Skeleton Warriors (pack I)

[Villagerino]

But what do you mean? I don't play WoW

 

[Shar Dundred]

He wants troll Skeletons I think.
Don't listen to him, it's the troll sickness doing the speaking.

 

[Deolrin]

Trolls, mon. We demand trolls.

Spoiler

 

[-Grendel]

those two dual wielding skeletons are fantastic

 

[Saelendious]

What a great batch of changes and additions! I'm surprised none of the 'extra savage' variations have used the skeleton grunt head proportions like may have been expected, maybe that's just me though. Keep up the great work!

 

[Villagerino]

He wants troll Skeletons I think.
Don't listen to him, it's the troll sickness doing the speaking.

Thought the same but wasn't sure about

those two dual wielding skeletons are fantastic

Thanks!

What a great batch of changes and additions! I'm surprised none of the 'extra savage' variations have used the skeleton grunt head proportions like may have been expected, maybe that's just me though. Keep up the great work!

Thank you! Well, let the grunts stay grunts

 

[Rhapsodie]

Incredible pack of skeletons
The weapons showing in the portraits are just brilliant
Awesome work !!!

 

[r.ace613]

This is just wonderful

 

[Kyrbi0]

UPDATE:

Renamed some of the models and added new animations:

• Skeleton Axeman -> Skeleton Barbarian: added Spell, Spell Defend, Spell Slam and Stand Channel animations.
• Skeleton Centurion: added Spell, Spell Defend and Spell Throw animations.
• Skeleton Duelist: added an Attack Slam animation (spinning with blades).
• Skeleton Maceman A -> Skeleton Crusher; Skeleton Maceman B -> Skeleton Mauler; Skeletons Swordsmen A B C -> Skeletons Soldiers A B C.
• Skeleton Crusher, Mauler, Soldier: added Spell and Spell Defend animations.
• Skeleton Warrior Shieldless A -> Skeleton Squire.
• Removed Skeleton Swordsman D from the list: the model does not have sufficient uniqueness.

Commentary: here I wanted to further reveal the characters of the models, highlight their roles and increase their potential for use.

Improved some mesh and old animations:

• The pelvis part of armor during the Death sequence remained the same as in the classic models: redone.
• Skeleton Crusher and Skeleton Mauler didn't have wooden handles on their weapons during the Birth and Death sequences: redone.

Commentary: despite the fact that those details were insignificant and very invisible, I decided to change this for greater accuracy and satisfaction. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details!

Other improvements and optimization:

• Adjusted the height of the HP bars more precisely.
• Portraits: removed some mesh which is not visible to the camera and removed all unused keyframes.
• Models: linearized animations and removed more unused keyframes.

Commentary: as a result, the size of the models was decreased by 30-50%. Please note: if you want to further optimize the models, for example, using MDLX Optimizer, you will save a pair of kilobytes but might break the visibility of the geosets in some sequences.

New Skeletons:

• Added a reworked version of classic Skeleton Warrior: improved mesh, added Stand, Walk, Attack Defend animations and fixed some minor issues.
• Added Skeleton Berserker with many special animations and a distinctive portrait.

Commentary: I decided to rework classic Skeleton Warrior to complete the picture: the old one did not hold the sword correctly, the spikes of the armor were placed rather chaotically and hung in the air and, in addition, in his portrait they were absent.

Materials:

Skeleton Berserker
"A ferocious warrior who can withstand a lot of damage and massacre his enemies with a pair of swift bloodthirsty axes."
View attachment 391436View attachment 391435View attachment 391437View attachment 391438
His single red eye is viciously glowing with anger and his strong bones crave for battles. But beware: as you might have noticed, he's a little crazy!

Besides giving him a big range of animations (see more inside) I decided to dive deeper into stylization: thus you may witness the bloody blades, damaged shield, agressive battle stance and rather quick attacks with wide movements. His broken horn and empty eye socket, as if he was hit hard on the head during his lifetime, go well with the idea of his name and origin. His red glowing eye and portrait grimaces can be perceived as a form of anger and rage that take root from his past. The team-colored parts are also well seen from the game camera view.
To sum up, I tried to create a unique and complete model that expresses itself well through gear and animations, while successfully fitting into the Warcraft universe. And, naturally, I tried to animate everything smoothly and at the level of classic models.
All weapons have their attachment points and collision spheres are also adjusted. That's it!

