Can you choose not to fight in the fight phase?

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**RogueApiary**

Had this come up the other day. Charged a unit with a low hp Cyclops, opponent declined to activate the unit in the fight phase to avoid the risk of killing it and taking mortal wounds. Is that really a thing or does he have to activate the unit?

**Captyn_Bob**

It's pretty clear from the fight phase rules that it is compulsory to activate all your eligible units.

**Ghaz**

From the Designer's Commentary:

Q: If any of your units are eligible to fight in the Fight phase, can you choose for them not to fight this turn? Also, if any of your units charged in the Charge phase, do they have to fight first in the Fight phase, or can you choose for them to wait until later in the phase?

A: All eligible units must fight in the Fight phase; they cannot ‘pass’ and wait for another phase. Additionally, a unit must fight when it is its time to do so; it cannot ‘hold’ in order to fight later in the phase. So if a unit charged in the preceding Charge phase, it must fight before any non-charging models in the Fight phase (barring any related abilities).

Note that when a model fights, it must do all of its close combat attacks if it can do so – you cannot choose for it not to do so (though you can still choose which weapon it uses for each close combat attack).

**JinxDragon**

While the first line uses words like 'Can be chosen,' allowing the selection of a Unit to be a choice, it goes on to state the following:
After all charging units have
fought, the players alternate choosing eligible units to
fight with (starting with the player whose turn it is) until
all eligible units on both sides have fought once each.

We can not complete the Fight Phase until every eligible Unit has fought at least once....