Ethan gets to the root of the Sylvaneth faction and covers the elementree traits and enhancements that’ll help you decide what to take in your first games with them.
I’ll leaf now…
Introduction
Rumours of our demise have been vastly overstated! Welcome to the Sylvaneth Faction review, we’re going to try not to miss the forest for the trees but it is probably pertinent to mention up top that this index has been pretty broadly panned by community figures and its regular players. With that in mind, we’ll stay realistic here and point out where things aren’t great but this will largely focus on what Sylvaneth still can do rather than dwelling below that point.
Playstyle
Sylvaneth in 3rd edition were known for a guerrilla playstyle focused around using strike and fade to leverage high value units against single targets and then move back to safety before reprisals could occur. This relied on a combination of movement tricks and charge buffs and was heavily dice gated and reflected in the points values of sylvaneth units. Some aspects of this play pattern remain but key changes to the way the army’s battle traits function have meant that in 4th edition we’ll be a more take-and-hold faction, relying on expanding areas of control through a combination of magic and high threat range units to threaten from a castle.
Sylvaneth have excellent tools for completing battle tactics with well planned play, however we’ve lost some durability in the form of recursion since last edition meaning that, despite the lethality of the game coming down overall, you’ll have to play smart with your resources lest deforestation come for your troops.
Battle Traits
Credit: Warhammer Community
As mentioned above, key changes have occurred for the Sylvaneth battle traits, most specifically the timing of the Strike and Fade ability moving from immediately after a unit has fought to the end of the turn. Constraints including being wholly within 6” of an Awakened Wyldwood (henceforth AWW) and being in combat at the end of the turn produced mass outcry amongst the Sylvaneth player base and I can happily announce after playing some games with this that it is horribly awkward and a real pain in the ass to use, but very much useful and fine for reasons that we’ll go into shortly.
Walk the Hidden Paths is largely the same in flavour with a slew of major differences, the inclusion of the Core keyword means that sylvaneth units may not move into range of an AWW and then teleport afterwards. You start there or you don’t teleport. This is largely alleviated by the removal of the requirement that woods be placed outside of 3” of your own units, making placement a fair whack easier if you’re able to get the spell off. Additionally, the requirement that you not be in combat to use this limits some popular 3rd edition uses of the spell and means that you’ll be relying on Strike and Fade to “rescue” units tied up in combat. Endless growth is cool, extra cool when combined with rally, that’s the review, back to the fun stuff.
Spirit of Durthu by Ed
Battle Formations
I did say back to the fun stuff but the Battle Formations are a real sore point for Sylvaneth. None of the four stand out as particularly powerful and often double up on effects we can access through other means. This does make for a force multiplier in some cases but the majority of the time it leaves you wanting something a little more thematic or impactful to support the different playstyles available to the faction.
Lords of the Clan healing monsters is nice but Treelords becoming heroes, even with the battle formation allowances has made the old Oakenbrow style rather stymied. Expect Alarielle, Durthu and Friends in this subfaction.
Forest Folk is for all of the dryad lovers in the audience. Ever wanted to run 120+ dryads? This is the subfaction for you. Also, I hope you brought bandaids. Jokes aside, this feels like a miss from GW, who must have had concerns about how Kurnoth hunters would work within the subfaction and instead made something that is for no-one.
Outcasts Despite the name this doesn’t interact at all with Drycha and her spooky cohort which is thematically a bit of a miss but, on the table, makes this my personal favourite of the four options. It’s nothing huge and exciting but singular tree revs/cavalry/Kurnoth Hunters being able to contest your opponent’s monsters and knowing you’ll always win the Primary battle in a faction which cannot afford to commit multiple resources to a single objective is plainly powerful in a way which isn’t entirely intuitive until you get it on the table.
Last is Free Spirits which allows you to give run and charge to a unit of cavalry. Belthanos does this on his warscroll and if you’re not running Belthanos I’d be shocked. Sadly a bit redundant.
Spells
This is where it gets a bit spicy. Sylvaneth rely on being near AWW for ALL of their allegiance abilities. I personally have found our warscrolls to be strong enough that not having access to these all of the time is ok, but it is completely galling that we have one way in the entire army to summon Wyldwoods and it can be stopped by enemy spellcasters.
Treesong summons woods. WW 18” is a fine distance on the new maps and the ability to attempt to do this in your opponent’s turn makes it more achievable than in the past, especially with the unlimited tag. The trees themselves are pretty good, there is much maligning online that the trees can be killed, but to push back on this sentiment slightly, summoning 8-12 wounds, with a 4+ save, on a 6+ CV that your opponent then needs to chew through is not a small number of wounds over the course of the game. Opponents are forced to make meaningful choices about targeting your woods or your units and if they focus the units, abilities from various warscrolls make the units inside said woods far more powerful. Additionally, the new terrain maps make pre-planning of placement far easier. No longer the days of travelling for an event only to find that the TO was a bit overzealous with terrain and your army was unable to play, though the loss of overgrown terrain does mean that wizards are borderline mandatory in the army this edition and a great deal of your casting will be spent on making new woods.
The other two spells in the pack are relatively straightforward, providing a much appreciated rend bonus and anti-horde spell to the army. They’re fine and a nice tertiary casting option if you don’t have trees or manifestations you’d prefer to be casting.
On the note of manifestations, they Sylvaneth lore is… Ok? The Gladewyrm is a power pick that carries the manifestations while the skullroot is niche and the spiteswarm more a bonus than anything. I will say as one of the many who suffered at the hands of the spiteswarm’s 2+ in 3rd edition the fact it has been so massively tuned downward and still retains the 2+ roll is pretty jokes. Good one Jimothy Workshop.
Enhancements
Heroic Traits
All three of these are solid. Spellsinger giving a nonwizard a cast is a powerful interaction with unlimited spells allowing you another chance to create an AWW while the +1 to cast on units like the Warsong Revenant is powerful in 4th. Warsinger (Choir anyone?) gives +2” movement which, while nothing mindblowing, is always excellent. Especially so in a faction with ready access to run and charge through Belthanos.
Lastly, and my personal favourite is Radiant Spirit which provides a complete spell/prayer ignore on a 3+, something I haven’t seen as an aura effect in any other faction. It goes without saying that this effect is very powerful, being able to ignore effects like -1 to hit, wound or reducing charge dice is massive and avoiding incidental mortal wounds is pleasant icing on the cake.
Revs by KC
Artefacts
These are far less thrilling but do a job. The Seed of rebirth is nice on small support pieces but far more impactful in monster mash where Durthu standing back up at the end of the enemy combat phase allows 3-6+ points of healing before he can be targeted again. Crown of Fell Bowers requires the hero using it to be in combat but provides a very powerful +1 to wound to all units targeting the chosen unit on a 3+. With how GW internally seems to be valuing +1 to wound effects, this artefact sits behind a number of gates which may see it struggle to be used effectively, but remains powerful nonetheless. Lastly the Greenwood Gladius. Look how they massacred my boy. From Durthu’s right hand blade in 3rd to now, the Greenwood gladius is now the much-memed “roll a d3, on a 2+ inflict that many mortals.” It isn’t bad by any means but everyone who was salivating at the thought of a buffed up Durthu biffing his way through a game must have been equally disappointed by this item’s depowering.
Units
Let’s start with the best of the best. As alluded to above, the use case for Strike and Fade has changed massively, rather than slingshotting units to delete your opponent’s units and then leaving before they can do anything about it (a playstyle which was always absolutely shithouse to play against, despite the end of edition <45% win rate, and I won’t hear otherwise), Strike and Fade now exists mainly as a means to reposition, for battle tactics at times and most commonly in my experience to rescue our new, old favourite unit Kurnoth Hunters with Kurnoth Greatbows (henceforth Bows, please.) who lack the shoot in combat keyword, have 18” range now, and have – in exchange for these limitations – learned to absolutely ruin heroes whenever they damn well please. Bows require some babysitting to make work but their combination of hero sniping, pure output and synergy with the way the Allegiance traits now work make them my highlight of the index.
Without getting exhaustive, other notable standouts are Alarielle herself, who is a powerful beatstick in addition to being our best wizard. Her resurrection ability is too inconsistent to plan around, but as a listbuilding tool she synergises incredibly well with big punchy monsters such as Durthu and Belthanos. As an aside, I’ve seen far too many times statements online that due to Alarielle’s base size, she’s unable to benefit from the Allegiance abilities. You can overlap your base with a Wyldwood so long as you’re not trying to place the base on the trunk of the tree. Jesus Christ people.
My last major highlights are my personal favourites, with Belthanos playing a key role in most lists. An amazing model, and great beatstick who, despite losing his ward, still plays a key role in the army by creating an AWW from a terrain piece which cannot be destroyed. Clutch. The Lady of Vines also got a glow-up for 4th edition, with a far punchier combat profile and a better rampage which either debuffs attackers with -1 to hit or allows all sylvaneth +1 to hit a certain target. She has paid for this however in becoming a monster in a ruleset where Look Out Sir! no longer cares about wound counts and simultaneously losing wounds, leaving her at a very fragile 8 wounds, very difficult to keep alive outside of woods against popular options like Jezzails and Longstrike Crossbows. That aside, her ability to count as a Wyldwood, Ward aura and otherwise well rounded profile make her one of my favourite picks in the new edition.
Sample List
Sylvaneth Subfaction: Forest Folk Manifestations: Morbid Conjuration
The Lady of Vines (280) – 20 x Dryads (220) – 8 x The Twistweald (130)
Warsong Revenant (210) – 5 x Tree-Revenants (110)
Drycha Hamadreth (310) – 10 x Spite-Revenants (220) – 8 x The Twistweald (130) – 8 x The Twistweald (130) – 10 x Gossamid Archers (240)
1980/2000
Thanks to our patron A..k who suggested this list.
You can get your Spite-Revenants or Twistweald up to rend 4. The focus of the list is turning these crappy, cheap units into potential hard hitters. Twistweald have really decent damage for their points and you can potentially triple stack their negative charge effect.
20 Dryads to be a pain to shift with 5++, 5 casts, Drycha is a strong force multiplier for the Twistweald and Spites,
The Gossamids are for hero sniping and screening, but can also get all the buffs onto them shoot, and then charge, for a respectable 14 damage into a 4+ save average.
You’ve also got a decent amount of shooting across this list
Step into a world where bones rattle with purpose and skeletal warriors stand tall with unwavering resolve. Meet the Ossiarch Bonereapers, led by the enigmatic Katakros. These bony battlers bring a bone-chilling intensity to the battlefield, armed with marrowvellous formations and a bone-fide dedication to their cause. With their bone-appetit for victory, they’ll leave their adversaries shaking in their boots, proving they’re not just humerus, but truly bone to be wild!
