Nob Leaders
	Squad Leaders for	Slugga Boys Shoota Boys Storm Boys Nob Squads
	Squad Bonuses	+150 morale	+2 morale regen
	Cost	75/25
	Build times	25 sec
	Armour class	900hp marine armour 1000hp (Tougher Bosses: +100hp) 1100hp (Even Tougher Bosses: +100hp) Terminator Armour Extra Vehicle Armour Research
	Morale	550	breaks for 10 sec
	Weapon details (opens new window)

Nob leaders are the add-on squad leaders for most of your Orky infantry squads. They unlock the moment you have a Pile'O'Gunz and about 2 Waaagh! Towers, assuming your Settlement is still intact. All Nob Leaders are the same, regardless of what squad they're assigned to. Even the flying version that attaches to the Storm Boyz has the same attack and health stats as his ground bound mates.

You add them to your Ork squads almost purely as a means to keep them alive longer. As far as squad leaders go, they don't add that many bonuses to a squad - only 150 morale - oh, and the extra +2 Ork pop that every Nob contributes towards the Mob Bonus. One of these bruisers is generally worth about two or three regular Orks in health and fighting strength. Not that dramatic (compared to say, Aspiring Champions) and their slow, slow build times will often see the entire squad killed off in action before they finish! At the start of a game, a Nob Leader only wears the equivalent of Marine armour. Its not until the end game, when you've researched Extra Vehicle Armour Research at the Mek Shop that this upgrades to Terminator armour.

Nob Leaders start off very powerful in the game, but slowly become more average as Ork works its way up the tiers and upgrades. They do score that powerful Power Klaw early on, but so will every other Nob out there. They're roughly the same as the regular Nobs in a Nob Squad - and some Ork players won't bother adding them to a fully upgraded Nob Squad because they take longer to add then simply reinforcing another Nob, even with the in built Power Klaw.

Still, they're virtually the reason why you'd have Slugga Boys or Storm Boys in the first place. You're really deploying a Nob Leader surrounded by a replaceable meat shield. Compared to other light infantry, a big fellah like this is a huge attachment for "light infantry" squad. Storm Boys that lose their Nob Leaders usually have scant moments to live, and Sluggas and Shoota Boys often survive because there's only a battered Nob Leader left to keep them in the game.

More Dakka: +15% ranged attack

Even More Dakka: +20% ranged attack (total +38%)

Tougher Bosses: +100 hp

Even Tougher Bosses: +100 hp

More Choppy: Power Klaw upgrade

Extra Vehicle Armour: grants Terminator armour!

Adds +150 morale to the squad
Adds +2 Ork pop to your mob's Morale Bonus

Good melee and bullet soak

The equivalent of three Ork Boyz for only 2 Ork pop

Gains early Power Klaws from the More Choppy Upgrade

Uses 2 Ork pop
Slow to reinforce - sometimes you can lose the entire squad before he has time to appear

Expensive, requiring a good chunk of power early in the game

Not available to Tankbustas or Flash Gitz

Setup times for Power Klaws

	Nob Squad Details
	Squad	5-10 Nobs + Nob Leader + Boss	+10 Power Klaws
	Cost	250/75 base squad	45/10 to reinforce 40/20 per Power Klaw
	Build times	25 seconds to build	7.5 seconds to reinforce
	Armour class	650 hp Marine armour 865 hp ('Eavy Boy Armour: +33% hp) 1150 hp (Super 'Eavy Boy Armour: +33% hp) Terminator Armour Extra Vehicle Armour Research
	Morale	600 Breaks at 150	broken for at least 10 sec
	Weapon details (opens new window)

Once you're able to produce Nob Squads, there's a pretty good chance you'll be relying on them as a mainstay for your Ork horde. Its rare to find a situation where you won't be using them. These huge hulking fellows don’t really have any real weaknesses, other than they are slow moving, close combat specialists. They act as as both bulldozers and bullet soaks. Fully decked out, a squad of 10 Nobs, Nob Leader and a Boss can have anything up to 12,000-15,000 hp and can pretty much pulverise most opponents one on one.

They score lots of upgrades along with the regular Boyz to become arguably one of the strongest squads in the game. But this isn't too surprising, because you find yourself pouring huge amounts of time and resources into building them up. You can auto-reinforce them and keep them in a massive fight for ages - but only if you don't mind going bankrupt doing so.

There are drawbacks. The main one is that they're hard capped at only two squads, although most opponents would hardly call that a drawback! Many other races' elite squads hard capped at just one. Both Nob Squads, fully kitted out, will take around 40% of your entire Orky pop cap, and costs you dearly in Requisition, Power and Time. - a a whopping 950/350 per squad and about 3 minutes to fully tool up for each squad. They also take ages to build at the Boyz Hut, and often get in the way of building other essential units, such as Tankbustas – which, by mid game, are mandatory when walkers and vehicles are flattening your Orky buildings.

