The galaxy is sliding ever further into a maelstrom of war and chaos, challenging the foresight of the Aeldari’s greatest seers, and more and more often are the Craftworlds dragged into conflicts they would otherwise be content to avoid. But at this darkest of moments, the elite warriors of the aspect shrines are buoyed by the return of their legendary progenitors, the Phoenix Lords – and a new face is among their number.
You may have already seen that Fuegan is on his way back to the battlefield with a shiny new miniature, and his Fire Dragon disciples are following swiftly on his heels with new duds of their own.
Each squad of Fire Dragons has new helmetless options in case you want to run them as part of a thematic Ynnari army, plus a dragon’s breath flamer if you fancy torching infantry in the gaps between blowing vehicles to pieces. The Exarch competes with Fuegan himself in the firepike size contest, or can instead be equipped with a much more restrained fire axe and fusion pistol.
It is said that Fuegan will call all of the Phoenix Lords together at the Rhana Dandra – the prophesied final conflict to end the universe – and Aeldari seers must be starting to sweat a little because he hasn’t arrived alone.
Asurmen is the first of the Dire Avengers, the right hand of the Aeldari god Asuryan, and an incomparable protector of his people. He has visited more Craftworlds than any other, raising shrines on almost all of them, and legends tell of his intervention in battles stretching back thousands of years – butchering daemons by the dozen with a diresword containing the spirit of his murdered brother.
Baharroth is the swiftest of the Phoenix Lords and Asurmen’s top student, preferring to strike from the skies with his lethal blade and storms of lasbolts. His new miniature takes his classic dynamic launching pose and supercharges it, bringing his intricately crafted wings and immaculate armour soaring into plastic for the first time.
He’s joined by the new plastic Swooping Hawks, who get their first model update in over two decades – and what an update it is. Like the Fire Dragons, they have new helmetless options, while their classic elegance is brought bang up to date with hawk’s talon, scatter laser, and power sword options for their Exarch.
Veteran fans of the Craftworld Aeldari have long pondered the identity of the Phoenix Lord of the Warp Spiders. The shrine’s aspect warriors are a fixture of Aeldari war parties, but their forebear has remained hidden in the webway… until now.
Even among their seemingly immortal kind, Lhykis – also known as the Whispering Web – is a daredevil who embodies Khaine’s willingness to risk everything for victory. She plunges herself into the Warp time and again with utter fearlessness and a keen eye for navigation, jumping further and more accurately than even the most ancient of her Exarchs, and always appearing in a crackle of warp lightning to deliver her people from doom.
The one-of-a-kind suit of aspect armour she wears houses four additional arms – two armed with a unique pair of death spinners while the others end in wicked monofilament weapons reminiscent of the infamous harlequin’s kiss. Even with this arsenal at her back, Lhykis’ most dangerous weapon is the crackling sword Vhattarkan, also known as Weaverender, which is so sharp it can carve the fabric of reality itself.
Of course, we couldn’t have a new Phoenix Lord without her disciples also getting an upgrade. The new Warp Spiders look phenomenal and jump back in with expanded options for their Exarch, including an insectile four-bladed setup that looks positively lovely to be on the receiving end of.
This great assembly of Phoenix Lords and Aspect Warriors can only mean one thing* – Codex: Aeldari accompanies this multicoloured warhost, collating the long and tragic history of this waning culture, and the rules to field them on the tabletop.
The Asuryani wander the stars in colossal craftworlds, each with its own unique philosophies and traditions that translate into a distinct approach to battle. There are eight separate Detachments, which include the all-round Warhost, and more specialised formations such as the Seer Council, the Windrider Host, the Harlequins’ Ghosts of the Webway, the Devoted of Ynnead and the Aspect Host – in which the new Aspect Warriors deploy in the terrifying shadow of the Avatar of Khaine.
Head back to the reveals hub and check out everything else we’ve shown today.
Yep, it’s Rhana Dandra.*
** It is not Rhana Dandra.
