Over the past few weeks we’ve been looking in detail at every faction in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, from the Nighthaunt to the Cities of Sigmar, and asking our playtesters how they’re reaching even greater heights in the new edition. This time it’s the turn of everyone’s favourite skybound duardin, the Kharadron Overlords.
Before we embark on the next expedition of discovery, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves exactly how these duardin found a new home among the clouds.
Who Are the Kharadron Overlords?
Before the Age of Chaos swept the Mortal Realms, the Maker God Grungni led the duardin people to create a mighty civilisation, the Khazalid Empire, which radiated outwards from the great city of Karak-a-Zaruk in Chamon, Realm of Metal. However, believing his people could not become strong while the hand of a god sheltered them, he cut off all contact and forced them to thrive among the resource-rich lands of Chamon without his aid.
When the forces of Chaos swept across the Mortal Realms, the duardin's prayers went unanswered. Tzeentch took particular interest in the Realm of Metal, and his daemons left no Karak untouched as they rampaged across the land.
Many duardin fled, seeking refuge in Azyr, but others chose a different path. Faced with utter annihilation, they struck out from their ancestral ways and affixed mighty endrinworks to their homes, lifting them into the skies as the first of the sky-ports. Their journey was far from safe, as the very clouds of Chamon were infested with Tzeentch’s minions, but with great cost the reborn Kharadron Overlords carved a way out of certain doom through blood, toil, and endrincraft.
The driving motivation for all Kharadron citizens is the acquisition of aether-gold, the strange lighter-than-air metal also known as the Breath of Grungni. Used in uncountable ways across every aspect of their civilisation, the skyborne duardin covet aether-gold more than anything else, basing their entire social hierarchy on how much one can acquire.
It didn’t take long before the airborne Baraks began to fight over the shimmering aether-gold veins and threaten the future of their nascent civilisation, so the ever-pragmatic leaders of each sky-port came together on the island of Madralta to form the Kharadron Code – a collection of nine artycles* that dictated the proper way of life among the clouds. Thus united in protocol (if not in purpose), the Kharadron Overlords averted calamity among their people and looked to a new dawn of reason, innovation, and acquisition.
Wherever there is trial and tribulation, the enterprising duardin of the Kharadron Baraks will find a way to turn a profit, and with the Dawnbringer Crusades needing their colossal floating metaliths towing across the Realms, the Kharadron Overlords are only too happy to oblige. In fact, the Stormcast Eternals found in the Dominion boxed set – available for pre-order now – make particularly good allies for your fleet, and are only too happy to get stuck in alongside your skyvessels and Arkanauts.
Getting involved with Sigmar’s grand plan means coming to blows with the forces of Destruction, and as born innovators, the Kharadron are perfectly placed to take advantage of the new edition’s changes. To get a better understanding of how they’re adapting their ways, we’ve flagged down playtester Paul Buckler to give his thoughts on what’s coming next to the enterprising duardin.
Paul: Kharadron Overlords have gained some exciting new tools in their arsenal with the new edition. First, the revised core battalions now allow you to create a single-drop list quite easily, giving you more opportunity to hopefully dictate who takes the first turn. Alternatively, you can get extra enhancements very easily by using a combination of other core battalions, and Kharadron Overlords have a bunch of really good ones – Spell in a Bottle, for example. Then there’s the Redeploy command ability, which can help you to escape a charge if you leave a skyvessel slightly too close to the enemy.
Changes to triumphs now give you the option of giving a unit +1 to wound once per battle with Inspired – a great bonus for units like Grundstok Thunderers thanks to the Kharadron Overlords’ Aether-gold ability. If you want a close-combat powerhouse instead, then Skywardens are also a good choice to be Inspired. Add the All-out Attack command ability and they’ll hit on 3+ and wound on 2+, which is not too shabby at all. The extra reach of their weapons makes fielding them in larger units a solid option, keeping them in range to attack while adhering to the new coherency rules.
The new ways to score via battle tactics really suit the mobile play style of the Kharadron Overlords, too. A tactic like Seize the Centre, for example, is a simple one to complete when your skyvessels are so quick off the mark, and the extra points scored for completing these tactics can really make the difference over the course of a game.
Big Winners
As many seasoned Kharadron Admirals know, getting the most out of every part of your fleet is vital when adventuring far from the safety of a sky-port. These three units, in particular, are sure to be in high demand among the aether-gold expeditions, having seen some healthy buffs from the new edition.
Ironclad
Paul: The mightiest of skyvessels, the Ironclad is a great centrepiece for any fleet. With a vast array of weaponry, the Ironclad is an obvious beneficiary of the Unleash Hell command ability. Charging units will take the full force of all the guns, and then have a mine dropped on them for good measure. It will take a brave soul to stare down the barrels of an Ironclad with a command point waiting.
Grundstok Thunderers
Paul: Already a great unit to transport in your Ironclads and Frigates, the Thunderers can now benefit from the new triumphs. Wounding on 3+ for a key volley makes them more reliable in your hour of need. They’re also more durable than ever, getting +1 to their save rolls for being garrisoned in a skyvessel, and if you need them on the ground you can use All-out Defence to give them the same benefit.
Aether-Khemist
Paul: Aether-Khemists have the ability to buff units in the hero phase, and that unit can carry the benefit throughout its turn. This means, in later phases, they can still be boosted by command abilities and combine them with the Khemist’s own buff. All of a sudden you can have units with +1 to hit and +1 to wound, who can also re-roll wound rolls of 1.
Thanks for your insight, Paul, and safe travels on your next expedition. Launch into the skies of Ghur with a Start Collecting! Kharadron Overlords boxed set for a hard, dependable core of seasoned duardin warriors, then add an Arkanaut Frigate or two to really set your fleet on course to victory. Who knows, perhaps you’ll be at the helm of your own Ironclad in no time?
* And, later, multiple amendments.