warhammer end times book review

The End Times (Novel Series)

The End Times is a series of five novels and miscellaneous short stories, detailing the End Times and the destruction of the Warhammer world .

• 2 Short Stories
• 3 Related Publications
• The Return of Nagash (Novel) by Josh Reynolds (September 2014)
• The Fall of Altdorf (Novel) by Chris Wraight (October 2014)
• The Curse of Khaine (Novel) by Gav Thorpe (November 2014)
• The Rise of the Horned Rat (Novel) by Guy Haley (January 2015)
• The Lord of the End Times (Novel) by Josh Reynolds (June 2015)
• Deathblade (Novel) by C.L. Werner

Short Stories

• Sigmar's Blood (Novella) by Phil Kelly (December 2013)
• The Bone Cage (Short Story) by Phil Kelly (September 2014)
• Marienburg's Stand (Short Story) by David Guymer (February 2015)
• With Ice and Sword (Short Story) by Graham McNeill (February 2015)
• Bride of Khaine (Short Story) by Graeme Lyon (February 2015)
• The Siege of Naggarond (Short Story) by S. P. Cawkwell (February 2015)

Related Publications

• List of Novels and Short Stories
• Warhammer: The End Times

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The End Times: Doom of the Old World

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An omnibus of stories from the End Times of the World-that-Was

Contains three full length novels and two short stories

Written by Gav Thorpe, Guy Haley, Josh Reynolds, Sarah Cawkwell, and Graeme Lyon

A Warhammer Chronicles Omnibus Dark forces rise to dominance, and the world stands on the brink of destruction. Is this truly the End Times? READ IT BECAUSE Explore the brutal destruction of the World-that-Was in this omnibus containing three full-length novels and two short stories by some of Black Library's most popular authors. THE STORY As the dread armies of the Everchosen march unabated across the Empire, the mighty lords of distant lands look to take advantage of the growing crisis. In

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Tabletop Review: Warhammer: The End Times – Nagash Books I & II

If you’ve been reading Diehard GameFAN over the past few weeks, you’ve probably already seen a lot of our Warhammer: The End Times coverage – from issues of White Dwarf to a glowing review of The Return of Nagash novel. Now, however, it’s time for the review of the crown jewel of this new phase of Warhammer – Nagash . For Warhammer fans, Nagash not only changes the entire face of the fantasy side of the game, but it’s the best dead tree release from Games Workshop in years. Even if you haven’t played Warhammer in a long time (or ever), you’ll be impressed by the sheer quality of Nagash and be temped to build your own warband after perusing it.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the price tag. Nagash costs $85, which is a lot. Now longtime Games Workshop fans know that their products are pricey (some might say OVERPRICED), but honestly – when you look at what you actually get with Nagash , it’s kind of a deal. Take a look at the Army Book or codexes for specific armies. The Chaos Space Marines and Dark Angles codexes cost $50 and are only 100 or so pages long. Meanwhile, Nagash consists of two books. The first is 297 pages long and the second is 96 pages. So while Nagash is thirty-five dollars more than an army book, there is also nearly FOUR TIMES as much content. That’s pretty awesome and perhaps the best deal Games Workshop has put out since…man, as long as I can remember and I’ve dabbled in Warhammer since the mid 90s. Even better, both books come in an extremely sturdy (and gorgeous) slipcase to house them in. The case reminds me a lot of the cases Nippon Ichi anime collections come in, which is high praise indeed as they are considered to have the best slip cases in that industry. The Nagash slipcase is simply fantastic, can take a beating and looks very swank on your bookshelf. The only downside is the sheer amount of room Nagash takes up. I have Army Books going back to Fifth Edition and I think Nagash takes up more room than a half dozen of them combined. So Nagash may pack a lot of girth, but oh man, is it ever worth the price tag. Again, this is the best deal Games Workshop has put out in forever in terms of both quality and content so if you’re still on the fence about getting this – you really should. It’s a fantastic time to at least try Warhammer as The End Times has really invigorated the product line AND fans of the game.

The content of the “Book I” is exactly what you might think. It tells the events that led to return of Nagash and the events that followed thereafter. The first 120 pages or so mirror the events of The Return of Nagash novel. Unlike that novel, which is extremely newcomer friendly and goes into a lot more detail, this part of “Book I” assumes you are already a longtime fan of Warhammer and know specific game terminology, warbands, characters and the like. It doesn’t waste time explaining things or helping you to understand the events. It’s really designed for those who are already invested in the game and are quite familiar with its workings. If you’re new to Warhammer or thinking about starting playing/collecting it due to The End Times , my advice is to get The Return of Nagash novel first. It does a better job of telling the first half of the story and is a LOT cheaper. Of course, if you want to find out what happens AFTER Nagash is resurrected, you’ll still need to purchase Nagash . The novel only covers how he came back, and not the events that follow the liche’s return to the land of the living.

