That’s an interesting thought… I forgot about zombies being turned into a whole subfaction. It makes separation of skeletons and turning them into the ancients (and not just another fallen medieval warriors) even more curious. I wonder what they will come up with. On that note, I can’t recall if I ever have seen a zombie with a shield, save for my fallen battle brothers.
What about necromances/liches being able to use a “control” spell, to make one particular zombie being capable of using more refined tactics (skills) and, generally, overwritting the common zombie stupidness? A remote commander of sorts, who can swap his “hosts” when the need arises and impact the battlefield while staying behind the front lines.