| “ | Heavy armour shields these Ironsides from Elspeth’s ensorcelled munitions, so they can fire their weapons without their own flesh degrading! | „ |
Amethyst Ironsides are an 
Empire Amethyst missile infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer III with Thrones of Decay.
Recruitment[ | ]
Unlocked by purchasing them in the Amethyst Armoury and recruiting them with the Amethyst Recruitment panel
Description[ | ]
The troops and War Machines subject to Elspeth’s dark touch are feared as dangerous enigmas even amongst other Imperial regiments, using the forbidden energies of Shyish to bring macabre ends to the Empire’s enemies.
One of the most lauded institutions in Nuln is the Imperial Gunnery School, a College of Engineers rivalled in the Empire only by that of Altdorf and operators of the largest cannon-foundries anywhere west of the World's Edge Mountains, save for the Dwarfs’. Apprentices and military men from across the Empire and beyond are drawn to study at the Gunnery School, many of whom make their way into its ‘Iron Companies’, that operate as its armed wing. Most numerous among these are the Ironsides, regiments of handgunners consisting of apprentices and retainers who are fitted out in a panoply of black-iron plate armour, reflecting the wealth and status of their patrons.
Attributes[ | ]
- Missile Infantry
- ▲ Hybrid: This unit can perform well in both ranged combat and melee.
- ▲ Armoured: Armoured units can block damage from any source apart from Armour-Piercing damage.
- ▲ Armour-Piercing Missiles: The damage of armour-piercing weapons mostly ignores the armour of the target, making them the ideal choice against heavily-armoured enemies. They are often heavier and attack at a slower rate though, making them less efficient against poorly-armoured targets.
- ▲ Decent Melee Combatant: Despite being primarily a missile unit or spellcaster, this unit can also hold its own ground when fighting in melee.
Unit Abilities[ | ]
Passive Abilities[ | ]
Strategy[ | ]
Amethyst Ironsides begin as a minor upgrade to Nuln Ironsides, sporting 30 more armor (90 base), 5 more leadership (70 base), 6 more melee defense (32 base), and Magical Attacks. With the same base damage, health, and model count, they have no immediate offensive boost over their Nuln counterpart, besides situationally againat enemies with physical resistance. Their starting armor and MD lets them survive flying chaff, light cavalry, and some warbeasts, holding notably better than other empire ranged units. Still, they won't hold against proper low-tier melee or shock cavalry, and need proper placement and protection via dedicated melee troops.
Eventually, they become an incredibly dangerous unit with a strong support ability and high damage resistance. Regular tech progression leads them to have 45% Missile Resistance, effectively cutting counter-fire damage in half. Adding their high armor of 120 makes them very strong in ranged exchanges, even allowing them to ignore non-armor piercing enemy shooters to focus on other enemies. At max rank with tech and skills they sport 120 armor and 45 melee defense, making them highly resistant to flying chaff and light cav. Even some proper shock or melee cavalry will struggle to take them out effectively.
Their most dangerous features are found in the Tier 3 and 4 Amethyst Armory upgrades, respectively. Debilitating Shots enables Soulblight (bound spell) attacks for the unit, and like poison, only 1 projectile needs to hit for the effect to take place. This makes them exceptional in suppressing the damage of dangerous units they aren't able to take out on the approach. Iron Resolve prevents any individual model from dying until the total unit HP is below 50%. This makes them in all situations very resistant to loss of damage from model loss, and ensures that with screening from melee enemies, they can continue to inflict maximum damage.
