The new core set for Warhammer: the Old Word is releasing soon. Alongside an army of Grand Cathay and an updated rulebook, this boxed set represents your first opportunity to get hold of the new Warriors of Chaos models. With burning questions about their inspirations and motivations, we sat down with the designers of the new Chaos Dragon, Champions of Chaos, Chaos Warriors, and Chaos Knights.
Christian: The Warriors of Chaos are one of the most iconic armies of the Old World, and when presented with this opportunity to revisit and update the range, we were very excited. I imagined a Chaos army on the dawn of a battle. First, the Marauders rush forwards, eager to get to grips with the enemy, followed by the Warriors of Chaos who advance implacably. On a mound behind them, a powerful Champion of Chaos on a Daemonic Mount waits patiently with their entourage of Chaos Knights, surveying the battlefield, looking for the most elite enemy units – warriors deemed worthy of facing them in battle. Finally, a Sorcerer Lord or Chaos Lord atop a mighty Chaos Dragon oversees the battle, its towering presence a threat of the carnage that will be unleashed when its rider chooses.
With this image in mind, we set about work on the models themselves. We wanted them to be firmly rooted in the setting – the frozen expanses of Norsca, the blighted Chaos Wastes, and, of course, the Old World itself. Having recently updated the Chaos Marauders and Marauder Horsemen, we had a good starting point.
Steve: The Chaos Marauders have a very identifiable silhouette, their heavy fur cloaks and horned helms giving them a looming presence. We wanted to carry this across into the Chaos Warriors, because their ranks are filled with Marauders who have walked the Path to Glory and been blessed by the Ruinous Powers.
However, where the Marauders wear little in the way of armour, the Warriors and Knights of Chaos wear all-encompassing suits of heavy Chaos Armour. To make the most of this defining characteristic, we placed their large pauldrons above their cloaks and replaced fur or leather boots with armoured greaves, maintaining that familiar silhouette, but making it harsher and more aggressive.
Ethan: This gives the models a much harder, more intimidating appearance, whilst retaining the barbarous look of the Marauders. With the armour in general, we stuck with bold shapes, often reminiscent of the armour worn by the Chaos Warriors in the classic kit from the nineties, which is offset by ragged fur cloaks and tabards. This gives the appearance of heavy, utilitarian plate mail, combined with chaotic and barbarous detail ideal for warriors who dwell in the blasted landscape of the Chaos Wastes.
There’s a lot of adornment on there, but it’s very functional. Where armour plates have edge detail, it not only looks good but is there for a practical reason – to add strength, or to catch and divert the point of an enemy’s weapon harmlessly away. Where plates are festooned with spikes, they’re there to be used as weapons.
Christian: There’s also a lot of texture to the armour, which we imagined comes both from its crude manufacture and from endless battles fought in the Chaos Wastes. Alongside the spikes and heavy trims, there’s battle damage and rough texture, all of which adds character and builds upon the sinister, barbaric themes of the models.
Ethan: This is especially true on the Chaos Knights. Mounted on massive, Chaos-tainted warhorses bedecked in heavy barding, there’s a lot of surface area for detail. These guys look especially intimidating as a result, with every surface looking dangerous and deadly to anyone foolish enough to get too close.
In addition to their armour and barding, these models carry huge shields, just like those of the Warriors. Made of wood and banded in brass and iron, these are designed to look every bit as aggressive as the models that carry them, it’s easy to picture them being used to bash the enemy aside. The Chaos Knights’ shields also have the benefit of being interchangeable with those carried by the Warriors.
Steve: That’s right, but it’s not just the shields that are interchangeable between the two kits. The heads (all of which are helmeted to maintain the ominously uncaring character of the models), shoulder pads, and weapons can all be swapped between the Chaos Warriors and Chaos Knights, giving a huge number of options. Should you wish, spare hand weapons from the Chaos Warriors (of which there are plenty) will fit right onto the Chaos Knights, giving you the option to have them carry ensorcelled weapons rather than lances.
Christian: The characters continue these aesthetics. The Champion of Chaos on Daemonic Mount is similar in appearance to the Chaos Knights, but larger and more impressive, wearing armour that displays both more detail and more battle damage. The Battle Standard Bearer carries a huge banner, its crude wooden pole banded in metal and its top capped with a magnificent eight-pointed star of Chaos. Both of these models are easy to imagine standing over a battlefield, surveying the carnage and waiting for the perfect time to throw themselves into the fray.
Alastair: These same themes continue with the Chaos Lord, the Sorcerer Lord, and the Chaos Dragon. The sorcerer is, first and foremost, a Warrior of Chaos. They wear the same armour and possess the same intimidating stature, but they wield the Winds of Magic in the service of the Ruinous Powers – which is bound to have a corrupting effect upon their mind and body! As a result, they’re leaner, more twisted, and more hunched. Their cloak might be ragged and their staff might be twisted and warped, but we can see a hint of the power they command in the mighty tome of magic that floats before them, chained to their saddle. It’s a subtle but unmistakable display of power, and suggests cursed and forbidden knowledge.
The Chaos Lord is imposing for simpler reasons. They’re a towering giant bedecked in an ornate suit of Chaos Armour, their great helm crowned with huge horns, and they wield a truly massive sword, from which the face of a daemon leers. Countless trophies adorn the armour and throne alike, telling of many victories over a multitude of foes.
Steve: That huge Chaos star atop the throne that seats the Chaos Lord on the Dragon is also worthy of note. When we made the Marauders, we ensured the Chaos stars on their shields and banners had no central hub. Instead, their points radiate out from a void. Each point of the star represents a compass-point, whilst that central void represents the Chaos gate at the top of the world. Here, thanks to its size, you can really see the suggestion of that void growing as it bends the star itself outwards. It’s a reference to the all-consuming nature of Chaos, and a portent of the destruction the Ruinous Powers would like to see unleashed on the world.
Alastair: The Dragon is a towering two-headed Chaos Dragon. Not a mutated one-headed Dragon, you understand, but a two-headed Dragon, a true creature of Chaos, found only amongst the twisted realms of the Chaos Wastes or the maddening hell-scape of the Shard Lands. You can see this in its base – huge stone spikes punch up from the very earth, whilst the skeletal remains of vanquished enemies lie forgotten beneath it.
The Dragon itself is the kind of lithe and sinuous creature familiar to fans of Warhammer, but its proportions are huge. Its tattered wings and battle-scarred flanks hint at its great age, whilst its pose both conveys the power of an apex predator and hints at the corruption visible in its sorcerous rider. As a final touch, we ensured that the Dragon could be assembled without a rider, should anyone wish to paint this mighty beast alone.
Christian: Dragons are an essential part of Warhammer. Since its earliest days, the World of Legend has been populated by towering wyrms and mighty drakes. This is the first new Chaos Dragon model to stalk the skies of the Old World in quite some time, and we couldn’t be more pleased with it – it’s the perfect centrepiece for a Warriors of Chaos army, and we look forward to seeing them gracing your battlefields in the not-too-distant future!
Thanks, folks! The new Aspiring Champions, Chaos Warriors, and Chaos Knights are available for the first time in the Warhammer: The Old World Core Set, which is available to pre-order from tomorrow. The Chaos Dragon will be swooping in later, so keep your eyes on the skies (or right here on Warhammer Community!)
