Check out the newest preview for the Soulblight Gravelords
The Barrow Kingdoms have always been packed with deathless warriors, but the new Deathrattle Army Set makes it clear: the real stars of the show are the vampires, especially the Kastelai Dynasty’s elite cavalry, the Blood Knights. With the arrival of the updated Battletome: Soulblight Gravelords, the vampire aesthetic gets supercharged—not just visually, but mechanically—with a new Army of Renown and a killer new hero to lead them into battle.
If you’re the kind of player who dreams of crimson-caped knights crashing through enemy lines while a brooding undead noble commands from the front, this is your moment. Let’s dig into the juicy details.
The Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed – Your Death-Crusade General
First up, meet your new favorite mounted hero: the Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed. This guy is here to make sure your Blood Knights ride with purpose, precision, and a whole lot of pain for the enemy.
His signature reaction, For Glory! For Blood!, lets him re-roll his own charge roll and then trigger a free charge from a nearby Blood Knights unit, even if it’s not your charge phase. It’s wild. You can even fire this off using Counter-Charge, so your opponent thinks they’re catching you flat-footed—only for you to wheel around and smash into them with a double charge.
But that’s just the opening move.
In the Combat Phase, he can drop Strike at the Heart—a command that gives a charging Blood Knights unit +1 Rend to all their weapons for the turn. That’s on top of the Blood Knights’ already nasty output, which means whatever they hit is going to feel it. Hard.
The Knights of the Crimson Keep – An Army of Renown with Bite
All this vampiric synergy is backed up by a new Army of Renown: the Knights of the Crimson Keep. It’s a streamlined, focused list with a super thematic vibe. Your toolbox is limited, but what you do get is incredibly potent:
- Prince Vhordrai
- Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed
- Blood Knights
- Revenant Draconiths
That’s it. No zombies, no skeletons, just elite mounted death. If you love cavalry and want your whole army to feel like a dark medieval nightmare thunder-charging across the table, this is your build.
From a Quarter Unseen – Deep Strike with a Bloody Bonus
Your army also gets access to From a Quarter Unseen, a once-per-battle deployment trick where up to half your units can stay off the board and arrive later, setting up wholly within 9″ of a board edge and more than 9″ from enemies.
Here’s the fun part: if you do this in Round 3 or later, you unlock Carve a Bloody Path for free that turn.
Carve a Bloody Path – Cavalry Re-Charge!
Carve a Bloody Path is a command ability that lets a Blood Knights unit already in combat charge again—even if they already charged that turn. It sounds insane, because it is.
You’re basically taking a unit that’s already doing serious damage and letting them trigger their Riders of Ruin passive again, then reposition for another combat round on your terms. You’re not just fighting—you’re dismantling battle lines and pushing deep behind enemy screens.
It turns your knights into a relentless, thundering engine of attrition and map control.
The Bigger Picture
This new Army of Renown feels like it was built for players who want to run the Kastelai Dynasty with style and efficiency. It leans all the way into the cavalry theme, trimming the fat and putting your most aggressive tools front and center.
Paired with the new Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed, this is easily one of the tightest, most flavorful builds for Soulblight we’ve seen in a long time. And let’s be honest—Blood Knights deserve the spotlight. They’ve always looked the part, and now they hit like the royal executioners they are.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a Soulblight player who’s tired of shuffling zombies and skeletons across the board, the Knights of the Crimson Keep are your ticket to a bold, bloody new playstyle. The synergy is real, the impact is immediate, and the style is undeniable.
Whether you’re going full Kastelai or just mixing in some mounted mayhem, this update gives you everything you need to turn your Blood Knights into the hammer of Nagash’s will. And honestly, isn’t it time they stopped riding without oversight?
This is just one of two Armies of Renown featured in the new battletome, with more coverage coming later this week. But if cavalry is your thing—if you want your army to ride like royalty and kill like monsters—then it’s time to paint your knights red and ride for glory.
And for blood.
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