Zoats

are a monstrous infantry unit introduced in Total War: Warhammer II with The Twisted and the Twilight.
==Recruitment==
*
** Unlocked with: Nimbus-Shrouded Copse or Sacred Pools of Isha
*
** Unlocked with: Moonstone Clearing or Overgrown Sacred Pools
== Description ==
There are few races in the world so mysterious as the Zoats. No one knows how they arrived in the forests of the Old World, why they did so or even what their goals are. Are the Zoats a race unto themselves, or some splinter of the Lizardmen? Perhaps the Slann Mage-Priests know, but on this topic, as on many others, they remain enigmatically silent.
Zoats are powerful wizards, able to tap into the Winds of Magic in an instinctive manner, rather than through study and ritual. Whilst this means that a Zoat will never prove as versatile a wizard as an Elf, or even a Man, their innate control over the lifewind, Ghyran, surpasses all but the most learned High Elf Mages. Indeed, many a Wood Elf Spellsingers will seek out a Zoat in order to learn from it, but as the Elves of Athel Loren find Zoats no less elusive than do other beings, very few succeed in their search.
In the ordinary run of things, Zoats are seldom encountered outside their woodland homes. Indeed, even within such places, it is rare to catch a sight of one. When intruders close or danger threatens, Zoats will rouse the trees and undergrowth to crush and strangle interlopers, rather than take direct action themselves. In this way, Zoats can avoid detection, and even a single such creature can imbue a forest with a reputation so dreadful that even marauding Orcs and rampaging warherds will give the area a wide berth.
Where sorcery alone is not sufficient, the Zoat will leave the shadows to enter the fray personally, knocking the invaders to the ground with sweeping blows. Once prone, the enemy becomes easy prey for creeping roots and vines, which swiftly entangle and throttle them. When eldritch storms erupt upon the world, it is possible to bind Zoats into service and only then will the creatures leave their reclusive forest homes.
== Attributes ==
* Monstrous Beasts
== Bound Spells ==
* Flesh to Stone (2x)
* Earth Blood (2x)
== Strategy ==
A strange jack-of-all-trades unit, Zoats can do a lot of things reasonably well but not amazingly. They're tanky but nowhere near as effective and efficient at line-holding as Tree Kin. They're faster than Treemen but nothing like as resilient and hard-hitting, and in the cavalry department Great Stag Knights are a much better shock option. What sets them apart are their bound spells; regen is incredibly valuable, and opens up the possibility of using your spellcasters for something else. Their anti-large attribute means they're also good for meeting the cavalry and monsters of your enemies with. It's whether all of these generalist qualities are worth the very significant expense over cheaper, more specialised options.
In Warhammer III, they're a good pickup for other factions lacking access to the Lore of Life through the Alliance Outpost mechanic, due to that bound Earth Blood spell.
== Gallery ==
tony-sart-wef-zoat.jpg
Category:Total War: Warhammer II units
Category:The Twisted and the Twilight units
Category:Wood Elves units
Category:Wood Elves monstrous infantry units