Some other cases:
View attachment 391440View attachment 391439View attachment 391442View attachment 391441View attachment 391443
View attachment 391444View attachment 391448View attachment 391447

Every time it feels like you can't polish/improve these any further... And then you do.

No matter what you do next I'll be waiting with bated breath. : )

 

[jj84]

Awesome.

 

[johnwar]

UPDATE:

Renamed some of the models and added new animations:

• Skeleton Axeman -> Skeleton Barbarian: added Spell, Spell Defend, Spell Slam and Stand Channel animations.
• Skeleton Centurion: added Spell, Spell Defend and Spell Throw animations.
• Skeleton Duelist: added an Attack Slam animation (spinning with blades).
• Skeleton Maceman A -> Skeleton Crusher; Skeleton Maceman B -> Skeleton Mauler; Skeletons Swordsmen A B C -> Skeletons Soldiers A B C.
• Skeleton Crusher, Mauler, Soldier: added Spell and Spell Defend animations.
• Skeleton Warrior Shieldless A -> Skeleton Squire.
• Removed Skeleton Swordsman D from the list: the model does not have sufficient uniqueness.

Commentary: here I wanted to further reveal the characters of the models, highlight their roles and increase their potential for use.

Improved some mesh and old animations:

• The pelvis part of armor during the Death sequence remained the same as in the classic models: redone.
• Skeleton Crusher and Skeleton Mauler didn't have wooden handles on their weapons during the Birth and Death sequences: redone.

Commentary: despite the fact that those details were insignificant and very invisible, I decided to change this for greater accuracy and satisfaction. As the saying goes, the devil is in the details!

Other improvements and optimization:

• Adjusted the height of the HP bars more precisely.
• Portraits: removed some mesh which is not visible to the camera and removed all unused keyframes.
• Models: linearized animations and removed more unused keyframes.

Commentary: as a result, the size of the models was decreased by 30-50%. Please note: if you want to further optimize the models, for example, using MDLX Optimizer, you will save a pair of kilobytes but might break the visibility of the geosets in some sequences.

New Skeletons:

• Added a reworked version of classic Skeleton Warrior: improved mesh, added Stand, Walk, Attack Defend animations and fixed some minor issues.
• Added Skeleton Berserker with many special animations and a distinctive portrait.

Commentary: I decided to rework classic Skeleton Warrior to complete the picture: the old one did not hold the sword correctly, the spikes of the armor were placed rather chaotically and hung in the air and, in addition, in his portrait they were absent.

Materials:

Skeleton Berserker
"A ferocious warrior who can withstand a lot of damage and massacre his enemies with a pair of swift bloodthirsty axes."
View attachment 391436View attachment 391435View attachment 391437View attachment 391438
His single red eye is viciously glowing with anger and his strong bones crave for battles. But beware: as you might have noticed, he's a little crazy!

Besides giving him a big range of animations (see more inside) I decided to dive deeper into stylization: thus you may witness the bloody blades, damaged shield, agressive battle stance and rather quick attacks with wide movements. His broken horn and empty eye socket, as if he was hit hard on the head during his lifetime, go well with the idea of his name and origin. His red glowing eye and portrait grimaces can be perceived as a form of anger and rage that take root from his past. The team-colored parts are also well seen from the game camera view.
To sum up, I tried to create a unique and complete model that expresses itself well through gear and animations, while successfully fitting into the Warcraft universe. And, naturally, I tried to animate everything smoothly and at the level of classic models.
All weapons have their attachment points and collision spheres are also adjusted. That's it!

Some other cases:
View attachment 391440View attachment 391439View attachment 391442View attachment 391441View attachment 391443
View attachment 391444View attachment 391448View attachment 391447

I just gotta say that I really love the Skeleton Berserker.

 

[The Nightmare Book]

Pretty good!

