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OrcsConcept

Orcs concept drawings

Goblins and Orcs are known as "Greenskins". Orcs are big bulky humanoids with great strength and vitality. Their culture is violent and revolves around combat and proving their worth. Brute strength and combat prowess is highly valued among them. "The weak must fear the strong." - that would be their motto if they could care about it. But all they care about is fighting.

Political and Social Structure[]

Most orcs live in nomadic clans. A typical clan is commanded by a single Orc - the strongest, the meanest, and the biggest one in the clan. The rest of the Orcs obey him without question - unless someone feels strong enough to challenge him to a fight. Successions are usually in the form of armed combat and often bloody. Infighting between clans is common - constantly producing skilled fighters. The constant raiding and small scale skirmishes are seen as normal. Young Orcs often raid civilized settlements to prove themselves and bring back weapons and tools as their own metalwork is very crude. Even so other races are seen as inferior as true power between Orcs reside in Orc fist - there is little need for a fancy spoil or weak slaves. But this slowly changes.

Orc 01
The Orcish War Camp is where the Warlord resides. He often has many Warriors under his command. Beware his wrath.
Orc 02
Typical Orc Camp. Even in small numbers Orcs are a dangerous enemy.
Some really powerful Orcs who gain experience fighting human kingdoms or goblin cities start erecting permanent strongholds. Usually they are made from wood and earth. It's not a rare sight to see slaves grow food or tend to livestock nearby. Sometimes - more often than not - the slaves are livestock themselves as Orcs eat everything.
Orc 03
Orcish Stronghold. The crude markings show the signs of subdued clans.
Orc 04
Fortified Orc Camp made by an aspiring Warlord.
Orcs are not easy neighbors. The state of constant fighting sometimes pushes defeated ones into civilized nations territory. Sometimes they are small band of raiders, sometimes they are a bunch of exiles, sometimes the entire clan moves to slaughter and pillage.
Orc 05
Orc Camp, erected in the ruins of a human castle.

Military Structure[]

The military structure of Orcs is rather simple: the strong rule and the weak obey.

On top reside the Warlords. They are the strongest and most cunning Orcs. Big and heavily armored, not only are they proficient in melee combat but can also easily intimidate enemies and boost the morale of their forces by the use of their voice. Often accompanied by Orc Warriors, Warlords are a true challenge and possibly the strongest enemy in the universe.

Orc Warriors are experienced fighters. They are the strongest and biggest Orcs with the best weapons and armor available. They easily push lesser Orcs or other races around by breaking enemy formations. No wonder that many Orc Warriors are seen as the pinnacle of foot soldiers. They are the pillar of every Clan, Tribe, or Horde.

Berserkers are Orcs who aspire to achieve great status or improve their martial skills. Often excluded from normal orc structure, they form bonds outside their clans with other similar individuals. As they lack resources and status to become Warriors, they concentrate on improving their skills by any means necessary. Their fighting skills are unmatched and they are cunning enemies that are not afraid of death. They often fight with no armor showing off their bodies' scars and marks of defeated enemies.

The rest are called Orc Young - no matter of their true age. The Young ones are the Orcs with the lowest status but there is a big difference within their ranks; the most crafty and skilled often have a good set of armor and weapons while the lowest often have only a tree branch as their equipment (big and heavy tree branches).

Sometimes a Warlord appears who unites a few clans under his command. These legendary leaders take a title of Khan. There are many anecdotes about them pillaging civilized lands. All of them are about the past.

Military Tactics[]

Orcs are all offense.

A battle usually starts with a strong charge of many Orc Young. As they lack discipline they rely on their impetuousness and physical superiority to stun and throw an enemy into disarray. As prolonged melee is often deadly for light armored Orc Young, some smarter Young use Javelins to provide support. They lack other means to fight at range which a smart commander can utilize at his advantage.

The Berserkers are often used as flanking troops, trying to attack the enemy's rear or flank. As they are dangerous in melee so they should be countered by mass use of ranged weapons. If not killed quickly, they could inflict heavy casualties. Luckily, they are rarely armored.

