When creating your own custom gang and characters in Necromunda: Underhive Wars, you’re given the option of choosing from five different classes. Here’s our character creation and class guide to help you out.
Note: For more information about Necromunda: Underhive Wars, you can check out our guides and features hub.
Necromunda: Underhive Wars – Character creation and classes guide
Many of the concepts have already been discussed in our previous Necromunda: Underhive Wars gang creation and houses guide. Moving forward, it’s time for us to take a look at the custom characters and their classes. Bear in mind that the five pre-determined classes in the game — Deadeye, Brawler, Heavy, Saboteur, and Lay-Mechanic — will still be available regardless of the house you chose, though there are some slight differences due to the stat boosts you receive.
Note: You can select pre-made characters for your gang or you can start from scratch. If you pick the latter, you can recruit fighters of varying ranks/levels (the higher the level, the higher the cost in credits).
The leader
Before you can create the rest of your squad, you’ll first need to create a leader. The leader is a special type of character in Necromunda: Underhive Wars, one who has access to multiple squad-based skills. Remember that each squad you form in your gang requires a leader.
Examples of skills include Heroic: Rally (removes all debuffs for all allies within range; increases stun and stress resistance), Heroic: Call to Arms (increases critical hit resistance of all allies within range), and Lead Through Pain (a self-buff that increases your defenses and evasion if the leader is gravely wounded). Don’t worry because leaders can still choose from any of the five classes.
One particular leader skill remained helpful as I continued to play various operations/missions. It’s Heroic: Barrage (attack thrice with your weapon; can select up to three targets; +25% ranged penetration; can be used once per turn). My chosen leader was a Deadeye (similar to Tessera in Necromunda: Underhive Wars‘ campaign), so Heroic: Barrage combined with the Deadeye class’ penchant for ranged combat boosts meant I could snipe and drop one hostile each turn provided that all three shots land.
Note: You’ll be able to promote other units to have the leader designation and access to leader skills as long as they’re level 5 or higher. You’re also allowed up to three leaders in your entire gang. However, only one is allowed in your main “crew” at any given time. This means that you could start with a Deadeye leader and, much later, promote a Heavy leader or Brawler leader if you want to experiment. However, you’ll need to place your previous leader on the reserve team (right-click on a character and pick Res1 or Res2).
Traits
Next, you’ll need to take a look at the traits of your created characters. There are three groupings with multiple options, though you can only select one from each grouping:
| Physical Trait | Mental Trait | Martial Trait |
| Resilient – +3 toughness/max toughness | Clever – +3 intelligence/max intelligence | Calculated – +3 accuracy/max accuracy |
| Athletic – +3 strength/max strength | Curious – +1 willpower/max willpower; +1 intelligence/max intelligence; +1 alertness/max alertness | Disciplined – +3 melee prowess/max melee prowess |
| Healthy – +1 agility/max agility; +1 strength/max strength; +1 toughness/max toughness | Observant – +3 alertness/max alertness | Focused – +3 ranged aptitude/max ranged aptitude |
| Agile – +3 agility/max agility | Stoic – +3 willpower/max willpower | Protean – +1 melee prowess/max melee prowess; +1 ranged aptitude/max ranged aptitude; +1 accuracy/max accuracy |
From the get-go, you’ll realize that traits will greatly determine how you build your characters in Necromunda: Underhive Wars. Here are some examples:
- Brawler class (melee combat-focused) – Athletic, Observant, and Disciplined.
- Deadeye class (ranged combat-focused/sniper) – Agile, Clever, and Focused.
Note 1: I’ve mostly avoided toughness as an attribute due to its effects (increased healing and defense against crits). These effects are, in my opinion, not as useful as the other defensive-oriented stats in Necromunda: Underhive Wars.