Who are the Ossiarch Bonereapers?
All Ossiarch Bonereapers are built for a specific purpose and assigned a role based on the souls from which they’re formed. This is codified through a caste system, with Nagash at the top, the highest ranking Ossiarchs underneath him and various ranks beneath that.
While many Ossiarch Bonereapers are warriors, there are castes of crafters, like the Ossifact, or preachers, like those in the Priad caste.
There is movement between castes, but only downwards, as a punishment for failure. A Liege Kavalos who fails in their mission, for example, may be remade as a Kavalos Deathrider, or as a steed, if he has truly disappointed the Great Necromancer.
The Ossiarch Bonereapers can be found all across the Mortal Realms, aiming to conquer everything from Azyr to the Eightpoints. At present, the main factions of the Ossiarch Bonereapers are concentrated in Shyish, inhabiting the great nations that surround the Shyish Nadir. This allows them easy access to a vast source of magical power and establishes them as a permanent garrison around this most valuable of territories.
Playstyle
As in the shift to 3rd, the 4th edition ruleset has introduced dramatic changes to the command point system. As a result, the mechanical identity of the Ossiarch Bonereapers has undergone a shift…. no longer can they spam commands with impunity. In addition, their durability and recursion have both taken a hit. However, their melee combat prowess and adaptable toolbox remain their great strengths
Battle Traits
The Ossiarch Bonereapers have what is effectively one large battle trait – Relentless Discipline. Comprising of six separate abilities, you are presented with a strategic choice in your movement phase, the charge phase, and the combat phase. Each option provides an effect within a 12″ range of a Hero of your choice in your army. In your movement phase, you may pick between an additional 2″ to your units’ Move characteristics or the ability to use Retreat abilities and still Charge (though your unit will still take the associated mortal damage for using the ‘Retreat’ ability). In the charge phase, you may pick between +1 to charge rolls and Anti-charge (+1 Rend). This is generally going to be the +1 to charge rolls in your turn and the Anti-charge (+1 Rend) in your opponent’s turn, but the ‘Counter-charge’ ability means that occasionally you may plan for more unconventional tactics. In the combat phase, your options are +1 to wound rolls for offensive power and Wᴀʀᴅ (5+) for defensive power. Both of these are powerful buffs, although it’s not uncommon for them to end up being redundant.
Battle Formations
Like every other faction pack, the Ossiarch Bonereapers have four battle formations to choose from. Each of them focuses on different units in the army, but none of them are strong enough on their own to feel like build-arounds. • Mortisan Council – This formation gives all your Ossiarch Bonereapers Infantry Wizards +1 to their casting rolls. I believe that this is likely to be the ‘default’ subfaction for lists. It provides the most universally applicable bonus, as most lists are likely to be running at least one of our Mortisans (or Vokmortian). • Mortek Ballistari – The Mortek Crawler is actually a solid damage dealer this edition. Unfortunately, it comes with a steep points cost at 280. As a result, it’s not particularly viable to spam. However, even with only one Mortek Crawler, it will still save you the CP you would have spent on an ‘All-out Attack’. • Kavalos Lance – This formation gives all your Ossiarch Bonereapers Cavalry a 6″ pregame move. I cannot really ever see taking this formation even in a Kavalos-focused list unless none of the others provide any effect to you. • Mortek Phalanx – Having access to replacement units of Mortek Guard is powerful even if you only take a unit or two. Unfortunately, the random nature of it means it can’t be relied on to score tactics. Even so, bolstering the ranks of what is often an army a bit short on bodies can be incredibly helpful if you get your 5+ rolls off.
Enhancements
Heroic Traits
• ‘Diversionary Tactics‘ is a returning all-star this edition, albeit nerfed to only subtracting 2 from charge rolls instead of 3. It’s still an incredibly powerful effect, especially with the looming threat of ‘Counter-charge’ ever-present. • ‘Aura of Sterility‘ also returns in a lesser fashion, subtracting 1 from wound rolls for shooting attacks that target your units wholly within 12″. This is more a meta call than anything – I don’t quite think it’s worth taking anymore, as it’s still useless in many matchups while no longer being such a silver bullet against others. • ‘Mighty Archaeossian‘ rounds it out with a defensive ability allowing the bearer to only take hits on a roll of 4+ – a powerful effect, but only really meaningful at all on a Liege-Kavalos. I think ‘Diversionary Tactics‘ is generally going to be the pick among these three heroic traits, unless you’re being personally victimized by Kharadron Overlords.
Artefacts
• ‘Helm of Tyranny‘ is probably my favourite of the artefacts. Subtracting 2 from the control scores of all enemy units within 12″ helps make up for the often poor board presence of Ossiarch lists, and the wide range means that even if this is on a Mortisan it can do its job while staying safe in your backlines. • ‘Lode of Saturation‘ gives out Ward (5+). While a solid effect, Mortisans aren’t tanky enough where the better ward will save them if anything substantial hits them, and it’s somewhat redundant with other abilities in the army. • ‘Marrowpact’ is too niche to be particularly useful in comparison – once per battle, it reflects mortals to the attacker on hit rolls of 1-2. You could try to put it on a Liege-Kavalos and have it charge into a horde, but this isn’t a particularly efficient plan.
Spells
The Lore of Ossian Sorcery has three returning spells, all great. ‘Empower Nadirite Weapons’ is the Unlimited option, and provides the target unit critical hits on rolls of 5+. Unfortunately, it’s received a massive nerf in the form of its range – it’s now wholly within 12″, and Arkhan no longer has his range extension. As a result, while this is an incredibly potent spell combined with the Crit (2 Hits) ability most of our units have, it really requires you stay castled up close to your Wizards until you’re ready to go in swinging. ‘Drain Vitality‘ still gives -1 to hit and save rolls, although with the range once again shortened to 12″. This can often be a nice option to cast with ‘Magical Intervention‘ if there’s a unit you’re concerned about. The final spell is ‘Shard Storm‘, which was formerly the Mortisan Boneshaper‘s warscroll spell. It is a 5+ horde clear spell at 18″ range – a solid damage option.
The Horrors of the Necropolis is also a very solid manifestation lore – each provides unique utility, and can be summoned fairly reliably. The Bone-tithe Shrieker gives units -1 to ward rolls, which given the prevalence of wards in this edition is a fairly ubiquitous ability. It also has a shooting attack with a 12″ range, which means that it can shoot the turn it is summoned. The Soulstealer Carrion subtracts 5 from the control score of all enemy Infantry units within 6″ of it, which is a strong effect to have in many of the more elite Ossiarch lists. The Nightmare Predator is the damage-dealer of the bunch, and has an ability to try to come back at the end of the turn if it was destroyed. Manifestations whose job is damage can struggle to be effective since they need to make a 9″ charge to get into combat and are often destroyed before they can do anything, so this is a nice effect to have on.
Units
The Ossiarch Bonereapers have a relatively limited roster to choose from, but their units have pretty distinct roles. As far as Heroes go, our three centrepieces all look very solid. Nagash is finally worth playing again – being able to return a full reinforced unit is incredibly potent. The Mortarchs are also great despite losing their healing potential, but I can’t really see lists running both anymore. Arkhan is still a great caster and has a variant of the Null Myriad ability on his scroll that provides a spell ignore for all nearby units, allowing him to provide both magical prowess and anti-magic defense. Katakros extends the range of Relentless Discipline abilities he uses, buffs the control score of nearby units, has a chance to steal CP, and is one of the few valuable ways to save stack – a veritable command centre of abilities.
Of our smaller Heroes, the Mortisan Soulmason stands out to me the most. It has a warscroll spell (rare for a non-Unique Wizard!) that gives a unit wholly within 12″ Strike-first. Unfortunately, it only lasts the rest of the turn, but it can be very backbreaking to let you double-tap in your turn or to try to push through a devastating ‘Counter-charge’ in your opponents. It also natively casts 2 spells and has an extra health compared to our other Mortisans.
For non-Hero units, the Teratic Cohort stand out to me. They’re only 10 points more than Mortek Guard, but have a deepstrike ability. With a little setup, these are great for scoring battle tactics and can chain Take Their Land into Take The Flanks or Inevitable Demise. For combat prowess, Morghasts seem the winner. Morghast Harbingers reclaimed their 3D6 charge and can benefit from Relentless Discipline abilities anywhere on the battlefield, making them an excellent cruise missile. A reinforced block of them pairs wonderfully with Nagash. Morghast Archai recieved a ward against spell damage as well as a 3+ Save characteristic, making them the option if you’d rather keep them in your castle.
Kavalos Deathriders have also gotten a glow-up in combat with their Charge (+1 Damage), and are another great option if you want a cheaper mid-tier hammer. If you want to invest in ranged pressure, the Mortek Crawler is a dependable but expensive choice. It does approximately 10 damage to an Infantry block at a quite respectable range of 24″, and can hand out Strike-last to boot. ‘Covering Fire’ can apply this in your opponent’s turn, rendering it difficult to approach a castle backed up by one.
Sample List
Battle Formation: Mortisan Council
Manifestation Lore: Horrors of the Necropolis
Spell Lore: Lore of Ossian Sorcery
Regiment 1
Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead [880pts] General
Morghast Harbingers [540pts] Reinforced
Nagash and Morghast Harbingers are a powerful combination. The Morghasts can go out and smash whatever they need to, die, and be brought back. Their speed and manoeuvrability makes them incredibly hard to play around, and the threat of a 3d6+1 countercharge leaves them unable to be ignored. While CP-intensive, the Mortisan Soulmason can even give them Strike-first with the use of ‘Magical Intervention’, letting them obliterate their target in your opponent’s turn before it even gets to fight. The Teratic Cohort round out the list by being cheap and versatile units that score battle tactics well, helping offset the eliteness of the list.
So you want to drown your opponents in a furious and e-fish-ent assault of eels, sharks, teeth, and water? To scare your opponents with the sheer scale of your military might and tactics? Well, flounder no more, Patrick has the low down on the Idoneth faction.
Who are the Idoneth Deepkin?
The Idoneth Deepkin is a mysterious and tragic faction created by the aelven god Teclis to repopulate the elven race lost during the World-That-Was. However, they were flawed creations, leading many to suffer from soul starvation. To survive, they raid coastal settlements to harvest souls. Living in hidden underwater enclaves, their society is secretive and avoids contact with other races. Their aesthetic blends traditional elven features with marine elements, and their armies include various units like Sharks, Eels, and Giant Turtles. Their tragic history, enigmatic nature, and blend of elven and oceanic themes define their identity.
