Introduction
Battletome reviews are great, but they all have the same problem, they age badly.
A battletome can look oppressive on its release week, only to collapse once players learn the counters. Equally, some armies begin slowly before elite players unlock their real power. That’s why this is a living battletome review.
We’ll start with initial impressions based on early player feedback and our own historical data. Then, once we have enough GT data for the new battletome, we’ll update the review with the hard numbers which will include win rate, Elo-adjusted performance, representation, list diversity and warscroll stats.
Historical Context – How did Index Cities perform?
Before we jump into evaluating the new battletome, it helps to understand where Cities stood before it dropped. Using our data from the index for the battlescroll in which the battletome was released:
| Games: | 294 |
| Win Rate: | 44% |
| Average Elo: | 427.5 |
| Median Elo: | 408.4 |
A 44% win rate placed the Cities index firmly in the lower half of the meta in May 2026. However, the player base itself was quite strong, with an average Elo more than 25 points above the baseline.
When a faction attracts strong players yet still struggles to win, it can indicate an underlying faction weakness rather than pilot weakness. So Cities had decent players but only mediocre tools for them to use.
This new battletome may have changed that.
Release Week Thoughts
The consensus from the Cities players that we’ve spoken to is that this may no longer be a traditional combined arms faction. The battletome appears to be built around the concept of a mobile castle (literally in some cases).
Cities wants to stay relatively compact, layer their buffs, support abilities, orders and spells onto a coordinated group. Rather than spreading across the whole table early, successful players seem to prefer controlling key lanes and forcing their opponents into awkward engagements.
Once the enemy commits, Cities punishes them through a combination of strong shooting pressure and defensive buffs. In many ways, Cities feels like a tempo-control army disguised as a combined-arms army. This may prove to be its greatest strength.
Standout Units
There is almost universal agreement on several standout units.
Freeguild Cavaliers
Freeguild Cavaliers came up repeatedly in discussion and some described them as auto-include. They appear to be extremely well costed and too efficient for their value. But, this also aligns with the index data we have on them. Under the Index rules, Cavaliers were already posting excellent numbers:
Under the Index rules, Cavaliers posted a 57% win rate when included, which was 13 percentage points above the faction baseline. That was a huge statistical lift, and the early impressions suggest they may be even stronger with the new rules. We could see the Cavaliers forming the backbone of many competitive lists.
At 150 points, several players have said they may be undercosted.
Freeguild Steelhelms
These may quietly be one of the most important units in the new battletome. They provide board control, screening and decent synergy with orders and support heroes.
Again, some players called them out as auto-includes. One player went as far as calling their points cost at 90 “a war crime“, which, while not an official balance metric, is usually strong evidence something is efficient.
Alchemite Warforger
The Warforger was another unit that kept cropping up in discussions as a key support piece.
Support heroes often determine whether synergy heavy armies become either good or genuinely oppressive. Cities increasingly looks like a faction where buff heroes are doing enormous work.
Tahlia Vedra
Tahlia appears to have undergone a transformation. Under the previous rules she was an iconic model that felt difficult to justify in competitive lists.
Now it may be the case that players are building lists around her, which is great news for internal balance. Large centrepiece models should feel impactful, and early signs suggest Tahlia finally does.
Cannons and Cogforts
Players highlighted cannon builds and Cogfort interactions as extremely powerful. One comment I saw stood out: “It puts people on a hard timer.“
Units that create meaningful ranged pressure force opponents to engage earlier than they might want. If Cities turns out to be a strong counter-punch army then that creates problems. Cogfort based builds may prove to be frustrating to play into.
Weak Units?
Players struggled to identify any truly bad warscrolls and that is a good sign as this suggests that the internal balance of the book may no longer be an issue.
Weak units may be the Command Corps and some of the new wizard options. But the common one that did come up was directed at Arcane Manipulation as multiple players felt the support dedicated to this mechanic was too narrow or too weak relative to what they had to put in.
But there was not much talk of completely unplayable units and for a battletome release that is unusual.
List Variety
At first glance, Cities don’t appear to have been railroaded down one specific build, and in fact there do seem to be three or four viable builds depending on your play style:
- Fast and aggressive around Cavaliers
- Mixed arms
- Castle defence
Book Strength
The book is a massive improvement on the Index rules and time will tell whether it’s on par with the other tome releases we’ve seen since January 2026, but initial thoughts suggest it may not be as powerful as Daughters of Khaine.
What we may see is a struggle for newer players to get to grips with Cities quickly, as it does have a lot of moving parts. I would expect Cities of Sigmar to have a strong learning curve but for the army to pay very good rewards for those who stick with it.
