Wight King
Hero· Melee Specialist· 1 model at Ultra size
Skill tree →Duel it in the combat calculator →vs Chaos Warriors, the unit the rankings measure against; pick any other there.
Wight King is Vampire Counts and Undead Legions hero: 4,896 HP, armour 90, melee attack 44, melee defence 48, weapon strength 410. It costs 1,000 in the campaign and 600 in multiplayer. Unit key wh_main_vmp_cha_wight_king_0. Patch 9.0.4, from the game's data tables.
Hit Points4,896This determines how many hits a unit can withstand alongside armour and melee defence.Patch 9.0.4 · battle_entities.hit_points, land_units.bonus_hit_points, main_units.num_men · (soldier + mount hit points + bonus hit points) × models
Health
4,896
top 30% of class
Armour90 · shield blocks 55% of small-arms missiles from the front (not artillery)How resistant a unit is to missile fire and melee attacks.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.armour → unit_armour_types.armour_value
Armour
shield blocks 55% of small-arms missiles from the front (not artillery)
90
top 28% of class
Leadership70A unit with high leadership is less likely to rout in the face of danger.
Leadership is improved by experience in battle.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.morale
Leadership
70
top 36% of class
Speed33This is how fast a unit moves.Patch 9.0.4 · battle_entities.run_speed / fly_speed (mount if any) · run or fly speed × 10
Speed
33
bottom 8% of class
Melee Attack44This determines the chance of a successful hit on the enemy when the unit is engaged in melee.
Battle-hardened troops will gain experience through melee, improving this skill.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.melee_attack
Melee attack
44
top 35% of class
Melee Defence48This determines the chance of a unit being hit whilst in melee.
This only works in melee and provides no protection from missiles!Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.melee_defence
Melee defence
48
top 17% of class
Weapon strength410 · 260 base + 150 armour-piercing, +14 vs infantryBase Weapon Damage: Base weapon damageArmour-Piercing Weapon Damage: Armour-piercing weapon damageBonus vs. Infantry: The melee bonus this unit receives when fighting against infantry.Patch 9.0.4 · melee_weapons.damage + ap_damage · base damage + armour-piercing damage
Weapon strength
260 base + 150 armour-piercing, +14 vs infantry
410
top 29% of class
Charge Bonus15This increases a unit's melee attack and damage when charging.Patch 9.0.4 · land_units.charge_bonus
Charge bonus
15
bottom 4% of class
Attributes
- Causes Fear
This unit frightens all enemy units, reducing their leadership when nearby. It is also immune to fear. Fear penalties do not stack.
- Encourage
This unit provides a leadership bonus to nearby allies. Units within range of both the Lord's aura and an encouraging unit will receive the larger of the two bonuses.
- Hide (forest)
This unit can hide in forests until enemy units get too close.
- Undead
Undead units cannot be routed, but take damage when their Leadership is broken. Undead units also have: Fear and Terror Immunity Undead units may also have their hit points restored by special characters such as the Vampire Counts Necromancer.
Abilities
- WoundsHex · -10% Speed, -20% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage…passiveWoundsHex-10% Speed-20% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage-20% Base Weapon DamagePassiveEven the greatest foes can be laid low with terrible injuries, and the greater the damage done, the less able they will be to effectively continue the fray.
- Foe-SeekerAugment · +25% Charge Speed, +25% SpeedactiveFoe-SeekerAugment+25% Charge Speed+25% SpeedCooldown 60 s · Duration 25 sThere are those who wish nothing more than to be at the heart of battle, seeking foes to vanquish.
- Heroic Killing BlowAugment · +50% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage, +50% Base Weapon DamageactiveHeroic Killing BlowAugment+50% Armour-Piercing Weapon Damage+50% Base Weapon DamageCooldown 90 s · Duration 25 sThere are powerful beings who can decapitate a dragon or plunge a sword into the heart of a griffon in one mighty strike.
