This week’s Warhammer news gives duardin players three very different ways to build themed armies.
Khazalites can march alone, join Fyreslayers, or even hitch rides aboard Kharadron skyvessels. Meanwhile, Black Library continues refreshing its essential Horus Heresy collection. This time, Nathaniel Garro takes center stage with The Flight of the Eisenstein.
Khazalite Armies of Renown Unite Stone, Fire, and Sky
The Khazalite Holds battletome contains three Armies of Renown built around distinct duardin playstyles. Valankrom’s War Throng focuses heavily on High Kyng Valankrom, his Kromdron followers, and lumbering Gholems. Whenever enemies damage Valankrom, those attackers become permanent wrongdoers. Consequently, friendly units fighting those enemies count as carrying an additional grudge mark.
That makes attacking the High Kyng potentially useful for his entire army, which feels appropriately petty for duardin. Valankrom himself is hardly an easy target, either.
He has 16 Health, a 3+ Save, substantial ranged firepower, and twelve dangerous melee attacks. His hammer Bharadreng also gains extra Rend against Monsters and can trigger mortal damage. Meanwhile, the Fyrd of Fyrepeak gives existing Fyreslayers a much cleaner route into the new battletome.
Units gain grudge marks whenever they destroy enemies, allowing successful troops to become increasingly dangerous. Additionally, the Foeseeker trait names an enemy Hero as a nemesis before battle. Killing that Hero can spread grudge marks across the entire army. The force also receives five once-per-battle Ur-gold Rune abilities.
For example, the Rune of Speed lets the whole army reroll run and charge rolls during a crucial round. Finally, the Throngankor Alliance combines Khazalite Holds with Kharadron Overlords in a genuinely unusual combined-arms force.
Stone and Sky links nearby infantry from both factions and reduces wound rolls against them. Better still, Khazalite infantry can ride aboard Kharadron skyvessels and deploy after those vessels move. They cannot charge immediately, but that mobility gives traditionally slow duardin some fantastic positioning tricks.
Hammer and Anvil then rewards cooperation between the factions. One duardin unit ties an enemy down while the other gains Crit (2 Hits) when shooting that target. Overall, these rules provide three strong themes without simply remixing the same bonuses.
The Flight of the Eisenstein Gets a Striking New Edition
Black Library’s curated Horus Heresy Saga reaches its fourth novel with James Swallow’s The Flight of the Eisenstein. Nathaniel Garro leads roughly 70 surviving Loyalists fleeing Isstvan aboard the commandeered frigate Eisenstein. However, escaping the Traitors is only the beginning. Garro must cross a violently unstable Warp while carrying news of Horus’ rebellion toward Terra.
The new Neil Roberts cover captures that grim responsibility, showing Garro aboard the bridge above catastrophic destruction. Additionally, a matching Special Edition features faux leather, foil detailing, and a metal cover badge.
The Saga itself selects twelve major novels covering critical events from Horus’ fall through the War in the Webway. Therefore, newcomers get a manageable route through an enormous series without reading every original release. Pre-orders for the new edition are coming soon.
Final Thoughts
Overall, this Warhammer news roundup gives both gamers and readers something substantial. The new Armies of Renown add real personality rather than simple numerical bonuses. Meanwhile, Garro’s return keeps the curated Heresy series moving into one of its earliest defining stories.