Rules Overview
Battle Formations
| Battle Formation / Army of Renown | Games | Win Rate | Average Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zealous Hordes | 35 | 63% | 452.1 |
| Collegiate Exemplars | 25 | 52% | 403.5 |
| Stalwart Guardians | 15 | 67% | 436.1 |
| Veteran Cannoneers | 10 | 50% | 524.4 |
| Swift Reinforcements | – | – | – |
| Fearless Exemplars | – | – | – |
| Thrall Warhost | – | – | – |
| Grudgebound War Throng | – | – | – |
Early indications suggest that Zealous Hordes and Stalwart Guardians may be the strongest battle formations with both posting win rates above 60% currently.
Zealous Hordes currently has the largest sample size and a strong win rate, suggesting it may be the go to for Cities.
Collegiate Exemplars appears more middle of the road at present.
We’re also seeing a number of battle formations and Armies of Renown with little or no tournament representation.
Most Common Warscroll Picks
| Unit | Win % | Without Win % | Used % | Avg Occ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freeguild Steelhelms (75) | 56.0% | 66.7% | 83.3% | 1.4 |
| Freeguild Cavaliers (75) | 60.0% | 46.7% | 83.3% | 1.8 |
| Alchemite Warforger (65) | 56.9% | 60.0% | 72.2% | 1.0 |
| Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal (60) | 58.3% | 56.7% | 66.7% | 1.1 |
| Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk (45) | 51.1% | 64.4% | 50.0% | 1.0 |
| Freeguild Gallants (45) | 60.0% | 55.6% | 50.0% | 1.1 |
| Dawners Triumph (40) | 55.0% | 60.0% | 38.9% | 1.0 |
| Tahlia Vedra (35) | 65.7% | 52.7% | 38.9% | 1.0 |
| Freeguild Fusiliers (35) | 62.9% | 54.5% | 38.9% | 1.0 |
| Cannonade Cogfort (30) | 50.0% | 61.7% | 33.3% | 1.0 |
The early data seems to support the feedback we had from our players on Discord. Freeguild Steelhelms and Freeguild Cavaliers are both appearing in over 80% of lists suggesting they have become the core of the tome.
Most Impactful Warscrolls
| Unit | Win % | Without Win % | Used % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amethyst Knellmage (5) | 80.0% | 56.5% | 5.6% |
| Aqshian Pyrocaster (5) | 80.0% | 56.5% | 5.6% |
| Jorvan Kreel (10) | 80.0% | 55.0% | 11.1% |
| Pontifex Zenestra (5) | 80.0% | 56.5% | 5.6% |
| Wildercorps Hunters (15) | 73.3% | 54.7% | 16.7% |
| Sorceress (10) | 70.0% | 56.3% | 11.1% |
| War Hydra (10) | 70.0% | 56.3% | 11.1% |
| Gate Gargants (30) | 66.7% | 53.3% | 33.3% |
| Tahlia Vedra (35) | 65.7% | 54.5% | 38.9% |
| Freeguild Fusiliers (35) | 62.9% | 54.5% | 38.9% |
As always, take this with salt when looking at low sample data. Units appearing in only 5-10 games can spike heavily based on a small number of strong performances.
Most Used Manifestations
| Manifestation | Win % | Used % |
|---|---|---|
| Krondspine Incarnate (35) | 68.6% | 38.9% |
| Aetherwrought Machineries (20) | 55.0% | 22.2% |
| Primal Energy (10) | 70.0% | 11.1% |
| Morbid Conjuration (10) | 40.0% | 11.1% |
| Forbidden Power (10) | 30.0% | 11.1% |
Most Used Heroic Traits
| Heroic Traits | Win % | Used % |
|---|---|---|
| Beloved Leader (45) | 64.4% | 50.0% |
| Stentorian General (20) | 70.0% | 22.2% |
| Grizzled Drillmaster (10) | 50.0% | 11.1% |
| Cosmopolitan Leader (5) | 40.0% | 5.6% |
| Grizzled Veteran (5) | 20.0% | 5.6% |
Most Used Artefacts of Power
| Artefact | Win % | Used % |
|---|---|---|
| The Sphere Celestial (35) | 62.9% | 38.9% |
| The Last Blade of Embergard (25) | 68.0% | 27.8% |
| Bones of Saint Ignifus (20) | 50.0% | 22.2% |
| Sacred Tome (10) | 30.0% | 11.1% |
Starting Lists and Hobby Cost
Dylan Therriauly (5-0 at Sigmar Summerfest ’26 GT)
Cities of Sigmar
Zealous Hordes
General’s Handbook 2025-26
Drops: 3
Wounds: 152
Spell Lore – Spells of the Collegiate Arcane
Prayer Lore – Scriptures of Sigmar
Manifestation Lore – Krondspine Incarnate
Battle Tactic Cards: Restless Energy, Scouting Force
General’s Regiment
Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch (340)
– General
Freeguild Fusiliers (240)
– Reinforced
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
– Reinforced
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
– Reinforced
Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal (120)
– The Last Blade of Embergard
