, resulting in small terrain features blocking their shots.

Friendly Fire
Warpfire throwers can inflict horrendous friendly fire. Make sure that you avoid firing from behind your own units unless the warpfire thrower is elevated and can fire over the heads of the friendly unit. You can also position your warpfire throwers on the flanks of your army to try and target the sides of enemy units engaged with your main battle line.

Useability
All-in-all, Warpfire throwers are NOT worth the hassle. anything they can do, can be found in other (more versatile) units. their range is trumped by ratling guns, their damage by artillery.

if you really want to use them, bring just a couple, place them on the flanks, and once the melee starts, use shift-click to position them behind the enemy, and open fire. although they may be open up to attacks from cavalry and fast-moving skirmishers.