The self-proclaimed inheritors of the Mortal Realms are swarming out of the wilderness in a rage-fueled stampede. For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about how the various factions play in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. As the realm-shaking release of the Dominion launch box approaches, it’s high time the slavering Beasts of Chaos get their due.
Who Are the Beasts of Chaos?
Monstrous hybrids of beasts and men twisted by the corrupting influence of Chaos, these creatures revel in wanton destruction and slaughter. Their instinctual hatred of civilisation and order drives them into a feral fury as they form roaming herds, which more resemble a surging mass of horns and hooves than an army.
For the Beasts of Chaos, tearing down the cities and fortresses of the Mortal Realms is an act of worship. They are anarchy and rage made manifest, soaking the soil with blood let by both blade and horn.
Beastmen have a storied history in Warhammer, stretching back to the very first incarnations of the games. Hobbyists have long been inspired by their lore to let their imaginations run wild, like this glorious collection, for example.
When it comes to using the Beasts of Chaos in your games, we tapped up the reigning beastlord Laurie Huggett-Wilde to give us some insight into how they work in the new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar. You may have read Laurie’s thoughts on the Sylvaneth already – another violent faction that haunts the wild places of the Mortal Realms.
Laurie: Alongside a big boost to Monsters, the new reinforcements system makes multiple small units more important. A canny Beastlord can use the impressive range of Monsters to wreak havoc around the board, while small units harass and engage the enemy alongside them. Ungor Raiders and Tzaangor Skyfires are very capable when operating in their minimum unit size, for example.
The biggest change for Beasts of Chaos is all about their ready access to Monsters. All of the monstrous rampage abilities are very solid options, and having multiple Monsters allows you to carry out up to four of these each turn.
Want to stop a unit from getting the +1 to their saves from All-out Defence, do D3 mortal wounds to another, smash up a piece of faction terrain, and give your Ghorgon +1 to hit? You can do all that without even hitting 1,000 points.
As a cherry on top, you can also put up to three Monsters into the Linebreaker core battalion, giving one of them a free use of All-out Attack or All-out Defence once per battle.
Biggest Winners
A new edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar means a fresh take on a variety of tried-and-true units. Laurie picked his three favourites from the battletome and explained why they’re awesome.
Cygor
Laurie: While any of the Behemoths from the battletome could fit in here, the Cygor is my favourite. It benefits from the monstrous rampages and is generally fantastic against Wizards.
When combined with All-out Attack, your Desecrated Boulder hits on 3+ with a re-roll, giving you a solid shot at taking out those key support Wizards that your opponent’s army relies on.
Tzaangor Skyfires
Laurie: Tzaangor Skyfires have always been a unit that’s ready-made to operate as minimum-sized skirmishers, pushing up the board into enemy territory. Now that unit leaders can use command abilities on themselves, the Aviarch can allow them to re-roll a crucial charge, gain immunity from battleshock, or use All-out Attack on a charge.
Ravening Direflock
Laurie: Okay, this is an endless spell rather than a unit, but Ravening Direflock will be summoned by a lot of Bray-Shamans. The smaller gaming area in the new edition means that their 3D6 redeployment is more effective, especially when coupled with the way they affect Bravery.
Battleshock can be a potent weapon once you get used to using it. Get your Ravening Direflock near a unit you’re about to target with your Tzaangor Skyfires, hit them at range, then close combat, and let battleshock take care of the rest.
Thanks, Laurie – there’s no question that the Beasts of Chaos are frothing at the mouth to lay waste to their enemies in the new edition. If that sounds like your kind of thing, a Start Collecting! Beasts of Chaos box is the ideal way to get a force together quickly.
Once again, Tyler Mengel shared some tips for getting yours Battle Ready in a hurry using Contrast paints – they’re perfect for getting stuck into Warhammer Age of Sigmar in no time.
If you’re wondering what the opposite of Beasts of Chaos is, it may well be the curmudgeonly duardin of the Kharadron Overlords. Check back tomorrow to see how they’re flying high in the new edition.