Playstyle
Float like an Allopex, Sting like a Fangmora.
The Idoneth Deepkin vied for the title of “fastest army in town” throughout the second edition and third edition. In the new index, they may well hold the record. The slowest unit you can bring moves at 6”, the fastest are swimming at 14”. During turn 2, you can run and shoot and/or charge (a marked improvement from the tides of the past). You have easy access to teleportation, deep strikes, and pulling units into reserves.
But the cost of all of these new features? Slightly less damage output compared to the last edition and maintaining the frailty that they have always struggled against. Both of these can be alleviated, however, through careful use of teleportation and buff bubbles around your units.
Historically, Idoneth has found success as an “oops all eels” army (2nd edition) or an “oops all sharks” army (3rd edition). There are arguments now to say that Idoneth works especially well as a mixed-arms force. There are lots of solid rules interactions between units. Look at how a unit of Ishlaen Guard reduces attacks while cutting some damage into whatever you’ve charged. Follow that up with an Allopex to get additional hits against the injured unit while being protected by the eels.
There is plenty to love in this index, and I think Idoneth players should be overjoyed with the delicious morsels we have been given.
These all rock. We’ve seen marked improvement from the last edition in our tides, and an innate reserves mechanic provides awesome tactical flexibility. We lost Forgotten Nightmares, but we’ve gained enough utility to accept that loss.
Idoneth’s battle traits are split in half. The first half is a combination of Ethersea Voyagers and Raiders from the Deep. The second is Tides of Death.
Ethersea Voyagers allows you to set up one regiment during deployment and place them in reserves. Raiders from the Deep allows you to take a unit in reserves and set them up in your Movement phase wholly within 9” of the edge of the battlefield and more than 9” from all enemy units. The second restriction can be mitigated with the inclusion of a Soulsrcyer, which will be discussed below, and using the Soul-raid ambush formation will allow you to continue moving units in and out of reserves throughout the game.
This is an amazing ability and provides some early tactical flexibility that can not be underestimated. If nothing else, it forces your opponent to consider where their own units are placed and how an Idoneth unit popping up at a board edge might cause problems for something like back-line support heroes. Note that there is no restriction on what round a unit has to arrive from reserves, so you can reserve a critical hammer unit until round 3 to benefit from High Tide.
As with any army, however, you need to be careful about committing to massive deep-strike. A clever opponent will know how to screen your units from coming in on the board edge and if you are facing an opponent that also can bring mass deepstrike you are looking at the possibility of being struck by the Kroot conga-line that we’ve all seen. Also, remember that you have to commit a full regiment to this tactic, and you don’t want your opponent to block you out of deployment just because they can effectively screen the edge of the board.
It’s probably best to consider this ability in two forms: 1) you are up against a slow army or an elite army that will have a hard time screening you out, in which case you can be aggressive with your reserves and hit their backline. Or 2) you can use this ability against mobile or ranged armies to keep some key units safe for the first turn or two. You can’t kill what’s not on the board.
Speaking of High Tide, Idoneth’s Tides of Death have seen some minor tweaks since the last edition. They still provide buffs during a round and require you to control the flow of battle as much as possible. The five tides are shown in the image below:
Take a clip of the Tides of Death Table and place it here
Things to note for Idoneth players coming from 3rd edition: Low Tide now has a clear restriction that the bonus goes away if you charge, so use round 1 and five to score some movement tactics and focus on shooting. Flood Tide now allows you to shoot AND charge after running, which is a massive buff for units like Allopexi and Leviadons that are carrying pretty strong shooting and melee attack profiles.
High Tide is exactly the same as the last edition and will be the source of complaints from all of your opponents. Army-wide strike first is going to be incredibly powerful and may allow you to remove your opponent’s hammer units through careful combat placement before they have the chance to hit back. Ebb Tide has seen the same improvement as Flood Tide, allowing both shooting and charging after falling back.you can use this in concert with abilities like Soul-raid Ambushers (discussed below) to continue your movement flexibility and potentially score late-game battle tactics and primary objectives, depending on objective placement.
Formations
Just like everyone else, Idoneth have four formations to choose from during army construction. Two of these are very good, one is decent, and one will almost never see play.
The first is Namarti Corps. This allows your Namarti units to re-roll run and charge rolls so long as they are wholly within 12” of an Akhelian unit. The bubble size is very forgiving, and if you are bringing Namarti in from reserves with an Akhleian King or Thrallmaster, you are increasing the odds of that 9” charge from ~25% to ~50%.
Akhleian Beastmasters was previewed in the faction focus article and provides your Akhelian companion weapons with +1 to hit. This is a decent buff if you are bringing a lot of sharks and eels, and there are enough sources of -1 to hit in the game that this will keep your friends biting hard against your opponents.
Isharann Council is a flop. Your Isharann units (only the Soulrender and Tidecaster will benefit) get +1 to their warscroll abilities so long as they are within the combat range of another Isharann unit. If the combat range restriction was lifted, this would see some good play, especially because these units will see regular use from their respective abilities. The main trouble is that the Tidecaster generally wants to hang back and cast spells while the Soulrender wants to be in the thick of it with your Namarti. I expect that some bold players will run lists with this formation, but it likely won’t see as much competitive success.
The final formation of Soul-raid Ambushers provides you army with the ability to return one infantry or cavalry unit per turn (only your turn) to reserves. This is tremendously strong and ramps up the mobility of your army well beyond what we already have access to. The ability to use Steed of Tides to launch a unit of Reavers halfway up the board, have them launch a volley at an enemy unit, then dip back into reserves to stay alive another round is an ability that shouldn’t be underestimated. If nothing else, you will make your Sylvaneth friends jealous at your newfangled Strike-and-Fade.
Spells
Before we get into the specifics of spells, let’s look at a fun new command for the 4th edition called “Magical Intervention”:
Why am I bringing this up? Because Steed of Tides is a spell that exists.
Steed of Tides allows you to pick an Idoneth unit wholly within 12” of the caster and teleport them anywhere on the battlefield more than 9” from all enemy units. This is important because of three elements: 1) There is no restriction saying that you can’t use this on a unit that is currently in combat, 2) there is no restriction on what units you can use this on, and 3) this spell has the Unlimited keyword..
Don’t like where your leviadon is sitting? Throw him to the far end of the table. Don’t want that unit of Namarti to get slapped in the combat phase? Remove them from combat during yours or your opponent’s hero phase. See a convenient objective marker all the way over there? You see what I’m getting at here.
Our other spells are not quite as world-shattering but are still useful. Arcane Corrasion reduces the rend of a target’s melee weapons, keeping your squishy aelves alive that little bit longer. Pressure of the Deep is your standard issue horde-clearer, with the usual restriction that you’re dealing with single mortal wounds on 5+’s. This isn’t terrible. it’s just worth keeping in mind that even using this against a reinforced unit of clanrats, you will still only deal an average of 13 mortal wounds. There is nothing to sniff at. There just might be better uses of your limited spells.
Enhancements
All of our artefacts and heroic traits are good, but we should expect to see two float to the top in most competitive lists.
Armor of the Cythai is incredible and universally useful. This blocks an opponent from using any weapons abilities on your heroes (with the exception of the “companion” rule). Removing your opponents anti-hero, anti-infantry, anti-monster, or crit () abilities will make a huge difference in keeping your hero alive. Couple that with the heroic trait Ancient Pride, which prevents unmodified hit rolls of 1-3 from ever hitting your hero, and you have a King or Eidolon that is very difficult to put down.
Our other artefacts are much more situational. Delicious Morsels will do a lot to keep your cavalry units alive, but you obviously won’t be taking it if you don’t bring a lot of cavalry. It also has the restriction that it only works on a unit within the combat range of the carrier, so your King can’t lob a snack any great distance and let your eels spread out. Dritchleech is functional but even more situational. The -1 to casting rolls is good against some armies, and the 18” bubble is substantial, but against armies that aren’t bringing any wizards, you are stuck with an artefact that provides nothing. If you’re in a local meta where everyone is bringing Wizards, you will get a lot of mileage out of the one, but at larger events we’ll need to see what magic meta shakes out.
Units
I want to start with something sad before we get on to the rest of the units. The leviadon is sick and needs lots of bed rest. Lay him on your shelf on a comfortable blanket and admire him from a distance while he recovers.
Frankly, I’m not happy with the turtle. At 500 points, I think it becomes a liability. For something to be worth 25% of your army, it needs to be game-changing, and in its current form, that isn’t what we’re looking at. The limitation for units to be wholly within 6” to receive the ward buff is too limiting to be useful on the units that need it, and the rampage is underwhelming. It’s still going to be an incredible tank with 16 wounds, 3+ save, and 5+ ward, but it needs something to make it more capable.
Eidolons are great. Both serve their purpose, are excellent vehicles for the above heroic traits and artefacts, and both occupy a niche that you will instantly find a use for. The Eidolon of the Sea is the best spellcaster you can bring, and his large base size means that he has a generous bubble for Steed of Tides, and is tanky enough to survive in the thick of combat. The Storm is a melee monster outperforming the King on paper and a great rampage that hits your opponents with Strike-last for the turn.
The Akhelian King has seen better days, but Volturnos is now sitting at a point where he will regularly see tables. The King is meant to be taken for damage output, but when hit with the math-hammer, he does comparable damage to the Eidolon of the Sea. Volturnos, on the other hand, has high quality damage output with a once-per-battle ability to increase the attack characteristics on 3 other units. He is also providing a free +1 to hit aura for Akhelian units wholly within 12”, which is a generous range that will be easy to fit your eels and sharks within.
All of the foot heroes lost their wards coming into the new edition. All of them will die to a stiff breeze, and none of them will put out any form of respectable damage. None of that matters, though, because you aren’t taking foot heroes in Idoneth armies to deal damage. All of our foot heroes provide solid buffs, and I feel like we’ll see regular use for all of them.
The Soulscryer is universally good, reducing the deep strike restriction to 7”, meaning that you will get your charges off much more frequently. The Tidecaster is now your only source of Isharann Rituals, and they only work on a 3+, but getting +1 to run and charge on the turn you need it will be clutch. If you’re taking thralls, the Thrallmaster’s ability to give them Crit (2 hits) drastically boosts their damage output and allows them to threaten heavy targets.
Speaking of Thralls, on paper, they look like they’ve dropped in power from the last edition. Wounding on 4+s makes them less viable than in 3rd, and without proper support, they won’t see much use. They are a perfect buff-sponge, however, and with the backing of a Thrallmaster and Eidolon, you could easily see a unit of Thralls dropping a monster or massive infantry unit in a single combat. Just don’t throw them at cavalry unless you completely lack other targets. They get bonuses against infantry and monsters but will struggle to deal with cavalry in any real capacity.
