The Skaven are one of the strongest factions in Total War: Warhammer 3, but they are also one of the easiest factions to completely misunderstand.
If you start a Skaven campaign expecting brave soldiers, strong frontlines, clean formations, and honourable battles, you are going to have a terrible time.
Your infantry will run. Your rats will die. Your economy will get weird. Your food supply will collapse. Your weapons teams may shoot your own units in the back. At some point, you may start wondering why anyone likes this faction.
But that is because the Skaven are not designed to fight fair.
They are not the Empire. They are not the Dwarfs. They are not Cathay. They are not trying to win a respectable military engagement between two disciplined armies.
The Skaven win by ambushing enemies, starving them, corrupting their cities from underneath, throwing disposable bodies into the grinder, and then deleting their best units with guns, artillery, monsters, magic, plague, and whatever unstable war crime Clan Skryre has invented this week.
That is what makes them brilliant.
The Skaven are not weak because their units are cowardly. They are strong because their entire faction is built around the idea that cowardice, betrayal, numbers, technology, and overwhelming violence can all work together if you are enough of a rat about it.
In this guide, I will explain how the Skaven actually work for beginners. We will cover food, undercities, ambushes, disposable infantry, weapons teams, beginner army composition, which lord you should start with, and the biggest mistakes new players make when playing the rats.
Because once you understand the basic rule of the Skaven, the whole faction starts to make sense:
You are not here to fight fair.
You are here to make sure the enemy never gets a fair fight in the first place.
▶️ Prefer Watching Instead?
Prefer watching the guide instead of reading it? I made a video version of this Skaven guide on the Gman Reviews YouTube channel.
In the video, I walk through how the Skaven work in Total War: Warhammer 3, including food, undercities, ambushes, disposable infantry, weapons teams, Ikit Claw, and the biggest beginner mistakes new players make.
The main lesson is simple: the Skaven are not meant to fight fair. Your clanrats and Skavenslaves are there to delay, distract, and die while your real damage dealers do the work.
Watch the video below:
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Quick Answer: How Do You Play Skaven?
The Skaven are a trickery, ambush, ranged damage, and disposable-infantry faction. Do not rely on clanrats or Skavenslaves to win fair infantry fights. Use them to delay, distract, surround, and die while your real damage dealers — weapons teams, artillery, magic, monsters, lords, and heroes — destroy the enemy.
The most important beginner rules are:
Do not fight fair.
Manage your food carefully.
Use undercities for food, income, vision, and long-term map pressure.
Use ambush stance and stalking stance constantly.
Protect your weapons teams.
Do not treat clanrats like elite infantry.
Fight battles manually when autoresolve gives you bad results.
Use cheap bodies to buy time for the units that actually win the battle.
What Are the Skaven?
The Skaven are a unique faction in Warhammer Fantasy. They are ratmen who live beneath the world, and they are paranoid, treacherous, cowardly, inventive, and horrifying.
The best thing about the Skaven in Total War: Warhammer 3 is that their faction mechanics actually match their personality.
Their campaign and battle identity is built around:
Ambushes
Food
Undercities
Disposable infantry
Monsters
Weapons teams
Plague
Dirty tricks
The Skaven are not a normal “line up and fight” faction. They are a faction built around cheating before the battle even begins.
That is the big thing to understand when playing them: you do not want a fair fight.
The Biggest Beginner Mistake With Skaven
The biggest beginner mistake is trying to play Skaven like the Empire, Dwarfs, Cathay, or Lizardmen.
New players often expect clanrats to hold the line like proper infantry. They expect a clean frontline. They take fair fights. They ignore food. They forget undercities. They do not properly use ambush stance or stalking stance.
That is how you lose with Skaven.
Your clanrats are not the army.
They are the packaging the real army comes in.
Skaven infantry is often there to delay, distract, surround, and die. If your cheap rats are dying while the enemy army is being shot to pieces behind them, that is not failure.
That is Skaven culture.
Food Explained Simply
Food is one of the most important Skaven campaign resources.
