| “ | When gifted with the finest training money can buy, every bullet finds its mark. | „ |
Nuln Ironsides are an 
Empire missile infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer III with Thrones of Decay.
Recruitment[ | ]
Unlocked with: Gunnery School
Description[ | ]
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
- ▲ 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.
Unit Abilities[ | ]
Passive Abilities[ | ]
Strategy[ | ]
Nuln Ironsides are a direct upgrade to Handgunners. They fire the same projectile and work the same way, but with a significant upgrade in ranged firepower. What's not obvious from their stats is that their shots penetrate smaller targets, specifically making them good at destroying infantry units. Ironsides can do four times as much damage as a unit of Handgunners in a minute, and are also armored allowing them to survive counter fire better. Unfortunately there are only 60 of them instead of the 90 with Handgunners, which means that they feel the loss of units much more heavily - although each model is significantly more sturdy.
There really isn't any reason not go get Ironsides the moment they become affordable, but it is highly important to keep these units out of danger, far more than Handgunners, due to their low model count. With that said, they are significantly better melee fighters than most theoretically shooter-only troops, and can handle small amounts of infantry and dogs that manage to make it to them. That makes large numbers of them in staggered formations viable, so long as they're getting support from cavalry and war machines and the like.
Gallery[ | ]