Note 2: As you complete the operations/sandbox mode in Necromunda: Underhive Wars, characters will start developing a virtue, vice, and talent (roughly anywhere past level 5). These are buffs (or debuffs) that are specific to a character. However, I’m not exactly sure what influences the particular perk. For instance, my Heavy character had “Lucky Striker” (a critical hit for the first melee attack in a battle) even though it never attacked via melee before.
Deadeye class
- Role: Sniper
- Default weapon: Lasgun (Escher and Orlock); Autogun (Goliath).
- Signature Skill: Ascension – 15 AP; uses the grapnel to reach higher areas on the battlefield; does not trigger ambush or overwatch.
- Career Skill 1: Grapnel Armor – +65% protection against all damage to the left arm.
- Career Skill 2: Mono-sight: -5 AP cost for overwatch.
- Stat boosts: +4 alertness/max alertness, accuracy/max accuracy, and ranged aptitude/max ranged aptitude.
Ideally, Deadeyes in Necromunda: Underhive Wars should have the highest ranged aptitude, accuracy, and intelligence stats. After all, even if a character is rarely getting close to other foes, it’s next to useless if they’re a clumsy marksman.
Here are some active skills and passives you can pick up:
| Active Skill | Passive Skill |
| Field Scan – +25% ranged precision and bypass ranged evasion | Height Advantage – +15% ranged critical damage if you’re at a higher elevation than your targets |
| Trick Shot – Shoot twice using your weapon; can select up to two different targets; shots have a -15% hit chance penalty | Egress – Ascension can be used while engaged (15 AP cost); this lets you get away from any melee fighters that have your Deadeye locked down |
Heavy class
- Role: Fire support and barricade destruction
- Default weapon: Autocannon (Escher and Orlock); Lascannon (Goliath).
- Signature Skill: Heavy Barrage – 30 AP; an overwatch-type skill where you lay down fire on all enemies that move for three meters within the affected zone.
- Career Perk 1: Heavy Ordnance – +200% damage vs. destructible elements (i.e., barricades).
- Career Perk 2: Weapons Expert – -5 AP cost for Field Repair (fixes jammed weapons).
- Stat boosts: +4 toughness/max toughness, intelligence/max intelligence, and ranged aptitude/max ranged aptitude.
The Heavy class is actually decent to have in Necromunda: Underhive Wars due to its capabilities. Just remember that the autocannon can be quite atrocious in terms of accuracy, so make sure that you’re boosting that stat as well as ranged aptitude. One more thing: the Heavy class is restricted to having either the Resilient or Athletic physical traits.
Anyway, some skills you can obtain include:
| Active Skill | Passive Skill |
| Shredding Frenzy – Attack three times with your weapon; can select up to three different targets; shots have a -50% hit chance penalty | Reinforce – -15% AP cost of Shoot and Heavy Barrage after using Field Repair or Tune-up; these effects are for the House Escher variant of this passive skill |
| Aura: Precision – +25% melee precision and ranged precision; lasts until the end of the battle or until the aura is changed | Heavy-Footed – -15% AP cost of Shoot; -20 maximum movement points |
Lay-Mechanic class
- Role: Utility support and builder
- Default weapon: Rivet Cannon and fists/no weapon (all houses).
- Signature Skill: Tinker – 10 AP; repair health dispensers and ziplines; permanently shut down sabotaged control stations.
- Career Perk 1: Servo-Arm – +45% protection against all damage to the left arm.
- Career Perk 2: Strongarm – -5 AP cost for disengage.
- Stat boosts: +4 intelligence/max intelligence, strength/max strength, and melee prowess/max melee prowess.
I find that the Lay-Mechanic class can be beneficial in a few cases during your Necromunda: Underhive Wars missions. Sure, they’re sort of a hybrid class in that they have their Rivet Cannon (medium-range weapon) while equipping another weapon in their other hand. At the same time, I have them scurrying around early in a mission to repair ziplines and drop a health dispenser. These objects allow me to have improved control over the battlefield, though the utility itself won be on the same level as pure, raw damage output from other classes.