We have no bad cavalry options, and all three of our units serve their purpose in the niche they are meant to fill. Ishlaen Guard reduce the number of attacks of enemy untis in combat with them and get a 5+ ward after charging. Morsarr do mortal wounds on the charge (every charge, not just once per battle) and are infantry-hunting terrors. Allopexes (Allopexi?) are great units to hunt with a unit of Ishlaen Guard to act as a one-two punch. Let the Ishlaen scratch a wound or two into a unit and reduce its attacks, then have the allopex bite down with its bonus attacks.
All in all, I think Idoneth players should feel very good about the index we’ve been given. We have some strong movement abilities, decent damage output, and the “wow” factor that a well-painted army will bring to the table (seriously, I cannot understate how much I love the Idoneth model range). The army will require even more finesse than it did in previous editions, but in the hands of an experienced player, they will absolutely shine.
Sample List
Akhelian King
1×3 Ishlaen Guard
1×3 Ishlaen Guard
Eidolon of the Storm – Warlord with Ancient Pride and Armor of the Cythai
For those that remember such ancient times, Games Workshop stores of the 90s had a specific feel (and smell) to them when you walked in. They also played LOTS of rock music. If you could wrap all of that up into an Age of Sigmar faction, you’d get the Slaves to Darkness (and possibly a little bit of Nurgle…).
UPDATE (07/23/2024): This article has been updated to better reflect the high-performing units in the faction, the strongest manifestation lores, and alternative playstyles.
Playstyle
As befits a faction with such a wide model range, Slaves to Darkness has a variety of playstyles available to it. I believe many players will gravitate to an aggressive playstyle using cavalry units such as Chaos Knights and Varanguard. This is pretty straightforward: you do horrific amounts of damage on the charge, so you charge your opponents and knock them over. The rest of your army is there to support the big scary cavalry by providing buffs, standing on objectives, or scoring Battle Tactics.
The army is also capable of a more defensive/controlling playstyle employing Chaos Chosen and Chaos Warriors to control territory, as well as control pieces such as Be’lakor and the Mindstealer Sphiranx to disrupt your opponent and quality chaff units like Chaos Furies to tie opponents up in melee. This playstyle also employs manifestations extensively to block off sections of the board and engage units that refuse to fight your formidable combat blobs.
Last but not least, the Darkoath part of the army is nominally capable of putting large amounts of troops on the table that can be brought back using the Darkoath Horde Battle Formation, but I find that playstyle to be quite a bit weaker than the two styles mentioned above and won’t talk too much about that one here.
Be’lakor by Luis Mendoza
Battle Traits
Slaves to Darkness only has 2 Battle Traits, but they’re both pretty good ones: Eye of the Gods triggers whenever your units destroy an enemy unit and offers an array of potent buffs. I recommend always taking the re-roll on the table, as it gives you a greater than 50% chance of getting the buff you want. Aggressive units will likely want the +1 to hit first in order to maximize your resource efficiency. Once you have that, target the +1 Rend. Defensive units will likely want to stack those wards.
The Marks of Chaos lets you choose from an array of buffs associated with each Chaos god. Khorne and Nurgle are the standouts in offence and defence, respectively, and they are the ones I would choose from when given a choice. For the units locked to a particular Mark, Undivided is respectable, and Tzeentch is conditional. I don’t see a reason to choose Slaanesh other than the mark-specific prayer on the Chaos Warshrine, which is not enough incentive.
Let’s look at the Nexus Chaotica since it’s a de facto faction ability. Its ability to charge up and grant bonuses to cast is OK, but the benefit I like the most is the ability to generate mortal damage bombs on objectives. Additionally, it somewhat functions as a free screen with its ability to occupy space and absorb damage on your behalf.
Subfaction Traits
We have access to 4 subfactions (known as Battle Formations), but one of them stands head and shoulders above the rest in my opinion. The Godswrath Warband turns an objective that you’re contesting into a mortal damage minefield, and as far we know, it cannot be interacted with further. This extra damage source on objectives can make it difficult for your opponent to retain control of them, which helps you accomplish your primary objective (scoring points) via the thing this army is best at (killing their stuff).
In the event that you wish to consider something other than Godswrath, the Darkoath Horde has a potent unit revival effect in Rally the Tribes for Darkoath units. I consider the abilities of the Despoilers and Legion of Chaos Battle Formations to be too conditional and not sufficiently impactful to compete with Godswrath or Horde.
Spells
The Lore of the Damned has an obvious all-star spell in Daemonic Speed. While the casting value make it something you can’t necessarily rely on, charging on 3D6″ is quite a potent effect. Spite-Tongue Curse isn’t the strongest spell, but the threat of casting it multiple times in the same turn can make it a decent Hero sniper, and the threat of it can influence your opponent to hide their Heroes. Lastly, Binding Damnation‘s ability to put down the strikes-last debuff can swing a key combat in your favor (though beware of the short range).
Our native manifestation lore (the Manifestations of Malevolence) is nothing to write home about, in my opinion. While the Realmscourge Rupture has a useful conditional debuff in -1 to hit and the Eightfold Doom-Sigil can get you +1 Attack in a turn where you sequence your combats cleverly, I find it to be overall weaker than some of the generic lores. The generic lore par excellence in my opinion is Morbid Conjuration, which has the Purple Sun of Shyish for save penalties, Malevolent Maelstrom as a mortal damage bomb, Suffocating Gravetide as a horde thinner, and Soulsnare Shackles as a movement disruptor that is particularly nasty when cast on your opponent’s turn. I also think Primal Energy is a strong lore for us, as Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws is a durable threat that can’t be banished in one shot and Emerald Lifeswarm meshes well with our high-Health models. A Lore that I have a bit of a soft spot for is Forbidden Power, which has the Soulscream Bridge for moving units (especially slower ones like Warriors and Chosen) around and Horrorghast to provide you with a bit of shooting and the chance to shut down command abilities (disallowing an opponent from using a Counter-charge, for example, is a potentially game-swinging play).
Last but not least, if you’re planning to go light on spells and just want to defend yourself from enemy manifestations, I think the Krondspine Incarnate of Ghur gives you the best bang for your buck.
Nexus Chaotica by PCjourney (Alen)
Enhancements
In the Artefacts section, I think the choice is pretty clear: this is an elite army that will struggle on objectives, and The Conqueror’s Crown helps shore up that weakness. An argument can be made for the Infernal Puppet if you feel that you don’t have enough protection against opposing spellcasters, but the fact that it is once per game and triggers I don’t think it’s enough of a disincentive. The Realmwarper’s Twist-Rune is niche tech at best.
The Heroic Traits section, on the other hand, is a bit trickier. If you have a fightier Hero such as the Chaos Lord on Karkadrak or the Daemon Prince, Deathmonger is a nice way to make them more threatening. Radiance of Dark Glory is good if you have lots of high-Health models, such as Hero Monsters.I rate Favoured of the Pantheon below those options, but it’s hardly bad.
Units
My opinion is that the most efficient warscroll in this army is Chaos Knights. I find that you get a great deal on points for how fast, durable, and damaging they are on the charge, especially if they are marked Khorne (which they should be!). I begin virtually every list with 2 units of 5, and suggest you do the same. Another standout unit is Chaos Furies, who are blazing fast (which makes them excellent for completing Battle Tactics or contesting faraway objectives), and have a retreat ability that makes them very hard to take out in melee. Not every Hero has access to them, but every list should.
The other heavily armored units are also potent. Varanguard are the best overall hammer unit in our army and capable of a terrifying amount of damage, Chaos Warriors are efficiently priced objective grabbers that do more damage than you’d think, and Chaos Chosen can dish it out as well as they take it. If you’re looking for cheaper units, the Darkoath Fellriders have great speed, solid damage to pick off low-save units and small Heroes, and are an efficient source of health that can get revived in the proper Battle Formation. Another option in the cheap unit department is Furies, which perform a useful function as cheap, fast fliers that can waste opposing combat activations.
On the Hero front, Be’lakor strikes me as doing quite a lot for his points, with solid damage, being a Wizard (2) with a good warscroll spell, and powerful abilities such as The Dark Master. Staying with casters, I believe the Chaos Sorcerer Lord on foot and the Gaunt Summoner on foot are both very efficient. The Sorcerer’s Oracular Visions almost feels like a very powerful second spell, and the Gaunt is an actual Wizard (2) with a neat ability for moving some of your slower units (like Chaos Chosen) around. I also think the Chaos Lord on Daemonic Mount is pretty efficiently priced, especially for those cavalry-heavy aggressive lists. Last but not least, Archaon the Everchosen costs a ton of points, but he is also an imposing enough presence on the board to make him running him worth it. He hits hard, moves fast, is incredibly durable, and has great abilities, especially his ability to put down opposing manifestations with ease.
Daniel Patterson’s Slaves to Darkness
Sample List
Here’s a sample list that features some of the premium warscrolls and synergies in the army.
Army: Slaves to Darkness – Battle Formation: Godswrath Warband – Manifestation Lore: Primal Energy – Spell Lore: Lore of the Damned – Honour Guard Rule: Priority Target
REGIMENT 1 Hero: Be’lakor (410) – General Unit 1: 6 Varanguard (620) – Mark of Chaos: Khorne – Reinforced – Honour Guard Unit 2: 5 Darkoath Fellriders (150) – Broadswords Unit 3: 6 Chaos Furies (100) Unit 4: 6 Chaos Furies (100)
REGIMENT 2 Hero: Chaos Sorcerer Lord (120) – Heroic Trait: Radiance of Dark Glory – Artefact: The Conqueror’s Crown – Mark of Chaos: Tzeentch Unit 2: 5 Chaos Knights (250) – Mark of Chaos: Khorne Unit 3: 5 Chaos Knights (250) – Mark of Chaos: Khorne
TOTAL POINTS: (2000/2000)
Coming in right at 2000 points, this list is an offensive powerhouse. Be’lakor and the Sorcerer Lord need no introduction, Knights and Varanguard bring the pain (especially when the Priority Target rule is live to give them +1 to hit and wound), Chaos Furies are a premier screen and objective grabber, and Fellriders are a somewhat bulkier unit that can harass Heroes and threaten opposing chaff. As this list is very fast and full of beefy multi-Health models, I favor the Primal Energy manifestation lore because of the Emerald Lifeswarm‘s ability to heal your guys as well as Ravenak’s Gnashing Jaws for some extra damage.
I’ll update this ol’ page after a few more games with KO… for now, do go check out the First Impressions article in between shooting opponents off the table!
