For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking to the playtesters for Warhammer Age of Sigmar to see how each faction is getting on in the new edition. If you’re burning to stake your claim in the Mortal Realms, but haven’t yet chosen your champions, take a look at these magma-loving duardin mercenaries.
Who Are the Fyreslayers?
The scions of the war-god Grimnir will fight just about anyone for a chance to add some ur-gold to their horde. This magical substance is worth far more than what it can buy, as the Runemasters of their race use it to hammer sigils into the flesh of Fyreslayer warriors, filling them with supernatural strength and endurance.
In their quest to collect all the ur-gold in the realms, the Fyreslayers march forth from their magmaholds, the greatest among them riding fierce Magmadroth beasts.
The other factions of the Mortal Realms have learned to fear the berserk fury of the Fyreslayers and stay out of range of their deadly axes. If you want to know more about their unusual culture and way of war, check out the Fyreslayers anthology from Black Library.
Now we know a bit more about them, let’s see how the Fyreslayers perform on the tabletop in the new edition.
We tracked down crack playtester Jack Armstrong (eagle-eyed readers will recognise his name from both the Seraphon and Cities of Sigmar articles) to ask him for some thoughts about the Fyreslayers.
Jack shared some invaluable insights into the stalwart warriors – whether you plan to march with the Fyreslayers, or against them, it pays to learn from the experts.
Jack: Fyreslayers armies tend to be built around blocks of durable infantry supported by buffing Heroes to further improve their abilities. Hearthguard Berzerkers have long been a terror of the tabletop. When they’re supported by a Battlesmith, they can be incredibly hard to shift and can always get the jump on their enemies with the Hermdar lodge’s command ability.
The other lodges* also offer you a variety of play styles, with Vostarg providing a much more mobile army, allowing your hordes of Hearthguard Berzerkers and Vulkite Berzerkers to get across the table very quickly in the early game and hold objectives while daring anything to fight them.
Lofnir is also a strong choice in the new edition with the added availability and enhancements to their Magmadroths. They pair well with the improvements to Monsters to create lots of powerful threats for your opponents to deal with.
Biggest Winners
Some of the innate abilities of the Fyreslayers are enhanced by the new edition, making their strongest Heroes even better and lighting a fire under some of their units. Jack picked his top three and told us why they’re better than ever.
Auric Runefather on Magmadroth
Jack: Your Auric Runefather has a tool at his disposal for almost any situation. Of course, he’s at his best in the thick of combat, devastating enemy units with the Stomp monstrous rampage, followed by loads of attacks and the Magmadroth’s Lashing Tail for good measure.
An extra bonus is healing using Heroic Recovery, which pairs well with the Magmadroth’s Volcanic Blood – take hits, cause mortal wounds on the attacking unit, then heal up.
Auric Hearthguard
Jack: With the number of Monsters rampaging around in the new edition, Auric Hearthguard are now essential. Their shooting is particularly effective against Monsters, causing extra Damage and weakening them to boot.
With the addition of Unleash Hell, these units can stand behind your walls of Hearthguard Berzerkers and Vulkite Berzerkers and target anything that charges them.
Battlesmith
Jack: Totems play a key part in the new edition, thanks to their 18” command ability range – equalled only by an army’s general. The totem-toting Battlesmith is sure to be a popular choice. Firstly, he can raise his Icon of Grimnir, giving Fyreslayers units within 12” +1 to their save rolls, so you can spend command points on offensive abilities instead of All-out Defence.
Secondly, if he falls, nearby units become immovable objects who re-roll all melee hit and wound rolls. Park him near an objective with a couple of units, and hoist that icon high – your opponent might as well not bother coming near.
Thanks for the wise words, Jack. There you have it – the Fyreslayers are here to burn down the house and nab all the ur-gold for themselves.
Grab Start Collecting! Fyreslayers and some Auric Hearthguard and get ready to sally forth from your magmahold in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. If you’re looking for a bit of inspiration, Tyler Mengel gave us a super handy guide to painting up your Fyreslayers.
Check back tomorrow for a look at the bloodthirsty Daughters of Khaine.
* Fyreslayer lodges are made up of several households formed around a single Runefather, and each one has its own secret recipe for Fyreslayer hair wax.