Orc Warriors enter a battle as the last. They lack the impetuousness of young orcs but they have tremendous staying power. Their armor and bulky bodies grant them resistance from many attacks. They also use their big stature to easily push lesser enemies around by breaking enemy defensive formations. The best counter against them are heavy anti-armor weapons like heavy axes, hammers, and billhooks. Beware, however, Orc Warriors can easily kill given their immense strength. Additionally, they are immune to being stunned.

The Warlord often supports his forces from the rear, using his voice to terrify the enemy and bolster his subordinates. But make no mistake - in melee he is even more heavily armored and dangerous than Orc Warriors.

Orc Young[]

Orc 04 orientation

Orc 04 orientation Lower Orc Young
Hitpoints
125
Melee Skill
60
Ranged Skill
50
Melee Defense
-5
Ranged Defense
-5
Fatigue
150
Resolve
65
Initiative
120
Action Points
9
Fatigue Recovery
25
Experience
250
Cleaver Mastery Cleaver Mastery
Axe Mastery Axe Mastery
Charge Charge Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 52
Charge 4 25 Charge will move the orc next to your brother and possibly stun him if not repelled (has a range of 3 tiles and the height level difference can't be higher than 1). The chance to stun starts at 100% and is reduced by the amount of Melee Defense from shields and Shieldwall.
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Deals 15% moreDamage dealt damage

Tactics

  • The only type of orc who uses a throwing weapon
  • Use spearwall and/or shieldwall or advance yourself to prevent stunning from their Charge. Indomitable on front-line brothers helps absorb the Charge without being stunned
  • Their shields are easily broken and their headarmor is light so axes are strong against them
  • Their low or nonexistant armor renders them very vulnerable to Decapitate after their HP starts dropping
  • Their morale falters quickly, which can be used to induce further morale checks against the entire orc company
Orc 04 orientation Orc Young
Hitpoints
125
Melee Skill
60
Ranged Skill
50
Melee Defense
-5
Ranged Defense
-5
Fatigue
150
Resolve
65
Initiative
120
Action Points
9
Fatigue Recovery
25
Experience
250
Cleaver Mastery Cleaver Mastery
Axe Mastery Axe Mastery
Charge Charge Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 52
Charge 4 25 Charge will move the orc next to your brother and possibly stun him if not repelled (has a range of 3 tiles and the height level difference can't be higher than 1). The chance to stun starts at 100% and is reduced by the amount of Melee Defense from shields and Shieldwall.
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Deals 15% moreDamage dealt damage
  • Gains +5 Ranged skill after day 150

Tactics

  • The only type of orc who uses a throwing weapon
  • Use spearwall and/or shieldwall or advance yourself to prevent stunning from their Charge. Indomitable on front-line brothers helps absorb the Charge without being stunned
  • Their shields are easily broken and their headarmor is light so axes are strong against them
  • Their morale falters quickly, which can be used to induce further morale checks against the entire orc company
  • Focus on the ones armed with head splitters and head choppers

Orc Berserker[]

Orc 03 orientation

Orc 03 orientation Orc Berserker
Hitpoints
250
Melee Skill
70
Melee Defense
5
Ranged Defense
5
Fatigue
200
Resolve
90
Initiative
125
Action Points
9
Fatigue Recovery
35
Experience
350
All Weapon Masteries All WPN Masteries
Berserk Berserk
Rage Rage
Resilient Resilient
Battering Ram Battering Ram
Charge Charge
Pathfinder Pathfinder
Battle Flow Battle Flow
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 52
Charge 4 25 Charge will move the orc next to your brother and possibly stun him if not repelled (has a range of 3 tiles and the height level difference can't be higher than 1). The chance to stun starts at 100% and is reduced by the amount of Melee Defense from shields and Shieldwall.
Settlement effect besieged
Battering Ram Battering Ram gives stun-immunity
Status effect 34
Rage Rage builds up rage-stacks, each rage stack grants +2% Damage Reduction+1 Resolve+1-1 Damage Dealt+1 Initiative, gains 2 rage stacks for each successful attack and 5 for each kill. The user will lose 1 stack on the start of each turn. Maximum damage reduction is 70%.
Status effect 13
Battle Flow Battle Flow lowers accumulated Fatigue by 15% on kill
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Stacking Rage allows them to become nearly unstoppable
  • Deals 20% moreDamage dealt damage
  • Deals 10% moreDamage dealt damage, gains +5 Melee Skill and +5 Resolve after day 190
  • Not affected by injuries

