The Big Summer Preview

Amid the thundering of infernal artifice and the scalding heat of the daemon forges, the Mortal Realms quake once more as the Helsmiths of Hashut assume their place among the forces of Chaos.

These are the Zharrdron, duardin whose ancestors fell under the fiery sway of Hashut in eras past. They have embraced their corruption, and in the Age of Sigmar they are the very personification of dark industry, weaponised arrogance and unbridled cruelty… and they look awesome.*

The Zharrdron have been hinted at throughout the 10 real-world years of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, spiritual successors to the Chaos Dwarfs who once terrorised the World-that-Was. And after a decade of clues, rumours and hints, they’re finally here with a fantastic army set!

Inside this box, you’ll find an entire Spearhead’s worth of miniatures, alongside the brand new Battletome: Helsmiths of Hashut and Warscroll Cards.

Leading the charge is the War Despot, a leader within the ziggurat fortresses of the Zharrdron. Swollen by dark power and clad in imposing armour, they see their thrall hosts as extensions of their own conquering ambition. Underlings are driven on relentlessly, expected to triumph or perish, while a Despot’s rivals fall beneath their blades – weapons acquired at a terrible price and empowered by the most dangerous daemonic essences.

The black heart of the Zharrdron warhosts are formed of Infernal Cohorts. Drawn in the main from the stock of the royal clans, the finery and pomp these duardin clad themselves in does not detract from their pitiless martial skill. Many of their regiments take to battle wielding spears ablaze with daemonic energy, forming a wall of death that advances to the sound of arcane gongs and grinds down the foe without mercy.

Perhaps most importantly, they’re accompanied by a Hobgrot carrying a massive gong!

This vicious artillery piece is a Tormentor Bombard, a mortar-like weapon that lobs shots high into the air to fall upon the Helsmith’s foes.

These are no ordinary munitions, but instead the raw stuff of Chaos, crackling cores of dark energy formed from refined and processed daemons that explode with terrible force.

The kit also includes the option to build a Deathshrieker Rocket Battery, whose warheads bubble with the wicked fire of the Bullfather – a daemonic chemical flame that ignites on contact with the air and rips across the field with a sentient hunger.

The weapons are operated by three cruel artillerists.

The Dominator Engine embodies the Bullfather’s urge to topple and crush, anointed with the blood of duardin who defy glorious Hashut.

Within these ironclad daemon engines burns an inferno of tormented daemon-matter, and the malice of those entities leaks from their eyes in hateful waves. They can be armed with bane maces or immolation cannons – and either option will guarantee a bad time for the foe.

The Battletome features a stunning cover exclusive to this set. It’s overflowing with lore, art and rules for the Helsmiths of Hashut. We learn how they came to be, and how they perfected the appalling art of binding and enslaving daemons to power their unnatural weapons.

Importantly, we discover just who – or what – Hashut is, and how he relates to Grungni, Grimnir, Valaya and Gazul…

The Helsmiths are a formidably elite army, even by regular duardin standards. They harness enslaved daemons to embolden their spellcraft and ensorcelled weapons, building daemonic power as a resource as you dominate the battlefield. The Battletome also contains two Regiments of Renown for all Chaos armies to use, Path to Glory rules and more.

You also get 32 Warscroll and Enhancement cards in the launch box.

But that’s not all!

That’s everything in the army set, but this is only the tip of the ziggurat. There will be more to come from the Helsmiths of Hashut a few months after this box drops.

Daemonsmiths are immersed in the dark magics of their sinister patron Hashut. They are masters of empowering war engines with daemonic power – when not hurling daemonfire at the foe, the Daemonsmith can heal war machines with his unnatural energies.

This kit can also make an Ashen Elder, a priest of Hashut charged with performing grim rituals in the name of the Bullfather. They draw power from the desolation and ransack of the earth, and those Helsmiths units near enough to an Ashen Elder can shrug off grievous wounds in battle.

The iconic Bull Centaurs are as integral now to the Zharrdron as they ever were to the Chaos Dwarfs before them. Blessed by Hashut, these twisted beasts have the upper body of a duardin and the hind quarters of a monstrous bull. Their charge is powerful enough to trample and kill the enemy, even before their brazen mauls fall with crushing force.

They can also be built as Anointed Sentinels, guardians of the shrines and holy places. Clad in Hashutaar masks, within which swirl vapours that focus their devotion to their foul god, the Anointed Sentinels are defenders first and foremost. As such they are especially dangerous on the counter-attack, where they strike with blinding speed, despite their vast bulk.

Another kit with dual options, the Infernal Razers bring fire support to the Helsmiths. This set of five models can be built with either Grizmalok blunderbusses or Karagthrun flamehurlers – and both are utterly deadly.

The Zharrdron are not alone in their acts of malice. They have vassals in the repugnant form of the Hobgrot Vandalz who march beside them. These are mobs of spiteful, jeering thugs, and while neither respected nor trusted by the Zharrdron, they are nonetheless a useful tool for brokering deals with the Kruleboys, or dying in their droves as a way to wear down the foe.

Urak Tarr is an ancient figure among the Helsmiths, so aged that he is said to have studied under the gaze of Hashut, the Father of Darkness himself.

He is a being of unrestrained malice and incredible power – but it comes at a cost. His flesh is afflicted by the magical petrification that curses all the sorcerers of the Zharrdron. He rides on Ghorrakos, an Infernal Taurus of prodigious strength, borne into battle on a pulpit mounted on the beast’s back.

Alternatively, you can build this kit as an unnamed Daemonsmith – perfect for adding your own unique flavour to your army. This variant has optional heads, allowing you to build the Daemonsmith rider as either a son or daughter of Hashut.

On top of all these incredible new miniatures, there will be two further editions of the Battletome: the standard edition and the gamer’s edition. The latter is a smaller format, designed to take up less space in your bag, and includes cards covering your units’ warscrolls, battle traits, Spearhead rules and more. There’s also a set of dice.

And that's not all the news! Stay tuned to Warhammer Community after the army launches, as we'll be uploading free rules for using the dastardly Helsmiths of Hashut in games of Warcry too!

That’s it for the faithful of Hashut, but there has been plenty more revealed at the Big Summer Preview. Return to the hub to find out more.

SEE ALL THE REVEALS