Welcome back to our daily look at the myriad factions vying for dominance in Warhammer Age of Sigmar. Whether you’re looking to start a new army or wondering how your existing forces will fare in the new edition, we have you covered with an in-depth look at some of the major changes coming to each faction, curated by our experienced playtesters.
They may be a relatively recent addition to the Mortal Realms’ landscape, but the Hedonites of Slaanesh are more eager than most to embrace new and exotic ideas. Let’s see how they fare.
Who are the Hedonites of Slaanesh?
As far as Chaos-worshipping cults go, the ones that revel in the pursuit of earthly pleasures are an unsurprisingly attractive proposition for many residents of the Mortal Realms. Promising indulgence beyond what any normal person could dream of, they gorge themselves on lavish feasts and wild parties that all feed the sinister hunger of Slaanesh, Dark Prince and Lord of Pleasure.
And yet, for all their supplication and sacrifice, the Hedonites find their master’s throne empty, for the God of Excess lies imprisoned between the realms by the sorcery of its aelven nemeses. It is for this reason that roving bands of Slaanesh’s faithful march from realm to realm, seeking out any information they can find that might aid in their god’s release – and slaughtering all who would dare get in their way.
On the battlefield, these warbands of twisting, twirling Sybarites approach combat with the same sense of revelry that they do anything else. Agile warriors shower their foes with clouds of poison-tipped arrows while hordes of clawed Daemonettes plunge into close combat, hacking and snipping through feeble mortal flesh.
Like all of the god-beholden Chaos armies, the Hedonites of Slaanesh also present you with a huge variety of mortal and daemonic units to intertwine, creating a fascinating mixture of painting and modelling opportunities. These are the Mortal Realms’ premier party animals after all – go wild with your paint schemes and unleash your boundless creativity.
As previously mentioned, the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar is set to shake up a fair few rules and create some interesting opportunities for your Hedonite armies. To find out just how they’ll be adapting to these changes, we asked our playtester and tournament-winning master of all things Slaanesh Mike Willson to give us his thoughts and advice.
Mike: Summoning large units, in particular, can be a game-winning move in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, and Hedonites of Slaanesh can do it better than most, using their summoning abilities to bypass the limit on reinforced units and bring huge hordes of Daemonettes to the table. This can really put pressure on your opponent, swamping them with numbers and a barrage of deadly attacks.
The new command abilities really help out a lot of Hedonites units too, with All-out Attack letting you increase your damage output dramatically. Blissbarb Archers can use this ability in the Shooting phase to hit and wound on 3+, letting you pick off key Heroes early in the game.
The sub-faction that I think will do particularly well are the Godseekers, as their Maniacal Hunters rule allows them to generate Depravity points quickly with a Keeper of Secrets as their general. The Hunter Supreme command trait lets the Greater Daemon really pour damage into a specific target, while supporting units like Symbaresh Twinsouls use the Keeper’s command ability to fight twice with devastating effect.
Biggest Winners
There are many powerful and versatile units across the Hedonites of Slaanesh faction, and some more, in particular, are about to see some significant benefits from the new edition.
Sigvald, Prince of Slaanesh
Mike: The Magnificent One’s ability to call His Finest Hour in the hero phase – hitting, wounding, and saving on 2+ without having to spend a command point – not only makes him incredibly deadly, but it means he can still attack twice with a nearby Keeper of Secrets’ command ability. This is all before the opponent can attack back, although I don’t think there’s going to be much left after Sigvald’s done.
Myrmidesh Painbringers
Mike: Painbringers’ natural defensive bonus makes them a perfect anchor to your line. They’re more than just a defensive unit though – the Painmaster can issue the All-out Attack order, letting them hit on 2+ and giving you more chances to cause mortal wounds.
Symbaresh Twinsouls
Mike: The Symbaresh Twinsouls’ 2” reach is extremely useful. More of them will get to attack, and their natural re-rolls, plus any buffs from command abilities, let them deal a lot of damage – the enemy won’t know what hit them.
Thanks for the tips, Mike. If you’re looking for an army that hits hard and fast, and can blanket the battlefield in blissful excess (and swarms of daemons), then the Hedonites of Slaanesh might just be for you. Start with some Blissbarb Archers and Slickblade Seekers, then expand your daemonic options with a Start Collecting! Daemons of Slaanesh set packed with Daemonettes, an Exalted Seeker Chariot, and more.