The forces of Order aim to bring peace to the Mortal Realms by stamping out evil. Forces of Stormcast Eternals, known as Stormhosts, would travel across the Realms liberating the pathways between realms known as Realmgates. Cities were then strategically erected around these places of power at the behest of the God-King Sigmar himself. Populated by the Humans, Duardin, and Aelves, these Free Cities came to be known as the Cities of Sigmar. Bastions of Order, these Cities serve as the garrison to crusades launched all across the Mortal Realms.
Playstyle
The Cities of Sigmar Battletome boasts a strong variety in play styles that include high durability, strong mobility, long range shooting, powerful magics, and formidable melee. What you will enjoy about Cities is being able to have your cake and eat it too. The wide variety inherently within the warscrolls and allegiance abilities will allow you to mix and match all of these archetypes to your heart’s content. Whether you aim to castle up and charge forward the Cities of Sigmar (CoS) will enable you to achieve that and more.
Allegiance Abilities
The delicious bread and butter for CoS lies in their Orders. Orders are special abilities your CoS HEROES can utilize. At the start of the battle round, you give each of your heroes an order, face down such that your opponent does not know what they are. You can then trigger them throughout the battle round at the appropriate times. This “trap card” style ability allows the CoS player immense flexibility on a turn by turn basis. You can’t have more than 3 of the same order out at the same time, and a unit cannot be affected more than once by the same order in the same phase. At the end of the battle round, you discard any that are not revealed and start anew.
The first two orders can be given to any CoS HERO. Advance in Formation is revealed at the start of the movement phase. Any unit that starts a normal move within 3” of this HERO gets to add 3” to their move characteristic. This means you get the opportunity to move the hero in range of a different unit that wants to receive the bonus. Castelite units with the Fortified Position ability can use said ability even if they made a normal move as long as they end within 3” of this HERO. We will get into what all that means when we discuss the warscrolls. Counter-Charge is revealed at the end of the enemy charge phase. You pick a unit that is not in combat and within 3” of this HERO. That unit can attempt a charge, and if they make it their rend is improved by one until the end of the turn. Anything that allows you to act in your opponent’s turn is very powerful, a Counter Charge being amongst the best of them. Your opponent can carefully position all they want and you can surprise them with one more unit that they did not intend on fighting.
The next three orders can only be given to your HUMAN CoS HEROES. Return Fire is revealed when a friendly unit within 3” of the HERO is targeted by a shooting attack. After that attack, a HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of that HERO that is not in combat can make a shooting attack. Any enemy archers will have to think twice about who they shoot! Suppressing Fire is revealed at the start of your shooting phase. Pick one HUMAN CoS unit within 3” of this HERO. If that unit shoots and puts all its attacks into one target, roll two dice against that unit’s bravery adding the number of models slain by that attack. If the roll exceeds the target’s bravery, that unit is suppressed until the end of the turn (meaning it has strikes last). Soften up a target with some missiles before charging in and you may be able to give it strikes last in addition! Engage the Foe is revealed at the start of your charge phase. Pick a CoS HUMAN within 3” of the HERO, not in combat, and has not fought yet in the battle. If that unit makes a charge move, they will get +1 attacks until the end of that combat phase. This will make your melee threats even more threatening on that initial impact.
The next two orders can only be given to your DUARDIN CoS HEROES. Form Shieldwall is revealed at the start of the enemy combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit with 5 or more models within 3” of this hero to get a 5+ ward and strike last. A surprise jump in durability that can catch an opponent off guard. Grim Last Stand is revealed at the start of your combat phase. It allows you to pick a CoS DUARDIN unit models within 3” of this hero and gives them an explode on death. The explosion is 3” range measured from the unit and causes 1 mortal wound on a 5+ per slain model. This one leaves a lot to be desired as it does not seem to stack up to anything that we have seen so far.
The next two orders can only be given to your AELF CoS HEROES. Strike Them Down is revealed at the start of the charge phase. One CoS AELF unit within 3” of the hero will get strike first if they charge this turn. This combos very well with Counter-Charge. A unit can benefit from more than one order in the same phase assuming it is not the same order. Swift Disengage is revealed at the end of the combat phase.One CoS AELF unit within 3” of this hero can immediately make a retreat move. This is a very nice piece of out of phase mobility, and we love abilities that let you do things out of phase.
Subfaction Traits Summary
There are a whopping 11 Free Cities to choose from as your subfaction! You may find some to be more impactful than others, however each will definitely provide a niche that you may find enjoyable! A number of these will specifically lay out how allies can interact with them. As a reminder, allies will not get the subfaction keyword nor are they CoS which means they cannot have or receive orders.
Hammerhal Aqsha lets one of your Aqsha HEROES have two different orders instead of just one order. You also get an extra CP at the start of your hero phase if you have an allied Aventis Firestrike on the battlefield. This is going to be outclassed by some of the other cities as getting a single additional order or CP per round does not a subfaction make.
The Living City enables you to deepstrike up to half of your Living City or Sylvaneth units during deployment. One or more of them are set up wholly within 6” of the board edge and more than 9” away from enemies at the end of your movement phase. If deepstrike excites you and you would like to bring along your Sylvaneth toys, go nuts!
Vindicarum units are able to rally while within 3” of enemies, and your Vindicarum Flagellants can rally on a 5+. This one is not particularly flashy as no other unit will have an improved rally. Large blobs of Flagellants with defensive buffs tarring up the board and exploding on death while rallying back certainly is a choice you can make. However, they are so fragile that they may not survive to see the rally. And with the 10 wound cap on rally, it might be that much more difficult to pull off.
Tempest’s Eye units, Kharadron Overlords skyvessels allies, and the units embarked in said vessels are able to retreat and shoot. This is an alright touch of mobility, and could be exciting for the flying duardin enjoyers that want to bring their lads into Cities!
Greywater Fastness allows you to issue All-out Attack in the shooting phase to three Greywater Fastness units. The first two times you issue it, it does not cost a CP. If you’re a fan of tanks or lads with firearms, this could improve your output in the shooting phase.
Excelsis gives all your Excelsis monsters an additional wound. It also gives your Freeguild Cavaliers the ability to do some mortal wounds in the combat phase. After they fight, pick any enemy within 3” and roll a die for each model in the Cav unit. Each 4+ will deal a mortal. There are some formidable monsters in the book, so if you wish to beef them up and then sprint around with the very fast Cavalry, this may be the option for you!
Hallowheart stands out as the magical subfaction, allowing your Hallowheart wizards to cast on 3d6 rather than 2d6. If the unmodified casting roll was 10+, they take D3 mortal wounds after resolving the spell. We will review the spell lore shortly but getting the chance to 3d6 cast your critical spells at the cost of maybe D3 mortal wounds is the deal of a lifetime.
Lethis stands out as the premier PRIEST subaction. Your HUMAN Lethis non-WIZARD HEROES become PRIESTS and gain access to the Lethis specific prayer Morrda’s Embrace which is a 4+ 12” range ward turn off (your Stormcast PRIEST allies will also get this). The range is a bit short, but a ward turn off is a phenomenal tool to have in addition to the generic and Cities specific prayer scriptures.
Settler’s Gain WIZARDS get +1 to cast and your general will generate an additional CP if they are within 3” of a Lumineth Realm-Lord ally. This is another magic subfaction and while it feels less flashy than Hallowheart, it offers some nice consistency.
Hammerhall Ghyra allows you to bring 1 additional reinforced CoS unit than normal and make all of your HUMAN units bravery 10 while they have 10 or more models. This one seems like a miss. There are tools that will allow you to deal with battleshock so this just doesn’t seem necessary.
Misthavn lets you pick 3 Misthavn units at the end of the hero phase that are outside 12” of enemies. Those units move D6”, or 2d6” if they are mounted. This move can end within 3” of enemies. This is a really nice touch of mobility and will give your already speedy cavalry even more room to move. Being able to end within combat has so many implications including shutting off unleash, redeploy, counter-charges, certain commands, and so on!
Spells and Prayers
There are two spell lores in the CoS tome, one for HUMANS and one for AELVES. The Lore of Collegiate Arcane for HUMANS has a whopping 8 spells. Fireball (CV6 range 18”) is a hordebreaker (roll a number of dice equal to the number of models in the unit and do mortals on x) on 6s. This one is not winning any awards. Mystifying Miasma (CV5 range 18”) is a single target debuff for no running and -2 to charge. This could help slow down some folks that rely on run and charge and the range is really nice. Pall of Doom (CV7 range 18”) is a single target debuff to shut off commands. Some units rely more heavily on commands than others. When they DO rely on it, woof does it hurt to take that away. Pha’s Protection (CV7 range 18”) is a single target HUMAN buff to ignore all modifiers to save rolls. Giving a high base save unit an ethereal save could prove quite useful. Rain of Jade (CV7 range 12”) is a single HUMAN model heal, rolling a dice for each wound allocated and healing it on a 5+. This is only for models, not units. Not sure if you are casting this over the other options but could be ok to heal up a durable monster that is heavily injured. Transmutation of Lead (CV7 range 12”) is a hordebreaker on dice value that exceeds the target’s save characteristic. Shutter in fear bricks of ok save models! Twin-tailed Comet (CV7 range 18”) lets you pick an enemy unit and draw a line to one model in that unit. Any HUMANS that the line touches get bravery 10 for the turn and then that unit suffers D3 mortal wounds. This one is really really niche. Wildform (CV7 range 12”) is a single target HUMAN buff for a 3d6 charge. Yes, I would absolutely take more mobility thank you very much. The Lore of Dark Sorcery will give your AELVES a less whopping 3 spells to choose from. Sap Strength (CV6 range 18”) is a single target debuff for -1 to wound. Bonuses to wound don’t come sound too often so this one can hurt. Umbral Hex (CV6 range 12”) is a single target debuff to roll 2d6 instead of 1d6 for battleshock tests. Pair this with Pall of Doom and the battleshock phase will be terrifying. Tenebrael Blades (CV7 range 9”) is a single target AELF buff. Any enemy that this AELF unit targets in melee will be treated as having a save characteristic of “-” which means 7+.
Amongst these two spell lores, there are a number of interesting tools you can utilize to buff yourself or debuff your opponent. With all the casting bonuses you may have access to based on the subfaction you choose, this is a toolbox that you can have at the ready.
