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Image via Wargamer
war hammer ranks as one of the greatest fantasy miniatures games ever made. Age of Sigmar allows players to fight with a multitude of different factions, each with unique characters and abilities.
Each faction belongs to one of the four grand alliances – Order, Destruction, Chaos and Death. The order seeks stability, the rule of law, and the annihilation of anyone who disagrees with these things. Chaos consists in corrupting everything. Destruction seeks total anarchy and unrestricted freedom, while death simply wants to kill everything in sight.
With every faction vying for control of the land, the game has enough blood and guts to satisfy even the most violent gamer. Here are the current factions explained.
Skaven (Chaos)
Giant rats that hurl hordes of unwashed, plague-bringing minions at their enemies, the Skaven are easily one of the most fun factions to control. Being a horde army, they usually have weak units but make up for that shortcoming with overwhelming numbers.
They are ruthless traitors with a collective megalomaniacal drive to impose the supremacy of their God – the Great Horned Rat. Woe to anyone who does not share their deranged view.
Beasts of Chaos (Chaos)
A mad mix of violent behemoths, hoofed nightmares, and horribly mutated humans with savage and barbaric strength, chaos beasts exist on the fringes of orderly society and are ready to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. They are the archetypal Chaos faction, often prone to infighting in their relentless pursuit of anarchy.
With great designs, these guys are great fun and look great on any table.
Blades of Khorne (Chaos)
Khorne is the Chaos Blood God who demands human sacrifice on the battlefield.
The Blades of Khorne are only too happy to oblige, sporting melee units with large axes to deal as much gruesome injury as possible to their myriad foes. Most of their special units look like something straight out of hell.
Followers of Tzeentch (Chaos)
The Disciples are half-formed, Frankenstein-like mutants. Tzeentch is the Chaos God of Change, and in the Warhammer world this involves upsetting the natural order of things by forcing people to grow two heads or grow extra limbs. With an array of powerful magical units, Disciples should only be faced by experienced players.
Hedonites of Slaanesh (Chaos)
Hedonists are lightning-fast, blade-wielding daemonettes. Slaanesh is the Chaos god of earthly desires and instant gratification, and his minions love nothing more than amoral pleasure and slay their opponents in swift, deadly strikes.
There are few tough units, but for anyone interested in surprise attack, Hedonites are a must.
Maggotkin of Nurgle (Chaos)
Pus-oozing abominations that like to spread infection to anyone unlucky enough to meet them, the Maggotkin follow only the Plague God, so expect utter body horror with heaps of larvae encrusted in flesh in putrefaction and tentacles springing from every orifice. Special attacks include vomiting bile at opponents. They also sport giant mosquitoes that rain down even more plague on the combat area.
Slaves of Darkness (Chaos)
The opposite of the Stormcast Eternals, these guys are ultra-evil knights who like nothing more than to incorporate the skulls of their enemies into their armor. They are interesting to fight, as they have high level units mixed in with horde minions. They are also sometimes simply called Chaos Warriors.
Flesh-Eating Tribunals (Death)
A teeming mass of permanently hungry cannibalistic zombies, the Flesh-Eater Courts are one of the most tragic factions in existence. They believe themselves to be whole, living humans who preside over a veritable empire with knights, castles and princes. A terrible curse has turned them into deluded ghouls who don’t even realize they are consuming other people’s flesh while their own rots.
Few ranged units mean they have to compensate for this with melee hordes.
Nighthaunt (Death)
Killer ghosts who wield scythes and sabers, the Nighthaunt are hooded harbingers of death. They worship Nagash, the Great Necromancer. The Nighthaunt typically glides across the battlefield, so it can easily hover above strong enemies to take out weak ones. Lots of cavalry and hero units make them fun to pick up.
Ossiarch Bonereapers (Death)
The most army-like army of the Death Grand Alliance, the Bonereapers are a professional fighting force of skeleton warriors. They’re tough and mean, clad in strong bone armor and equipped with enough combat skills to make even the strongest opponents suddenly remember an urgent meeting somewhere else.
Soulblight Gravelords (Death)
The Soulblight Gravelords are vampires. Aristocratic villains to be exact. These blood junkies descend from a host of noble families, united only in their affliction and submission to Nagash.
