While not the army I usually play, I have played a fair bit against the Undead. With the full KoM list is still forthcoming (though the Master Crafted teaser was great news!), I figured I'd start digging into the army lists and my collection with these spooky bois, and see how they fared with 3rd Edition...
I have a spreadsheet for my collections. Having updated it now with some new points values... *checks math* my Undead collection is roughly 15% cheaper now, weighing in at about 4,000 points. A points reduction lets me get more on the table, so so far, so good!
Zombies (& Ghouls)
Bringing the Zombies down to Defense 2+ was a brave design decision. In Second, they felt very "samey" with Ghouls where deciding if you wanted Shambling/Not was a big factor... with the ghouls loosing out most of the time. Now the zombies really feel like a mindless gang of low level Undead, and the Ghouls feel much more lively in relation. I really like these decisions! I think there are more meaningful decisions to be made now between these two choices in list building, and I think we'll see more Ghouls in lists online. I may even add some to my collection in 2020. Ghouls supporting Soul Reavers as a more mobile undead contingent does have some appeal...
Skeleton Warriors, Archers, Spearmen (& Revenants)
Skeleton Warriors are pretty generic. They are the bland, basic choice. Skeletons as a looked to have lost some Nerve, but overall look to be great basic picks when you just need bodies or unlocks.
The changes to Phalanx are significant, and welcome. It's minor, but I really like the extra attacks at the troop level. Not sure how often it will come up though! Still, I expect the changes will be enough to entice more players to take spears in their lists. I've got two hordes of Skeleton Spears waiting to be primed myself. I'll probably get on that come springtime - we've gotten some early snows in Wisconsin, and they're likely here to stay around for a while...
Archers are now irregular, which is an interesting change. The same change happened to my League's Halfling Archers previously, which I assumed was an army-specific nerf at the time. Now I'm thinking it may be a broader balance choice to de-emphasize shooting (a quick glance through the book and it looks like some ogres and naiads are now irregular as well, though at a glace most of the elf and dwarf shooters are still regular). This is a neat balance decision, and surprisingly simple.
I never had the models for Revenants, so I never ran any. In Third, they can no longer swap shields for big weapons, forcing them into more of an anchoring role, but they seem fantastic at this. I rather liked the weapon-swap options though, but think it's a case of models influencing the rules: Mantic's kit doesn't look to have any big weapon options, after all.
Soul Reavers
Soul Reavers still hit quite hard, and got a little points reduction. These will probably still hit the table regularly. I think a vampire elite supported by some sycophantic ghouls would be a neat little option now too. I have some Gothic-armored knights sitting around; I might add some cavalry come springtime.
I like that Wraiths got Strider. They are incorporeal ghosts, after all! It's a nice buff to an already potent unit. I will likely try to squeeze in all three of my troops into lists going forward. They gained the Phantasm keyword, which is interesting too...
Overall, I'm bummed with the design direction of the Wights though. I really liked them as bigger, tankier skeletons. I backed Darkest Dungeon and played a lot back in the day, and liked the look of their big skeletons, and that how I saw the Wights as a unit. Ogres have skeletal structures too, and I liked the idea of raising bigger bodies as bigger skeletons.
I get that there wasn't as much space between Wights and the Zombie Trolls in Second Edition, but I would have rather seen the Trolls gain Regen and be Defense 4+ and keep the Wights as-is, and introduce a different phantasm unit to cover this design space. Alternatively, Fly could have been an optional upgrade. Shucks.
Additionally, Wights are now irregular. In Second Edition, I thought large infantry hordes were quite desirable as you got the unlocks without having a huge footprint, and most of the units were quite punchy, so you got a very compact unit and all these unlocks to play with. In Third, it looks like more large infantry is being declared irregular. As with the archers, it's a very slick fix to guide players into the desired meta.
From the hobby perspective, I'll likely retire my regiments, but my hordes could sure use a repaint. They were my first real attempts at multi-basing, and keeping their original bases was a big mistake. I can do better nowadays, and will try to get them done this winter.
Necromancer, Vampires, Revenant Kings and the Liche King
I like the points drop for the Necromancers. The Undead really need their surgers, so it was a bit rough that their necromancers were so pricey relative to the wizards of other armies. Knocking them down to 50 points is huge. Their vicious Zombie Aura looks neat as well. I think Necromancers will do quite well this addition.
The vampires lords and ladies got a mixed bag. Some slight nerfs (not as speedy, one less attack), but also a good points reduction, Mighty (letting them duke it out with entire units) and Duelist, making them character killers too. Super fluffy. I love it.
Revenant Kings lost their innate surge, which stinks, but can buy it back, and would be 25% less than they were in Second Edition. I love them as an "all-rounder" hero, and I think they'll be a go-to to start for Third.
I'm not stoked on the Liche King changes. I never liked their spelling here, but a kind of ascended undead with powerful spell-casting is such a trope of fantasy it's a shame to change it. Like I mentioned before, I like the design concept of a phantasm subgroup with the Undead, but I wish they added units instead of tweaking existing ones. Some kind of poltergeist; a flying support caster would have been interesting to play with (windblast shenanigans!); or a small flying vengeful spirit duelist spirit would be interesting too. I think adding a new heroic phantasm unit would have been the way to go.
Yikes. A lot of text!
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Undead from what I'm reading. Most things are cheaper, and everything but the phantasm choices I'm pretty on board with. Wights being irregular hurts me a bit, since they comprised so much of my collection... but another block of Skeletons (or Revenants) and I should be worry-free with my unlocks for them in 3rd. Looking forward to seeing them in action!
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