It's been a long time since we've had a completely new faction storm the Mortal Realms in Warhammer Age of Sigmar, but that's about to change – the Helsmyths of Hashut, AKA Chaos Dwarfs, have arrived.
Unveiled as part of the Big Summer Warhammer Preview, this new army are essentially dark fantasy dwarves who have fallen to darkness. They'll arrive first in a Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set that will contain the Battletome rulebook, Warscrolls, and a collection of heavily-armored infantry (which will be familiar to Chaos Dwarfs fans) alongside war-engines and a massive 'Dominator Engine' that's basically a giant robot bull powered by demon magic.
This Army Set won't be alone, either; a host of characters who wield demonic sorcery are going to hit shelves as well, and they'll be bolstered by monsters along with gunners (yes, those devastating blunderbusses are back to give you grief). Oh, and don't forget the cannon-fodder – because so many of the Helsmiths of Hashut are elite warriors, they'll be supported by goblinoid Hobgrots who'll fill out the ranks.
Although the range is completely new, the Helsmiths of Hashut have roots way back in Warhammer history. While they go by a different name these days, there's no mistaking the tusks and adoration for giant hats; this really is a revamp of the venerable Chaos Dwarfs faction.
These were an intimidating army to face off against in Warhammer Fantasy Battles back in the day, but were gradually phased out until they more or less vanished from the game. While they've popped up here and there in spinoffs like Blood Bowl since then, we haven't truly seen the Chaos Dwarfs as a playable Warhammer faction for a very, very long time. That makes this a reveal old-school fans are likely to be very excited for.
In terms of lore, they're the Duardin who didn't abandon their mountain holds during an age of Chaos long past, unlike the sky pirate Kharadron Overlords; they held their ground and made not-at-all-dodgy deals with a demonic bull-god to survive. Now they're eager to stomp all over the realms and crush it beneath their boots.
We'll have to wait patiently to start that conquest, though, because a release date hasn't been revealed yet. However, this kind of all-out reveal usually means the models aren't far away. Watch this space, basically.
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