It affects growth, control, public order, expansion, and settlement occupation level. Food also lets you occupy settlements at higher tiers, which is one of the big advantages of the Skaven campaign.
But you need to be careful.
If you expand too quickly, your food economy can collapse. Once your food supply drops too low, you start running into problems across your empire.
Beginner advice for food:
Fight battles.
Raid where useful.
Build food-generating options when available.
Use commandments and technologies that help with food.
Do not spend food just because you can.
Avoid overexpanding before your food economy can support it.
For most factions, capturing a settlement is the reward.
For Skaven, capturing a settlement at the right level with enough food is the reward.
How Food Helps With Settlement Occupation
When the Skaven occupy a settlement, they can spend food to occupy it at a higher level.
This is extremely powerful.
Instead of slowly building a settlement up from level one, you can spend food to instantly occupy it at a higher tier. That means faster access to better buildings, stronger recruitment, and better province development.
This is one of the reasons you do not want to waste food carelessly.
A good food surplus gives you options. If you have enough food, you can take an important settlement and immediately start building it into something useful.
This is especially valuable when a settlement has a resource that helps your food economy. Pastures, for example, can be very useful for Skaven because they can contribute to food generation.
The Skaven do not always expand quickly in terms of how many provinces they take, but they can expand powerfully by occupying key settlements at higher levels.
Undercities Explained
Undercities are one of the most important Skaven mechanics.
An undercity is a hidden Skaven settlement built underneath an enemy city. It allows you to spread your influence without openly conquering the settlement.
Undercities can provide:
Income
Food
Corruption
Vision
Spread to other settlements
Late-game destructive options
They are one of the best examples of Skaven fantasy becoming gameplay.
The Skaven do not just invade your empire.
They move into the basement first.
How to Use Undercities
Beginners often ignore undercities because they seem slow or confusing. That is a mistake.
Undercities are especially useful when placed under rich or important enemy settlements. You can use them to generate food, income, and map vision while staying hidden.
However, do not build too aggressively inside an undercity. Some buildings increase detection. If detection gets too high, the enemy may discover and destroy the undercity.
A simple beginner approach is:
Build undercities under rich or distant enemy settlements.
Use them for food and income.
Do not overbuild if detection becomes dangerous.
Use Warlock Engineers or other tools to spread undercities far beyond your immediate expansion path.
Do not place undercities only where you are about to conquer unless you are doing it for demonstration or a specific plan.
One useful undercity role is food generation. Certain undercity buildings can increase your food income, which helps solve one of the Skaven’s biggest campaign problems.
Skaven Battle Identity: Disposable Bodies and Real Damage Dealers
In battle, Skaven infantry is not there to win glorious duels.
Skaven infantry exists to delay, distract, surround, and die.
Skavenslaves and clanrats are not meant to carry the battle. They are cheap bodies that buy time for your real killing tools.
The real damage usually comes from:
Weapons teams
Artillery
Monsters
Magic
Lords
Heroes
If cheap infantry dies but the enemy army is destroyed, that is a good trade.
Do not panic just because your frontline is suffering. With Skaven, the question is not “did my clanrats win the melee fight?”
The question is “did they hold long enough for my weapons teams and artillery to do their job?”
Weapons Teams: Where Skaven Become Terrifying
Weapons teams are where the Skaven become truly dangerous.
This is also one of the reasons Ikit Claw is such a strong beginner lord if you own the relevant DLC. Ikit Claw leans heavily into the Clan Skryre weapons-team fantasy, which is one of the most fun ways to learn what makes Skaven powerful.
Important Skaven weapons include:
Ratling Guns
Warplock Jezzails
Warpfire Throwers
Plagueclaw Catapults
Ratling Guns are excellent for shredding infantry.
Warplock Jezzails are useful for sniping large targets, important units, and enemy lords or heroes. They also have much longer range than Ratling Guns.
Warpfire Throwers can delete blobs, but they need careful positioning.
Plagueclaw Catapults are excellent against infantry and have huge range. They also help soften up enemies before they reach your lines.
