Sure, you can't move a slow caster before the wolves move, but I make a special army for dealing with high initiative creatures (what?  You don't pay attention to monster traits and adjust?). 

I create specific, high initiative trooops and strategically place them in various armies to counter high initiative troops.  Army buiding, aka the makeup of the army is such a big factor, especially since you can create your own troops.   <3   I LOVE that about this game!

My point was not if the threat level should be higher on wolves; the point I was trying to make (perhaps too subtle) is the lack of ability to apply tactics in the fight. I.e, ideally you would like to be able to defend the weaker unit by moving stronger unit up but the map is so small there is very little chance to change the layout of your men. I think this couple with swarm have in fact removed the option of tactic and moved it closer to brute force approach (ala don't attack or be attack fast (far?) moving opponents unless they are totally out matched which seems counter productive change in game play.

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Just saw Mhantra comment above; his point is valid but I'm not sure how practical it is near the start of the game; and the wolves pack appear to be early game critters. Perhaps they should be replaced with something with lower initiative but then perhaps they would not be able to swarm the entire map the first turn ?

The swarm bonus is bugged.  Also for Urxen Blood.

I made my peace with the wolves as opponents after playing a lot, there are some ways to handle them, and it is much more interesting to have some own wolves (Anna&friends) the only problem then would be:

Why think about a good strategy and return to kill them for a lousy leather-helmet?

This.

Implemented either globally or as a perk for the Commander hero type called Tactics.

Overall, I love the way tactical combat works in LH. I think that both armies starting closer to each other and being thrown straight into deadly combat is a fun way to play a battle out. I do have a few objections, though, not specifically to wolves (their initiative IS a bit high and they can slaughter an early army with ease, but I can cope), but to the starting layouts, which, as many above have pointed out, are completely random.

I have often had a single hero start out in the midst of a group of high-initiative enemies with my other units oddly far away, too far away to actually get there in time to save my hero. Even if you were given a bunch of random starting places and allowed to choose which units went where, rather than full choice over where everybody goes, it would make combat a bit less "you die before you go" sort of thing.

Mind you, it's pretty good as is.

On autoresolve nothing gets a swarm bonus, which makes wolves and mites and darklings just as easy as before.

Oh ,this I would like to have, too. It would even allow new strategys, because you could place cheap produced units in the first row, it is logical that a Warrior-Champion stands in the first row when auto-placing, but when you know you would losse him in first turn, the only way at the moment is to go into combat without that hero. But this means no XP, no leveling...