The rest of “Book I” is written in a similar format, but tells of what happens after Nagash rises, the battles and alliances that occur, the many, many big name character deaths and also how the new Undead Legions (unification of the Tomb Kings and Vampire Counts armies) warband came to be. You get to see how Nagash becomes a literal god and retakes Nehekhara. Most of all you get to see how the landscape has greatly changed with the return of Nagash. As someone that plays Tomb Kings, Lizardmen and Bretonnia, all three of my armies have really been put through the ringer by the end of this book. Now if only we’d actually get an updated Bretonnia army book to showcase the many changes that has happened to that army in this book (and over the past ten years). By the time you are done with “Book I,” you’ll be shocked at what has happened to Warhammer and many of the big name characters than inhabit this product line’s world. I don’t want to give spoilers, but so many major leaders are out of action in this one with the Empire, Tomb Kings, Bretonnia and others are now in need of some major name characters to not only help them out, but even lead their nations in this grave time. Of course I was happy to see that on the last page of the book, my favorite name character from Warhammer not only survived, but is restored while also rejected an offer from the evil vile Chaos Gods. Or he may become a new Chaos Champion (but unlikely). Who knows?

BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE. We still have to look at “Book II” after all. Where “Book I” is all fluff or fiction, “Book II” is all crunch, or things you can actually play out and use in your game. “Book II” is a lot smaller, coming it at only 96 pages, which puts it at about the same size as a Codex or Army Book. There is a lot less art in “Book II,” but a lot more pictures of miniatures and scenes from large scale battles. This makes sense because “Book II” is all about playing Warhammer: The End Times and what do you play it with? Miniatures!

Within “Book II,” you will find new scenario rules for Warhammer , new terrain rules for pieces like my just finished Garden of Morr and the new Lord of the Undeath spellset which wizards from ANY army can cast. The Lore of Undeath is primarily focused on letting you summon undead allies to support your core army, which is pretty neat. You can get anything from a platoon of Skeleton Archers to a Dragon Zombie. The Lore of Undeath is a real gamer changer and a wonderful school of magic selection for any army – especially those who win through sheer numbers.

The second chapter of “Book II” gives you the official army list for the new Undead Legions warband. It also gives you the new points allocation for “End Times battles. Now up to 50% of your army’s points can be spent on Lords. This makes Warhammer cheaper to get into, and allows you to field an army with a much smaller force. For example, a single skeleton archer costs 7 points and so my regiment of 50 archers costs 350. A single Vampire Lord can cost more than that point-wise. It’s also a lot less dollar-wise. So The End Times can feel more like a skirmish game at low point values, which is kind of nice if you don’t have the time or money to invest in hundreds of figures.

Chapter 2 is also where you get the stats for the new Nagash, Mortarch and Morghast miniatures, along with redone stat blocks for Krell, Vlad Von Carstein, Crom and Valten. For those looking to field any of those figures, Chapter 2 is going to be your main go-to place. Of course, all of Nagash’s stats are published in an older issue of White Dwarf , so if you can’t afford this two book set, just drop the four bucks on White Dwarf if all you want is to field Nagash.

Generally I buy my Games Workshop books on the second hand market for a fraction of the cost. I usually balk at $45-50 for an updated army list. Heck, a lot of my books have been free because they’ve been for previous editions of the game. So it should tell you something that I willingly paid full price for Nagash AND I feel I got my money’s worth and then some. The two book set is that terrific. I haven’t been this excited or inspired by Warhammer since Fifth Edition. It really is something you need to experience for yourself.

Alex Lucard

3 responses to “Tabletop Review: Warhammer: The End Times – Nagash Books I & II”

[…] Times, which included the Nagash model itself and the above massive hardback tomes, which give both the fluff and the crunch for Nagash as far as the tabletop game itself goes. While I did actually buy all of the models from […]

[…] End Times are upon us! They started back in September with the two book hardcover set Nagash and the novel The Return of Nagash. It’s ironic that something called The End Times has […]

[…] took a lot of wind out of my sails for Warhammer Fantasy. I’d already lost my Tomb Kings with Nagash and my Bretonnians in Glottkin. Now I’ve lost my Lizardmen as well. So Ninth Edition is going […]

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REVIEW: End Times – Glottkin

End Times II focuses on three brother known as the Glottkin, Nurgle’s mortal champions in service to Archaon. Together they intend to bring the Empire to its knees. Following up on the Nagash book is the highly anticipated part two of the End Times series from Games Workshop.

The presentation for this book set is just as high of quality as the previous one and I can’t wait to have the whole End Times set on my book shelf. The two books come presented in a sturdy slip case with the “beautiful” Glotkkin artwork on the front. I am really liking the direction they are taking with the cover art for Fantasy. It has that sleek, minimal Apple look they were going for with the new 7th edition Warhammer 40,000 stuff but I feel as though it ties into the aesthetic of its franchise better. The 40K stuff just reminds me of the box art for a cheap CCG that will disappear in a year or two while the new Fantasy art looks much more professional and appropriate for its setting. I think it’s the distressed style that does it.

The new addition to the series comes with two books, one for the story and lore, while the other contains all of the new rules. For those of you who got the Nagash book this is nothing new, but it does make it much easier to lug around to games since you can leave book one at home. This time around both books are roughly the same size, with the lore taking up a little more space. It’s not nearly as massive as the Nagash one was, but that doesn’t hurt it that much. I always want more story, but they still tell a highly engaging and game changing story with the space they have. You also save a good chunk of change on this installment since it is thinner, $66 compared to $80.

It again features some top notch artwork. While some of it is recycled from previous books, the new stuff is just great. I especially love the double page spread in it showing the Brettonian’s charge into the forces of Nurgle. I really like all of the “cover: pages they use for the start of each chapter. It’s similar to the Nagash one, but a slightly different style.

They are the only reason I would ever consider buying the limited edition version since you get those as art prints. I hope that they release them as individual posters at some point.