Protect Your Weapons Teams
Weapons teams are powerful, but they have weaknesses.
They need line of sight.
They need protection.
They should not be blocked by your own units.
They should not be allowed to get charged.
Most Skaven weapons teams work like gunpowder units. If your own troops are standing directly in front of them, they may not be able to shoot properly.
This means you need to think about positioning.
Use:
Gaps in your frontline
Hills
Flanks
Checkerboard-style formations
Disposable units to slow enemies without completely blocking shots
Terrain that gives your ranged units clear firing lines
Half of learning Skaven is learning how not to shoot your own rats in the back.
The other half is accepting that sometimes you will.
Battle Example: Turning a Bad Autoresolve Into a Decisive Victory
One of the things Skaven players need to understand is that autoresolve can be harsh.
A battle that looks bad in autoresolve may be very winnable manually if you use proper Skaven tactics.
In the video version of this guide, I used an example where autoresolve predicted a bad result, but by fighting manually, the battle became a decisive victory.
The army included a disposable frontline of clanrat spears, Ratling Guns, Warplock Jezzails, a Doom-Flayer, and Plagueclaw Catapults.
The key steps were:
Use the terrain.
Place artillery far enough back to fire safely.
Keep Ratling Guns where they have line of sight.
Use Jezzails to target large threats.
Use guard mode on ranged units so they do not chase enemies.
Use magic and abilities to slow or damage enemy units.
Use Menace Below to disrupt enemies.
Focus fire dangerous targets.
Kill the enemy lord when possible.
Once the enemy lord dies, some armies can start to collapse quickly, especially undead factions.
This is the point of Skaven battle tactics. You are not trying to win a clean frontline fight. You are trying to create a situation where the enemy gets trapped, slowed, shot, blasted, and broken.
Ambushes: The Skaven Should Avoid Fair Fights
Skaven should avoid fair fights whenever possible.
Use ambush stance often.
Set traps near settlements.
Bait enemies into bad positions.
Use hidden movement and surprise attacks to punch above your weight.
If the enemy sees you coming, you have already failed as a rat.
Ambushes are one of the main ways Skaven armies beat stronger enemies. Your troops are often weaker in a fair fight, but the whole point is to avoid fair fights.
How to Use Ambush Stance Near Settlements
One useful tactic is to place an army in ambush stance near a settlement you expect the enemy to attack.
Make sure your army is within reinforcement range of the settlement. That way, if the enemy attacks the settlement, your army may be able to reinforce.
This can create a nasty trap.
The enemy thinks they are attacking a weak settlement, but suddenly your hidden army joins the fight.
You can also do this with multiple armies. For example, one weaker army can act as bait while a stronger army hides nearby in ambush stance. The enemy moves in for what looks like an easy win, then gets trapped.
This is very Skaven.
You want the enemy to think they are making a smart move.
Then you punish them for it.
Stalking Stance
Skaven also have access to stalking stance through their lords.
This is extremely useful because it gives them a chance to ambush when attacking.
That means the Skaven can sometimes turn offensive battles into ambush battles, which is a huge advantage.
You should use this as much as possible. It lets the Skaven attack in a way that fits their identity: hidden, unfair, and devastating.
Best Beginner Skaven Lord
If you have all the DLC, the Skaven have six legendary lords:
Queek Headtaker
Tretch Craventail
Lord Skrolk
Ikit Claw
Deathmaster Snikch
Throt the Unclean
Most of them have unique mechanics.
Lord Skrolk has a plague theme.
Throt the Unclean has access to the Clan Moulder Flesh Laboratory and upgrades monstrous units.
Deathmaster Snikch has Clan Eshin shadowy dealings and assassin-themed mechanics.
Queek Headtaker is more straightforward and aggressive.
Tretch Craventail is more of a tricky Clan Rictus lord.
But for beginners, I would usually recommend Ikit Claw if you own the relevant DLC.
Why Ikit Claw Is a Good Beginner Choice
Ikit Claw is probably the best beginner Skaven lord because he makes the Skaven fantasy obvious.
