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Warhammer Preview Online: Shadow, Iron & Broken Realms

Are you ready? In just a few minutes, you’ll be seeing incredible, awesome new models and more (oh, so much more) for – take a deep breath now – Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, The Horus Heresy, Warcry, Warhammer Underworlds, and Necromunda. Prepare to be amazed. Of course, we’ll be bringing you all the hot headlines right here, along with glorious pictures of all the new models.

You can watch the feed live right here, or if you’re coming to us a bit late, watch it back in the Warhammer Twitch archive.

The reveals start at 2 pm – and you’re not gonna want to miss a single one…

2:00 pm – The Crusade Begins in September!

For the last few months, we’ve been bringing you sneak peeks at The Horus Heresy Book 9: Crusade in the Road to Thramas series. Now, it’s nearly here – with a confirmed release date. Watch this epic video to find out exactly when this latest black book will be in your eager hands.

The martial might of the First Legion faces the sinister terror tactics of the Night Haunter’s murderous sons in Crusade (not that terror has much effect when you know no fear). New rules and extensive background for both Legions is joined by the history of the Thramas Crusade, and four narrative missions that let you recreate some of the fiercest battles between the Dark Angels and Night Lords. And of course, loads of lovely models are coming for the units and characters in the book, including the Primarch Lion El’Jonson himself.

Among the new units in the book are the Contekar Terminators, elite butchers and killers even by the murderous standards of the Night Lords. We caught a glimpse of these models a while back, and now you can see them in all their midnight-clad glory.

Gather your Legions and prepare for the Crusade to begin on Saturday the 4th of September. The battles of the Horus Heresy are about to reach new levels of bitterness and treachery.

2:10 pm – Iron in the Underhive

It’s time to unleash the House of Iron! A new expansion is coming your way for Necromunda – check it out!

House of Iron is your indispensable guide to the history of House Orlock and includes all the rules you need to dominate your Necromunda campaigns. New fighters, Hired Guns, and Hangers-on will be joined by House-specific weapons and wargear, which will change up the way your gang will wage war in the underhive.

Among the additions will be an all-new plastic kit that adds three fighter types to Orlock gangs.

Arms Masters are champions who keep their gangers and juves in line with fear, respect and a variety of deadly weapons. Get a load of that arc hammer…

Wreckers are Orlock Prospects who take on the most dangerous jobs and missions in an attempt to prove themselves to their gang fellows. Each wears a jump booster which can be used to swiftly get around the battlefield – though not without some degree of risk. After all, most jet packs come with safety instructions saying not to use them indoors. That’s a bit tough in the underhive. We bet a lot of Wreckers end up with sore heads – if they’re lucky…

Finally, there are some very good bionically-enhanced canids. Cyber-mastiffs are guard dogs, attack dogs, and one of the ways in which Arms Masters keep their gangs in check. You wouldn’t want to have a run-in with those jaws – augmented or otherwise.

House of Iron and the Arms Masters & Wreckers set will be bursting into the underhive soon.

2:20 pm – The Ultimate Six Shooter

What has six arms and six guns, and will be joining Necron armies everywhere soon? This guy.

The Hexmark Destroyer is a Deathmark who has fallen to the Destroyer curse and wants nothing other than to kill absolutely everything around it. While other Destroyers fly around with massive cannons or scuttle forward with phase blades, the Hexmark Destroyer takes the Deathmarks’ propensity for surprise attacks to epic levels. They burst from their dimensional oubliettes, the corrupted Destroyer engrams targeting and dispatching nearby enemies in a hail of enmitic disintegrator fire.

This new Destroyer will make a fun and deadly (very deadly) addition to your Necrons, as well as looking immensely cool. Keep an eye (or 7) out for it shortly after the codex launches in October.


 

2:30 pm – Lifting the Veil

If you’ve tried the new Crusade rules from the Warhammer 40,000 Core Book, you’ll know that they’re a great way to add a narrative element to your games, following your army from scrappy patrol force to all-conquering horde. Soon, your Crusade army will have new worlds to conquer, perils to face, and rewards to reap with the first Crusade Mission Pack, Beyond the Veil.