- CrumblingDirect Damage · Causes damage to selfpassiveCrumblingDirect DamageCauses damage to selfPassiveThe dead do not rest easily in the Old World. Those summoned by Vampires and Necromancers no longer have mortal concerns - they serve only their master's will.
- DisintegratingDirect Damage · Causes severe damage to selfpassiveDisintegratingDirect DamageCauses severe damage to selfPassiveThe Dark Magic binding has failed. Both flesh and Necromantic energy slough off the subjects, leaving naught but dust.
Counters
Good against
- Infantry-sized units — bonus vs infantry 14e.g. Exalted Plaguebearers of Nurgle, Blessed Temple Guard, Zombie Pirate Deckhand Mob · Vampire Counts: Zombies, Grave Guard
- Units with physical resistance — magical melee attackse.g. Syreens, Sisters of the Thorn, Doomfire Warlocks · Vampire Counts: Hexwraiths, Cairn Wraiths
Vulnerable to
- Bonus vs infantry — infantry-sizede.g. Doom-Flayers, War Mammoth, Feral Mammoth · Vampire Counts: Coven Throne, Black Coach
Computed from base unit-card values (no skills, items or abilities), one rule per line; examples are units with the most of that trait. How counters are worked out · Try it in the combat calculator
Patch changes
Wight King skill tree
31 skills, line by line as the game lays them out. Hover a skill for the rank it unlocks at and its effects at each level.
- Barded Skeletal SteedBarded Skeletal SteedUnlocks at rank 4
- Mount: Barded Skeletal Steed
- Grave WardGrave WardUnlocks at rank 8
- Missile resistance: 10%
- ImmortalityImmortalityUnlocks at rank 20
- When normally killed in action, this Hero will be wounded instead
- MentorMentorUnlocks at rank 30 · 3 levelsLevel 1
- Character will share +15% of experience earned between all other active Heroes of the same type
- Character will share +30% of experience earned between all other active Heroes of the same type
- Character will share +50% of experience earned between all other active Heroes of the same type
- Martial AuthorityMartial AuthorityUnlocks at rank 12
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 2
- Character's aura leadership effect: +5
- Leadership aura size: +25%
- Ancient BulwarkAncient Bulwark
- Armour: +15
- Hit points: +10%
- Champion of RuinChampion of Ruin
- Assault Unit action: Additional 20% damage caused
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 20% casualties inflicted
- Hero action success chance: +10%
- Master of the ShieldMaster of the Shield
- Melee defence: +10
- Missile block chance: +15%
- Terror of the BarrowsTerror of the Barrows
- Ability: "Heroic Killing Blow"
- Attribute: Causes Terror
- Blade MasterBlade Master
- Melee attack: +5
- Devastating ChargeDevastating Charge3 levelsLevel 1
- Charge bonus: +6
- Charge bonus: +16
- Charge bonus: +30
- Thick-SkinnedThick-Skinned3 levelsLevel 1
- Armour: +3
- Armour: +8
- Armour: +15
- Hard to HitHard to Hit3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee defence: +3
- Melee defence: +7
- Melee defence: +12
- Deadly BladeDeadly Blade3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee attack: +3
- Melee attack: +7
- Melee attack: +12
- Foe-SeekerFoe-Seeker
- Ability: "Foe-Seeker"
- Wound-MakerWound-Maker3 levelsLevel 1
- Weapon strength: +5%
- Weapon strength: +12%
- Weapon strength: +20%
- Scarred VeteranScarred Veteran3 levelsLevel 1
- Hit points: +3%
- Hit points: +8%
- Hit points: +15%
- IndomitableIndomitable3 levelsLevel 1
- Leadership: +4
- Leadership: +8
- Leadership: +12
- Blade ShieldBlade Shield3 levelsLevel 1
- Melee defence: +3
- Melee defence: +7
- Melee defence: +12
- Deadly OnslaughtDeadly Onslaught
- Ability: "Deadly Onslaught"
- Ceaseless WardenCeaseless WardenUnlocks at rank 14
- Passive ability: "Guardian"
- Enemy Hero action success chance: -25% (enemy characters in region)
