Gorduz’s stealth buff applies to all hobgoblin units and his summon can target enemy ranged units with a large cast range.
## Remove Grimgor before he snowballs **Grimgor** Ironhide is a fast-growing threat near your starting province. Catch him before he expands, use terrain, and wipe out his army at the right moment for smooth campaign progress.  Grimgor’s army grows fast after turn 12; attacking his garrisoned stack early prevents a massive war.
## Take Tamurkan out early and finish the fight Tamurkan becomes a late-game disaster if not dealt with at once. He spreads **Nurgle** corruption and can replenish armies rapidly, so prioritizing his defeat is crucial. As soon as you defeat Tamurkan, expect him to raise new armies four turns later; speed is essential.
## Use Astrogoth as a fast spellcaster and bait unit Astrogoth’s versatility comes from mixing spellcasting with mobility and bait tactics. Build him as a powerful caster first, and use his skills to hold enemy lines and amplify your ranged damage.  Put your early skill points into Astrogoth’s magic line for Firestorm, Hellhammer, and Burning Wrath. His unique "Dark Sacrifice" skill sharply reduces Hellhammer’s Winds of Magic cost. Burning Wrath is available early — overcast it for useful damage; otherwise, use Ash Storm or Cascading Firecloak for utility and provocation. Astrogoth operates best away from your main line. Run him forward to bait the enemy, cast spells, then retreat to lead enemies into your guns. His speed allows him to pull most foes, and he can fight what catches him. Every kill up to 100 increases Astrogoth’s melee attack and weapon strength via the Mechanical Overdrive passive. This lets him convert spell damage into stronger melee performance. Astrogoth grants all bull centaurs in his army a 15% ward save, making them highly durable. Add bull centaur units early to benefit from this synergy. After his magic and unique lines, invest in red line skill buffs for Chaos Dwarf ranged infantry and bull centaurs.Astrogoth brings both spellcasting and strong melee, with easy stacking of buffs for ranged and monster units. Place him forward to pull, cast, and bait, but retreat before he’s surrounded.
## Understand what each Chaos Dwarf resource does **Chaos Dwarfs** balance five main resources, each fueling a distinct part of the economy, recruitment, and expansion. Use this comparison table to identify their roles and avoid bottlenecks.   | Resource | What it does | How to get | Usage tips | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **Gold** | Pays for buildings, recruiting troops, upkeep | Trade, battles, convoys | Not the main bottleneck; needed but not priority | | **Labour** | Needed for extraction, fast building | Win battles, sack, raid, manage provinces | Decays over time and with low control; decentralize labour using transfers for efficiency | | **Raw materials** | Upgrade towers/factories, feeds armament output | Produced by labourers | Core economy ingredient; focus on 3 outpost provinces for every factory province; Miner’s Workshop boosts output by up to 30% | | **Armaments** | Unlock/upgrade Chaos Dwarf units, increase unit caps | Produced from raw materials, events | Spend first on ranged units/monsters, not heavy infantry; arms advanced military buildings | | **Conclave Influence** | Buys Tower of Zharr seats, occupies towers, forces confederations | Raise towers/temples, conquest, factory seats | Rush seats for movement and K'daai summons; use labour actions to trade labour for influence in emergencies |Ports should be factories or towers; outpost ports are weak. Convoys trade surplus resources. Early provinces should be about a 3:1 outpost to factory split for best production.
## Build armies around hobgoblins, blunderbusses, monsters, and support heroes **Chaos Dwarfs** combine efficient hobgoblins with powerful ranged units and monsters. Use this table to select units and heroes for the strongest battlefield presence and best economy management. | Unit/Hero | Role & Strengths | Early priority? | | --- | --- | --- | | **Hobgoblin Archers** | Best early ranged spam; cheap and effective | Yes | | **Sneaky Gits** | Flank bonus, poison, precursor weapon | Yes | | **Wolf Riders** | Hunts enemy ranged and artillery | Yes | | **Hobgoblin Cutthroats** | Mediocre melee, good blockers | Yes, but mainly as chaff | | **Labourers (Orc/Goblin)** | Chaff, absorbs charges; orc ones are sturdier | Yes | | **Chaos Dwarf Warriors / Infernal Guard** | Heavy infantry; high defense | No, skip early armaments on them | | **Blunderbusses & Fire Glaives** | Devastating ranged infantry, use armaments to unlock | Yes, highest damage per cost | | **Bull Centaur Rendar Taur’ruk** | Powerful monster unit, synergy with Astrogoth’s buff | Yes | | **K'daai Fireborn / Destroyer** | Anti-infantry specialist monster | Yes, after blunderbusses | | **Hellcannon** | Early artillery with good range, homing | Yes | | **Magma Cannon** | Wall and infantry killer, needs elevation | Yes, situational | | **Deathshrieker Rocket Launcher** | Good against lords, heroes; swap to single-rocket mode | Yes | | **Dreadquake Mortar** | Top anti-infantry artillery when pulled by Skullcracker/Iron Daemon | Yes, but takes 2 war machine caps | | **Iron Daemon** | Strong firepower, do not fire through own infantry | Yes | | **Castellan** | Essential hero: campaign movement, ammunition, explosive buffs | Yes, one per army | | **Daemonsmith** | Artillery reload, Hellforged healing, spellcaster | Yes | | **Bull Centaur Taur’ruk** | Large-unit hunter and trainer | Yes |Spend early armaments on ranged units and monsters, keep infantry as blockers and support. The Castellan and Daemonsmith are key support heroes.
## Set your battle line so blunderbusses can do the killing With the right formation, your ranged units can wipe enemies while your cheap infantry holds flanks and screens. Setup for maximum effectiveness and minimal losses. This setup maximizes ranged firepower and keeps infantry roles clear; blunderbusses do most of the killing.
## Project power across a wide empire Efficient empire management lets you defend multiple fronts, recruit quickly, and respond to threats. Use movement buildings, recruitment buffs, and labour rushes for flexible control.  Stack movement buffs, recruitment buildings, and use labour to defend settlements before armies can reach them.
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