Venture into the Pariah Nexus and battle under the baleful influence of the Necron technologies within. You’ll be able to play loads of missions at every game size and gain incredible rewards, including upgradeable wargear, new Battle Traits, and more. But beware, for the threats in the Pariah Nexus are many – a host of battlefield conditions can affect your games, and dangerous Battle Scars await… Setting your Crusade battles within the Pariah Nexus will give you new narrative opportunities, allowing you to tell the story of your army thriving (or struggling) within this terrifying celestial phenomenon.

You’ll also be able to recreate the battlefields of the Pariah Nexus, and beyond, with new scenery kits, like Battlezone: Manufactorum – Vertigus.

This battlefield-in-a-box expands on the scenery found in the new Warhammer 40,000 Command Edition. Inside you’ll find two double-sided card gaming boards and a variety of thermo pipes, ruins, and a new auto-choral transmitter.

The contents of this set will be enough to play Combat Patrol and Incursion-level games and can be combined with more boards and scenery for larger battles. This is just one of the new scenery sets you can look forward to.

As you build your scenery collection, you’ll want new ways to use it in your games – and the Chapter Approved Mission Pack: Tactical Deployment is a great way to do so. 

This pack contains 18 new matched play missions which allow you to bring your own themed terrain and use it to create a balanced battlefield alongside your opponent for close-fought games. This is perfect for any Warhammer 40,000 player who wants to add a new element to their battles. It also makes it much easier for event organisers and clubs to run tournaments – no need to paint 500 ruins to populate the tables! Run a Tactical Deployment event, provide tables and a roof, and the participants will bring the rest.

Both of these mission packs and loads of scenery will be available soon – keep your eyes peeled for more information.

2:40 pm – Into the Catacombs

The Bloodwind Spoil is a brutal and bloody place where war rages almost non-stop. Now, it’s time to delve beneath those ravaged lands and take your narrative warband battles to a new level that will explore the fascinating setting of the Eightpoints in a whole new way…

Warcry Catacombs is an amazing new boxed set that allows you to battle in underground dungeons beneath Archaon’s mighty Varanspire lair – complete with lava! It’s packed with amazing scenery that lets you recreate the perilous environments below the Eightpoints. With doorways, bridges, shattered pillars, and more, it’s like a mix of Warhammer Quest and Chaos fortresses – in other words, terrifying and glorious!

Fighting over the terrain in the box are a pair of warbands you might just recognise from previous previews – the stealthy aelves of the Khainite Shadowstalkers…

…and the literally on fire Scions of the Flame.

This is a great way to start playing Warcry and includes the Core Book as well as a brand-new set of rules for fighting dungeon battles. Alongside these are a host of campaigns for your warbands to embark on, with suitably epic rewards. Of course, all of your existing warbands can take to the Catacombs for a fresh challenge too – and the two new warbands can be used in your games of Warhammer Age of Sigmar.

The terrain mixes a classic fantasy dungeon aesthetic with the distinctive look of the Mortal Realms, with doors to hide behind, bridges to traverse, and much more. If you’re a coward who’s scared of lava, you can also flip the board and use some of the other terrain for a more traditional Eightpoints-style Warcry game.

You’ll be able to venture into the Warcry Catacombs in the not too distant future – begin sharpening your blades.

2:50 pm– The Direchasm Calls

The global Warhammer Underworlds community has grown and thrived over the last few years. The ultimate competitive miniatures game goes from strength to strength, and soon you’ll be able to explore loads of new factions and cards. We knew a new season was coming – a bit later than expected thanks to the global situation – and now it can finally be named!

The Direchasm boxed set contains everything you need to play, including two brand-new warbands that represent the darkness and light of the Mortal Realms. The Slaaneshi Hedonites of the Dread Pageant entered the living mountain in search of Slaanesh and now revel in the sensation of endless slaughter, death, and rebirth. Ranged against them are Myari’s Purifiers, a band of Lumineth Realm-lords pledged to calm the mountain’s growing wrath.

Of course, that’s just the beginning, and over the course of the season, there’ll be loads of models and cards to choose from, including the single most requested Warhammer Underworlds warband…

He’s well camouflaged, but look closely and you’ll see Otapatl, a Chameleon Skink. Yep, the Seraphon are coming to Warhammer Underworlds, ready to claim victory in small-scale tactical clashes. 

