| “ | Charged to defend the Phoenix King to the last, they cut their opponents down with their savage great axes. | „ |
White Lions of Chrace are a 
High Elves melee infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II.
Recruitment[]
Unlocked with: Greater Grove
Description[]
The White Lions have served as the personal guard of the Phoenix King since the time of Caledor the First. White Lion regiments are often despatched to join the armies of Ulthuan during times of particular danger, tasked with protecting High Elf generals and mages, or bolstering the overall strength of the army. White Lions are renowned for their unflinching courage in the face of overwhelming odds and terrible horrors, protecting their charge whatever the foe and regardless of the danger to themselves.
Attributes[]
- Great Axe Infantry
- ▲ Armoured: Armoured units can block damage from any source apart from Armour-Piercing damage.
- ▲ 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.
- ▲ Lion Cloak: White Lion fur is not merely a fashionable status symbol, it also provides protection against regular and magical missile attacks.
- ▲ Forest Strider: Specialists in forest warfare, this unit gains melee attack and defence advantages when fighting in forests.
Unit Abilities[]
Passive Abilities[]
Strategy[]
White Lions are something of a square peg in the round hole that is the High Elf roster. They are considerably more expensive than Spearmen and Archers, but only add benefit to the standard early-mid game formation in a situation where the majority of your enemy will be armoured and shielded infantry, such as Dwarfs or Warriors of Chaos. Another issue is that they are recruited at the same tier and the same building as War Lions of Chrace, who do the anti-infantry armor-piercing thing just as well with the added benefit of being much faster. Finally Swordmasters of Hoeth become available only one tier later, and are simply better in every aspect.
They aren't necessarily bad units though. From a multiplayer perspective they work as bargain Swordmasters, good armour piercing units if the High elves want to try and win the infantry fight rather than rely on their missiles, or simply know they will be up against heavily armoured enemies. In campaign, if you are playing as Eataine then Alastar the White Lion buffs them to an extent they're worth forming an army of just for him.
If you are going to use them, remember that Martial Prowess raises their melee defence, and once they drop below 25% health they are very vulnerable to attacks. Try to keep them healthy for as long as possible either through avoiding poke damage from harassing units or using healing magic to keep them above the threshold. If possible, fight with them in forests to get 20% bonuses to MA/MD. Hiding them in the forests on a flank to get a rear charge off is a good idea anyway. Because they are likely to take a lot of damage, life magic and/or an embedded Noble for better replenishment are vital support tools to make the most out of them.
Gallery[]
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Concept art
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