Here are some skills you can pick up:
| Active Skill | Passive Skill |
| Build: Health Dispenser – Creates a health dispenser that squadmates can use to recover 75 HP | Revved Up – -5 AP cost of any build skill (House Escher variant); activates after using Strike, Shoot, or Machine Strike |
| Hydraulic Slam – A melee attack with the Servo-Arm; does +100% damage with 25% melee penetration and melee precision | Machine Spirit – +5% critical hit chance with active weapons; activates after using Field Repair, Reload, or Anointed Armaments; lasts 10 turns |
Saboteur class
- Role: Grenadier and trapper
- Default weapon: Dual Hand Flamers (Escher and Goliath); Hand Flamer (1H) and fists/no weapon (Orlock).
- Signature Skill: Sabotage – 10 AP; can disable ziplines and health dispensers; can rig a control station to create a hazard zone/trap.
- Career Perk 1: Explosive Bracing – +10% protection against impact damage to the torso, arms, and legs.
- Career Perk 2: Carrier – -5 AP cost for carrying objects.
- Stat boosts: +4 agility/max agility, willpower/max willpower, and alertness/max alertness.
Think of the Saboteur class as that annoying fella in Necromunda: Underhive Wars that’ll just create obstacles on the map thanks to hazard zones and various traps. Unfortunately, the Flamer is a pitifully weak weapon. Still, I found the most use out of this class thanks to one of its skills — the Homemade ‘Nade — which makes it a grenade-lobbing machine.
Here are some skills you can grab:
| Active Skill | Passive Skill |
| Homemade ‘Nade – Deals 33-45 damage to enemies within a five-meter radius; 1,000% damage to destructible elements; does not use up any grenade-type consumable | Chain Reaction – -5 AP cost of Homemade ‘Nade and any explosive consumable (House Escher variant); activates after using Field Repair |
| Cryo-fog Capsule – Throwable grenade that causes -5 initiative and -5% damage absorption to all fighters in a five-meter radius | Seasoned Caution – -10 AP cost of Field Repair (House Escher variant); activates after using Cryo-fog Capsule or any trap |
Brawler class
- Role: Melee-focused combatant
- Default weapon: Massive Axe (Escher); Massive Club (Goliath and Orlock).
- Signature Skill: Death from Above – 30 AP; jumps from an elevated height and crashes down on opponents; causes stun effect; can be a little wonky since the command might no longer be there on your next turn.
- Career Perk 1: Armguards – 45% protection against all damage to both arms.
- Career Perk 2: Vigilant – -5 AP cost for ambush (the melee-version of overwatch).
- Stat boosts: +4 melee prowess/max melee prowess, willpower/max willpower, and toughness/max toughness.
Brawlers are a bit iffy to use at times in Necromunda: Underhive Wars. Due to the way the combat flows. Considering all the mechanics involved, getting into the thick of the fray can be very risky. You’ll need to pump up several stats such as agility and willpower (defensive), as well as strength and melee prowess (offensive). Alertness might even be important since it increases your initiative (you can take your turn before your opponents do) and resistance to hits (so you’ll only receive a grazing blow instead of an actual hit). Toughness is probably a pass. As mentioned earlier, it doesn’t do anything beyond boosting healing effects and your defense against crits; you’re better off with the evasion from agility.
Here are some skills you can obtain:
| Active Skill | Passive Skill |
| Chain Hit – Attack twice with your melee weapon; can choose up to two different targets; attacks have a -20% hit chance penalty | Enrage – After getting hit with a melee attack, reduce the cost of Strike by -5 AP (House Escher variant); stacks up to two times |
| Charge – Rush a target; does not trigger stances; perform an attack with +25% crit chance and bypass melee evasion, but with a -10% hit chance penalty | Vengeance – After getting hit with a ranged attack, gain +10% hit resistance; stacks up to three times |
Next up, let’s take a look at the operations and missions in Necromunda: Underhive Wars.
Necromunda: Underhive Wars is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.