Rune Lore is the prayer scripture with 3 prayers your DUARDIN will have access to. Rune of Unfaltering Aim (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff with that will give +1 to hit with missile weapons. Copters and Bombers rejoice? Rune of Oath and Steel (CV3 range 12”) is a single target DUARDIN buff that will give enemies -1 to wound in melee against that unit. Yet another durability buff for blocks of DUARDIN. Rune of Wrath and Ruin (CV3 range 18”) is a single target damage prayer. On 6 dice, each 5+ is a mortal wound. On 3 or more mortals, that target cannot benefit from bonuses to save. Two consistent buffs and an inconsistent debuff.
Command Traits and Artefacts
YourHUMAN generals will have access to four command traits from Sentinels of Order. Diving Champion will make your general a PRIEST and give them access to the prayer Hammer of Sigmar (CV4 range 12”). The prayer is a +1 to wound AoE buff centered on the chanter. +1 to wound is nothing to sneeze at, but you’re still asking for a 4+ without rerolls. Grizzled Veteran is only for your FREEGUILD generals and it makes it so attacks can only wound successfully on unmodified rolls of 4+. This is a significant bump in durability. Master of Ballistics will improve your general’s All-out-Attack, giving +1 to wound in addition to +1 to hit when issued to a CASTELITE unit. If you want to go all in on Fusiliers or Steelhelms, this could be a good consideration. Fiery Temper allows this general to reroll charges. If this general makes a charge move, all other CoS units wholly within 18” also get to reroll their charges. If you live by the ABCs (Always Be Charging) this is a fun command trait for you.
Your HUMAN HEROES have access to 6 artefacts of power from Treasures of the Cities. Brazier of Holy Flame lets you roll a dice each time a HUMAN model flees from battleshock while wholly within 12” of the bearer. On a 4+, that model does not flee. Could potentially mess up coherency if you are not careful, but between this and all the potential bravery buffs I do not foresee HUMAN bricks running to bravery. Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope (great name) gives +3” to the range of missile weapons used by HUMANS wholly within 12” of the bearer. Steam Tanks and Fusiliers shooting from even father is going to be tough to handle! Shemtek’s Grimoire is a once per battle debuff to enemy wizards. You use this at the start of the enemy hero phase to give their wizards -D3 to cast for that phase. This is very niche, but if you want to go high drops for extra artefacts this is an interesting inclusion to make your army more magically dominant. Sigmarite Warhammer will just give one of the bearers weapons an extra pip of rend and damage. If you like a smashy Griffon, this is your golden ticket. Flask of Lethisian Darkwater is a once per battle D6 heal at the end of any phase. Once per battle abilities need to be REALLY good to keep up with the other options you have access to. D6 is just too inconsistent. Glimmering is a once per phase reroll for a hit, wound, or save roll for the bearer. Not sure why one would take this over some of the other options.
Your DUARDIN generals will have 3 command traits to choose from Lords of the Mountains. Of Mighty Lineage allows your general to pick an enemy HERO within 3” at the start of the combat phase, giving your general strikes first if they target the enemy HERO with all their attacks. Not sure if Mighty Lineage is going to earn much Mighty Mileage. Insurmountable Resilience allows you to roll a die for each wound allocated to this general at the end of the combat phase, healing the wound with each 3+. The beefiest DUARDIN HERO is 6 wounds on a 3+ save in the Warden King. I am not seeing how you can reliably take advantage of this. Master of Ancient Lore makes your general a PRIEST, and gives them an extra prayer from the scripture if they are already a priest. The scripture is not particularly inspiring. A common theme you may be noticing is that the DUARDIN are looking like they got the short end of the stick, pun intended.
Your DUARDIN HEROES can pick from 3 artefacts of power from Ancestor relics. Book of Grudges lets the bearer pick an enemy unit while out of combat. On a 4+, DUARDIN get +1 to hit that enemy unit until a different one is picked. The coinflip requirement hurts. Piledriver Gauntlets (best name yet?) allows the bearer to roll a dice for each enemy unit within 3” at the start of the combat phase. Each 4+ will give them strikes last. The bearer must forgo their chance to fight in order to do this. More coin flips, more feels bad.Heavy Metal Ingot allows the user to ignore negative modifiers to their save rolls as long as they have not made a move in the same turn. That 6 wound 3+ save Warden King may be a bit tougher to kill with this, but it is only 6 wounds after all.
Your AELF generals will have access to 3 command traits from Dreaded Leaders. Unparalleled Duelist will deal 1 mortal wound to an enemy for every hit roll that targets the general and does not produce a hit. Most of the AELF HEROES are not particularly tanky, so this may not be as good as it looks on paper. Secretive Warlock will give a wizard general +1 to cast and unbind. Simple, not flashy, but consistent and can combo with your subfaction. Although, your AELF WIZARDS are only single casters. Draconic Blood-pact is specifically for your AELF HEROES that are riding a Black Dragon. The general can take 1 mortal wound to give the Black Dragon mount attacks +1 attacks. This is alright if you like The Dragons themselves hit on 4+s base. I am not sure an AELF general’s role is to be fighting on the front lines. They have warscroll abilities that may better suit them elsewhere, which we will cover later. Your AELF HEROES will be able to choose from 3 artefacts of power from Exotic Armaments. Shadowshroud Ring will once per battle allow the bearer to become invisible to enemies outside of 12” until the start of your next hero phase. This may prevent them from being sniped if they didn’t already benefit from Look Out Sir! Venomfang Blade will make one of the bearer’s weapons deal an additional D3 mortal wounds on 6s to wound. Again, not sure your AELF HEROES are sprinting to the front lines to use this. Anklet of Epiphany will add 6” to the range of their spells while they are wholly on a terrain feature or contesting an objective. This one definitely has a use!
Warscrolls
HUMANS HEROES
The Alchemite Warforger is a single cast WIZARD that can choose at the start of the hero phase between +1 to cast or forgoing their spell for +1 to save for all HUMANS wholly within 12”. Their warscroll spell Blazing Weapons (CV7 12”) will give all HUMANS wholly within range 1 mortal in addition on 6’s to hit in melee. This one wizard packs both utility and a pretty banger warscroll spell. If you manage to get this off, your damage will skyrocket.
The Battlemage has a couple of loadouts to choose from. Those options are 2 extra weapon attacks (haha no GW I don’t think so), a 5+ ward, a once per battle casting of an additional spell at the cost of 1 wound, a once per battle 2+ D3 mortals wounds at 12”, 6” extra to the range of its spells, +1 to cast, or +1 to unbind. While these rules are neat in theory, the last 3 seem like the only options you would ever realistically choose for this single caster. And even then, it is probably the range.
Pontifex Zenestra, Matriarch of the Great Wheel, premier priest and utility piece for the Cities of Sigmar. They get a dispel and a +1 unbind, a 4+ ward, and a 2+ D3 mortal wounds ability within 3” after it fights and at the start of the combat phase. Their warscroll prayer Vessel of Sigmar (CV 3) allows you to pick 1 of three effects: a 5+ ward for all HUMANS wholly within 18”, +2” to the move characteristic of all friendly HUMANS on the field, or 2+ D3 mortal wounds to every enemy WIZARD and PRIEST on the field. If Zenestra is wholly outside of your territory when they chant this, they get to pick 2 effects. In a HUMAN focused army, Zenestra is an absolute banger pick providing you some immense options to flex between.
The Freeguild Marshal and Relic Envoy is a cheap order carrier that can once per battle make some of your HUMANS count as two models on objectives. He can make a HUMAN unit receive a free command once per turn and gets a 4+ ward next to the Freeguild Command Corp he deems his retinue. He is quite tanky for a little foot hero and has some utility behind him. Bringing along a cheap and safe hero for orders and investing more points into your units is quite feasible.
The Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal is nothing to write home about. It can give your Cavaliers +3 to charge when it uses Their Finest Hour and can make your Cavaliers fight immediately after it does. Your Cavaliers are already quite mobile so this may be putting a hat on a hat.
The Fusil-Major on Ogor Warhulk feels like a bit of a miss. It can increase the range of your Fusiliers’ missile weapons by D6, but with the movement order their effective threat range is already quite high. It can do some damage and has a rule to unreliably kill some models in a target. Your points may be better spent elsewhere.
Galen and Doralia ven Denst are interesting inclusions. You get two heroes for the price of one leader slot, meaning you get to carry around more orders. You are bound to run into wizards or daemons in most matchups, and they can be quite nasty with those targets as they get double damage against them. They have the added utility of being able to shoot down endless spells, which is nice. They do not have many wounds, so their 5+ ward can only keep them around for so long.
Haskal Hexbane and Hexbane Hunters can do a respectable amount of damage against the HERO that they target to hunt. Haskal is an additional HUMAN that can carry orders for your HUMAN focused army. That is about the extent of this package’s usefulness.
The Freeguild General on Griffon is quite the competent fighter and equipping it with the right enhancements can make it both killy AND hard to kill. 14” fly will have this unit screaming across the battlefield. Once per battle it can be given two orders rather than one, which is nice. And this monster can Monstrous Rampage Roar two units rather than one, which is very good.
The Battlemage on Griffon is equally fast, has exploding hits on the damage 3 beaks, and bonus damage against monsters which makes this unit somewhat formidable in combat. They are locked into Wildform if they take a spell from the lore, but that is one of the best ones so I am not bothered by this. The warscroll spell (CV7 18”) is a straight line of 2+ D3 mortals which is alright, but the unit has plenty of other things it is good at.
Battlemage on Celestial Hurricanum is a single caster. If they choose a lore spell it must be Twin-tailed Comet. In your hero phase you can pick 1 enemy unit within 18” and roll a number of dice equal to the current battleround. Every 2+ is going to be D3 mortal wounds. The Hurricanum is going to give your HUMAN units +1 to hit while wholly within 9” of it.Their warscroll spell Chain Lightning (CV6 range 18”) lets you pick one unit in range to suffer D3 mortal wounds. Then, every enemy within 6” of the target will suffer D3 mortal wounds on a 4+. Essentially, the Hurricanum is just going to spray mortal wounds around the table at a confident range. The unmounted Hurricanum is exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount.
Battlemage on Luminark of Hysh is a singler caster as well. If they choose a lore spell it must be Pha’s Protection. They have a 30” range shooting attack that will create a straight line and deal D3 mortal wounds to any unit it touches on a 2+. The Luminark is going to give your HUMAN units a 6+ ward while wholly within 9” of it. Their warscroll spell Burning Gaze (CV6 range 18”) will allow them to do D3 mortal wounds to a unit. The damage is doubled against a 10+ model unit or tripled against a 20+ model unit. The unmounted Luminark is also exactly the same without the warscroll spell for a small discount. You already get a ward from Pontifex Zenestra if you are focusing on HUMANS so I am wholly uncertain why one would take the Luminark over the Hurricanum.