- The Undead FireThe Undead FireUnlocks at rank 14
- Passive ability: "Frenzy"
- Bonus vs Infantry: +20
- The Undead EdgeThe Undead EdgeUnlocks at rank 14
- Armour-piercing weapon damage: +3 for Grave Guards units (Hero's army)
- Enables magical attacks for Grave Guards units (Hero's army)
- Assault FormationAssault FormationUnlocks at rank 5 · 3 levelsLevel 1
- Unlocks Hero action: Assault Formation
- Unlocks Hero action: Assault Formation
- Assault Formation action: melee attack is increased by an additional 2
- Unlocks Hero action: Assault Formation
- Assault Formation action: melee attack is increased by an additional 4
- Deathly GuardDeathly GuardUnlocks at rank 5 · 3 levelsLevel 1
- Unlocks Hero action: Deathly Guard
- Unlocks Hero action: Deathly Guard
- Deathly Guard action: melee defence is increased by an additional 2
- Unlocks Hero action: Deathly Guard
- Deathly Guard action: melee defence is increased by an additional 4
- TrainingTraining3 levelsLevel 1
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 10%
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 20%
- Training action: Unit experience gain is increased by an additional 30%
- Spread ControlSpread Control3 levelsLevel 1
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 1
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 2
- Spread Control action: Control is modified by an additional 3
- Assault GarrisonAssault Garrison3 levelsLevel 1
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 5% casualties inflicted
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 15% casualties inflicted
- Assault Garrison action: Additional 30% casualties inflicted
- WoundWound3 levelsLevel 1
- Wound action: Additional 5% chance of wounding target
- Wound action: Additional 12% chance of wounding target
- Wound action: Additional 21% chance of wounding target
- Assault UnitsAssault Units3 levelsLevel 1
- Assault Units action: Additional 3% casualties inflicted
- Assault Units action: Additional 8% casualties inflicted
- Assault Units action: Additional 15% casualties inflicted
- SpecialistSpecialist3 levelsLevel 1
- Hero action cost: -10%
- Hero action success chance: +1%
- Hero action cost: -20%
- Hero action success chance: +3%
- Hero action cost: -40%
- Hero action success chance: +6%
Every version of Wight King
2 units share this name across races (mounts, race versions, renown or faction variants). Differences from the first row are highlighted.
| Version | HP | Models | Armour | Lead. | Speed | MA | MD | WS | Charge | Cost | Upkeep | Unit key |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampire Counts, Undead LegionsMelee Specialist | 4,896 | 1 | 90 | 70 | 33 | 44 | 48 | 410 | 15 | 1,000 | 250 | wh_main_vmp_cha_wight_king_0 |
| Vampire Counts, Undead LegionsMelee Specialist | 5,268 | 1 | 110 | 70 | 72 | 44 | 48 | 410 | 35 | 1,200 | 300 | wh_main_vmp_cha_wight_king_2 |
Who can field it
- Undead Legions · Host of Nagash
- Vampire Counts · The Drakenhof Conclave
Custom Battle lists factions under each race; every faction of a race fields that race's units (units_custom_battle_permissions rows of any of its factions). The name after the race is the faction the army builder uses.
The game also has 3 summoned or scripted copies of this unit that no building or mercenary pool recruits (wh3_dlc29_vmp_cha_wight_king_barded_nightmare_summoned, wh_main_vmp_cha_wight_king_0_summoned, wh_main_vmp_cha_wight_king_1).
Where these numbers come from
Read from the game's database tables for patch 9.0.4 (main_units, land_units, battle_entities, melee_weapons, projectiles…) as published in the WH3-Dump export (commit 099796e8). Formulas that turn table values into card values are checked against known units before they are shown — how we verify.