While vampire units are powerful, they are still too few in number, and the Gravelords rely on a host of cheap skeletons and zombies to add depth to their armies.
Gloomspite Gitz (Destruction)
Grots and giants who hurl waves of deadly spiders at hapless foes, the Gloomspite Gitz seek to bring about the Everdank, an age of filth that would see them conquer their foes and rule the world.
They worship Gorkamorka (the god who cast the infamous Great Waaagh) and like to beat their enemies to death with massive clubs. For a heavy Greenskin army, they wield a surprising amount of magic.
Ogor Mawtribes (Destruction)
Giant ogres that literally soar above normally proportioned opponents, the Ogor Mawtribes enjoy crushing enemies in melee, and they also wield ranged units, including cannons. These guys even ride woolly mammoths into the combat zone. With the simple belief that strength is right, the Mawtribes field extremely tough units.
Kruleboyz (Destruction)
Hailing from decaying bogs, the Kruleboyz are the greenskin mafia of Age of Sigmar. Totally devious and able to stab even their own mother in the back, this mean group of guys even poison their weapons for maximum damage. Worshipers of Kragnos, the god of upheaval, the Kruleboyz care only about causing anarchy.
Son of Behemat (Destruction)
Giants specializing in drunken ultraviolence, the Sons of Behemat eat humans whole, trample settlements, and rip the roofs off breweries to drink as much beer as they can during a battle.
Although they field few units in a fight, each acts as an unstoppable tank.
Cities of Sigmar (Order)
The guys who are all about freedom (and survival), the Cities of Sigmar are ordinary people who have banded together to try and get through these dangerous times.
While nothing fancy, these guys have a good mix of everything from gunners to pikemen to planes. They even have magic units available.
Daughters of Khaine (Order)
Amazon warriors, the Daughters of Khaine are united by one thing only: a fiery hatred of all things Chaos. They have little in common with the other factions of the Order and share no desire for stability or the rule of law.
However, they remain a deadly ally, using whips and daggers to bloody their foes.
Fireslayers (Order)
Dwarf-men who seem straight out of classical Greece, Fyreslayers are clad in golden armor (they even melt gold directly into their skins). As their name suggests, they come packing an assortment of flamethrowers and other incendiaries.
Some even go into battle atop huge Magmadroths that unleash even more fire on unfortunate foes.
Idoneth Deepkin (Order)
Atlantean warriors capable of calling on a multitude of killer sea animals to destroy their foes, the Idoneth Deepkin have few units, but each one packs a real punch. If you like giant turtles crashing into opposite rows, you’re in for a wild ride.
Overlords of Kharadron (Order)
Dwarves as steampunk as they come, the Kharadron Overlords are so adept with complex mechanical equipment that their armies are equipped with repeating rifles, cannons, and other projectile weapons. They even have a few planes to rain death on their enemies.
Infantry movement is painfully slow, but this can be offset by airlifting the troops.
Lumineth Realm-lords (Order)
Armored Aelves with a chivalrous class system, the lords of the Lumineth realm are truly committed to the cause of Order. They despise anyone who does not share their beliefs.
With cool headgear and seriously powerful armour, these represent some of the most visually pleasing figures in the game. But the Warhammer madness creeps in with the addition of “Battle Cattle” – their hammer-wielding cattle.
Seraphon (Order)
One of the oldest factions, the Seraphon have been around for as long as anyone can remember and are the eternal champions of order, inflicting death on the forces of Chaos.
They are highly intelligent, reptile-like humanoids who love nothing more than a good fight. Expect plenty of high-tech units, including bombers that can perform airstrikes.
Stormcast Eternals (Order)
Warrior-knights who fight for a cause they believe in, the Stormcast Eternals are the ultra-tough good guys of Age of Sigmar. A holy army clad in golden armor, they sport very tough units, giving players great flexibility.
All of them have already died once, their souls recycled into these ultimate fighters.
Sylvaneth (Order)
The Sylvaneth are living and intelligent trees. Think of all those battle scenes in the Lord of the Rings. Even tiny saplings can bite, but the giant Treelords are the real killers on the battlefield. Just make sure you don’t go near the fire.
They are like Greenpeace but with ultra-violent tendencies, more than willing to annihilate anything that encroaches on their forest domain.