Tactics

  • Good target for nets and Disarm.
  • Spear and shield wall to prevent stunning from charges.
  • Use ranged attacks to kill them before they get to your front lines. Berserkers with two-handed weapons should be the priority, as they can deal more damage than most humanoids in the game.
  • If they come mixed in with other orcs or if they simply do not feel like they can crush you with a head on charge, many of them will attempt to circle around your front line and strike at your back line. Do not lose sight of them.
  • Even though they are immune to the effects of injuries, Berserkers are still affected by Executioner.
  • Try not let them land many hits or more than two kills (on you or allies), a berserker with too many rage-stacks becomes a major threat.
  • Watch your named shields unless you have a Blacksmith, a berserker with a Mansplitter might very well destroy it in a single action.
  • Releasing dogs to stall their movement or distract when already engaged will give them Rage and Morale boosts (and additional Action Points).
  • Using 2 Spiked Impalers allows total control over movement of any Orc Berserker, while depleting their health pool and eventually killing them.

Orc Warrior[]

Orc 02 orientation

Orc 02 orientation Lower Orc Warrior
Hitpoints
200
Melee Skill
70
Melee Defense
-10
Ranged Defense
-10
Fatigue
200
Resolve
75
Initiative
120
Action Points
8
Fatigue Recovery
30
Experience
400
Axe Mastery Axe Mastery
Cleaver Mastery Cleaver Mastery
Resilient Resilient
Battering Ram Battering Ram
Line Breaker Line Breaker
Stalwart Stalwart
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 53
Line Breaker 4 30 Line Breaker will knock a target 1 tile back, never misses and the target suffers 10 Fatigue, removes Shieldwall2 Shieldwall, Spearwall2 Spearwall, Riposte2 Riposte when applied (has a range of 1 tile)
Settlement effect besieged
Battering Ram Battering Ram gives stun-immunity
Perk 18
Stalwart Stalwart gives knockback and grab-immunity
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Deals 10% moreDamage dealt damage

Tactics

  • Will almost always go for advantageous terrain and never go for disadvantageous one
  • Will sometimes hinder itself by not going into disadvantageous terrain, for example, the orc will do everything to not go into murky waters, but everything to stay on the plashy grass in a swamp area, it will lead to some orc "dancing" on 2 tiles and thus do nothing
  • In general, orc warriors have vastly superior health and armor, but normal amount of fatigue and morale, perks such as fearsome and weapons such as maces are very effective at neutralizing orc warrior's effectiveness without killing them, a one-handed Hammer with destroy armor will trigger the fearsome perk (with the 10 damage) and do some good damage to the armor
  • Hammers do most damage to them in general due to their highest armor damage among melee weapons. The capability to soften their armor fast also synergizes well with weapons that do less armor damage
  • 2-handed maces can daze them to reduce their damage
  • Neutralize their push, reduce the number of backline troops and add additional frontline shield troops into the backline in order to rotate archers/pikemen out of the way of orc warriors
  • Backline 2-tile attackers with Quick Hands can immediately switch to more damaging 1-tile 2-handed weapons, if line is breached
  • Spearwalls are extra effective against orcs in general due to their low/negative defense
  • Trying bringing whips in case the situation goes out of control. Orcs in general are very easy to disarm
Orc 02 orientation Orc Warrior
Hitpoints
200
Melee Skill
70
Melee Defense
-10
Ranged Defense
-10
Fatigue
200
Resolve
75
Initiative
120
Action Points
8
Fatigue Recovery
30
Experience
400
Axe Mastery Axe Mastery
Cleaver Mastery Cleaver Mastery
Resilient Resilient
Battering Ram Battering Ram
Line Breaker Line Breaker
Stalwart Stalwart
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack
Shield Bash Shield Bash

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 53
Line Breaker 4 30 Line Breaker will knock a target 1 tile back, never misses and the target suffers 10 Fatigue, removes Shieldwall2 Shieldwall, Spearwall2 Spearwall, Riposte2 Riposte when applied (has a range of 1 tile)
Settlement effect besieged
Battering Ram Battering Ram gives stun-immunity
Perk 18
Stalwart Stalwart gives knockback and grab-immunity
Perk 22
Shield Bash Shield Bash will cause knock back from shields to also inflict 10-25 Damage with 50% Armor Damage in addition to any falling damage and the target gets additional 10Fatigue
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Deals 10% moreDamage dealt damage
  • Deals 10% moreDamage dealt damage, gains +5 Melee Skill after day 200
  • Can become a Status effect 108 Champion (1% Chance)

