In Total War: Warhammer flanking refers to a mechanic that affects Units (or regiments) as well as its entities on different levels. While the entire unit that is engaged on several sides suffers penalties to leadership, its individual entities suffer direct combat penalties when attacked from different sides simultaneously. As combat rolls are resolved on a per entity level, it is possible for an entity to turn around and no longer suffer from individual combat penalties even when the unit it belongs to is surrounded.
Unit Flanking[]
Units fight most effectively against an enemy in front of them. A unit will take more casualties and its 
leadership level will suffer when attacked in the flank or the rear.
- If a units flanks are secured it receives +5 leadership.
Arrange infantry units in a line so that each covers the flank of the next.
- If a unit's flank is exposed and flanking is imminent it receives -3 or -6 leadership.
- If a unit is attacked in either flank it receives -6 leadership.
- If a unit is attacked in the rear it receives -14 leadership.
Exposed flanking, attacked in the flank and attacked in the rear are cumulative leadership debuff modifiers.
A unit will suffer a sudden drop to its leadership level if charged in the flank or rear. If the shock is great enough the unit may break and rout.
Charge Defense[]
A unit with charge defense such as spearmen or halberdiers must be stopped and facing the enemy charge to employ the charge defense bracing.
- A unit charging a defending unit with charge defense, that is braced (stopped) and facing the charge, will receive no charge bonus.
A braced unit with charge defense can be devastating to cavalry who rely or their large charge advantage to secure good trades.
On the other hand, if the cavalry flank the bracing defenders, the cavalry retain their considerable charge bonus in addition to gaining flanking advantages.
Entity Flanking[]
Entities attacked from the side cannot see the attacks well and only have one arm to defend with. Entities attacked from the rear cannot see the attack and have few faculties to defend with relying more on their gut, sounds, glances and instincts.
- Entities attacked from a flank receives a -30% reduction in melee defense against these flank attacks.
- Entities attacked from the rear received a -60% reduction in melee defense against these rear attacks.
Single entities can be surrounded and thus take frontal, flanking and rear entity attacks from individual troop entities in the same unit. This can even cause the leadership losses described above.
Trooper entities can also be imbedded in other units through ferocious charges and the havoc of melee. These troops surrounded by violent enemies are at greater risk of being wounded due to entity flanking and rear attacks.
Troops are also more likely to hit more during the initial attacks of a charge against a flank or rear until the enemy entities turn to face the attackers. This loss of melee defenses is compounded by the enemy charge bonus.
Missile Deflection (Shields) and Flanking Missiles[]
Some entities have missile deflection either because they wield shields or quick reflexes.
Units with missile deflection block a percentage (%) of missiles that would have otherwise wounded them.
Missiles shot from the flank or rear of the arch will not be deflected.
- Unit missile deflection is in the front 120 degree arch, or 60 degrees to either side of center of the unit's forward facing.
Also, large missiles fired from Artillery would smash a shield or saber to pieces.
- Artillery missiles cannot be blocked with missile deflection.
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Note: A unit is any individual army recruitment or lord, which could be a single entity or a unit of entities.
Note: An entity is the individual trooper, beast, cavalry, character or monster. A unit of troops (infantry, beasts, cavalry, or monsters) is made up of many entities.
Note: A single entity refers to an individually powerful character or monster.
Note: Missile Resistance should not be confused with Missile Deflection. Missile Resistance reduces a % of all incoming damage due to missiles from any direction.