Hunting Pack - W'adrhŭn Guide (english)

The Hunting Pack are a cheaper and often overlooked unit, known in W'adrhŭn lore as the Uzibukhali (Smart Claw). Here, however, they have other, less flattering nicknames.

Cost:

At only 120 points, the Hunting Pack is the cheapest unit in the W'adrhŭn army and one of the best glass cannons in the game. 40 points for additional stands is fair but not very relevant.

Strengths:

• High number of attacks: 6 dice with Clash 2 are more than solid for 120 points. Combined with high mobility and Opportunist, the Hunting Pack has one of the highest theoretical damage outputs in the game.
• Opportunists: This regiment rerolls all failed attack rolls in Clash actions when attacking the flanks or rear of enemies.
• Vanguard: Allows for an additional march action when the regiment enters the battlefield from Reinforcements, provided no enemies are within 8" distance. This means the Hunting Pack can run 24" onto the battlefield.
• Swarm: Counts as size 1 and generates Chant Tokens, though it cannot use them.
• Mobility 8 and Fluid Formation: With Movement 8, Vanguard, and Fluid Formation, the Hunting Pack can threaten nearly everything early on and is flexible in positioning. Fluid Formation typically increases the charge range by at least 2" and allows the unit to hide behind terrain to shield itself from shooting and attacks. It also allows positioning in or on terrain pieces to create sight lines, which is one of the best abilities in the game.
  • Fluid Formation: At the end or start of an activation, the regiment may perform an additional free reform action.
• Loose Formation: Ranged weapons halve their Barrage value against this regiment (before any bonuses), and spells cause only half as many hits.
• Battlefield Role - The Speakers: There are some small, nice synergies with the Thunder Chieftain Warlord, further boosting their damage output.

Weaknesses:

• Low durability: With E1, R2, and 3 health, there is no regiment in the game that dies faster than the Hunting Pack. Its defense is virtually non-existent, and every hit causes a wound.
• Irregular: The regiment does not affect reinforcement lines and cannot be accompanied by characters without this rule. However, this is irrelevant, as no characters are allowed to join the regiment anyway.
• 5-6 models per stand: Note that official Para Bellum events require 5-6 models per stand on the base. While many players in Germany use 3-4 models per stand and this is often accepted in local tournaments, it is important to know the rules for official events.

General Tactics:

The Hunting Pack is a highly mobile and offensive unit, particularly suited for quick flanking attacks and destroying weaker enemies. With Vanguard, the regiment enters the battlefield a staggering 24" from the edge and can be a significant threat early on. However, this speed should not always be overused, as the regiment can easily end up in a poor position if not used carefully.

Therefore, even though the Hunting Pack is relatively cheap, it should not be thrown away recklessly. It is not meant to tie down ranged units with Move Charge, as it can be easily overwhelmed by them. A direct charge into the front of many regiments can also be problematic if no support from other units or buffs are available to increase the hit probability. The Shock Supremacy from the Thunder Chieftain is very helpful here. Without it, the Hunting Pack only manages around 8 hits, which will cause minimal damage depending on the opponent's defense value. However, when attacking from the flank, the Hunting Pack shows its true strength. With rerolls on attack rolls and the fact that the opponent must reroll their Resolve checks, it can even destroy enemies well beyond its price range. This is something many players are aware of, so they often try to protect their flanks and eliminate the Hunting Pack early.

One of the simplest and most effective maneuvers is to position the Hunting Pack with a double move behind or beside the enemy, forcing them into difficult decisions in the next round. Will they turn around and engage the Hunting Pack, leaving another part of their army exposed to a flank, or will they accept the substantial damage the Hunting Pack can cause? A similar situation can be created with two Hunting Packs positioned so that one will definitely attack the enemy’s flank or rear if they engage either pack. It’s important to maintain some distance between them, as Fluid Formation does not work through enemy regiments or those locked in melee combat. Aside from that, the Dinos (Hunting Packs) work excellently in combination with Slingers. Since they are only size 1, Slingers can often shoot at larger regiments, and the Hunting Pack has enough movement to threaten from a less favorable position. Most importantly, they’re very cheap and can be used effectively even if they come onto the battlefield in round 2 or 3. This combination, or alternatively Raptors instead of the Hunting Pack, is especially powerful at the start of the game and provides an effective answer to most Light and Medium regiments in the game.