Escher vs Goliath: Choosing Your First Gang in Necromunda Skirmish
Escher vs Goliath: Choosing Your First Gang in Necromunda Skirmish
If you are starting Necromunda Skirmish through the 2026 Core Set, your first decision is immediate: House Escher or House Goliath? The box contains eight brand-new fighters for each gang, and Games Workshop has deliberately chosen two Houses that feel very different both on the shelf and on the table.
Escher are fast, stylish, flexible, and full of chemical tricks. Goliath are huge, durable, direct, and very comfortable solving problems with industrial equipment and brute force. Neither is objectively the better first gang — they simply reward different instincts. Browse the Core Set, House gangs, Underhive Journals, and accessories in our Necromunda collection at Tistaminis.
Short Answer: Escher or Goliath?
- Choose Escher if you want mobility, toxins, finesse, unusual equipment, flexible specialists, and a gang that rewards positioning.
- Choose Goliath if you want durability, strength, heavy weapons, direct aggression, industrial brutality, and fighters that absorb punishment.
For a completely new player, we give Goliath a slight edge for simplicity. Escher may be more rewarding if you already enjoy movement, combo pieces, and specialized tools.
Escher vs Goliath: Quick Comparison
| Category | House Escher | House Goliath |
|---|---|---|
| Play Style | Fast, technical, flexible | Direct, durable, aggressive |
| Mobility | Excellent | Moderate |
| Durability | Moderate | Excellent |
| Melee | Good, with finesse and specialist tools | Excellent |
| Shooting | Good, with unusual effects | Good, often heavier weapons |
| Chemical / Toxin Play | Excellent | Limited |
| Beginner Friendly | Very Good | Excellent |
| Model Style | Agile, colourful, distinctive | Huge, armoured, industrial |
| Best For | Players who want tricks and positioning | Players who want straightforward pressure |
ESCHER Who Are House Escher?
House Escher are one of Necromunda’s six Great Houses and one of the game’s most visually distinctive gangs. The 2026 Core Set introduces the Blades of the Matriarch — eight new Escher fighters featuring feathers, pelts, bold hairstyles, and the exaggerated high-fashion brutality associated with the House of Blades. Their identity is not just cosmetic.
Escher in One Sentence
They want to choose the fight, control how it happens, and punish opponents who cannot keep up.
Escher’s Biggest Strength: Mobility
Necromunda battlefields are dense, vertical, and full of narrow routes — which makes movement extremely important. A fast gang can reach objectives early, flank slower fighters, escape bad engagements, exploit vertical terrain, and force opponents to split their attention. Escher naturally favour players who ask “Where should this fighter be next turn?” rather than simply “What is the biggest thing I can charge?”
Chemical Identity and Variant Archetypes
House Escher have always been associated with toxins, chems, and biological expertise, and the new edition continues to support that identity. The Underhive Journal: Escher – The House of Blades also introduces two specialized variant gang archetypes — Wyld Hunts and Chymist Cults — each using a more restricted roster in exchange for stronger thematic direction. Beginners do not need these immediately, but they provide meaningful future direction without abandoning the House.
Escher Expansion: Matriarchs and Phyrr Cats
The 2026 range also adds Escher Matriarchs & Phyrr Cats, including a Gang Queen, multiple Gang Matriarchs, and two Phyrr Cat companions. An Escher collection can become visually unusual very quickly — specialized leaders, animal companions, chemical gang builds, and Wyld Hunt themes all become available as the campaign grows.
Escher Weakness: Less Forgiving
Mobility and finesse mean mistakes can hurt more. Expose the wrong fighter to heavy fire or allow a key specialist to get trapped in melee, and Escher generally have less raw durability to fall back on. They reward cover usage, threat awareness, target priority, and keeping specialists alive — which makes them slightly more demanding for a completely new player.
| Escher Pros | Escher Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent mobility | Less forgiving when exposed |
| Strong specialist identity | More rules interactions to learn |
| Distinctive toxin and chem options | May require more careful positioning |
| Excellent modelling and painting opportunities | Key fighters can feel fragile vs. Goliath |
| Strong expansion options (Matriarchs, Phyrr Cats, variants) | Not the most straightforward gang |
GOLIATH Who Are House Goliath?
House Goliath are the opposite side of the Core Set. The new Forge Smelters are eight hulking fighters wearing heavy plate armour and carrying repurposed industrial tools from Necromunda’s foundries. Subtlety is not really the selling point.