 

[Nightmare2077]

Uhm this guy is on the preview, but I don't see him in the pack... Skeleton Soldier B looks similar, but he doesn't have the metal chest-plate. I planned to use him, could you re-upload him? Or am I missing the model? D:

 

[Villagerino]

Uhm this guy is on the preview, but I don't see him in the pack... Skeleton Soldier B looks similar, but he doesn't have the metal chest-plate. I planned to use him, could you re-upload him? Or am I missing the model? D:

Oh, I should've changed the preview pic. I decided to remove him because "the model does not have sufficient uniqueness" to my mind.
Quickly made an optimized one for you

 

[Shar Dundred]

Might be just me but I feel like the extra armor makes that one cool enough to be part of the pack.

 

[johnwar]

Might be just me but I feel like the extra armor makes that one cool enough to be part of the pack.

I agree and more variations is always good.

 

[Villagerino]

Incredible pack of skeletons
The weapons showing in the portraits are just brilliant
Awesome work !!!

Thank you!

Every time it feels like you can't polish/improve these any further... And then you do.

No matter what you do next I'll be waiting with bated breath. : )

You make me keep tryharding

Awesome.

Pretty good!

Thanks guys!

Might be just me but I feel like the extra armor makes that one cool enough to be part of the pack.

I agree and more variations is always good.

Sometimes it happens that one little detail can change the whole look and maybe it's the same case
I left a link to the post with that model in the description just in case, after your kind words

 

[Nightmare2077]

Oh, I should've changed the preview pic. I decided to remove him because "the model does not have sufficient uniqueness" to my mind.
Quickly made an optimized one for you

Cool, thanks!

I think you can upload all of your "wips", they were excellent (that model wasn't the only one you removed, right?) I need like 3+ modles for skellies, most of them low-tier, so I might use them as opposed to the current ones

Thanks!

 

[Villagerino]

Cool, thanks!

I think you can upload all of your "wips", they were excellent (that model wasn't the only one you removed, right?) I need like 3+ modles for skellies, most of them low-tier, so I might use them as opposed to the current ones

Thanks!

You're welcome!
Yea, I made a Squire for this purpose, the second tier is a classic Skeleton and the next one is what you choose.
It was supposed to be only 1-2 skeletons, and it was not planned as a pack. I needed to create 0-3 level melee skeletons for Tree Tag map, but I decided to squeeze on myself, learn things, create my first pack and give it to Hive. So some time later I will make new skeletons when I finish some projects
I removed only 1 model

Now I look and think that I should've uploaded Soldiers as more heavy-armored skeletons by giving them chest armor plates Because the guys with heavy weapons carry light shields. That plates would definately add more emphasis to that. I guess I'll make it when I add another skeleton.

 

[ILH]

Amazing skeleton variants with added animations and custom portrait. Very useful for general uses.
Changes made. Works in-game. Approved!

SoldierB and SoldierC is way too similar, though.

 

[StonemaulMidget]

Wow! I'm impressed with your skeleton army!!
Could I make two suggestions, if you possess the animation skills?
1.) Make some <new> models so a jawbone hangs from only one end, and give some skeletons either a broken arm or a prosthetic arm weaponized from broken bones tied together. Make your skeletons so they look creepy and disfigured. Heck, give a skeleton a flail made from a skull and spine, so the head either head-butts or bites the opponent. Make your skeleton archers shoot arrows scrimshawed from bone.
2.) I have images of skeletons from the Alpha and Beta, where they are really hunched over--the part that is now used for the skeleton's death animation.

 

[Villagerino]

Wow! I'm impressed with your skeleton army!!
Could I make two suggestions, if you possess the animation skills?
1.) Make some <new> models so a jawbone hangs from only one end, and give some skeletons either a broken arm or a prosthetic arm weaponized from broken bones tied together. Make your skeletons so they look creepy and disfigured. Heck, give a skeleton a flail made from a skull and spine, so the head either head-butts or bits the opponent. Make your skeleton archers shoot arrows scrimshawed from bone.
2.) I have images of skeletons from the Alpha and Beta, where they are really hunched over--the part that is now used for the skeleton's death animation.

