In Warhammer Age of Sigmar, close combat is an important aspect of the game. Units can get in combat in quite a few different ways, most commonly through a charge.

When fighting combat in AOS, players alternate selecting units to fight with, starting with the player whose turn it is.

When a player activates a unit to attack with during the combat phase, all models in that unit that are not in base contact with an enemy may move up to 3″ towards the closest enemy model. This is called “Piling In”.

Piling in a great way to get as much models in attack range, but it can be used for a whole lot more than just getting a few more axes in range to swing.

In this article, I will discuss the different uses for piling in and what you have to look out for. We will discuss the following:

The rules of Piling in

Getting the most attacks in

Reducing damage taken

Staying in range of buffs

Engaging enemy units

Screening objectives

Preparing for a retreat

The rules of Piling In

The rules on piling in in the 4-page rule book:

“When you pile in, you may move each model in the unit up to 3″ towards the closest enemy model. is will allow the models in the unit to get closer to the enemy in order to attack them”

In various FAQs there have been some more specifications to the rules:

A unit is in close combat when it is within 3″ of an enemy unit or if it has charged earlier that turn.

Models can move around enemy models during their pile in, as long as they end their move closer to the closest enemy model.

All models must end their pile in move within 1″ of another model in their unit. If this is not possible no model can pile in.

Getting as many attacks in as possible

The first and most logical thing to consider is how you can get as much of your models in attack range as possible.

To maximise the number of attacks you need to think the range of your weapons, the size of your bases, how many turns you expect to be in combat and the dead enemy models your opponent might remove.

Getting in combat

Planning the pile in starts with the movement and charge phase, the larger the unit, the more important it is to prepare. When planning your pile in there are a few things to consider.

Are there enemy units I do not want to engage with

How exposed will my unit be after the pile in

What is my weapon range

What is my opponent’s weapon range

Piling in is all about weighing your damage output against that of your opponent. Sometimes it is better to hold back a little bit so that you will suffer a lot less.

Due to the positioning of my opponents Mournghoul, I cannot pile in more of my Saurus guards without engaging the Mournghoul as well. This way I prevent the Mournghoul from attacking by sacrificing the attacks of two of my models, saving a lot more.

Weapon range & Special models

Some units are allowed to have special models that are better at combat than the rest of the unit. Quite often these are a big source of your damage output.

Before your charge and pile in, you should be aware of where you want them to end up.

When you are fighting one enemy unit with multiple of your own, you should make sure that your special models have targets even if your opponent removes casualties from an earlier activation.

When your special models have a longer weapon range, you can try to pile them in up to their maximum attack range so that their buddies can stand in front of them, allowing them to attack as well.

Removing enemy models

When piling in, you should always consider what would happen if your opponent gets to remove casualties.

When your models are stretched too thin or just within 3″ of another unit, you could get stuck in combat without being able to attack with most of your models.

This is especially important when you are fighting enemies with larger bases.

Because I really want to kill the Mournghul, I decided to charge as many models on it as I could. If I activate my Ripperdactyls first and kill the Mournghul, I will not be able to pile in with most of my Saurus Guards due to the distance towards the skeletons. If I activate my Saurus Guards first and do not kill the Mournghul, it will mostlikely destroy my Ripperdactyls. It would have been a lot better if I had kept my Saurus guards a bit closer to the Skeletons so I that I can still pile towards the Mournghul without being too far from the Skeletons if it died.

Preparing for future turns

Whatever you do, you should always be aware of how your opponent could respond to your actions in their future turns. With combat, this is especially tricky since you are stuck in it until the combat is over or if a unit retreats.

When you pile in your should keep an eye out for possibly enemy charges. The best way to do this is by simply looking at their threat range if you do not want to get charged by a certain unit, don’t make it easier for them.

Both my Ripperdactyls as my opponents Mournghul in range to charge if any of our models pile to close. Because it is my turn, I am able to that I position my Ripperdactyls so that if the Mournghull charges my Saurus guards, I can easily counter charge him for some devastating damage.

You can also use the pile in to get closer to your next target, this is a bit trickier since you can not pile in if you are already in base contact but it can be very useful!

Unit coherency

All models must always end their move within 1″ of another model in the unit. If this is not possible, the unit may not move at all.

Because models must always pile towards the closest enemy model but cannot break coherency, you can stop a unit from piling in by sandwiching it with two other units.

It is important to keep this in mind when piling around enemy units. The more spread out your unit is, the easier it will become for your opponent to lock your unit down, forcing it to retreat.

By piling all the way around the Skeletons with my Saurus Guards, I was able to kill them put my warriors in an unfortunate, stretched out formation. My opponent smartly took advantage of this by charging my far most Saurus Warrior, stopping them from piling in far enough to inflict any serious damage.

Staying in range of buffs

A lot of armies are dependent on offensive and defensive buffs. When piling in you should always keep the range of your buffs in mind. In a lot of cases, it can be a good idea to refrain from piling in with some of your models so that they stay in range of your buffs.