A seismic new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar wouldn’t be complete without an incredible new launch box, and it’s finally time to show off all of the Skaven you’ll be getting. We’ve previewed the Clanrats, Warlock Engineer, and Warplock Jezzails already, but there’s even more to go – and these newcomers are some real heavy-hitters.
Clawlord on Gnaw-beast
As the rulers of the Clans Verminus, Clawlords command the vast tides of Skaven soldiery that make up the bulk of the Great Horned Rat’s armies, having earned their positions through copious amounts of violence and a head for scheming.
Many display far more valour and skill than typical Skaven can muster, and those who earn particular prestige (or a favour from the Clans Moulder) can even ride into battle atop horrifying Gnaw-beasts – mutated verminkind whose hyperactive metabolisms force them into constant feeding frenzies.
Grey Seer
Grey Seers have the dubious honour of acting as the prophets of the Great Horned Rat and field agents of the Masterclan, where they manipulate Skaven society from the shadows through ever-more complex schemes and – to hear them say it – entirely selfless advice. They are also the only Skaven able to naturally wield magic, and the storms of warp lightning they conjure go a long way towards explaining how the other Clans put up with their endless machinations – though the intense paranoia all Grey Seers harbour finds plenty of use when planning contingencies for their contingencies.
Rat Ogors
The hulking brutes known as Rat Ogors are the pride of the Clans Moulder, created from the profane welding of rodent and ogor bodies through arcane cryptosorcery and liberal application of warpstone. They are pumped full of toxic serums and unleashed on the battlefield with little more than dim-witted instinct and gnawing hunger to guide their violence, ripping mortal warriors limb from limb and torching entire regiments with searing emerald blasts from their warpfire guns.
Ratling Warpblaster
You may remember the Ratling Warpblaster as the clanking machine that ran over its own allies during the epic cinematic trailer, and the massive rotating cannon mounted on top proves to be even more deadly to its targets.
Given the Skaven’s history for internecine warfare among the Clans, it should come as no surprise that the Clans Skryre have come up with a weapon designed to shred hordes of infantry as quickly as possible, and with the breathtaking number of shots this rolling field gun puts out you’ll have little trouble making mincemeat of mortalkind.
Warlock Engineer
Where Grey Seers are the magical elite of Skaven society, Warlocks are their technological counterparts, and as the chief artificers of the Clans Skryre they’re responsible for the vast arsenals of deadly weaponry that keep Skavendom fighting fit. Engineers are the most common variety of Skaven Warlock who maintain the more mass-produced weapons used by Warplock Jezzails and Ratling Warpblasters, gleefully taking position right at the back of a battle line where they can guide the aim of Jezzail teams and take pot-shots at heroes with their own warplock muskets.
Clanrats
The dregs of Skaven society are thrown into battle in disorganised mobs of Clanrats, armed with whatever rusted weapons and ill-fitting armour they can find and considered utterly disposable even to their packmates. Life expectancy is crushingly low for all but the sneakiest and most cunning, though the seemingly never-ending swarms still manage to bring down far mightier opponents through sheer weight of numbers, ravenous ferocity, and the odd turn of bravery when sufficiently motivated by food or shiny trinkets.
Warplock Jezzails
Contrary to many other factions, Skaven hold the art of ranged combat in significantly higher regard than the messy and dangerous maelstrom of melee, as it typically involves far less personal risk. Skilled snipers armed with Warplock Jezzails are the pinnacle of this philosophy, as they send crystalised warpstone shards hurtling through enemy commanders and generals from far across the battlefield – though the massive weight of their guns forces a two-rat team to set up and fire the weapon from behind defensive pavise shields.
Though they might have numbers and technology on their side, the Skaven have the god-given might and ironclad resolve of the Stormcast Eternals to overcome, so it’s still anyone’s game. You can get a look at their Sigmarite foes by returning to the reveal hub now, along with all of the other Warhammer Age of Sigmar news we’re unveiling today.