Unlike Nagash, this book’s story is much more focused. We have none of the sprawl we saw in the first book, instead it focuses entirely on the forces of Chaos and their invasion of the Empire. It opens in the frigid North with Archaon recruiting a new champion to lead his forces of Nurgle, luckily for him he finds the Glottkin. His whole plan is to let the forces of Nurgle throw themselves at the Empire and either crush it or weaken it enough that the rest of his army can follow behind and clean up the mess. The brothers Glott in turn then recruit Gutrot Spume and the Maggoth Lords to act as their lieutenants and spearhead the other two prongs of their assault. The whole storyline takes place concurrently with the invasion of Nehekhara by Nagash. Without giving too much more away, it’s safe to say that the Empire will never be the same again.

The writing in this is just as good as the last one and it really had a grand, epic, and cinematic feel to it throughout the whole story. The body count was a lot smaller then the first edition of the End Times, but it was just as game changing. Some of the most interesting parts were the bits of story where Festus was working. Apparently demons of Nurgle like to talk in a riddle-like sing song, which adds a ton of character.

The second book contains all of the new rules. The star of this set is the Legions of Chaos army which combines the Warriors of Chaos, Demons, and Beastmen. This, to me, is what a combined army is all about. If anything deserved to be grouped together like this, it’s Chaos. While they all benefitted from this, the Beastmen came out on top. I don’t play any of these armies, so my knowledge is a little restricted, but even I can tell they got a ton more new toys to play with. Most of the units now have access to Marks of Chaos and all of their Champions and Characters now get to roll on the Eye of the Gods table. They also now have the Reign of Chaos table each magic phase, which I believe was only available to Demons previously. Another addition is the Chaos Ascendant rule which gives benefits to patrons of a particular god. Last, but not least for them, is a new spell that all Chaos sorcerers have access to which allows them to summon demons.

While Nagash had rules for fighting underground and on haunted battlefields, Glottkin gives us rules to fight in the tight confines of a city. It definitely seems interesting and fun, and I would love to get it a spin sometime soon.

What would an End Times book be without some new units and characters? We of course get the big guy himself, the Glottkin. The new trend seems to continue with a combined profile for the monsters and the riders. In this case it’s even more unique with three characters rolled into one. Since there is only one profile the different attributes of the brothers are reflected with a special rule for each one. The Maggoth Lords follow suit, each having a combined profile. Wrapping up the forces of Nurgle are Gutrot Spume and a new profile for Festus, now called the Empowered to represent his growing favor with his deity.

One of the most interesting characters to me is Karl Franz Ascendant. A new profile for the Emperor showcasing his empowerment by Sigmar. Besides having some ridiculously tooled up weapons and abilities, he also now has a combined profile with his griffon, Deathclaw, which makes him much more survivable.

Wrapping up the whole set is the collection of scenarios for the campaign. There are six of them which follow the forces of Chaos’ assault on Marienburg all the way to Karl Franz’s triumphant return. I really wish I had all the armies needed to play through it, and while I’m at it the Nagash campaign too. They all seem like a lot of fun and would make a great campaign weekend.

I am really excited about the entire End Times series in general, in a way I haven’t been about Fantasy in a long time. Games Workshop continues to impress with the Glottkin book, and while I’m talking about it, the models are amazing, yet again. I am already putting away some money so I know I can buy the next book in the series when it comes out. Seriously, you need to find a way to get ahold of this book. Which brings up an interesting, and annoying fact about this whole release. The US Games Workshop site had sold out of it before the end of the first night. Luckily I was able to get one at a local store, but I really don’t know what GW is thinking with the limited supply. I understand keeping stock low to make it seem more desirable, but this is just ridiculous. The only answer I can think of is that they greatly underestimated the demand a Fantasy product would have. I’m assuming the print order for this went in before Nagash was released. Hopefully they now have had enough time to see how much people love this series and will increase the production run on the third book.

Final Score: 5/5 What’s your favorite moment from the End Times so far?

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Chronological order to The End Times

The End Times has begun in the Warhammer fantasy universe and I'm wondering is there any chronological order in which to read the novels?

The Black Library has released 9 books and I hate the idea of reading them out of order!

• suggested-order
• warhammer-fantasy

• Are you talking about the novels or the books which come with the campaign books? –  Liath Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 21:41
• @Liath The novels –  Daft Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 21:51
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/… has a list of four novels in the "end times" category. I assume the other 5 are unpublished. I would also further assume that reading them in order of publication would probably be the right order. –  Chris Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 22:26
• @Chris Reading them in the order of publication would make sense, but 3 of the 4 have the same release date. –  Daft Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 22:29
• @Daft: Oh yeah... I swear they didn't when I looked at the page first but in fairness I did just glance. Sorry but at least it helps with one. ;-) –  Chris Commented Jan 12, 2015 at 22:33

3 Answers 3

I'm adding the dates as they appear in each book (when possible).

I'm also adding the Archaon older books. I deeply recommend starting the adventure with them.

Also, each "The End Times - XX" book should be read together with its corresponding novel, since it adds extra information to the novel (i.e. battles, pre and post novel events, characters info and the like).

