The Big Autumn Preview – A new duardin faction revealed!

The ironclad gates have opened, and the Khazalite Holds are on the warpath. Meet the new Warhammer Age of Sigmar faction!

The Khazalites consider themselves the truest and most respectable of all duardin, as it is they who venerate the Ancestor Gods with due reverence, and they who maintain the honourable traditions of their forebears. It is not with mercantile pragmatism or mercenary fury that the realms will be cleansed of the hated Skaven, but with stony resilience and relentless determination.

The Khazalite Holds are preparing to march on the Mortal Realms with a new Army Set – packed with miniatures and a battletome – and followed by a range of other new kits.

Led by the mighty Hjulda Drakkblud, this force of indomitable warriors has everything the Khazalites do best: tough armour, deadly hammers, and a cannon big enough to blow a hole through a Mega-Gargant. It’s a complete Spearhead army in a box, and also serves as the perfect starting point for a wider Khazalite Holds collection.

Hjulda herself is legendary among those Khazalites who have rejoined the surface world, as she and her Clanguard search endlessly for lost karaks that might yet be reclaimed, hopeful that the next might finally be the home of her lost clan.

Accompanying her are 10 Clanshields – doughty warriors armed with a variety of Kromdron weapons – which can be axes, hammers, or a mix – that specialise in taking out enemy infantry. Clad in stout armour, they are difficult to shift, and they invoke the names and deeds of their ancestors to bring them strength in battle.

Of particular note are the massive Gholems of Gazul – animated stone constructs that honour the Ancestor God of the underworlds. They stand sentinel inside duardin tombs until called upon by a mournful dirge of remembrance, silently trudging into battle with stoic purpose as they send scores of foes to the Realm of Death with great swings of their stone hammers.

Supplying the duardin with long-ranged firepower is the Oathkeeper Cannon. Combining engineering excellence with esoteric runecraft, these war machines tear through enemy ranks with ease. As the firing rune is struck, it’s almost as if Grungni himself has smashed the foes of the duardin with his mighty forging hammer.

The army set also includes the new battletome, packed with background lore on this new faction and the rules you need to unleash them in battle. It has a special cover, which you’ll only find in the army set, and there are also 53 warscroll cards.

Battletome: Khazalite Holds

The battletome will also be coming out separately at a later date, packed with the same in-depth lore and inspiring artwork. It’s not just the newcomers who occupy the battletome’s pages either, as the Fyreslayers will be joining their duardin cousins (more on them lower down this article!).

Beyond the Army Set, a second wave of Khazalite Holds units expand the army even further, starting with the Thrynns and Runewrights that lead them.

Thrynn and Runewright

Thrynns are the lords of the Karaks, chosen by their fellow nobles. Armed and armoured with the finest runic artefacts, they lead the war throngs into battle. Runewrights are masters of arcane forging, able to utilise the resonant magic of the runes.

High Kyng Valankrom

Above them all stands High Kyng Valankrom, the supreme leader of the Khazalite Holds, crowned by Grungni himself. He is a ferocious warrior and shrewd statesman, unquestioned in his authority, and he rides into battle on an immense stone construct known as a War Throne. The War Throne moves across the earth, impelled by powerful duardin magic.

This jaw-dropping centrepiece kit also builds a Thrynn on War Throne. It is a great honour to ride such a war altar into battle, and it inspires nearby Khazalite Holds troops to ever greater feats.

Clangunners

The Clanshields from the army set aren’t the only new infantry – they’re joined by the Clangunners. Picking off enemies at range with accurate thrundok rifles or devastating them closer up with thrundrin shotcannons, they excel in both defence and attack.

Stonebreaker Mortar

The Oathkeeper Cannon from the army box can alternatively be built as a Stonebreaker Mortar. This devastating war machine specialises in destroying enemy infantry and, when the correct rune is struck, can even devastate more than one target with its blast.

Valayan Guardians

Among the finest troops available to a Khazalite Hold, Valayan Guardians fight for the very heart of duardin society and place the defence of their kin as the highest honour. Valaya is the ancestor of hearth and home – known as the defender – and the Guardians believe that she watches over their every battle, which inspires them to fight with incredible tenacity and resilience (even for a duardin!)

Gholems of Valaya

Speaking of Valaya, the Gholems of Gazul also have an alternate build option, making them Gholems of Valaya instead. Carved into the image of the warrior goddess, they are treated with utmost reverence by her followers.

Fyreslayers

As mentioned above, the Fyreslayers – or Grimmdron – have become part of the Khazalite Holds. After decades of slow attrition grinding down their magmaholds, and a disastrous attack on their spiritual capital by a tenuous alliance of Helsmiths and Skaven, the slayers of Grimnir are filled with a burning need for vengeance.

This means that you’ll be able to use your existing miniatures with the new battletome, whether you want to run a full Fyreslayers army, or want to include some alongside the new Kromdron. We’ll be talking more about how this affects them as we get closer to release.

Ormyr and Ashtongue

The Fyreslayers are getting a new wandering beastmaster, Ormyr, for their war party, who comes accompanied by his kyndledroth Ashtongue. This eclectic pair are known across the realms of the Khazalites, notorious for turning up out of nowhere to offer their aid on the eve of battle.

Regiment of Renown

Troubled by the fall of the Fyreslayer kingdom, Fjori and his like-minded Grimmdron sell their services to the highest bidder – as long as they can also slake their desire for vengeance. This new Regiment of Renown can be used by any Order army, and includes an Auric Flamekeeper, a Grimhold Exile, and five Hearthguard Berzerkers.

Spearhead: Magmic Fyrd

Burning with vengeance for the destruction of their former holds and lands, the Magmic Fyrds of the Grimmdron seek out foes wherever they can find them. This Fyreslayer-themed Spearhead features a monstrous Magmadroth ridden by a Runefather, a Runesmiter, nine Vulkyn Flameseekers, and five Auric Hearthguard.

That’s a lot to see from a brand new faction, isn’t it? We’ll have loads more details for you as we get closer to pre-order day, so stick with us if you want to know more about the Khazalite Holds. 

Would you believe that’s not the only groundbreaking reveal today? Head back to our reveals hub now to find out what else is coming to a game near you.