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Skaven are officially making their grand return for the next edition of Warhammer Age of Sigmar, due to launch Summer 2024.
Revealed at AdeptiCon via a flashy cinematic trailer, it shows the knightly Stormcast Eternals and hordes of Skaven ratmen beating seven bells out of each other. It also sets the narrative scene for Warhammer Age of Sigmar going forward, with the Skaven's comeback accompanying a twist: that humanity's god-king, Sigmar, lied about his warriors' immortality.
While details of the new edition's model range has yet to be confirmed, it's very likely that the unit types seen throughout this footage will appear in upcoming boxsets. That was certainly the case with the Warhammer 40K 10th Edition reveal last year, so we can expect Hallowed Knights (zealous, silver-armored Stormcast Eternals) and angelic units to drop alongside madcap Skaven inventions such as warpstone-powered sniper rifles, gatling guns, and rats riding even bigger rats. As is tradition, many of these Skaven weapons suffer from friendly fire aplenty… but seeing how excited folks have been for the comeback of this fan-favorite army, new Skaven sharing the same quirks as their predecessors will be no bad thing.
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Not that it's all about modernizing old units. We'll also be getting a new kind of warrior tied to the mysterious 'lie' that publisher Games Workshop has been teasing for a week or so now. Sigmar always said that his Stormcast Eternals (who are resurrected humans chosen to fight again) were immortal and could be revived indefinitely, but as it turns out, that's simply not true. The more these warriors die, the more of their soul is lost. Eventually, there will be nothing left – and that's where the Reclusian Stormcast from the Ruination Chamber come in. Featured heavily throughout the trailer, these experienced warriors are powerful enough to shrug off most wounds or magical attacks… but are on their last life. If they die again, they'll lose their soul completely. It's a compelling concept, and one that finally makes me invested in this fantasy spin on the Space Marine archetype. A spot of tragedy does wonders in making these stoic do-gooders more interesting.
Still, the ratmen were the clear highlight so far as I'm concerned. I'm very happy to see their weird blend of magic and science on the table again, and even though they're a little nastier than they were before (they're a horrifying wall of teeth and claws), they still have a slightly comedic edge. Although it's arguably one of the best board games for wargamers, Age of Sigmar can always benefit from a little zaniness to offset the grimdark if you ask me.
Their new homeland is pretty impressive too. In an event called 'Vermindoom' (seen during the trailer), the Skaven's continent-sized settlement called Blight City has erupted into the human realms. According to Age of Sigmar lead Phil Kelly during the AdeptiCon stream, this has taken up a third of the Great Parch area and is disgorging billions of Skaven. Seeing as their deity, the Great Horned Rat, has apparently ascended to take his rightful place as a full Chaos god, that kind of apocalyptic entrance is only right.
In terms of the new edition itself, we got plenty enough details to go around. For starters, Games Workshop says that Age of Sigmar has "been rewritten from the ground up" for the first time since it launched in 2015. Much like 40K 10th Edition, the aim is to be accessible without losing depth.
That also means every faction will get all-new rules as well. While free PDFs containing everything you need to play those armies are going to drop alongside the next edition this Summer, it does have the knock-on effect that "the battletomes from the current edition will not be compatible with the new rules, and that every faction will receive a new battletome over the next few years."
Still, I'm most stoked about the new, faster game-type – dubbed 'Spearhead.' If you struggle to get into Age of Sigmar, this new game mode is for you. Also announced at AdeptiCon, it's due to land alongside the next Age of Sigmar edition. As we've suspected for a while, this is the fantasy equivalent of Combat Patrol for Warhammer 40,000; it's bitesize and more accessible in comparison to the full Age of Sigmar game. Matches of Spearhead will apparently take around an hour, and pre-balanced Spearhead armies are being released for every faction.
While we'll have to wait for more information, the AdeptiCon stream suggested that you'll get two Spearhead forces in the first boxset for the new edition alongside a double-sided boards, rules, and everything else needed to play.
Want to try the sci-fi equivalent to Age of Sigmar? Check out our guide to the Warhammer 40K Starter Sets. Alternatively, take a look at these must-have board games for adults.