• Archaon, Everchosen (2390 - )
• Archaon, Lord of Chaos ( - 2519)
• QR: Sigmar's Blood
• QR: The Bone Cage
• QR: With Ice and Sword
• (A) The Return of Nagash (late sum 2522 - erl wint 2524)
• (A) The End Times I: Nagash Part 1
• Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer (aut 2524 - erl spg 2525)
• QR: Marienburg's Stand (erl wint 2525 - erl wint 2525)
• (B) The Fall of Altdorf (late wint 2524 - erl wint 2525)
• (B) The End Times II: Glottkin Part 1 (spg 2525 - aut 2525)
• QR: The Siege of Naggarond (223 - )
• QR: Bride of Khaine (223 - )
• Deathblade (wint 2523 - aut 2524)
• (C) The End Times III: Khaine Part 1 (wint 2524 - wint 2526)
• (C) The Curse of Khaine
• (D) The Rise of the Horned Rat (aut 2523 - aut 2527)
• (D) The End Times IV: Thanquol Part 1 (aut 2523 - aut 2527)
• QR: Gotrek & Felix: Rememberers (wint 2526 - wint 2526)
• Gotrek & Felix: Slayer (erl spg 2527 - erl sum 2527)
• (E) The End Times V: Archaon Part 1 (spg 2528 - aut 2528)
• (E) Lord of the End Times (aut 2527 - aut 2528)

Edit: QR means "Quick read". These are short stories that I believe have only been released digitally. I have also added matching letters to the ones that should be read together.

• Could you perhaps expand on your answer? I really want to read these but I don't understand a couple of things. You said "Also, each "The End Times - XX" book should be read together with its corresponding novel, since it adds extra information to the novel (i.e. battles, pre and post novel events, characters info and the like)." - could you give me an example of which book should be read with which novel? Some of the other titles you listed start with "QR" - what does that mean? –  Skytiger Commented Sep 7, 2016 at 7:27
• 1 There you go. I'm sorry for the delay. I have bought Total War: Warhammer and I have resumed the reading. Hope to finish with all the books one day hehhe. –  dieresys Commented Feb 27, 2017 at 20:08

Interestingly enough, I emailed The Black Library for a list of The End Times books in chronological order, and they replied with this:

Thank you for your email. The Chronological order to read the End Times Novels is. Sigmar's Blood Kinslayer Rise of Nagash Fall of Altdorf Deathblade Curse of Khaine The Rise of the Horned Rat

The order is slightly different, but the accepted answer above covers many more novels and novellas.

So it would appear the the email I received from The Black Library actually contradicts how the novels are now listed on their own website .

Having read the majority of them at this stage, I can tell you this new list is correct.

As far as I can tell and have read the order goes like this:

• Sigmar's Blood
• The Bone Cage
• Return of Nagash
• End Times I: Nagash Part 1
• Gotrek & Felix: Kinslayer
• End Times II: Glottkin Part 1
• QR: Marienburg's Stand
• The Fall of Altdorf
• QR: The Siege of Naggarond
• QR: Bride of Khaine
• The End Times III: Khaine Part 1
• The Curse of Khaine
• Rise of the Horned Rat
• End Times IV: Thanquol Part 1
• QR: Gotrek & Felix: Rememberers
• End Times V: Archaon Part 1
• Gotrek & Felix: Slayer
• Lord of the End Times

I'm not completely sure, as I've read only the first few, but that's how I have understood it and is the order I will read it. There are also a few Quick-Reads (QR) included in there, not quite sure about where those belong as they are not part of the main storyline but rather one-off side stories.

Hope this is still relevant and that it helps.

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Monday, January 19, 2015

Review: the end times - thanquol.

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Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide Review - The Perfect Starter Set

We got our paws on a preview copy of Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide, the new launch box for 4th edition! Read on for our overall thoughts! #AdWIP #NewAoS #WarhammerCommunity

Published: June 22, 2024 8:29 PM /

Reviewed By: Giaco Furino

Unless you've been living in a Skaven gnawhole this year, you're likely aware that there's a new 4th edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar ! We were lucky enough to get a preview copy of the new Starter Box, Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide , sent to us by Games Workshop - so follow along for our initial thoughts on the box, what's included, a quick review of some of the most impactful new rules, and a glance at Spearhead - Age of Sigmar' s new quick-play format.

Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide - What's In The Box?

First, let's start off by taking a look at everything included in the new launch box for 4th Edition. This may be one of the largest Starter Boxes (it was certainly one of the heaviest), and includes:

• 272-page  Warhammer Age of Sigmar Core Book
• 144-page  Spearhead: Fire and Jade  rulebook
• 1 double-sided game board
• 36-card  Spearhead  deck
• 17  General's Handbook  cards
• 4 terrain features
• 50 Skaven Miniatures (Including Grey Seer, Warplock Jezzails, and so many Clanrats - among others)
• 24 Stormcast Eternals Miniatures (Including Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-stalker, Reclusians, Liberators and more)

What this all means is that, in addition to the core rules of the game, and two very robust armies, you're also getting terrain to begin your collection, a second  rulebook and special cards to play Spearhead  (which we'll touch on more in a moment), and a 17-card general's handbook deck of cards to help with your more serious Matched Play games.

Though it will likely carry a hefty price tag, in my opinion there's no getting around the sheer value on display in this box. Core rules, two of the largest armies (especially the Skaven) we've seen in one of these new edition sets from Games Workshop, a new way to play the game (you'll have all the models you need to play both Spearhead armies)... It's a lot to work through, but it's also a lot of game!