He has:
Strong faction mechanics
A fun weapons-team focus
Access to the mad-science Clan Skryre playstyle
A popular character identity
A clear path into Ratling Guns, Jezzails, and other ranged killing tools
The caveat is that Ikit Claw is very strong. He can spoil you because his tools are so good.
But if you want the classic mad-science rat experience, start with Ikit.
Beginner Army Template
A simple early Skaven army should include:
Your lord
Four to six cheap infantry units
Four to six ranged units
Artillery or special damage units when available
A hero if possible
In the early game, you may rely on clanrats, Skavenslaves, and basic ranged units. That is fine. The point is to survive long enough to transition into the real killing tools.
A mid-game Skaven army should usually include:
Your lord
A small disposable frontline
Several weapons teams
Artillery
Magic support
Monster or elite support if needed
The main point is simple:
Do not build a heroic infantry army.
Build a dirty machine where every unit supports the real killers.
Do Not Sleep on Skavenslaves
Skavenslaves are more useful than they look.
They are available from basic settlement recruitment, they are cheap, and they can be recruited quickly. This makes them useful as disposable bodies, especially early on.
They are not good troops, but they do not need to be.
Their job is to exist, die, slow the enemy, and be replaced.
Because Skaven can often recruit them easily, losing Skavenslaves is not a disaster. If they buy time for your damage dealers, they did their job.
That is the Skaven way.
Early Technology Tip
One thing beginners may miss is that Skaven technology often requires certain buildings before you can start researching parts of the tech tree.
For example, you may want to build early military infrastructure that unlocks useful technology. Once the technology is unlocked and researched, you may be able to remove the building later if you no longer need it.
This can help you access early improvements for clanrats, Skavenslaves, upkeep reduction, and recruitment cost reduction.
The main lesson is: check your technology requirements early so you do not accidentally delay important research.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Now let’s go through the biggest mistakes new Skaven players make.
Mistake 1: Treating Clanrats Like Elite Infantry
Clanrats are not elite infantry.
They are better than Skavenslaves, but that does not make them proper frontline powerhouses.
Their job is to hold long enough for your weapons teams, artillery, magic, and monsters to do the real work.
If you expect clanrats to win infantry duels against better troops, you will be disappointed.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Food
Food is not a small bonus mechanic.
It is central to how Skaven campaigns work.
Watch your food counter. Try to keep your food income positive. If your food is dropping badly, you need to fix the problem before your empire starts suffering.
Do not expand recklessly if your food economy cannot support it.
Mistake 3: Expanding Too Fast
Skaven are powerful, but they can punish greedy expansion.
If you take too many settlements too quickly, your food supply and public order can become a problem.
A better approach is to move into an area, secure it, build it up, defend it, and then expand again.
The Skaven can snowball, but careless expansion can hurt you.
Mistake 4: Forgetting Defensive Buildings
Defensive buildings matter.
They can improve settlement survivability and give you access to useful defensive tools. In Skaven settlements, defensive structures can also support the kind of dirty defensive playstyle the faction is good at.
If you are expanding into dangerous territory, do not leave your settlements completely exposed.
A weak-looking settlement with the right army hiding nearby can become excellent bait.
Mistake 5: Forgetting Undercities
Do not overuse undercities, but do not ignore them either.
Use spare heroes, especially engineers, to spread undercities far and wide. Ideally, you want some undercities beyond your immediate conquest path.
This gives you food, income, vision, and long-term pressure.
Just be strategic. Do not make every powerful nearby faction angry if you cannot handle the consequences.
Mistake 6: Not Using Ambush Stance
Ambush stance is critical for Skaven.
Use it to defend settlements.
Use it to bait enemy armies.
Use it to hide your real strength.
Use it to make the enemy walk into bad fights.
Skaven should not be marching around like a normal honourable army. You are rats. Act like it.
Mistake 7: Letting Weapons Teams Get Charged
Your weapons teams are some of your most important damage dealers.