While they might be über, they - like all heavy infantry - are still susceptible to plasma weapons and focused anti-infantry fire. While a wall of Nobs and Power Klaws can smash through most things, their slow moving speed can still see them cut down under heavy fire. They tend to attract the enemy’s attention more than other units (apart from Flash Gitz) and since there's usually only one or two squads, that heavy fire is most likely going to be focused and coming from many different squads. You will still need to provide covering fire or disruptive support - or else watch your Nobs die horribly and expensively in front of you. Ork players can use weaker Shoota Boy squads, Tankbustas and Flash Gitz to provide covering fire knowing that the Nobs have well and truly gotten in the way. Nobs work very well with Wartrakks, since they’re tough enough to survive the collateral damage from all those Bomb Chuckas.

More Dakka: +15% ranged attack

'Eavy Boy Armour: +33% hp

More Choppy: +35% melee attack

Even More Dakka: +20% ranged attack (total +38%)

Super 'Eavy Boy Armour: +33% hp (total +77.2%)

Orky Fort Add-On: Power Klaws

Extra Vehicle Armour: Terminator Armour

Solid close combat unit and bullet soak for the Boyz

Useful against everything.

Power Klaws effectively triple their attack against just about everything.

Resistant to most of those devastating early spells

A fully formed Nob Squad gives itself its own Mob bonus

Can auto-reinforce to stay in a fight for ages - provided you're not auto-reinforcing Power Klaws

Expensive. But you get what you pay for!

Adding just one Power Klaw takes a full 10 seconds.

Power Klaws have a 1 second set up time!

A fully reinforced Nob Squad with Nob Leader and attached Boss almost takes up a quarter of your Ork Population cap!

Even with all upgrades, still be inadequate on their own: Nobs need ranged support.

Vulnerable to plasma and massed, focus fire.

	Flash Git Details
	Squad	3-7 Gitz + Boss
	Cost	210/30 base squad	70/10 to reinforce
	Build times	25 seconds to build	7.5 seconds to reinforce
	Armour class	450 hp Marine armour
	Morale	500 Breaks at 50	broken for at least 10 sec
	Weapon details (opens new window)

In the early versions of the original Dawn of War, Orks had a pretty tough time of it surviving Tier 3, let alone lasting long enough in the game to make it there in the first place. Happily, most of the balance issues that gimped Ork in the late game were largely resolved by the Winter Assault expansion (or at least, by version 1.41). But Orks really came into their own with the Dark Crusade expansion, which saw them gaining a truly awesome squad of units: the Flash Gitz.

Flash Gitz are house proud and vain Nob level Shoota Boys. They're armed with their own Boss-like Kustom Shootas - big, splashy guns that inflict ridiculous amounts of damage with a corresponding display of fireworks to go with it. They become available in the Boyz Hut after you've built the Orky Fort Add-On and hit Tier 3. Gitz are a Nob "Lite", lacking health and armour but more than compensating for it in damage output. Their Kustom Shootas do double the damage of a regular Shoota Boy's Big Shoota. They can mow down a huge amount of enemies, and even left on their own in the field, they'll give most opponents pause.

Seriously, Flash Gitz are that good. So much so, that most players I use them against are adamant that they're horrendously overpowered and they seem to break the morale of opposing players faster than the morale of their units!

While its arguable that they might indeed be a tad overcharged, underneath all that fire and bluster is a Nob that has the armour and health of an upgraded Space Marine. Flash Gitz do not receive any Orky armour or close combat upgrades, and you can't attach a Nob Leader to them, either. Their ability to fight hand to hand is woeful, at best. They're susceptible to any area effect spells that would decimate the smaller Boyz, and while most lone units or enemies are hard pressed getting near them, they can get utterly smashed by a Harlequin or taken out by the Grey Knights. They rule the field against other infantry, but no more so than a wall of Space Marines armed with Heavy Bolters or Plasma. They still get wiped out by vehicles and walkers, disappear under artillery, and aren't that crash hot against buildings - even though they more ranged damage than most other Ork guns.

Nevertheless, Flash Gitz render Shoota Boys obsolete in Tier 3, and only a fool refuses to use them.

More Dakka: +15% ranged attack

Even More Dakka: +15% ranged attack (total +32%)

Everyone else you use them against are convinced they're stupidly overpowered hahaha

Can pretty much hold their own in most situations

Lethal against anything on two legs

Actually quite brittle: a full squad on its own has less health than a Shoota Boy squad

Hard capped to 2 squads

has no Nob Leader

Doesn't receive any Armour upgrades

Hopeless in close combat

Not that crash hot against vehicles or buildings

10 second reinforce time