Our Favorite 4th Edition New Rule Highlights

While much of  Warhammer Age of Sigmar  remains the same between 3rd and 4th edition, there are definitely some new rules worth highlighting. First, characters now have a specific Control stat, and this applies to each model in the unit. Previously, models had a control value based on their Wounds characteristic, but now it's all here on the character sheet - replacing a Bravery skill.

I really like how this changes a very core mechanic of the game - there are no longer any kind of Bravery or "battleshock" tests required at the end of a round. While some people might have liked the tactical nuance this provided, I've always preferred game systems where that's not an issue on the field.

There are also several fun new command abilities that players can use, which allow you to shoot a target out in the open (not just one charging toward you), and even charge during your opponent's charge phase! Wizards and Priests also have the ability to spend a command point to cast a spell during your opponent's command phase.

Add to that the very tricky "Power Through" command which - if you're locked in combat with a unit with a lower Health characteristic than you - will dish out D3 mortal wounds and allow you to move a distance up to your unit's Move characteristic. This is wild to me, the fact that for 1 command point you can just auto deal D3 mortal, then keep on trucking through them? Game changing.

I won't spend too much time getting into the nitty gritty here, as I really just wanted to highlight a few rules that all speak to a larger feeling I get playing new games of  Age of Sigmar . And that's this: this game is slightly faster, and way,  way  more interactive. You almost always have something interesting to do during your opponent's turn, and you'll be desperate to spend those command points to make an interrupting impact.

It's this source of interactivity that I feel is really going to continue the work of opening up and making more accessible  Warhammer Age of Sigmar . In much the same way the tweaks to the latest edition of  Warhammer 40,000  helped sand down some rough edges, this edition of AoS  is doing the same.

The Models of  Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide

Sigmar bless push fit models! While I know this is a very niche concern, for the busy Tabletop Editor who needs to get this box built as soon as possible, not having to mess with any glue has been an absolute godsend! And while I (mostly) joke about my  specific  appreciation for push fit models, I do think this mode of model construction -- where every piece is designed to snap into place with each other on a model, is great for newcomers.

I timed myself while building Clanrats (most are two-piece builds), and with an hour of focused snipping, pressing pieces into place, and affixing to bases, I was able to build 30 Clanrats. Sure, I was in the zone, and I never waste time filing or being precise with my snips (much to my playgroup's horror - but hey, I've got deadlines to hit!), but still goes to show how easy it is to put this massive box together - relatively speaking.

It's hard enough that you still have to snip these models from their sprues before assembling, but to have, essentially, a glue-free box of 74 miniatures is huge for introducing people to the hobby. Design wise, I like the look of a lot of these models, though we're not breaking any major new ground. The Stormcast Eternals have their dignified, removed look, and the Skaven are doing their ratty thing.

I do wish, however, that the design would have been pushed a little bit further. Even the Skaven Rat Ogors don't look as twisted up with warpstone power as I'd hoped, and I think a new edition would have been a great chance to take a new look at the Stormcast Eternals and find ways to make the models stand out a bit more.

What is Warhammer Age of Sigmar Spearhead ?

Finally, I wanted to take a brief moment to speak about  Spearhead  here, the newest, fastest way to play  Warhammer Age of Sigmar . These small-scale battles are meant to be quick, while still full of tactical nuance. This isn't  Warcry , where there's a whole new rulebook and a completely different way to play the game.

Instead, with  Spearhead , command points are replaced with tactics cards, and the game is played on a board with pre-set points of interest on it.

Tactics cards add a lot of rich flavor to the game, as each card tempts the player with two different options: you can use it as a way to score a victory point, or you can use the bottom half of the card as though it were a command ability.

Are  Warhammer Age of Sigmar Vanguard box sets the same as Spearhead?

Essentially yes! Whether you see a box set of Warhammer Age of Sigmar  miniatures called  Vanguard  or  Spearhead , we're talking about the same thing here - a pre-determined batch of miniatures specifically designed and balanced for this game mode.

The  Fire and Jade  book included in the  Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide  starter box includes 25 different  Spearhead  army lists (including two different ones for Stormcast and two different ones for Skaven).

Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide - Final Thoughts

As I've mentioned throughout my review, this box set is really impressive in the way it introduces new players to the game, the way it incorporates a lot more interactivity, and the sheer amount of product you get in this box.

And while this could have been a big moment for the design team to push the envelope with their miniatures, the fact that they're push-fit also does wonders for new players.

But this isn't  just  a box set for newcomers -- if you're a long-time fan of the game and somehow don't already have enough Clanrats, you can't do much better than this box - no matter how much it costs where you live!

Should I Buy  Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide ?

If you and a friend are looking to get into  Warhammer Age of Sigmar , or you're willing to foot the bill on this hefty Starter Set, you  will  absolutely get your money's worth. If, however, the price point is too much to take on - I would wait for either the core rules to be released alone, or pick up the  Spearhead  rules when they become available. Either way, you should definitely get into the newest edition of  Warhammer Age of Sigmar , it's just a personal question you'll have to answer for yourself as to  when  you want to jump in.

The copy of Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide used in the creation of this review was provided to us by Games Workshop.

Review Summary

• A Huge Value With Inclusion of 74 Miniatures
• Spearhead Introduces a Faster Way To Play While Retaining Most Rules
• Overall 4th Edition Prioritizes Interactivity
• Price Point Will Likely Be Prohibitive For Some Players
• Model Design Isn't Pushing Any Boundaries

Reviews you can trust: To ensure you're getting a fair, accurate, and informed review, our experienced team spends a significant amount of time on everything we review. Read more about how we review games and products .