– Beloved Leader
Regiment 1
Alchemite Warforger (130)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Regiment 2
Jorvan Kreel, Heir of the Kraken (120)
Freeguild Grenadiers (140)
Freeguild Gallants (130)
Created with Sigdex: sigdex.io
App Version: 21.0.4
Server Version: 3.0.25
Data Version: v41
The overall cost of this list along with the Battletome would be:
| Unit/Item | Warhammer Cost | Element Games Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Order Battletome: Cities of Sigmar | £38.00 | £32.30 |
| Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch | £98.00 | £83.30 |
| 2x Freeguild Fusiliers | £76.00 | £64.60 |
| Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal | £38.00 | £32.30 |
| 4x Freeguild Cavaliers | £170.00 | £144.52 |
| 2x Freeguild Steelhelms | £71.00 | £60.32 |
| Alchemite Warforger | £25.00 | £25.00 |
| Jorvan Kreel, Heir of the Kraken | £29.00 | £29.00 |
| Freeguild Grenadiers | £36.00 | £30.60 |
| Freeguild Gallants | £37.00 | £31.45 |
| Krondspine Incarnate | £40.00 | £28.00 |
| TOTAL: | £658.00 | £561.39 |
Matt Clifford (4-1 at Realms 9: An Age of Sigmar Event)
2000/2000 pts
Cities of Sigmar
Stalwart Guardians
General’s Handbook 2025-26
Drops: 3
Spell Lore – Spells of the Collegiate Arcane
Prayer Lore – Scriptures of Sigmar
Manifestation Lore – Primal Energy (10 Points)
Battle Tactic Cards: Master The Paths, Wrathful Cycles
General’s Regiment
Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch (340)
• General
Freeguild Cavaliers (300)
• Reinforced
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Freeguild Steelhelms (90)
Gate Gargants (320)
Regiment 1
Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal (120)
• The Last Blade of Embergard
• Stentorian General
Ironweld Great Cannon (140)
Wildercorps Hunters (120)
Regiment 2
Sorceress (130)
War Hydra (170)
War Hydra (170)
Created with Warhammer Age of Sigmar: The App
App: 1.32.0 | Data: 432
The overall cost of this list along with the Battletome would be:
| Unit/Item | Warhammer Cost | Element Games Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Order Battletome: Cities of Sigmar | £38.00 | £32.30 |
| Tahlia Vedra, Lioness of the Parch | £98.00 | £83.30 |
| Gate Gargants | £64.50 | £54.82 |
| Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal* | £38.00 | £32.30 |
| Ironweld Great Cannon* | £35.50 | £30.16 |
| 2x Freeguild Cavaliers* | £85.00 | £72.26 |
| 2x Freeguild Steelhelms* | £71.00 | £60.32 |
| Wildercorps Hunters | £38.00 | £38.00 |
| Sorceress** | N/A | £10.84 |
| 2x War Hydra** | N/A | N/A |
| TOTAL: | £468.00 | £414.30 |
**These units are no longer available through GW and will be removed from competitive play in the future
Initial Rating
Internal Balance: Excellent
Skill Floor: Moderate
Skill Ceiling: Extremely High
Entry Cost: High
Power Creep: Significant vs index, on par vs recent battletomes
You guys are killing it with this kind of content! fan-friggen-tastic! only complaint I have is that you didn’t comment on how badly the Legend units got nerfed and made pointless, with your platform GW would actually have to hear it. Otherwise tremendous article, Thanks!
Thank you! We’re hoping to continue with the Slaanesh tome next.
Good point on the Legends. I suspect they’re bringing back Dark Elves etc to Old World which is why they removed them
That will be good, very complex looking battletome!
Surprisingly my biggest gripe isn’t those units leaving to legends, its that the changes to the warscrolls made them even more useless for the last year they are playable. Especially egregious was the slapping ‘once per army’ on multiple warscroll abilities that were the main output for the units. Just one example was the gyrocopter’s bombing, the could try to drop a d3 damage on a unit they moved over with multiple stipulations. Now only one per army can, but there were no changes to it profiles to compensate, and the points stayed too high. The hammerers, the executioners, the ironbreakers, over half pf the legend units were gimped horribly. Only the Assassin and the Hydra emerged with anything, and the assassin only gaining utility with the new rules for a 60% cost increase!