The Helsmiths of Hashut are nearly with us, as you can no doubt tell from the tang of sulphur and the cries of suffering daemons. Anthony Magro from the AoS Coach YouTube channel has put on his biggest hat to explain some of their best battlefield secrets.
Anthony: The forges of tyranny burn once more. The Helsmiths of Hashut have joined the battlefields of Warhammer: Age of Sigmar, and they’re an absolute powerhouse. They aren’t just about incredible models, their rules bring something unique. This is an army that thrives on synergy, resource management and brutal precision, rewarding players who plan ahead.
Whether you want to dominate the mid-board with unyielding Infernal Razers, annihilate targets with daemon-fuelled Dominator Engines, smash into enemy lines with Bull Centaurs or rain destruction with war machines, the Helsmiths give you tools to play your way and win in style.
How they play
At their core, the Helsmiths of Hashut operate as a fortified firebase that expands behind a shield of tough infantry. They rely on a unique daemonic power points (DPP) resource mechanic that represents the volatile daemon energy powering their engines.
If you play conservatively, you can maintain steady pressure, but the real fun comes when you turn up your DPP to transform a unit into a pure annihilator. For instance, for each point you spend, you add +1 Rend to your Infernal Razers’ ranged weapons, +1 to your Bull Centaurs’ charge rolls, or unlock a Ward on the Infernal Cohort. Your DPP will let you supercharge important units and adapt to the flow of the battlefield.
The four battle formations let you build on your preferred playstyle and generate more power while certain key units are suffused with three DPP. Daemonsmith Cabal will take priests and wizards like Urak Taar to the next level with +1 to casting rolls, unbinding rolls, banishment rolls, and chanting rolls. War machine lovers can get an additional attack with the Castigation Battery, while the Bullfather’s Horns will add 2” to the Move characteristic of monsters and cavalry including Bull Centaurs, Anointed Sentinels, and the Infernal Taurus.
DAEMONSMITH CABAL
ARCANE DOMINANCE
Passive
Despite all that its pursuit costs them, the sorcerers of the ziggurats are ever lusting for greater power.
Effect: Add 1 to casting rolls, unbinding rolls, banishment rolls and chanting rolls for friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT WIZARDS and PRIESTS while they have 3 daemonic power points.
CASTIGATION BATTERY
EXPERIMENTAL MUNITIONS
Passive
In trying to control Chaos, duardin engineers have crafted all manner of eldritch ammunition for their war machines. In doing so, they have given the power of ruin even more destructive outlets.
Effect: Add 1 to the Attacks characteristic of ranged weapons used by friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT WAR MACHINES while they have 3 daemonic power points.
THE BULLFATHER’S HORNS
BULLS OF THE ZIGGURAT
Passive
When unleashed, those warriors and constructs shaped in Hashut’s image are relentless.
Effect: Add 2" to the Move characteristic of friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT CAVALRY and MONSTER units while they have 3 daemonic power points.
Helsmiths have access to three heroic traits, three artefacts of power, a spell lore and a prayer lore. A few personal favourite options include:
An Eye For Weakness lets you pick a visible enemy unit within 18”, to get +1 to wound against it in combat. That’ll bring your Bull Centaurs down to wounding on 2+ and Infernal Cohort on 3+.
Crucible of Spite grants a once-per-battle ability that will immediately give the bearer three DPP. Put this on your Daemonsmith and when you activate it, you’ll get to add a massive 18” range to a friendly war machine. This combination would give the Deathshrieker Rocket Battery a massive 42” range with serious anti-monster power.
Hateful Fractures is a spell which casts on a 6+. It lets you pick a visible enemy unit within 18” and halves its Move until the start of your next turn. That’s one way of slowing your opponent down while you reign blunderbuss and Immolation Cannons onto your opponent
HEROIC TRAITS
TYRANTS AND OVERSEERS (HERO only)
AN EYE FOR WEAKNESS
Your Hero Phase
Whether bargaining a Wage of Toil or considering the press of battle, this duardin can readily sense vulnerability.
Declare: Pick a visible enemy unit within 18" of this unit to be the target.
Effect: Until the start of your next turn, add 1 to wound rolls for combat attacks made by friendly HELSMITHS OF HASHUT units that target that enemy unit.