• Warhammer Age of Sigmar Dominion Launch Box Preview
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar Slaves to Darkness Review - Embrace the Chaos
• Warhammer Age of Sigmar Sylvaneth and Skaven Battletome Review

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Skaventide Unboxing and Review – Warhammer Age of Sigmar 4th Edition

The Mortal Realms are consumed in a tide of vermin as the ratmen hordes of the Skaven invade in their millions. With the fell metropolis of Blight City erupting into the Great parch of Aqshy in the cataclysmic event known as the Vermindoom, The Horned Rat finally takes his place among the Chaos Pantheon alongside the 4 Chaos Gods and his verminous children set out to defile the Realms.

But the forces of Order are not defenseless, Sigmar the God King has opened up the Ruination Chamber and unleashed those Stormcast who have been reforged so many times they are little more than soulless living weapons.

In Skaventide, the launch box for the 4th edition of Age of Sigmar, players are able to pit the Skaven against the Stormcast and get their first chance to get their hands on both the brand new Core Rulebook, matched play General’s Handbook rules and the new game mode Spearhead.

In this full unboxing and review of the Skaventide box we’ll be checking out the contents of the launch set including building and painting up every model in the box! We’ll let you know how these are to build, what they are like to paint and just what the value of the set is.

Also up today we’ve got a full in depth review of the Core Book including the core rules – In that sister article we’ll be diving into the rules themselves and seeing what has changed from previous editions of the game, how the game itself plays and talking about what impact it’s going to have on players – You can check this full write up here .

On Monday 24th June we’ll be diving into the Fire & Jade supplement, the very first book dedicated to Spearhead – If you want to know more about Spearhead, how it plays and what all of the factions are like then make sure to head to the site at 10am on Monday!

Massive thanks to Games Workshop for sending us over a free early review copy of Skaventide – if you would like to support the site then why not order your copy of Skaventide through our affiliate Element Games and save yourself some money too?

In addition to our full written reviews we also have videos of the full unboxing, Core Rules read through and also our very first Age of Sigmar 4th Edition Battle Report pitting the contents of the box against each other in a Matched Play battle using the new General’s Handbook cards! You can check out all this content on YouTube or just down below – We’ll have lots more Age of Sigmar content coming both to the site and YouTube over the next few weeks, so make sure to give us a follow!

So without further ado, let’s crack open the Skaventide box and see what lurks within.

Skaventide Unboxing and Review – Age of Sigmar 4th Edition

One of the things that always excited me as a kid getting into Warhammer far longer ago than I cared to admit was the thrill of picking up one of Games Workshop’s big boxed games. When I got into the hobby, the first ones I picked up where the old Warhammer Fantasy one containing Bretonnians and Lizardmen, and 40k 2nd Edition with Space Marines and Orks. Being new to the hobby and not having an existing collection, being able to jump start my collection with not only the core rules but also 2 fledgling armies started my Warhammer journey and set the expectation for Boxed Games going forwards.

Fast forward 30 years and Skaventide, the launch box for the 4th edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar is here. The box goes up for pre order on Saturday 29th June and is released Saturday 13th July with a cost of £160. This may be the most expensive launch set that Games Workshop have put out so far – but there’s a lot of stuff in the box!

First up let’s take a look at the miniatures!

As with other recent launch sets, all the models in the box are push fit, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that they are any less detailed or fun to build than standard multi part kits! We also see somewhat of a move away from sprues containing mixed units, with only the Reclusians and a couple of the Stormcast characters sharing a single frame – All of the other kits each sit on their own frame, which makes splitting a box really easy for those who want to share the armies, but it also means that every kit in this box can easily be repackaged as individual kits for those who want to pick up additional units without having to end up with duplicated models that they do not want. I think this is a great shift as I’m already reassured I will be able to pick up another unit of Prosecutors for example without having to fight for split ebay lots. I’ve furiously been painting the contents of the box over the last 2 weeks – so let’s take a look at what they look like when finished! We’ll be taking about exact points next week, but you get approximately 1300 points in each army.

The Stormcast Eternals

Out of the two forces in the box, I was most excited to painting up the Stormcast in order to bolster my existing army. One of the things they have done with this box is to make the Hallowed Knights the cover army, but at my heart I’m a Hammers of Sigmar player! The gold is the iconic Stormcast scheme to me, and with the contents of Skaventide combined with my existing Stormcast army I’d have a large pool of models available to draw an army from.

In some ways, the Stormcast side of the box is a re-imagining of the Stormcast that originally came the very first Age of Sigmar boxed set back in 2015. We get a mounted hero and heroes on foot, a winged unit, an elite unit and 10 standard Stormcast. This kinda fits thematically with this being the introduction of the Ruination Chamber, and I can imagine some of these Stormcast being the very same units from then, simply reforged many times later!

Leading the pack is the Lord-Vigilant on Gryph Stalker, and this is probably one of my favourite models in the box. While his mount shares some similarities in some of the older Gryph mounts, we have something a little more heroic here, with a move intimidating figure ready to strike with his weapon. This is something we see across the box with the Stormcast having a lot more personality rather than the faceless statues they often seemed like in the early days.

There are a trio of characters of foot with the Lord-Terminos, Lord-Veritant and Knight-Questor. The Lord Terminos is another amazing sculpt with with resting his axe on the floor – from a lore point of view his job is to put down any Ruination Stormcast who lose their fragile grip on identity and reality, making him somewhat of a sinister figure.

