Warhammer ranks as one of the greatest fantasy miniature games ever spawned. Age of Sigmar allows players to do battle with a host of different factions, each with unique characters and abilities.
Each faction belongs to one of four grand alliances – Order, Destruction, Chaos, and Death. Order seeks stability, the rule of law, and the annihilation of anyone who doesn’t agree with those things. Chaos is all about making everything corrupt. Destruction seeks total anarchy and unrestrained freedom, while Death simply wants to kill everything in sight.
With each faction vying for control of the land, the game has enough blood and guts to satisfy even the most violent-minded of players. Here are the current factions explained.
Skaven (Chaos)
Giant rats who launch hordes of unwashed, plague-carrying underlings at their enemies, the Skaven are easily one of the most fun factions to take control of. Being a horde army, they have generally weak units but make up for this shortcoming with overwhelming numbers.
They are ruthless backstabbers with a megalomaniac collective will to enforce the supremacy of their God – the Great Horned Rat. Woe betide anyone who doesn’t share their deranged vision.
Beasts of Chaos (Chaos)
A crazy mixture of violent behemoths, hooved nightmares, and horribly mutated humans with savage, barbarian strength, the Beasts of Chaos exist on the fringes of ordered society, and are willing to fight anyone, anytime, anywhere. They are the archetypal Chaos faction, often given to infighting in their relentless pursuit of anarchy.
With some great models, these guys are a heap of fun and look superb on any tabletop.
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 big axes to cause as many horrific wounds as possible to their countless enemies. Most of their special units look like something right out of hell.
Disciples of Tzeentch (Chaos)
The disciples are half-formed Frankenstein-like mutants. Tzeentch is the Chaos god of Change, and in the world of Warhammer this involves upending the natural order of things by forcing people to grow two heads or sprout extra limbs. With an array of powerful magical units, the Disciples should only be taken on by experienced gamers.
Hedonites of Slaanesh (Chaos)
The Hedonists are ultra-fast blade-wielding daemonettes. Slaanesh is the Chaos god of Earthly desires and instant gratification, and his acolytes love nothing more than amoral pleasure and killing their opponents in quick, lethal strikes.
There are few tough units, but for anyone interested in surprise attack, the Hedonites are a must.
Maggotkin of Nurgle (Chaos)
Pus-oozing abominations that enjoy spreading infection to anyone unlucky enough to meet them, the Maggotkin follow only the Plague God, so expect full-on body horror with heaps of larvae embedded in putrefying flesh and tentacles sprouting from every orifice. Special attacks include vomiting bile on opponents. They also sport giant mosquitos raining yet more plague down on the battle zone.
Slaves to Darkness (Chaos)
The opposite of the Stormcast Eternals, these guys are ultra-evil knights who love nothing more than to incorporate the skulls of their enemies into their armor. They are interesting to fight with, as they have high level units mixed with horde underlings. They are also sometimes referred to simply as Chaos Warriors.
Flesh-Eater Courts (Death)
A seething mass of permanently ravenous cannibal zombies, the Flesh-Eater Courts are one of the most tragic factions out there. They believe themselves to be whole, living humans who preside over a real empire complete with knights, castles, and princes. A terrible curse turned them into deluded ghouls who do not even realize they consume other’s flesh while their own rots.
Few ranged units mean they have to make up for this with melee hordes.
Nighthaunt (Death)
Killer ghosts that wield scythes and sabers, the Nighthaunt are hooded harbingers of death. They worship Nagash, The Great Necromancer. The Nighthaunt generally glide across the battlefield, so can easily float over strong enemies to pick off the weak. Lots of cavalry and hero units make them fun to pick up.
Ossiarch Bonereapers (Death)
The most army-like army in the Death Grand Alliance, the Bonereapers are a professional fighting force of skeletal warriors. They are tough and mean, clad in strong bone armor and with enough combat skills to make even the strongest of opponents suddenly remember an urgent appointment elsewhere.
Soulblight Gravelords (Death)
The Soulblight Gravelords are vampires. Evil aristocratic ones to be exact. These blood addicts are descended from a host of noble families, united only in their affliction and their subservience to Nagash.
While the vampire units are powerful, there are always too few of them, and the Gravelords rely on a host of cheap skeletons and zombies to lend depth to their armies.
