Although the Soul Wars may be over and a wave of life energy surges through the Mortal Realms, the Nighthaunt are far from defeated. After all, with the Dawnbringer Crusades cutting a bloody swath through the realms in the name of Order, the inevitable casualties of war usher a bounty of fresh new souls into the clutches of Death.
We’re here with Warhammer Age of Sigmar playtester and spectral strategist extraordinaire James Tinsdale, a true Nighthaunt aficionado who’s taken them to the tables of Warhammer World itself, to find out what Lady Olynder’s court have in store for us in the new edition. But first, we’ll have a quick catch-up on the lore behind these spooky so-and-sos to see what makes them tick.
Who Are the Nighthaunt?
While the term encompasses hundreds of different kinds of spirit, Nighthaunt all share a few common features that bind them together. Most are created in one of two ways – either soul-cursed to eternal torment at the moment of death or raised from their slumber by the amethyst magics of Nagash.
All are afflicted by an eternal torment that drives them to take out their rage on the living, often stemming from the manner of their death. Cairn Wraiths, for example, were killers and criminals in life who revel in their murderous tendencies once risen from the grave.
While attacks from the Nighthaunt have been known to occur as far back as the Age of Myth, it wasn’t until the Great Necromancer Nagash inflicted his Necroquake upon the realms that their numbers truly exploded. Seeking to take advantage of the wave of spirits flooding living lands, Nagash turned to the formerly cursed spirit of Lady Olynder, granting her a sliver of his divinity and raising her to his council of Mortarchs.
Now, grouped into mighty processions and led by the capable Knights of Shrouds, the Nighthaunt sweep across the Mortal Realms to tear down the works of the living and inflict upon them the selfsame agony they must bear for eternity.
As you’ll have seen by now with our looks at other factions like the Flesh-eater Courts and the Ossiarch Bonereapers, we’ve enlisted the aid of one of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar playtesters to tell us all about how the Nighthaunt are finding the new edition. Let’s take a look at what James has to say about his favourite findings.
James: Heading into the new edition, Nighthaunt armies receive notable gifts from the new Core Rules. Previously the army could struggle to replenish their ranks in the same way as other Death faction armies do. Now, with the new Rally command ability, you have ample opportunity to rejuvenate those ghostly spectres! Each hero phase allows you to replenish reinforced units waiting to roll that 10+ to charge and trigger the Wave of Terror ability.
Heroic Actions are a great new feature to the game and allow Heroes to heal, making them even more survivable than before. Heroic Recovery is very reliable, given Nighthaunt are often at a Bravery value of 10.
This should see Heroes like Lady Olynder survive to strike terror into your enemies for longer than ever. Alternatively, damage to smaller support Heroes like a Spirit Torment or Reikenor the Grimhailer can easily be negated.
All-out Attack is a thematic new core command ability that reflects the violent nature of Nighthaunt. Grimghast Reapers are already a terrifying unit to be charged by, and with additional oomph from the Extoller of Shyish, they’ll cut through even reinforced units with ease and become a huge threat to your opponent.
Biggest Winners
The updated rules for the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar unlock new tactical options for every faction, which makes the ghastly denizens of the Nighthaunt even scarier. We asked James to pick out his top three unit choices that are about to give the forces of Order, Chaos, and Destruction the fright of their lives.
Dreadblade Harrow
James: A great choice of general in a Nighthaunt army – the Dreadblade Harrows’ Phantasmal Discorporation ability, combined with the Nighthaunt command ability Spectral Summons, can relocate a unit per turn. This is a great way of reinforcing a flank or objective that is important to a grand strategy or battle tactic!
Grimghast Reapers
James: Choosing which units to reinforce will be a key decision for generals. Grimghast Reapers are a key candidate to attack in large numbers. A 2” reach and the combination of All-out Attack and Reaped like Corn make them ideal for hunting large enemy units. Support them with a Spirit Torment and make good use of the command ability Rally – which they can trigger easily, being one of the few Nighthaunt infantry units with a champion – to make them extra survivable.
Dreadscythe Harridans
James: After receiving a warscroll update in Broken Realms: Be’lakor, Dreadscythe Harridans are primed to shine in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. All-out Attack improves their chances to hit, and Murderous Bloodlust allows for even more damage to be allocated to the target. This provides a great skirmish unit option, capable of spiking attacks and removing stragglers as the bulk of the procession looks to secure central objectives.
Thanks for the tips, James. Be sure to check back tomorrow for another look into the factions of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, where we’re looking to the heavens to find out how the new edition is treating everyone’s favourite cold-blooded starfarers.