Do not let them get charged.
Your frontline exists to stop that from happening. If your clanrats have to hold the enemy in place while your weapons teams fire into the fight, that is acceptable.
The enemy reaching your Ratling Guns and Jezzails is much worse.
Protect the guns.
Mistake 8: Blocking Line of Sight
Most of your key ranged units need line of sight.
If your own units are in the way, your weapons teams may not fire properly.
Pay attention to the terrain. Look for hills, slopes, gaps, and open firing lanes.
Good Skaven play is not just about having powerful ranged units.
It is about creating the battlefield conditions where those units can actually shoot.
Mistake 9: Ignoring Magic
Magic is very useful for Skaven.
Warlock Engineers, for example, can get Warp Lightning, which is excellent early on. Magic can damage blobs, disrupt enemy formations, and buy more time for your ranged units.
If you are playing Ikit Claw, do not forget about Doomrockets either. They can be extremely powerful when used well.
Magic and abilities are part of the Skaven toolkit. Use them.
Mistake 10: Autoresolving Too Much
Do not autoresolve everything.
Autoresolve can be very harsh on Skaven, especially when your army relies on weapons teams, artillery, positioning, and disposable infantry.
Some battles that look ugly in autoresolve are very winnable manually.
If the game says you are getting a Pyrrhic victory or taking heavy losses, consider fighting the battle yourself. You may get a much better result.
Mistake 11: Fighting Fair
This is the biggest mistake of all.
Do not fight fair.
Use heroes to scout.
Use ambushes.
Use undercities.
Use bait armies.
Use cheap bodies.
Use magic.
Use weapons teams.
Use artillery.
Use every sneaky, unfair tool the faction gives you.
Skaven are not weak because they run away.
They are strong because while one group runs away, three other groups are shooting, stabbing, exploding, poisoning, and summoning rats behind you.
Why Are Skaven Fun?
Skaven are fun because they are chaotic, funny, cruel, and mechanically distinct.
Their mechanics match their lore. Their battles can go wrong in entertaining ways. They reward planning, dirty tricks, and creative problem-solving.
They are great for players who enjoy:
Ambushes
Artillery
Guns
Monsters
Evil comedy
Disposable infantry
Overpowered nonsense with consequences
They are not clean. They are not elegant. They are not honourable.
But they are memorable.
Who Should Play Skaven?
Skaven are good for players who like:
Ranged firepower
Sneaky campaign play
Weird mechanics
Disposable troops
Faction personality
High damage and chaos
Dirty tricks
They are not ideal for players who want:
Honourable infantry lines
Simple cavalry charges
Low-micro battles
Clean formations
Stable frontlines
A faction that behaves sensibly
If you want a disciplined army, play someone else.
If you want a paranoid swarm of gun rats, plague priests, monsters, assassins, and undercity criminals, the Skaven are for you.
Final Verdict
The Skaven are not the easiest faction mechanically. They are a beginner trap if you play them like a normal army.
But once you understand their logic, they become one of the most entertaining factions in Total War: Warhammer 3.
The basic Skaven lesson is simple:
Do not fight fair.
Do not trust your frontline.
Do not expect your rats to behave like brave soldiers.
Use food properly.
Build undercities.
Ambush whenever possible.
Let your weapons teams do the killing.
Let the disposable rats do what disposable rats are there to do.
The Skaven are not about building the best army.
They are about building the worst possible situation for your enemy and then laughing as the rats pour out of the walls.
Want to Play the Skaven Yourself?
If you want to play the Skaven yourself, I recommend checking Green Man Gaming because they often have good discounts on Total War titles.
Total War: Warhammer III — this is the best starting point if you want the current Immortal Empires experience.
Total War: Warhammer II — this gives access to the core Skaven race content.
The Prophet & The Warlock — this is the big DLC to look at if you want Ikit Claw, Ratling Guns, Warplock Jezzails, and the full Skaven mad-science weapons-team fantasy.
Some links are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you purchase through them. This does not cost you extra and helps support Gman Reviews.
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