| “ | Swift of foot and hidden from sight, the Triads' killing techniques are as empathic in combat as the rumours suggest. | „ |
Eshin Triads are a 
Skaven melee infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Shadow and the Blade.
Recruitment[]
Unlocked with: Den of Secrets
Description[]
The Assassins of Clan Eshin represent the culmination of years of training and ruthless murders. All Eshin warriors are trained to learn these defining skill-traits, but only the Assassins have the skill and experience necessary to undertake the highest tier of training. It is then that the secret arts are taught, some of which are ancient techniques studied in the Far East, but many more are unique fighting styles of the ratmen's own design. By the end of the long initiation, an Eshin Assassin can jump many times its own height, hurtle over obstacles or back-flip a great distance. He can run faster than a galloping horse and climb up smooth surfaces with ease. In motion, an Assassin is a blur, able to rain blows upon a foe or pluck arrows out of mid-flight. An Eshin Triad is a unit of three Skaven Assassins tasked with hunting down and killing vulnerable individuals and even small units.
Attributes[]
- Guandao Infantry
- ▲ Weeping Blade: Weeping Blades devour armour. A couple of slashes is all that's needed for their corrosive venom to eat through even the thickest of plates.
- ▲ Armour-Piercing: 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.
- ▲ Anti-Large: Anti-Large: Anti-large units have an advantage against targets that are at least as large as a horse. This advantage can be a damage bonus against large targets or an attack that focuses on a very small area. However, some units are simply better against large targets because their attacks are slow and easy to dodge by skilled melee combatants.
- ▲ Stalk: This unit can move hidden in any terrain.
Abilities[]
Strategy[]
Essentially an anti-large variant of Death Runners, Eshin Triads are a possibly even more niche unit, however they do have their uses, particularly within Eshin armies. The nemesis of Gutter Runners is cavalry, so deploying a few Triads with them in the vanguard, then having the Gutter Runners retreat behind them as cavalry comes in - bearing in mind they won't be able to see the spear line until it's too late - is both effective and very satisfying.
They can also be deployed as flankers for your main army, sundering armour for your infantry and monsters, or as backline problem solvers if for instance the enemy is likely to be using winged monsters. However like Death Runners they will diminish very quickly in sustained combat and need to be managed carefully, ideally using Concealment Bombs to pull them out of trouble.
Other than that, if you want a tanky, highly-armored staunch frontline for your powerful ranged units then might as well stick with the Stormvermins.