Thanks for the suggestions, but I have millions of mine and don't have enough time to implement them all - I have to choose very constuctively
All additional animations are custom and made by me

 

[Shar Dundred]

If you ever decide to return to this pack and add stuff, more armored variants would be neat.
I still think you are giving your armored variant not enough credit, Villagerino.
The only thing that's "missing" (BIG quotations on the 'missing', the pack is amazing as it is) is ranged/mage variants.
Either way, this pack is amazing and I look forward to seeing it being used - and using it myself of course.

 

[Villagerino]

If you ever decide to return to this pack and add stuff, more armored variants would be neat.
I still think you are giving your armored variant not enough credit, Villagerino.
The only thing that's "missing" (BIG quotations on the 'missing', the pack is amazing as it is) is ranged/mage variants.
Either way, this pack is amazing and I look forward to seeing it being used - and using it myself of course.

Yeah, I have some lines in the description of the pack describing its idea and purpose: it will not include any ranged types of skeletons
Big armor pieces hide bones and skeletons stop being skeletons at this point and there I have to be careful if I don't want to lose the spirit of the Undead bones. However, I was planning to put here a Skeleton Juggernaut and each melee pack is supposed to have one

 

[StonemaulMidget]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I have millions of mine and don't have enough time to implement them all - I have to choose very constuctively
All additional animations are custom and made by me

Understood.

 

[Ićpomp]

Orcish Skeleton Warriors pack next?


Great work as always tho.

 

[Reuscreator]

beatifull models bro

 

[HandsOfficial]

Berserker, Flail guy, double sword guy's are seriously dope AF on clout...
reminds me of runescape's skeleton monster things under the waterfall where the mith dragons are they're like level 132 or whatever and dont drop anything but they have the variations to them.
if i ever make a runescape map im stealing these and putting them in it lol

p.s. more great simple yet (as usual) extremely useful models. thanks bro

 

[ZM5]

These are awesome - I like the Duelist in particular, reminds me of the Skeleton Blaze/Blade Master enemy from Castlevania.

 

[LovG]

Whoa they look so cool. You even put some differences on the animation to make them a bit different from each other.

 

[bakuma]

make another skeleton pack but with ranged warrior this time

 

[Villagerino]

Welcome to the new update of this pack: fixes, improvements and even a new model are waiting!

Renamed some of the models and added extra armor:

• Skeleton Soldier (A, B, C) -> Skeleton Footman (A, B, C).
• Skeleton Footman (A, B, C): added chest armor plates.

Commentary: here I wanted to put more emphasis on the mentioned above re-armored Skeletons and their role in the Undead army so their Defend animations now go well with their names (feel the harmony!). Also, in support of the "more armor" comments and since these skeletons have lighter weapons, I decided to make them more "tanky". The other Skeletons with heavier weapons (such as axes, maces and flails) are left with less armor and smaller round shields, thus making the difference in role models for these warriors more noticeable.

Improved portraits:

• Skeleton Squire: changed the camera angle.
• Skeleton Warrior: added new gear and changed the camera angle.
• Skeleton Berserker: the portrait is reworked according to @Deolrin's suggestion from this post.

Commentary: I guess, more uniqueness for portraits never hurts.

Fixed some recently discovered issues:

• Added missing footprints in all Defend Walk sequences.
• The "Weapon L Ref" attachment point is now correctly linked in the Skeleton Berserker model.

Commentary: I find it necessary to go back to my works and see where I screwed up, from time to time.

New Skeleton:

• Added Skeleton Juggernaut with many special animations and a distinctive portrait!

Commentary: Finally I got my hands on a well-armored Skeleton with heavy blunt weapons. Take it, @Shar Dundred!

---

Skeleton Juggernaut
"Skeleton Juggernauts are granted hard bones, heavy armor and deadly war hammers. They form the striking force of the Undead vanguard."

Yeah, to break these bones, you have to break the armor first. And when you see these bloody war hammers, you might think that this is not an easy task.

Take a look at this armor: several large plates cover the bone chest and even the back; the shoulder pads are more massive and have additional spikes; the helmet is closed and protects the entire head; and even the boots are made of something hard. A tough guy, I must say!