Thalia Vedra is reasonably killy, has a 6+ ward, can hold 2 orders, has a fight last monstrous action against enemy monsters, and can issue rally to units in combat while she is also in combat. That rally works on 4+s. While niche, she absolutely has use cases and comes equipped with very neat rules that could provide you with nice tools.
Steam Tanks are good. The Steam Tank Commander is exactly the same as the Steam tanks except for a couple extra weapons and the very neat ability to double issue commands to Steam Tanks for the price of 1 CP. They are all 12 wounds on a 2+ save. If the Steam Tank Commander is your general, your Steam Tanks will be battleline. They have single shots at 24” and a multitude of shots at 12”. With 8” move and the movement order, these Tanks can absolutely pepper you with bullets at great effective ranges. They also have impact hits and damage 2 attacks in combat which is nothing to sneeze at. They also have a special rule that allows you to roll 2d6 in the hero phase. If you beat the number of wounds currently allocated to them, they can run and shoot/charge or they can get extra shots. If you want to run a giant killy wall of steel forward at your opponent, Steam Tanks are going to be formidable.
HUMANS UNITS
Steelhelms are your only HUMAN non-conditional battleline. They actually have some very cool rules. They can consecrate an objective they control that has no enemies. Your HUMANS will have a 6+ ward as long as they control it. And when they receive All-out-Attack or All-out-Defense, they can share it with another unit of Steelhelms. Their real purpose is to just fill battleline slots very cheaply and exist a screen with some durability in a 4+ save, which they do well!
Wildcorp Hunters can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. They have a pregame move, which is always really good. They are invisible to enemies while in cover or more than 12” from them and get an extra rend to their missiles while near terrain. They have some shots at 18” range. Altogether, they are alright and can take advantage of all the synergy within HUMAN focused armies.
Freeguild Cavaliers are battleline if your general is Freeguild. They are a speedy 10” move with a formidable 3+ save. They get bonus rend and damage on the charge, which will make them the perfect starts for your cavalry focused builds.
Freeguild Fusiliers can be taken as a battleline for each unit of Steelhelms that you have. This unit can shoot at 24” if they are fortified or 12” if they are not. If they move, they are not fortified (unless they benefit from the movement order). While fortified, they ignore negative modifiers to their save from missile weapons. Once per battle, they can reroll their hit rolls. This unit can be menacing with a multitude of shots at a distant range, especially when paired with the artefact Mastro Vivetti’s Magnificent Macroscope and the command trait Master of Ballistics.
Flagellants are battleline if your army includes Pontifex Zenestra. They spit mortals when they die on a 5+ to an enemy unit within 3”. There are certainly builds that could have you running hoards of them, but it seems like it is outclassed by some of the stronger options you have access to.
The Iornweld great cannon has the same Fortify rules as the Fusiliers. While it can do some damage, I am wholly uncertain why you would ever take it over Fusiliers.
One of the highlights of the book, a gang of absolute stars, the Freeguild Command Corps. This warscroll is dense with absolutely stellar rules amongst its 6 models. The unit can be a retinue for a Freeguild General on foot which gives that general a 4+ ward. The Arch-Knight and Mascot Gargoylian together have 7 damage D3 attacks which is nothing to sneeze at. The Whisperblade has a damage D6 attack and a boardwide once-per-turn command deny on a 4+. The command still counts as being issued and the command point is still spent. It may only be a coinflip, but if you have ever needed to reroll a critical charge this is a very scary coinflip that has no range or triggers holding it back. The Great Herald makes this unit a totem. Any HUMANS wholly within 12” of this unit white it has the Great Herald gets +1 to run and charge as well as an additional D3 to retreat moves. The War Surgeon allows you to pick 3 HUMAN units wholly within 12” at the end of your hero phase. Those units heal D3 wounds, or return D3 wounds worth of models if no wounds are allocated. The Soul Shepherd allows you to roll a die each time a model flees from a HUMAN unit wholly within 12”. On a 4+ that model does not flee. In this single warscroll you have the means to interrupt opponent commands, heal your own units/return models, prevent battleshock, gain extra mobility, and do some damage. If you want to play with HUMANS, I think you will be hard pressed not to include at least one unit of Freeguild Command Corps.
DUARDIN
DUARDIN HEROES
The Cogsmith can issue commands to Gyrocopters and Gyrombombres anywhere on the battlefield. That’s it. The Runelord is your DUARDIN PRIEST, gets an unbind, and has the warscroll prayer Forgefire(CV4 range 18”) that can give a DUARDIN unit an extra rend in melee. The Warden King (if they are your general) can pick an enemy unit at the start of the battle and all your DUARDIN will automatically wound with melee weapons on hit rolls of 6. They can also make a DUARDIN unit fight immediately after they do. These are your 3 options for DUARDIN heroes. If you like spamming helicopters, the Cogsmith can help somewhat. The prayers offer some value, which the Runelord will enable you to access. And the Warden King can help take down a single tough target. These heroes’ use cases are not far and wide.
DUARDIN UNITS
Ironbreakers and Longbeards are going to be your non-conditional battlelines. Ironbreakers have a 3+ save and when they Form a Shieldwall they get a 4+ ward rather than the 5+. Longbeards can have a 4+ save for rend 2 attacks or a 3+ save for rend 1 attacks. They will also prevent nearby DUARDIN models from fleeing to battleshock on a 4+ for each model. Neither unit is going to be particularly hitty, nor are they particularly tanky with 1 wound a piece. That being said, the DUARDIN have access to a number of buffs and orders that could make these little lads more formidable. Hammerers are going to do just that. They may have a 4+ save, but they do have 2 attacks at 2 rend and 2 damage. They will also give a Warden King a 4+ ward, but I am not sure you want the Warden King near danger with how few wounds they have. Irondrakes will be your shorty DUARDIN with 1 attack a piece at 15” range (2 attacks if it did not move and is not in combat). This is, again, outclassed by some of your other options for missile weapons.
Gyrocopters and Gyrbombers each sport 3+ saves and 12” fly. The Copters will have a choice between long range damage D3 attacks or shorter range damage 1 attacks with more shots. The Bombers will have damage 2 attacks at 18” range as well as 2+ D3 mortals for any enemies it flies over. The damage on these units is nothing to write home about, but what they are is absolutely mobile. If you want to play fighter choppers in your fantasy wargame, you certainly can with these units.
AELVES
AELF HEROES
There are 3 main keywords that will separate the AELVES: Serpentis, Darkling Covens, and Scourge Privateers.
Black Dragons are the big monsters that your AELF HEROES can ride. The Dreadlord on Black Dragon (Serpentis) is 14 wounds on a 4+. Its damage is unimpressive, which is unfortunate because its warscroll would lead you to believe you want this thing to be a fighter. You can forgo some of its weapon options to have a shield that will make it always save on 6s regardless of modifiers. It gets bonus rend and damage on the charge with a lance, some horde killing with its breath, and gives reroll charges to all your Serpentis units (Drakespawns and War Hydra). With the mediocre damage and middling combat enhancements, this one feels like a bit of a miss.
The Sorceress on Black Dragon (Darkling Covens) is not much better, unfortunately. The 5+ save is quite tough to swallow. The damage is worse and it has a warscroll spell. Bladestorm (CV6 range 18”) lets you roll 9 dice against a target and do a mortal for each roll below their save characteristic. It is a chaff clearer which is fine? It can double issue to your AELF units (specifically only the Darkling Coven ones) and that is it. This too feels like a miss.
The Black Ark Fleetmaster (Scourge Privateers) is an interesting utility piece. When it issues All-out-Attack to your Scourge Privateers, they also get +1 to their attack characteristics. Attack rolls of 1 that target this unit in melee reflect 2 mortals back to the attacker, which is funny enough. The special command alone is a reason to consider bringing this in an AELF build that wants to focus on Corsairs.
The Sorceress (Darkling Covens) is going to be a very popular inclusion for an AELF hero. They can kill a Darkling Coven AELF model to get +2 to casting. It may only be a single caster, but it is a cheap one. Its warscroll spell Word of Pain (CV7 range 18”) will deal D3 mortals and give -1 to hit to the target. A good bit of utility packed into a small package, but the real bang for buck comes with how the Sorceress interacts with Black Guard.
A serious miss comes in the form of the Assassin. It can do mortals on 6s, be invisible near AELVES (to units outside of 12”), and gets strike first on the charge. It is 5 wounds on a 5+ save. Your hero slots should not be spent here.
AELF UNITS
Starting with the Darkling Coven units, the Blackguard are going to be battleline if you take a Darkling Coven AELF as your general. Their damage is basic but their real value comes in their Steel and Sorcery ability. This unit and a Sorceress within 3” of it will have a 4+ ward. Yes, that means a big old block of Black Guard can effectively double their wounds just for having a Sorceress nearby. This tool will allow this unit to be a very effective tar pit for your opponent to slam their head against. And if you happen to get a Tenebrael Blades off they will also output a respectable amount of damage.
The Bleakswords and Dreadspears are cheap non-conditional battleline. Their damage is unextraordinary and their warscroll abilities give them exploding 6s to hit and +1 to hit on the charge respectively. They exist to fill battleline slots and screen for your good units, one of which is not Darkshards. Tenebrael Blades does not work in shooting and their shooting attack is quite bad without it. If you want to have a missile unit, don’t pick Darkshards.
Executioners are quite expensive. They have damage 2 base and 6s to hit will cause 2 mortal wounds. Not much else to discuss there. Moving on to the Scourge Privateers. Black Ark Corsairs have loads of attacks and with the help of the Fleetmaster they can get even more. Paired with Tenebrael Blades, this unit can absolutely blend whatever it may touch.
Scourgerunner Chariots have damage D3 attacks at 18”, which is just 3 against monsters. These harpoons can benefit from the Fleetmaster so if you have a lot of monsters stomping around your meta, these Chariots will keep them in check.
Kharybdiss has the Scourge Privateers. It is a relatively cheap monster that can get you a roar. It shuts off rally and inspiring presence within 12”. The damage is not remarkable, but it has its utility which is worth not nothing.
Finally, we have the Serpentis units. Drakespawn knights are a 3+ save base and have bonus damage and rend on the charge. They’ve got 10” move so they fit kind of nicely into the relatively hitty and somewhat durable cavalry category. Drakespawn chariots do impact hits and that is really about it.
Warhydra is meant to do damage and heal after combat. I do not think 12 wounds on a 4+ save is enabling to do that very effectively.
Darkriders have the same random Shadowblades keyword that the Assassin does. It does not do anything which is similar to this unit. They have a 4+ save and some attacks on not great profiles. They shut off commands for enemies within 12” on a 5+. Not sure that justifies including the unit.