We’ll be bringing you plenty more news about Direchasm and what it’ll bring it to the game over the coming months, but there’s something else for all Warhammer Underworlds players to look forward to before them…


 

2:55 pm – Arena of Death

When a one-on-one clash just won’t do, the Arena Mortis awaits. Grab a single fighter and face off against between 2 and 5 other players in a fast-paced and brutal hunt for glory.

Expanding on rules first presented in White Dwarf, Arena Mortis contains everything you need to use your existing fighters in thrilling multiplayer clashes. You’ll build power decks and battle to the death with a single fighter – and beyond, as the only way to gain glory is through kills, and no warrior stays dead for long…

The double-sided board is perfect for Arena Mortis battles and can be used in any Warhammer Underworlds game. Likewise, the 40 new universal power cards – 20 gambits and 20 upgrades – will shake up your decks in every play format. 

Arena Mortis will be coming your way in September. Keep your eyes open for lots more news – and for fighters sneaking up on you from behind…

3:00 pm – Prepare for Shadow and Pain

Since the Age of Myth, the aelves have, on the whole, taken little interest in the great events ravaging the Mortal Realms. These inscrutable beings have focused on their own agendas… like the imprisonment of a certain Chaos god. But now, war comes to them, and the rivalry between their ancient race and the followers of Slaanesh is kicking it up a notch.

In Shadow and Pain, the Hedonites have invaded the Realm of Shadow in search of their dark master, and they bring, well, pain – you probably got that from the title.

This battlebox is packed with awesome Daughters of Khaine and Hedonites of Slaanesh models, including a pair of brand-new heroes.

The invading forces are commanded by a Lord of Pain. This champion of Slaanesh has sampled every vice and excess the Mortal Realms have to offer and mastered the arts of agony. On the tabletop, this translates to him channelling the pain he receives in combat, sharing it with those who inflicted it, then striking them down with his wicked soulpiercer mace.

Leading the Daughters of Khaine is a Melusai Ironscale. Crafted from the most vengeful souls among all the aelves, this elite war leader is resistant to hostile magics and can channel Morathi’s might to turn foes into immobile – but fully conscious – crystal statues. In your games, that means enemies need to beware mortal wounds.

As well as loads of lovely models, the box includes rules and lore for everything inside, making it a perfect way to start exploring both the Daughters of Khaine and the Hedonites of Slaanesh. The story of Shadow and Pain is also a prequel to the next big event to hit the Mortal Realms. Gods will rise, the aelves will march, and the realms will break…


 

3:05 pm – Broken Realms

The Realmgate Wars. Malign Portents. The Soul Wars. Wrath of the Everchosen. The vast, ongoing story of the Mortal Realms has encompassed many great events. To break it down, the Stormcast Eternals ushered in the Age of Sigmar, driving back the hordes of Chaos and allowing civilisation to return to the realms in the form of great cities. Nagash raised hordes of the dead to claim the realms for himself, ancient Stormvaults full of long-buried secrets were opened, and most recently, Chaos and Death have been knocking chunks out of one another in the Eightpoints.  

Now it’s time for the next chapter, a narrative event that will define the future of the Age of Sigmar. Broken Realms is here.

The aelven gods are rising up to challenge the might of Chaos and the growing power of Death – but like Sigmar’s pantheon before them, they are riven by mistrust and each pursues their own goals and schemes. Teclis, ever aloof and arrogant, seeks to single-handedly save the Mortal Realms. Allarielle, fickle as the seasons, turns on allies as well as enemies, attacking explorers and settlers across Ghyran. And as for Morathi… well, she has a very definite goal in mind – godhood. True to form, she doesn’t intend to let anything stand in her way.

This new conflict will touch every corner of the Mortal Realms, and affect every faction. Treachery and torment. Siege and slaughter. Bloodshed and battle. All this and more awaits you in a series of epic narrative books on a scale not seen since the Realmgate Wars. As well as truly massive stories, these books will be packed with new rules for loads of factions, thrilling battleplans, and much more.

This new, era-defining narrative all kicks off with Broken Realms: Morathi. Whatever army you play, and whomever your allegiance lies with, prepare for war as the Daughters of Khaine come into conflict with not only the forces of Chaos but former allies both aelven and clad in sigmarite.


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