And here I also played with the lights and shadows to make the front part deeper and darker so that we get a nice contrast.

But what about the whole image? Let's see what's hidden inside:

Technically this Skeleton is a constructor from specific parts, and it is these parts, in my opinion, that help us sculpt a lore-friendly Skeleton.
The big question was how to get a large and noticeable team-colored pattern with the right textures. I ended up re-wrapping the shield and using a non-glow gem so we got a solid looking loincloth and didn't need to paint our perfect armor either. The gem also adds status and uniqueness to the model.

By the way, the Skeleton is slightly larger than his brothers in arms and has bigger forearms that go well with these massive war hammers:

I decided that war hammers would better complement the look of the model: in my head I had a rushing Skeleton in heavy armor with deadly and curved weapon that would not let go of you as soon as it hooked on you. In addition, these weapons look more special, right?

This model inherited animations the from Skeleton Berserker, however the new gear forced me to change some of the sequences.

For example, look at the Walk or Stand-4 sequences: the upper armor plates jump to the beat, giving us more vibe. You can also see that there is almost no glitching, regardless of numerous armor pieces.

A fun fact, in reality the whole model looks like this:

And this spider-like monstrosity has 6 war hammers! (Just in case he loses some.)
So I wish you patience if you want to work on this model.

Hey, I didn't forget about the Death animation and added more armor pieces with dummy bones:

Because the devil is in the details, right?

And if you want to make your Skeleton use the Walk Fast animation, just add this string in your Object Editor:

Just in case you didn't know.

That's it, guys! Thank you very much for reading my blah-blah-blah and I hope that the new model did not disappoint you!

P.S. You can also try to guess what type of the last skeleton I'll add next to complete the pack

 

[Null]

i've never seen portraits which include the character's weapons. You sir are a special one

 

[Shar Dundred]

That's an outstandingly amazing update!
Just wow!

 

[Achille]

That Skeleton Juggernaut model is insanely cool! I actually love the breakdown you did for how the model was made and where certain pieces came from, it makes me appreciate the modeling process even more and really highlights the amount of effort put in to this amazing pack. Outstanding work!

 

[Galadgod]

This pack keeps getting better with time! Great work, please keep it up!

 

[Deleted member 247165]

<3 <3 <3

 

[Villagerino]

make another skeleton pack but with ranged warrior this time

Yes, it was planned

That's an outstandingly amazing update!
Just wow!

That Skeleton Juggernaut model is insanely cool! I actually love the breakdown you did for how the model was made and where certain pieces came from, it makes me appreciate the modeling process even more and really highlights the amount of effort put in to this amazing pack. Outstanding work!

Big thanks, dear patrons!

i've never seen portraits which include the character's weapons. You sir are a special one

This pack keeps getting better with time! Great work, please keep it up!

Thank you, guys!

<3 <3 <3

 

[BaiyuGalan]

Look forward to your ranged and magic units!

 

[kantarion]

Masterpiece

 

[mukuro13]

Wow, this new arm-to-teeth variant is really handsome. The armor all over him makes him look special and cool.

 

[Resyak]

I love the new model with armor, do you plan to make ranged attack skeleton models? Thank you very much for your excellent work.

Regards.

 

[Villagerino]

Masterpiece

Wow, this new arm-to-teeth variant is really handsome. The armor all over him makes him look special and cool.

Thank you, guys!

Look forward to your ranged and magic units!

I love the new model with armor, do you plan to make ranged attack skeleton models? Thank you very much for your excellent work.

Regards.

Thanks! Yes, besides several requests to make some ranged Skeletons I planned to do it anyways. But with such comments of yours I have better motivation

 

[mukuro13]

yes，I support you. I hope you can make more modules with heavy armor like this. It looks really handsome.

Thank you, guys!


Thanks! Yes, besides several requests to make some ranged Skeletons I planned to do it anyways. But with such comments of yours I have better motivation

 

[Deolrin]

I'm loving this update! The Juggernaught is fantastic. What a nice, well-rounded pack. I am curious about the changes to the Berserker's portrait that you mentioned, though - what was updated, precisely? I feel like the Talk animations are the same as they were before, or are my eyes deceiving me?

