The World Championships Preview did not stop at Gelgus Pust. Instead, it opened a whole septic barrel for the Maggotkin of Nurgle.
This wave mixes classic rot with fresh filth, and it leans hard into Ghyran’s beleaguered forests. Consequently, we are getting a marquee character, new mortal and daemon units, and a rules refresh that rewards patient, pestilent play. Moreover, a Path to Glory arc lets you brew the perfect plague lord for long campaigns.
Festus the Leechlord Takes Clinic on a Colossal Slug
Festus returns as the headliner, now elevated after seven thousand, seven hundred, and seventy-seven years of studying disease at Grandfather’s knee. He rides Gathoblyt, a massive slug that doubles as a mobile lab, and he specializes in weaponized waters like the leech-water plague that taints Ghyran’s streams.
As a result, he plays like a battlefield control wizard who spreads debilitating auras while anchoring Rotbringers. Additionally, his daemonhood underscores the faction’s theme of grim knowledge turned gleeful corruption.
New Rotbringer Roster: Sloven Knights, Blightkings, Rotswords, and Pestigors
First up, Sloven Knights are fallen cavaliers who traded duty for decay. They project a lethargic pall that saps enemy initiative, then follow with flails and hammers to batter armor.
Therefore, they look like shock absorbers that turn enemy tempo into sludge before your counterpunch.
Meanwhile, Putrid Blightkings remain the iconic anvil, now emphasized as reality-warping brutes whose bloated resilience and foul weapons make spells and prayers falter nearby.
Furthermore, Rotswords bring feverish aggression to the line. They are twitching duelists whose stink and heat push them into the scrum, sitting conceptually between quick infantry and eventual Blightking status.
Finally, Pestigors widen the bestial side of Nurgle. They wander in plague pilgrimages, bringing gangrenous bodies and objective pressure that complements Rotbringers’ grind.
Battletome: Maggotkin of Nurgle and a Ghyran Path to Glory
The new battletome lands in standard and Gamer’s Edition, and it folds in lore, warscrolls, and a suite of updated army rules. Notably, you get a new Spearhead, two Regiments of Renown, and two Armies of Renown. One list leans fully into a seven-step Cycle of Corruption that Rotbringers can embrace instead of passive disease spread. The other crowns Horticulous Slimux to lead the Gardeners of Nurgle, which doubles down on battlefield gardening and board control.
Additionally, a Path to Glory track lets you craft a bespoke cankerous commander for campaign play. Warscroll cards and ooze-green dice arrive as table helpers, which is thematically perfect and practically useful. Crucially, rules also arrive for Warhammer Quest: Darkwater crossovers, so Gelgus Pust, his court, the Cankerborn, and Pox-wretches can march from dungeon to battlefield without friction.
Spearhead and Renown: Bubonic Cell and The Pustules
The Bubonic Cell Spearhead packages a Rotbringer Sorcerer, a gleeful Beast of Nurgle, two packs of Nurglings, and ten Rotmire Creed. Consequently, it delivers a mixed daemon and mortal advance party that seeds corruption cycles while softening targets for the main host.
Meanwhile, The Pustules Regiment of Renown collects Plaguebearers with a Spoilpox Scrivener, and their pestilent presence raises a Feculent Gnarlmaw mid-game. This box lets Chaos players splash reliable Nurgle utility into wider armies, and the Scrivener returns as a solo release for list tuning.
Closing Thoughts
This preview pushes Maggotkin toward active board influence instead of passive waiting. Festus weaponizes terrain and water, Sloven Knights drag enemy tempo into molasses, and Blightkings make magic itself cough and die. Moreover, new Armies of Renown invite players to choose between precise Cycle manipulation or garden-growing pressure under Horticulous. As a result, Ghyran is about to reek, and Nurgle players finally get a toolbox that rewards planned attrition with sudden, disgusting spikes. Wash your hands, then fail your saves. Grandfather is very pleased.
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