Goliath in One Sentence
They want to survive the trip across the battlefield and then make being within arm’s reach extremely unpleasant.
Goliath’s Biggest Strength: Raw Durability
Necromunda can be brutal — one good shot can completely change a battle. Being hard to remove is therefore extremely valuable, and durability helps new players in particular: positioning mistakes are sometimes survivable, fighters can absorb more pressure, and you have more opportunity to recover from a bad turn. This is the main reason we slightly favour Goliath as the easiest Core Set gang for a brand-new player.
Goliath Are Excellent in Close Combat
The new edition changes melee so Initiative order and weight of numbers matter more, but Goliath still naturally want to engage at close range. Strong physical profiles, heavy melee equipment, industrial weapons, and the durability to survive the approach all make a Goliath fighter reaching an isolated enemy exactly the situation the gang wants to create.
Goliath Are Not Pure Melee
A mistake new players can make is assuming Goliath simply run forward with axes. A balanced Goliath gang can include close-combat bruisers, short-range shooters, heavy weapons, objective holders, and support specialists. The difference is that Goliath generally approach those roles through durability and physical presence rather than speed.
Gene-Smithing and Variant Archetypes
Goliath may look like the straightforward option, but their campaign customization can become surprisingly deep. The Underhive Journal: Goliath – The House of Chains expands their gene-smithing mechanics and adds new fighter and equipment options, plus two variant gang archetypes with different fighter access and thematic direction. So while Goliath are easier to understand initially, they are not shallow.
Forge Bosses and Sumpkrocs
The Goliath Forge Bosses & Sumpkrocs kit expands the gang with leaders, champions, and a pair of very angry Sumpkroc companions. The Forge Tyrant is built around a massive double-ended chain axe called a renderizer. If that sentence immediately appeals to you, choosing Goliath may not require much more analysis.
Goliath Weakness: Getting Where You Need to Be
Raw strength does not matter if the enemy controls the battlefield. Opponents who outmanoeuvre them, control firing lanes, stay at range, or use vertical terrain well can create serious problems. Durability is not the same thing as invincibility — Goliath players still need to learn cover, movement lanes, terrain, and when not to charge.
| Goliath Pros | Goliath Cons |
|---|---|
| Excellent durability | Less mobile than Escher |
| Strong melee presence | Can be outmanoeuvred |
| Forgiving for beginners | Large fighters can be obvious targets |
| Excellent industrial aesthetic | Direct play can become predictable |
| Deep gene-smithing options | Campaign customization grows complex later |
Head-to-Head Comparisons
| Question | Winner | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Easier for beginners? | Goliath (slightly) | Durability forgives positioning mistakes |
| Faster? | Escher | Clearest advantage in the matchup |
| Tougher? | Goliath | Built around absorbing punishment |
| Better in melee? | Goliath | Stronger profiles and industrial weapons |
| Better at shooting? | Even | Different styles, not a clear winner |
| More tricks? | Escher | Toxins, mobility, specialists, chemical builds |
| More forgiving? | Goliath | Tougher fighters survive more mistakes |
| Better campaign depth? | Both | Very different progression paths, both strong |
| Easier to paint quickly? | Goliath (slightly) | Metallics, washes, rust — fast and effective |
| More colourful to paint? | Escher | Hair, fabrics, chemical effects, skin tones |
Which Gang Is Better for Campaign Play?
Both are excellent — this is Necromunda’s strongest feature. Escher campaigns develop around chemical specialists, fast fighters, Wyld Hunts, Chymist Cults, Matriarchs, and Phyrr Cats. Goliath campaigns develop around gene-smithing, heavy fighters, Forge Bosses, variant gang lists, Sumpkrocs, and brute-force territory control. The better campaign gang is simply the one whose progression sounds more interesting to you.
Which Gang Is Better for Two New Players?
This is exactly why the Core Set works so well. Escher teach movement, positioning, specialist use, and how to avoid bad engagements. Goliath teach cover, pressure, melee, and how to force engagements. Both players learn Necromunda from very different perspectives, and the contrast between the two Houses makes the learning experience genuinely useful rather than just two similar crews going through the same motions.
Painting Guide
Escher: Go for Contrast
- Dark leather + bright hair
- Neutral armour + neon chemical effects
- Strong individual spot colours per fighter
- Different hair colours across the gang for personality
Escher can look cohesive without every fighter having identical clothing. Lean into it.