As for the last addition to this pack, my only guess is a sneaky, stabby, stealthy skeleton. Maybe with dual daggers?

 

[Villagerino]

I'm loving this update! The Juggernaught is fantastic. What a nice, well-rounded pack. I am curious about the changes to the Berserker's portrait that you mentioned, though - what was updated, precisely? I feel like the Talk animations are the same as they were before, or are my eyes deceiving me?

Thank you! Well, I enlarged his jaw and made it "clunk" instead of just moving smoothly. I also tilted his head forward and made his helm sharper so that his look became a bit more menacing. Made him face the camera more and did a little work on the eye sockets.
These changes are not very noticeable, but compared to the other Skeletons, they are of some importance. After all, it's pretty hard to make a skull grimace

As for the last addition to this pack, my only guess is a sneaky, stabby, stealthy skeleton. Maybe with dual daggers?

Your guess is absolutely correct

 

[Deolrin]

May I also recommend another type then? A swashbuckling pirate skeleton could be quite neat. To keep it WC3-lore-appropriate, could be a Kul Tiran! Maybe with a pistol that he uses for a Spell or Attack Alternate?

 

[StonemaulMidget]

May I also recommend another type then? A swashbuckling pirate skeleton could be quite neat. To keep it WC3-lore-appropriate, could be a Kul Tiran! Maybe with a pistol that he uses for a Spell or Attack Alternate?

Far above, I left a comment on what Villagerino could do for his pack.
Skeletal Rogue: We could give dual daggers to a skeleton. We could also arm another version of that skeleton with snapped bones for shivs, per derivatives.
Skeletal Pirate: I suggest including an orc skeleton, with red cap and eye patch. Make one of his eye sockets glow red, just like the image of an orc pirate and Admiral Proudmoore for WarCraft II.

 

[Kenathorn]

Wow, how didn't I rate this amazing bunch of creepy scary skeletons yet? It's time to fix it.

I think it is impossible to underestimate usefulness of this pack. I like how some of the designs while being pretty basic, are done so well, they make you enjoy looking at these undead guys.

 

[Villagerino]

Wow, how didn't I rate this amazing bunch of creepy scary skeletons yet? It's time to fix it.

I think it is impossible to underestimate usefulness of this pack. I like how some of the designs while being pretty basic, are done so well, they make you enjoy looking at these undead guys.

Thanks for the lovely rating, man!
"Basic", yes, is the right word here, because as I mentioned somewhere here earlier, I aimed to create classic Skeleton warrior designs that have Blizzard-style animations so that I can use them as quality templates for future models or for their re-wrapping.
I'm glad you were inspired to leave your rare message here

May I also recommend another type then? A swashbuckling pirate skeleton could be quite neat. To keep it WC3-lore-appropriate, could be a Kul Tiran! Maybe with a pistol that he uses for a Spell or Attack Alternate?

Far above, I left a comment on what Villagerino could do for his pack.
Skeletal Rogue: We could give dual daggers to a skeleton. We could also arm another version of that skeleton with snapped bones for shivs, per derivatives.
Skeletal Pirate: I suggest including an orc skeleton, with red cap and eye patch. Make one of his eye sockets glow red, just like the image of an orc pirate and Admiral Proudmoore for WarCraft II.

Oh guys I have no idea about WC2 and WoW settings because I have never played it so I don't know if I can follow your advice In this pack I tried to create some more stereotyped warrior types that can have greater range of use. In order to create something more specific, I have to invest more effort and time, which also requires my attention in some other packs and single models. Thus, I'm afraid I'll die learning all the factions and their traits in order to create meaningful and lore-appropriate models from WoW So I'll probably be fooling around in Warcraft 3 for a while.
The Kul Tirans is a "specific breed of human that hail from the island nation of Kul Tiras that was founded by fearless explorers who sailed uncharted waters in search of adventure". Are they the same guys as Jaina and Admiral Proudmoore from WC3?