The Lord Veritant and Knight Questor are both new takes on old models, and again they look awesome combining both the heavy plate armour of the original Stormcast along with the robes and fabric seen in later models. Both also have nice identifiable silhouettes allowing them to stand out on the battlefield.

In gameplay terms, the most powerful unit in the box are the Reclusians, these are heavily armoured elite Stormcast who have the ability to inflict mortal damage on a hit roll of 6. Like the Lord Terminos they also have an innate resistance to non-core abilities such as Magic, making them quite a difficult unit to shift. The models look ace and them (And the Terminos) are accompanied by Memorians.

The Memorians are essentially tokens given miniature form – this is something that we see quite a lot in the 4th Edition of the game, these are not targetable and have no impact on the game directly, but represent abilities and actions that can be done by the unit – in the case of the Reclusians these make it more likely that their magic resistance works, however if you ever roll an unmodified save roll of 1 you remove one of them, making them into an ability that can be denied if you roll badly.

My other favourite unit in the Stormcast side of the box are the Prosecutors. These have been in Age of Sigmar since the original boxed set, but they now have a gorgeous new look with some simply stunning ethereal wings. These have also now become part of the Ruination Chamber and specialise in making charges with them being able to roll 3D6 when charging! People who are not fans of the half helmets that these guys have will be pleased to know that the sprue also contains an option for classic Stormcast heads too – which is a great option for those who don’t want to paint faces!

Finally, the box contains 10 Liberators – there’s enough parts to build this as a single unit, or as 2 units of 5 each with their own Champion and model with Grandhammer, and there’s head options for with and without helmets meaning you can make each model look unique. Wearing Stormstrike armour these are a lot sleeker than the original Liberators while still keeping that classic Stormcast look.

The other side of the box are the Skaven, and I think it’s fair to say that out of all the Age of Sigmar armies its been the Skaven who’ve most needed some love. Almost all of their models are from Warhammer Fantasy with very few new kits released for them over the course of Age of Sigmar. But with Skaventide Games Workshop have taken the opportunity to give the Skaven a massive range refresh, and I suspect this is something that will continue into the new Skaven Battletome later this year.

There’s a lot of models in the Skaven side, and so I wanted to put together a scheme that could ensure I’d have the contents painted in time for the review to go live. This meant batch painting models as fast as I could while still keeping them looking good enough for the battlefield. Characters and smaller units had a little more attention, though clanrats were churned out with a focus on speed and having them look good as a horde over individual models. In all it took a suitably fitting 13 hours over 2 days to get the entire Skaven side ready (Compared to 20ish for the Stormcast) – Yes I could go back and add some more detail later, but speed was of the essence here!

Leading the swarm is the Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast, taking the concept of a mounted Skaven to give them something new as a centrepiece leader model. There’s some great detail on this model and he stands up well against the Stormcast leader – it would be ace to see a cav unit that carries on this concept in the new book, as he’d look great leading a unit of elite mounted stormvermin on similar creatures.

The Grey Seer is a concept that has been around as long as the Skaven, and in Skaventide we get a brand new plastic model to represent one that shares much of it’s DNA with models that I played with 30 years ago! One thing I really like about the design aesthetic of these is that even the trailing fabric behind him gives the feeling of rats tails. This is something that Games Workshop often do across the ranges to tie them together, and it works really well with the new Grey Seer.

Another new take on an old model is the Warlock Engineer, who is suitably kitted out with technology and causally stepping on a rather dangerous looking bomb

One thing that Skaven players have been wanting for years are new Rat Ogors. The plastic multi part kit is very dated now with chunky joins and action figure like poses, and the Isle of Blood ones while much nicer are part of a long discontinued Warhammer Fantasy starter set. This is remedied in Skaventide with a brand new kit that does them justice. What’s great about this kit is that even as a push fit set there’s still lots of options with heads and optional parts to make them a little more varied if you take larger or multiple units.

The Warplock Jezzails had only previously been available as metal kits from the World that Was, but in Skaventide these finally get a brand new plastic kit and they look stunning too! Like with the Rat Ogors there’s option parts here to mix up a unit, and the way they fit together means the Skaven can be matched with other partners in order to add a little more variety.

Finally you get two sprues of 20 clanrats giving you a grand total of 40 of the evil little vermin. Like with the Stormcast you could opt to build these as a single large unit, but I stuck to 20s for flexibility. Though keep in mind you no longer have to worry about battleline units, so feel free to go big with them! They are very quick to build and paint with only 2 or 3 parts per model – though I did have a couple snap at the feet, and while this is after manhandling the sprues quite a bit to take photos etc, just make sure you dont accidentally damage any of the parts as they are a little fragile. If you do break a join just be patient and carefully glue the join.

On the subject of glue, non is needed to build any of the kits – With push fit models you’ll find that you actually get a worse join and gaps if you do try and glue them together. For these models pictured I generally only used glue pasted along joins in cloaks etc to make them a little more seamless – other than that they are 100% pushed together!

With a first for Age of Sigmar launch boxes, we actually get a sprue of scenery in the box too! This is designed for use in Spearhead games alongside the included boards (more on that later) but they make a great start to an Age of Sigmar scenery collection too! you get two medium sized L shaped ruins along with two pieces of scatter terrain

What’s really cool is that the sprue for them also has molded 3″ and 6″ range rulers (which we affectionately call range doofers) that clip together to make a 9″ ruler. These are really handy for games, and the fact that they are sculpted with Skaven iconography is a nice touch too!