Tactics

  • Will almost always go for advantageous terrain and never go for disadvantageous one
  • Will sometimes hinder itself by not going into disadvantageous terrain, for example, the orc will do everything to not go into murky waters, but everything to stay on the plashy grass in a swamp area, it will lead to some orc "dancing" on 2 tiles and thus do nothing
  • In general, orc warriors have vastly superior health and armor, but normal amount of fatigue and morale, perks such as fearsome and weapons such as maces are very effective at neutralizing orc warrior's effectiveness without killing them, a one-handed Hammer with destroy armor will trigger the fearsome perk (with the 10 damage) and do some good damage to the armor
  • Hammers do most damage to them in general due to their highest armor damage among melee weapons. The capability to soften their armor fast also synergizes well with weapons that do less armor damage
  • 2-handed maces can daze them to reduce their damage
  • Neutralize their push, reduce the number of backline troops and add additional frontline shield troops into the backline in order to rotate archers/pikemen out of the way of orc warriors
  • Backline 2-tile attackers with Quick Hands can immediately switch to more damaging 1-tile 2-handed weapons, if line is breached
  • Spearwalls are extra effective against orcs in general due to their low/negative defense
  • Trying bringing whips in case the situation goes out of control. Orcs in general are very easy to disarm

Orc Warlord[]

Orc 01 orientation

Orc 01 orientation Orc Warlord
Hitpoints
300
Melee Skill
80
Melee Defense
-10
Ranged Defense
-10
Fatigue
250
Resolve
90
Initiative
125
Action Points
8
Fatigue Recovery
30
Experience
500
Fearsome Fearsome
Axe Mastery Axe Mastery
Cleaver Mastery Cleaver Mastery
Warcry Warcry
Battering Ram Battering Ram
Line Breaker Line Breaker
Shield Bash Shield Bash
Stalwart Stalwart
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack

Equipment

Skills

Icon Name AP Fatigue Description
Active 53
Line Breaker 4 30 Line Breaker will knock a target 1 tile back, never misses and the target suffers 10 Fatigue, removes Shieldwall2 Shieldwall, Spearwall2 Spearwall, Riposte2 Riposte when applied (has a range of 1 tile)
Active 49
Warcry 3 15 Warcry bolsters the Morale and reduces the accumulated Fatigue Fatigue of nearby allies, weakens the Morale of nearby brothers (more likely to work the closer they are to the Orc Warlord)
Settlement effect besieged
Battering Ram Battering Ram gives stun-immunity
Perk 18
Stalwart Stalwart gives knockback and grab-immunity
Perk 22
Shield Bash Shield Bash will cause knock back from shields to also inflict 10-25 Damage with 50% Armor Damage in addition to any falling damage and the target gets additional 10Fatigue
Active 222
Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack 4 5 Orc Hand-to-Hand Attack does 15-30Damage with 70% Armor Damage and 35% Direct Damage

Strengths

  • Deals 35% moreDamage dealt damage
  • Deals 10% moreDamage dealt damage, gains +5 Melee Skill after day 200
  • Can become a Status effect 108 Champion (10% Chance)

Tactics

  • Perfect target for nets and Disarm
  • Use a high resolve brother with Battle Standard (and Rally the Troops Rally the Troops) to avoid morale breaking/fleeing
  • Similarly to orc warriors, two handed hammers and maces are very effective
  • Relies heavily on his armor, making him flee quickly once its broken is possible
  • Will choose a side generally to fight, which can lead to a massive rout once he is dead

Trivia[]

  • In an early version of the game, swamp-dwelling Lizardmen were planned to be implemented instead of Orcs.
  • In build 0.6, Orc Warriors and Berserkers both had -5/-5 Melee/Ranged Defense and are now nerfed to -10/-10. Orc Warlords were previously at 5/-5 Melee/Ranged Defense and are now also at -10/-10 (massive melee defense nerf!). As sell prices of Orc weapons have also increased drastically, this makes the Orcs more attractive targets than before.
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