Goliath: Embrace the Foundry
- Dark metal base
- Rust and orange streaks
- Oil stains and industrial grime
- Heat discoloration on exposed metal
- Industrial warning colours on panels
Clean Goliath armour can look good. Dirty Goliath armour usually looks even better.
Browse our miniature paints and hobby supplies for paints, brushes, cutters, glue, basing materials, and weathering products.
What to Buy Next
| If You Chose Escher | If You Chose Goliath |
|---|---|
| Gangs of the Underhive | Gangs of the Underhive |
| Underhive Journal: Escher – The House of Blades | Underhive Journal: Goliath – The House of Chains |
| Escher Matriarchs & Phyrr Cats | Goliath Forge Bosses & Sumpkrocs |
| Additional Escher fighters / weapon upgrades | Additional Goliath fighters / weapon upgrades |
Building Your First Gang?
Browse our full Necromunda collection at Tistaminis for the Skirmish Core Set, Escher, Goliath, gang books, Underhive Journals, characters, upgrades, and accessories. Build out your table with Necromunda-compatible terrain, and get your gang painted with our miniature paints and hobby supplies. Ships from Canada.
Escher vs Goliath Decision Table
| If You Want… | Choose… |
|---|---|
| The easiest first gang | Goliath |
| Fast movement | Escher |
| Maximum toughness | Goliath |
| Chemical and toxin themes | Escher |
| Heavy industrial weapons | Goliath |
| Colourful painting | Escher |
| Rusty grimy painting | Goliath |
| Technical positioning | Escher |
| Direct close-range pressure | Goliath |
| Animal companions | Both — Escher have Phyrr Cats, Goliath have Sumpkrocs |
| A strong narrative campaign | Either |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is better for beginners, Escher or Goliath?
We give Goliath a slight edge for completely new players because their durability and direct battlefield style can be more forgiving. Escher are still very beginner friendly but reward more careful movement and specialization from the start.
Which gang is faster?
Escher are the more mobile gang and are better suited to players who enjoy flanking, repositioning, and controlling where engagements happen.
Which gang is tougher?
Goliath are generally the tougher and more physically durable House, making them particularly good at holding contested areas and surviving direct engagements.
Which gang is better in melee?
Goliath are the more natural melee gang. Escher can build dangerous melee specialists but usually rely more on positioning and finesse.
Are the Core Set models new sculpts?
Yes. The 2026 Core Set contains eight brand-new House Escher fighters (Blades of the Matriarch) and eight brand-new House Goliath fighters (Forge Smelters).
Do Escher and Goliath have variant gang lists?
Yes. Each House has an Underhive Journal introducing two specialized variant archetypes with different fighter access and thematic rules. Beginners do not need these immediately.
Can I expand Core Set gangs with older models?
Yes. Existing Necromunda miniatures remain compatible with the 2026 edition, so the Core Set crews can be expanded with the broader existing gang ranges.
Which gang is easier to paint?
Goliath may be slightly faster using metallics, washes, rust, and weathering. Escher offer more colour variety and are excellent for painters who enjoy bright hair, fabrics, skin tones, and chemical effects.
Where can I buy Escher and Goliath in Canada?
Browse the Necromunda Skirmish Core Set, House Escher, House Goliath, gang books, Underhive Journals, terrain, paints, and hobby supplies in our Necromunda collection at Tistaminis. Ships from Canada.
Final Verdict: Escher or Goliath?
House Escher is the choice for players who want movement, specialized fighters, chemical tricks, and a gang that rewards choosing engagements carefully. Tremendous visual personality, and the new Wyld Hunt and Chymist Cult options give the House even more room to specialize as the collection grows.
House Goliath is the choice for players who want durability, raw strength, heavy industrial equipment, and a more direct style. Slightly easier for brand-new players because the gang can survive mistakes that might leave a more fragile crew in serious trouble. Expanded gene-smithing rules and variant gangs provide plenty of depth once you are ready for it.
If you are still undecided: Do you want to outmanoeuvre your opponent, or overpower them? Outmanoeuvre → Escher. Overpower → Goliath. And if both sound good, the Core Set already gives you eight fighters from each House — so there is nothing stopping you from learning both.
Choose Your First Gang
Browse the full Necromunda collection at Tistaminis for the Skirmish Core Set, Escher, Goliath, other House gangs, rulebooks, characters, and accessories. Build your Underhive with additional tabletop terrain, and get your gang ready for battle with our miniature paints and hobby supplies. You can also browse the wider Games Workshop range and our latest tabletop releases.