If you have any of the existing terrain that was released shortly after Dominion, you’ll find that these fit in nicely and will match your existing collection.

Rulebooks, Boards and Cards

Of course, we’ve only looked at the plastic contents of the box so far, but there’s a lot more found within the box that really adds to the value and makes it worth the price tag.

In a move away from single use plastics, Games Workshop have moved to using card sleeves to hold most paper material, and we get the same here with an attractive card wallet that holds most of the gaming contents

Inside here we get contents for both Matched Play and Spearhead. From a Matched Play point of view we get a full deck of General’s Handbook 2024-25 cards that contain the same mission, season rules and Battle tactics that are contained in the upcoming book release of The General’s Handbook.

This includes cards that list all the battle tactics for each grand alliance along with the universal battle tactics – this allows you to simply have that card out at the side of the board in order to pick your battle tactics rather than having to flick through a book.

You get a card detailing the Matched Play battlepack and one listing the Season Rules for 24-25, this is essentially the new rules introduced for this years matched play games. In this season you get to pick a unit in your General’s Detachment to be an Honour Guard, and that unit can then pick one of 3 bonuses at deployment – this can range from making them a specialist against a certain type of unit, to making them hit and wound stronger against units in your enemy’s general’s detachment or even reducing the incoming attacks when they are near your general. This means that by picking up this box you have immediate access to the rules from the General’s Handbook and can get going with matched play games from day 1!

Missions are essentially a “best of” from Age of Sigmar, with scenarios originally dating from 2016 all the way to last year’s General’s Handbook – Again these are the same ones that will be in the printed General’s Handbook so you have everything you need to play.

In a nice touch, the box also contains 6 extra 40mm bases that players can use as objective markers to get going straight away!

A Slaughter at Hel Crown insert is also included which lets you record the results of your first game for a global campaign with the chance of winning every single Skaven or Stormcast release for the next year!

It isn’t just Matched Play that gets all the love here though, we also get a lot of content for Spearhead too! Firstly, a full two sided Spearhead board is included, one side representing the Realm of Fire the other the Realm of Life. This is the same size as a Warcry tile, and each side has objectives printed on them – they layout of these changes on each side, and I suspect that over the life of the edition we’ll get new tiles and layouts to represent each of the realms.

Spearhead runs off decks of cards, and those are also included in the box. We get Battle Tactic cards which are used to either score points in games, or can be spent in order to activate a command (Command points are not used in Spearhead), and we get 2 decks of twist cards (One for Aqshy and one for Ghyran) that are drawn in order to add a bonus that gives the underdog (The player with the least points) an advantage to get them in the game – Again, it wouldnt surprise me if we got new sets of cards for the other realms over the life of the edition.

Like with the card materials, both of the books are nicely presented, wrapped and sealed with a Ghal Maraz icon. Opening this up we get both a hardback 274 Core Book containing lore and rules (You can check out our deep dive of this and the core Age of Sigmar 4th edition rules here) and the 144 page Fire & Jade Spearhead supplement. Fire & Jade is the first Spearhead book of the edition and contains not just the core Spearhead rules, but rules for each and every Spearhead that is currently available to buy. We can’t show off that book today, but come back on Monday 24th June for our full written article and video review!

So is Warhammer Age of Sigmar Skaventide “The World’s Greatest Fantasy Miniatures Game” as it proudly proclaims on the site of the box? And is the launch box worth the £160 price tag?

I’ve been collecting Warhammer for 30 years now, and have picked up every big boxed set that Games Workshop have put out, but to me even with the increases price tag this is certainly one of the most value packed and complete feeling boxes that GW have put out. Let’s start with the models – you get not only two full Spearheads (£87.50 each), but also around 3-4 additional units for each side on top of the Spearheads which even if we put a very conservative price tag of £60 per army means the value of just the miniatures in the box is £295.

On top of this we have the cards and boards, along with the core rulebook and Spearhead supplement adding another £60ish value puts the total value of the box at around £350. While the price of entry may be high for some, especially in the current climate, this is very nearly a complete Age of Sigmar experience with the only thing it really missing being a tape measure and some dice, but those are things a lot of people will have around the house.

There’s never been a better time to get into Age of Sigmar, and if you check out our Core Rules and Spearhead reviews you’ll know that i’m a massive fan of the new edition!

As an aside, there’s no unit profiles in the box, but profiles for the contents (And every Age of Sigmar army) will be released free online prior to release – meaning that as soon as you get this box you’ll have everything you need to play!

I’m really excited to see how this edition of Age of Sigmar plays out, and I’m very much looking forward to expanding both the Skaven and the Stormcast into full armies!

Are you going to pick up Skaventide? Let us know below!

Skaventide goes up for pre order on Saturday 29th June and is released Saturday 13th July for £160

Games Workshop provided Sprues & Brews a free copy for review purposes.

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Which books are the best? And is End Times actually as bad as people say it is?

So I got into Warhammer after Age of Sigmar was already a thing and therefore I don't have the same hatred for it as a lot of fantasy fans do, however I do feel kind of left out on fantasy battles after playing total war.

My question is what are the best books available for fantasy? My favourite races are chaos and high elves probably bit I'll read anything.

And are the end times really as bad as people say they are? I've always been curious about reading them even if they're absolutely terrible