Gloomspite Gitz (Destruction)
Grots and giants who launch waves of deadly spiders at unfortunate foes, the Gloomspite Gitz seek to bring about the Everdank, an era of befoulment that would see them conquer their foes and rule the world.
They worship Gorkamorka (the god who started the infamous Great Waaagh) and enjoy beating enemies to death with massive clubs. For a Greenskin-heavy army, they wield a surprising amount of magic.
Ogor Mawtribes (Destruction)
Giant ogres that literally rise above normally proportioned opponents, the Ogor Mawtribes are fond of crushing enemies in melee, and they also wield ranged units including cannons. These guys even ride woolly mammoths into the combat zone. With a simple belief that might is right, the Mawtribes field supremely tough units.
Kruleboyz (Destruction)
Hailing from rotting bogs, the Kruleboyz are the Greenskin mafia of Age of Sigmar. Totally devious and capable of stabbing even their own mothers in the back, this nasty bunch of lads even poison their weapons for maximum damage. Worshipers of Kragnos, the god of upheaval, the Kruleboyz are only concerned with bringing about anarchy.
Sons of Behemat (Destruction)
Giants that specialize in drunken ultraviolence, the Sons of Behemat eat humans whole, stamp on settlements, and rip the roofs off breweries to drink as much ale as they can during a battle.
Though 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 everyday folk who have banded together to try and live through these dangerous times.
While they sport nothing fancy, these guys do have a good mix of everything, from gunners to pikemen to aircraft. They even have some magic-wielding units available.
Daughters of Khaine (Order)
Amazon warriors, the Daughters of Khaine are united by only one thing – a burning hatred of all things Chaos. They have little in common with other Order factions, and do not share a desire for stability or the rule of law.
However, they remain a deadly ally, using whips and daggers to bloody their enemies.
Fyreslayers (Order)
Dwarf-men who look like they’ve marched right out of Classical Greece, The Fyreslayers are clad in golden armor (they even smelt gold directly into their skin). As their name suggests, they come packing an assortment of flamethrowers and other incendiaries.
Some even ride into battle atop humongous Magmadroths which unleash yet more fire upon unfortunate opponents.
Idoneth Deepkin (Order)
Atlantean warriors able to call on a host of killer marine life to destroy their enemies, the Idoneth Deepkin have few units, but each one packs a real punch. If you’re into giant turtles that smash into opposing ranks, you’re in for a wild ride.
Kharadron Overlords (Order)
Dwarves who are about as steampunk as it’s possible to get, the Kharadron Overlords possess such skill with complex mechanical equipment that their armies are equipped with repeating rifles, cannons, and other projectile weapons. They even have a few aircraft to rain down death upon their enemies.
Infantry movement is painfully slow, but this can be compensated for by transporting the troops by air.
Lumineth Realm-lords (Order)
Armored Aelves with a knightly class system, The Lumineth Realm-lords are truly committed to the cause of Order. They despise anyone who doesn’t share their beliefs.
With some cool headgear and very powerful armor, these represent some of the most visually pleasing figures in the game. But Warhammer craziness creeps in with the addition of “Battle Cattle” – their hammer-wielding bovines.
Seraphon (Order)
One of the oldest factions there is, the Seraphon have existed for as long as anyone can remember and are the eternal champions of order, dealing out death to the forces of Chaos.
They are highly intelligent, reptillian-like humanoids who love nothing more than a good fight. Expect lots of high-tech units, including bombers which can perform airstrikes.
Stormcast Eternals (Order)
Warrior-knights who fight for a cause they believe in, Stormcast Eternals are the ultra-tough good guys of Age of Sigmar. A holy army clad in golden armor, they sport some seriously tough units, giving players a lot of flexibility.
All of them have died once already, their souls recycled into these ultimate fighters.
Sylvaneth (Order)
The Sylvaneth are living, intelligent trees. Think all those battle scenes in Lord of the Rings. Even the tiny saplings can bite, but the giant Treelords are the real battlefield killers. Just be sure you don’t go anywhere near fire.
They are like Greenpeace but with ultra-violent tendencies, more than willing to annihilate anything that encroaches on their forest realm.