ARTEFACTS OF POWER
DARK GIFTS OF HASHUT (HERO only)
CRUCIBLE OF SPITE
Once Per Battle, Your Hero Phase
This charm, a hollowed and profane statuette of Grungni, contains raging daemon essences that can be drawn on for strength. Yet such eager blasphemy does not go unpunished…
Effect: Give up to 3 daemonic power points to this unit. However, you cannot allocate or give any more daemonic power points to this unit for the rest of the battle.
Key units to watch
Each unit brings something unique to your army and complements a particular playstyle. Hobgrot Vandalz have a pregame move to get a head start on scoring objectives and screening out your enemies, the War Despot will improve your control score by three with a radius that grows based on the number of DPP, while the Anointed Sentinels have Strike-first if you declared a Counter-charge command on this unit.
Stalwart and cruel, Infernal Cohorts and Hashutite Spears form the backbone of your force. They’re not just objective holders; they’re a wall of steel that buys time for your Infernal Razers and war machines to work their magic. They hold back the enemy from your ranged units with Anti-cavalry (+1 Rend) and Anti-charge (+1 Rend) on their Hashutite spears, while with two DPP they gain a 5+ Ward.
Dominator Engines are a centrepiece that can be built with Bane Maces for melee or Immolation Cannons. If the former is in combat with an enemy hero, it can fight twice using the Engine of Domination ability – it’s a real headtaker.
Both the Tormentor Bombard and Deathshrieker Rocket Battery create carnage from long range. The Deathshrieker is great against monsters and war machines, gaining an additional point of Rend against these targets, while the Hungering Flames ability will change the D3+2 damage from Hashu-Zharr rockets into flat damage 5 against Monsters or War Machines once per turn. Yikes!
The Bombard has a massive 30” range, and earns -2 Rend against infantry and cavalry. Additionally, once per turn the Calculated Trajectory ability will grant 2+ to hit if you’re targeting a unit with five or more models who are more than 12” away.
Urak Taar is a worthy Warmaster to lead your Zharrdron. He has a solid ranged profile that can shoot in combat, and a dangerous melee profile that gains +1 damage on the charge. As well as being a two-cast wizard, he lets you manipulate your force’s DPP during the Enemy Hero phase, allocating them between units. You could initially choose to infuse your war machines for a devastating shooting attack, and then move them to your Infernal Cohort for increased defensive capabilities. Through the Pitiless Trampling ability, you’ll deal D3 mortal damage on the charge and move 2D6”, which will help you jump screens and fight priority targets.
URAK TAAR THE FIRST DAEMONSMITH
PITILESS TRAMPLING
Once Per Turn (Army), Any Charge Phase
Taar contemptuously crashes through all those he considers inferior without even a sidewards glance.
Declare: If this unit charged this phase, pick an enemy unit within 1" of it to be the target.
Effect: Inflict D3 mortal damage on the target. Then, roll 2D6. This unit can move a distance up to the value of the roll. During that move, this unit can pass through models in the target unit but must end that move in combat.
KEYWORDS: RAMPAGE
Regiments of Renown
You can choose between two Regiments of Renown to join other Chaos factions. I can see The Curse-Steel Battery being a popular option as it gives you a Daemonsmith, a Tormentor Bombard, and a Deathshrieker Rocket Battery. You’ll also get the Reinforce Daemonsteel spell, which ignores the first damage point to each friendly Helsmith unit wholly within 12” of the caster, while Display of Total Power allows your war machines to earn DPP.
Closing thoughts
I’m excited to see the Mortal Realms expand with a new faction that offers something unique to the battlefields. Helsmiths can play in all phases of the game with strong units that have interesting abilities, and enough roster flexibility to play with multiple styles. I cannot wait to see how the community embraces the Helsmiths of Hashut. If you love the strategic puzzle of resource management combined with overwhelming firepower, this faction will be your new obsession.
One of my favourite parts of the narrative is learning about the ziggurats across the Mortal Realms, such as the Forge Anathema in Aqshy, Ur-Zorn in Ghur, Zharr Vyxa in Shyish, and Muspelzharr in Chamon. Just reading through their stories inspired painting scheme and conversion ideas. The Zharr Vyxa not only use daemon-smithery but are also renowned for using the souls of the dead for their industry. This immediately got me thinking about a Dominator Engine surrounded by a swirling Spirit Host…