Grand Strategies
There are four Grand Strategies to choose from in the book. Exemplar of the Acadamae Martial asks you to complete 4 battle tactics from the book. These are never the best pick as battle tactics can be way too finicky. Reclaim for Sigmar! asks you to have 1 CoS unit wholly within each quarter of the battlefield. Dedicating four units to four separate spots might be asking too much with objective based missions. Hold the High Ground wants you to have any friendly units and no enemy units within 12” of the center of the battlefield. This one is really easy to deny for your opponent. Banners Held High asks you to have more STANDARD BEARERS or TOTEMS than your opponent at the end of the game. Plenty of armies do not have too many standard bearers, but this one is really just asking you to kill your opponents units. You were already going to do that, so this one is the safest pick in the bunch.
Battle Tactics
You will have access to 6 battle tactics in this tome.
Bring Full Arms to Bear asks you to pick an enemy unit, use the Suppressing Fire order on it, and destroy it. This will require you to make a nice balancing act of shooting a unit with enough firepower that you kill enough models to beat their bravery, but not so much shooting that you outright kill the unit before you get the chance to suppress it.
Raise the Banner has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take it with a Command Corps unit that has their Great Herald. This is a reliable tactic because the Freeguild Command Corps is too good of a toolbox to not include in your list.
Blackpowder Bombardment asks you to kill 3 or more units in your shooting phase. The book packs some powerful missile weapons so this is possible but very risky.
Mount the Charge has you pick an objective your opponent controls and take that objective only with mounted units that made a charge move that turn. Cavaliers and Griffons are great so this is a pretty free tactic if you are planning on bringing them. Strike Without Warning asks you to charge with 3 or more CoS AELF units. With the strikes-first after charging and retreat after combat orders your AELF units have access to, charging with 3 units is very doable.
Iron Might asks you to fight with 3 CoS DUARDIN units and have no DUARDIN units destroyed in that turn. Given the variety of durability buffs you can dish out your DUARDIN, this tactic is doable albeit extremely niche.
Final Thoughts
The HUMANS feel like they are leading the pack in this book. They have the warscrolls and enhancements to make a variety of lists that can all perform well. The AELVES feel almost as good with slightly fewer options, but a lot of really good tricks. I think a Sorceress and Blackguard can fit into any list. DUARDIN feel a little lacking compared to the other options in the book. All that being said, if this book asks you to do one thing it is to find synergies to excel with. And the orders are a very interesting mechanic that can catch out plenty of opponents or force them into unideal decisions as they face down the barrel of your trap cards. I think there is so much potential for creative list building and skill expression in this book, and I hope CoS folks get their fair share of fun out of it.
Credit to Rhinoceruption, a prolific Cities of Sigmar player who offered great insights on this article.
As we approach the halfway point of the current GHB, it’s natural to think about what might be coming next season. But instead of just a new GHB, we’re expecting to see 4th Edition Age of Sigmar and all that brings. Will Malerion and Umbraneth make an appearance? Will Armies of Renown continue to be a thing? And will Bonesplitters actually make it to 4th edition at all?
I don’t have the answers to any of those questions, but get your tinfoil hats at the ready as I take a deepish dive into what the lovechild of 3rd Edition Age of Sigmar and 10th Edition 40k might look like, at least in terms of how you win games.
While the games of 40k I have played so far in 10th have convinced me that AoS is by far the more fun, better balanced and cooler way to play Warhammer, I have really enjoyed the randomness of drawing cards for secondary objectives and the gameplay that goes along with that. Big Waaagh is currently undergoing a Renaissance at the moment because of how easy it is to build into scoring 5 battle tactics, but what might AoS look like with cards for battle tactics that are drawn each round?
As a ‘Greatest Hits’ of sorts, I went back to the battle tactics for previous GHBs, dumped Endless Expropriation for being rubbish, and the result was 24 battle tactics, 9 focused on killing and the other 15 focused on manoeuvring:
Name
Description
Gaining Momentum
Pick 1 enemy unit of the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that unit is destroyed during this turn and you control more objectives that your opponent at the end of this turn.
An Eye for an Eye
You complete this battle tactic if 1 or more friendly units were destroyed in the previous tun and 1 or more enemy units are destroyed during this turn.
Desecrate their Lands
Pick 1 terrain feature or faction terrain feature that is partially or wholly within enemy territory. You complete this battle tactic if you control that terrain feature at the end of that turn.
This One’s Mine
Pick 1 enemy unit on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that unit is destroyed during this turn by an attack made by the model picked to be your general.
A Matter of Honour
Pick 1 enemy 9 wound or less hero on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that unit is destroyed during this turn by an attack made by a friendly 9 wound or less hero.
Lead the Assault
You complete this battle tactic if at least 2 of the objectives you control are in enemy territory and are each contested by a friendly 9 wound or less hero.
United Offence
Pick 1 objective controlled by your opponent. You complete this battle tactic if you control that objective and 2 or more friendly 9 wound or less heroes are contesting that objective at the end of the turn.
Cunning Manoeuvre
Pick 1 friendly 9 wound or less hero on the battlefield that is more than 3” from all enemy units. You complete this battle tactic if, at the end of the turn, that 9 wound or less hero is more than 3” from all enemy units and is contesting an objective you control that is wholly outside your territory.
Intimidate the Invaders
You complete this battle tactic at the end of your turn if there are more friendly units wholly outside your territory than there are friendly units within your territory.
Reprisal
You complete this battle tactic if an enemy unit that destroyed a friendly general earlier in the battle is destroyed in this turn.
Magical Dominance
You complete this battle tactic at the end of your turn if a friendly Wizard unit successfully casts 1 or more spells and none of the spells cast by any units in your army were unbound.
Magical Mayhem
Pick 1 enemy unit on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that unit is destroyed by damage inflicted by a spell or the abilities of an endless spell.
Bait and Trap
You complete this battle tactic if 2 or more friendly units retreated this turn and 2 or more different friendly units made a charge move this turn.
Led into the Maelstrom
You complete this battle tactic if 1 or more friendly Heroes and 1 or more friendly Battleline units each made a charge move this turn and at least 1 of those units is within 3” of an enemy unit at the end of their turn.
Surround and Destroy
Pick 3 different friendly units on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic at the end of your turn if each of those units is wholly within 6” of a different battlefield edge and 2 or more of those units are wholly outside your territory.
Barge Through Enemy Lines
You complete this battle tactic if there are 2 or more units from your starting army wholly within your opponent’s territory at the end of this turn.
Broken Ranks
Pick 1 Battleline unit from your opponent’s starting army on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that unit was destroyed during this turn by a Monster.
Conquer
Pick 1 objective marker on the battlefield that your opponent controls. You complete this battle tactic if you control that objective marker at the end of this turn.
Slay the Warlord
You complete this battle tactic if the model chosen to be your opponent’s general is slain during this turn or was slain on a previous turn.
Ferocious Advance
Pick 3 different units from your starting army on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if all of the units you picked run in the following movement phase and finish that run within 3” of each other.
Bring It Down!
Pick 1 enemy Monster on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that enemy unit is destroyed during this turn.
Aggressive Expansion
Pick 2 objective markers that are not wholly within your territory. You complete this battle tactic if you control both objective markers are the end of this turn.
Monstrous Takeover
Pick 1 Monster from your starting army on the battlefield. You complete this battle tactic if that Monster is contesting an objective marker that you control at the end of this turn and that objective marker is not contested by an enemy Monster.
Savage Spearhead
You complete this battle tactic if there are 2 or more Monster wholly within your opponent’s territory at the end of this turn.
In addition to these, the Faction Specific battle tactics would also be added for a ‘deck’ of 30 battle tactics that could be drawn.
As with 40k, you would draw three in your first hero phase and at the start of any hero phase where you had less than three. You would be able to spend a CP OR a heroic action to redraw one card at the start of the hero phase. Any tactics scored from the above list would score you two points; any Faction tactic would score you one point. At the end of your turn, you would be able to discard any or all of your cards for a single CP and could hold on to any cards that you wanted. If you could complete all 3 battle tactics drawn every turn, that would result in 30 secondary points, but the cap would be 25 points. For the primary scoring, we could use the standard Hold 1, Hold 2, Hold More, Kill 1, Kill More, for a maximum of 25 points. The maximum score in each game, therefore, could be 50 points…or would it?
One of the mechanics 10th Edition 40k has introduced is the idea of a Gambit – an all or nothing play to turn around a one-sided battle. Now Sigmar already has a similar mechanic built in – the potential double turn – but I think that Gambits could work in AoS too.
As with 40k, a player could choose at the end of turn 3 to forgo scoring any more points on the primary and instead, try to score their Gambit for 15 points. Building on the rules already in place, the Gambit would require the player to choose two Faction Grand Strategies and achieve both at the end of the game. If they do, then their maximum score is 55 as there are 5 more points available to a Gambit than 2 more turns of maximum primary points. The situations where players may choose to do this is if they are down on the primary or secondary scoring or, if they may be even, but can see that their opponent will start to dominate the board as the game goes on and would rather risk 15 points for the Gambit rather than maybe only eke out another 6 or so points through turns 4 and 5.
But what if you don’t want to rely on drawing cards and want to know what tactics you want to play at the start of the matchup? Instead, you could choose two tactics from either your Faction tactics or the standard pack and aim to try and achieve them each turn for 2 points each to a maximum of 20. This does mean that you cannot score as highly as if you’re willing to take a gamble but you are more in control of these. A Skaven friend of mine suggested that he would have 3 Plague Priests run in a circle holding hands for five turns (i.e. Ferocious Advance) while constantly chanting at each other (Crescendo of the Diseased Choir) to get the full 20 points available. And while hilarious and quite on brand for those crazy Pestilens rats, you would only need to kill one of those Priests to stop both tactics being scored.
I’ve decided to hijack Kieron’s article with some of the rumours I’ve heard as well. Why not go all in on the salt now….
Essentially, the starter box next year may be Stormcast against Skaven and will also be in conjunction with a range refresh for Skaven ala Seraphon, Cities and Flesh-eater style. Perhaps we’ll finally get those plastic Gutter Runners? Part of me suspects they’ll change the style slightly to perhaps differentiate from any Old World Skaven, much like we’ve seen with Kharadron and Fyreslayers. But like I said, Salt.
Chorfs (Chaos Duardin/Dwarf) could well see their little fat feet stamp into the Realms next edition as well. Perhaps not near release, but maybe a year or so into the edition.
So there we are. The possible future for AoS or a fever dream of nonsense that not even tin-foil hats can keep you safe from? Let us know in the comments below!
