Alright, fellow Warhammer: Age of Sigmar players, gather ’round! We’ve got some big news about the first quarterly update for the new edition of AoS, and there’s a lot to unpack here, so let’s get into the meat of it. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just getting into the game, these changes will shake things up in the Mortal Realms. I’ll break down the key updates, throw in some color commentary, and help you get a handle on what this means for your army.
Core Rules and General’s Handbook Tweaks
First off, they’ve tweaked the Manifestations rules. If you’re running Endless Spells or Invocations, this is gonna hit you. Now, if a manifestation is banished, you’re not re-summoning it that turn—tough luck. Also, they’ve added some balancing to banishment, giving players an extra +1 to the roll for each additional enemy manifestation. It’s a clear nudge towards keeping those spells in check, which have been a bit too strong lately.
The Morbid Conjuration lore, especially Purple Sun of Shyish, saw some nerfs. Sorry to those who loved spamming that! They also bumped up the casting value of Suffocating Gravetide, and made Malevolent Maelstrom’s explosive effect unavoidable—no more dodging it when things get too dicey.
Honour Guard abilities also got tuned down. If you were leaning on that Priority Target bonus to hit and wound generals and their honor guard, the range is limited to 12″ now. No more sniping at long range with impunity!
Grand Alliance: Order Adjustments
Here’s where things get juicy for Order armies. If you’re running Sylvaneth or Lumineth Realm-lords, pay attention!
Sylvaneth gets some much-needed love. Wyldwoods now come with a 5+ Ward, and abilities that depend on being close to them now have a wider range. I’m talking 3” per additional piece of terrain in that feature. On top of that, Alarielle’s Rite of Life got a buff that reduces the damage returned monsters take, so that’s a win for tree-lovers. Oh, and now you can treat the Vengeful Skullroot as a Wyldwood for some abilities—that’s some clever forest shenanigans right there!
On the flip side, Lumineth Realm-lords—who’ve been a bit too strong—got slapped with some nerfs. Shining Company now only gives that -1 to hit if you didn’t charge or use Power of Hysh, so no more hitting like a truck while being untouchable. Don’t worry, more adjustments to Hurakan units might be coming down the line, so stay tuned.
Grand Alliance: Chaos Adjustments
For my fellow Chaos players, some fun tweaks are coming your way! Blades of Khorne gets an easier-to-use Wrath Axe timing, and Tzeentch sees some tweaks with the Burning Sigil and Shield of Fate—it’s now locked to Disciples of Tzeentch units only. No sneaky synergies there!
Big highlight though: Maggotkin of Nurgle gets a brand-new ability called Burst Pustules, which makes spreading that Disease condition even easier when one of your units goes down. Nurgle fans, it’s time to revel in that decay and spread it even further across the battlefield.
Hedonites of Slaanesh finally get a buff to Temptation Dice which can backfire on your opponent if they roll a 1 or 2.
Grand Alliance: Death Adjustments
Nighthaunt players, your spooky boys have been a bit too scary recently, so There is No Escape now only affects one unit instead of locking down your whole army. It’s a solid tweak that’ll give your opponents some breathing room—literally. The Dreadblade Harrows got a rework too, but the biggest shakeup here is the adjustments to Death Stalkers. Only one unit gets the full benefit now, so no more stacking that army-wide terror.
Grand Alliance: Destruction Adjustments
For the Destruction players, this one’s pretty wild. Kragnos—aka the End of Empires—gets a nerf. His End of Empires ability now only works in your Charge Phase, which cuts down his counter-charge shenanigans. But hey, he’s 100 points cheaper now, so that’s not bad at all! Also, Ironjawz Waaagh! now can be popped once per Hero, rather than being a one-time thing in the battle. That’s a serious boost to these guys’ ability to rampage across the battlefield, so expect more Waaaghs in your games!
Points Adjustments & More
One of the biggest takeaways is that more than 250 units have had their points adjusted, which is insane. If you’re a competitive player, this is going to affect your army composition in a big way. We’re talking quality-of-life improvements for loads of factions, from better clarifications to balancing adjustments, plus ongoing points rebalancing for external and internal faction balance.
Final Thoughts
This update is a game-changer for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar. If you’ve been feeling like your army has been over or underperforming, these quarterly adjustments and FAQ updates will help keep the game fresh and balanced. From nerfs to overperformers like the Lumineth, to some love for underdogs like Sylvaneth, there’s something for everyone here.
So go ahead, hit the tables, experiment with the new changes, and keep providing feedback to the devs! With constant tweaks coming, there’s no better time to jump back in and see how these updates shake things up in the Mortal Realms.
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