Reaper Bolt Throwers

Reaper Bolt Throwers
Overview
ID	wh2_main_def_art_reaper_bolt_thrower
Race	Dark Elves
Category	Artillery
Unit size	Small: 1 Medium: 2 Large: 3 Ultra: 4
Recruitment
Tier unit Cost (MP): 700 (700) Turns: 1 Upkeep: 175 Weight: Very_heavy
Statistics
Health: 1760 (55 per model) Leadership: 70 Speed: 22 Melee Attack: 10 Melee Defence: 15 Charge Bonus: 2
Melee Weapons
Base Damage: 19 Armour-Piercing Damage: 5 Melee Interval: 4.3 s Melee Reach: 1 Bonus vs. Buildings: +1%
Ranged Weapons
Single Multi Missile Strength: 136 Base Missile Damage: 30 (30 per volley) Armour-Piercing Missile Damage: 120 (120 per volley) Number of Projectiles: 1 Shots per volley: 1 Bonus vs. Large: 50 Bonus vs. Buildings: +1% Reload Time: 11 s Ammunition: 24 Range: 350 Missile Strength: 160 Base Missile Damage: 3 (48 per volley) Armour-Piercing Missile Damage: 8 (128 per volley) Number of Projectiles: 16 Shots per volley: 1 Bonus vs. Infantry: 11 Bonus vs. Buildings: +1% Reload Time: 11 s Ammunition: 24 Range: 350
Protection
Armor: 30 (22.5% reduction)
Attributes
Siege Attacker: This unit can attack gates or walls, allowing you to instantly launch a siege battle without having to wait for siege towers or battering rams to be built. Cannot Run: This unit cannot run and will only move at walking pace. Hide (forest): This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.

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Their bolts strike with such force that, should their targets survive, they are unfit to live even as slaves.

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Reaper Bolt Throwers are a Dark Elves artillery unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II.

Recruitment

• Unlocked with: Halls of Ravaging or Warrior Hall

Description

Reaper Bolt Throwers are used at sea to clear the decks of enemy vessels, and on land to scythe down ranks of enemy warriors. A mechanism of counterweights and cords allow the Reaper to shoot a hail of bolts, or a single missile with force enough to pierce a Dragon's hide. The bolts are barbed and difficult to remove from the wounds they inflict. Those injured - but not slain - by such a shot often suffer such horrendous maiming on the bolt's removal that they are worthless as slaves, and are therefore left to bleed to death or given over to the bloody caresses of the Witch Elves.

Attributes

• Field Artillery
• ▲ 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.
• ▲ Multi-Shot Ammunition: This unit can switch its ammunition to fire multiple smaller shots instead of one large one. This is not as accurate or effective against large targets, but the spread of missiles can be helpful against hordes.

Ammunition

• Single-Shot Round
• Multi-Shot Round

• Single-Shot Round
• Shooting a single, large projectile instead of many smaller ones is more effective when fighting larger single targets, such as monsters.
• Armour-Piercing Missile Damage: 120
• Bonus vs. Infantry: 0
• Base Missile Weapon: 30
• Bonus vs. Large: 50
• Range: 350
• Reload Skill: 11
• Shorts per volley: 1
• Number of projectiles: 1

Multi-Shot Round

Shooting many smaller projectiles instead of one large one is more effective when fighting multiple small targets, such as infantry units.

Base Missile Weapon: 3

Armour-Piercing Missile Damage: 8

Bonus vs. Infantry: 11

Range: 350

Reload Skill: 11

Shorts per volley: 1

Number of projectiles: 16

Unit Abilities

Passive Abilities

• Murderous Prowess

Strategy

Almost identical to the Eagle Claw Bolt Thrower, the Reaper sacrifices a bit of range for more damage in comparison to its High Elves counterpart (which in practice means the Eagle Claw counters it).

Just like the Eagle Claw it is neither particularly impressive nor a complete waste on the battlefield. Its mode switching means it can focus down a particular threat regardless of who you're facing, but it is never going to be the thing that wins you a field battle. Its true value lies in siege battles: either juicing those auto-resolves for you or demolishing walls for your infantry. Literally because it is the only artillery available for the Dark Elves it should be something you strongly consider for inclusion in every offensive army.