Age of Sigmar Darkoath: What to Know Before Release

With the 4th Edition of Age of Sigmar confirmed to be on its way sometime within the next year, the last thing people were expecting was a wide-scale refresh of an army’s range.  In a shocking turn of events however, the Darkoath, AoS’s Conan-styled barbarians, are due for a 4-kit release.  This is not unlike what Sylvaneth got, with their Lady of Vines release, although it certainly makes sense to rework some of the older Darkoath kits.  The range right now is split down the middle, with just under half being from Warhammer Fantasy, and the rest from around AoS 2.0.  That said, this comes with quite a bit of excitement, as many people haven’t experienced the less-armored side of Slaves to Darkness, and this release comes with an army supplement, just like what we saw with Ironjawz.  Clearly, there’s a lot of effort and love poured into these new kits, and the Darkoath we do have give us a plethora of clues as to how they might play, and how you could start mustering a force of gorgeous-maned barbarians before the models come out.

First, some background: The Darkoath derive their name from the Oaths they take to the Dark Gods, being our classic pantheon of 4 Chaos Gods; this is a bit self-explanatory, but part of why this force is compelling lies in their self-conviction.  These pacts are written in blood & stone, that glory is the true god for a Darkoath, seen in Gunnar Brand’s stories.  Unlike a lot of classic Chaos factions, this subset of the Slaves tends to prize honor & speed over armor & greed.  These are the men & women forgotten by Sigmar during the Age of Chaos, and they resent the newfound Dawnbringer Crusades for their savior complex, when naught but Chaos answered their plea.  Playing these units prior meant meshing together Darkoath, Marauders, and Cultists under the banner of the Ravagers, a subfaction that rewarded an infantry-focused chaff build that never really worked out competitively.

In-game, their Hero choices were divided into the Darkoath Chieftain & Darkoath Warqueen, the former focused on offense and a glass-cannon foot-Hero playstyle, and the latter being the most defensive model in the range (which isn’t saying much).  The other Hero options I’ll touch on later, but suffice to say, as far as other unnamed models go, Darkoath only have the Darkoath Savagers, headhunting infantry that aren’t quite chaff, but aren’t elite either.  That said, Savagers are relatively self-reliant, generating a CP for themselves on a 4+, and having a decent chance to throw out some mortal wounds, or obtain a 5+ Ward.

Via Warhammer Community

One interesting fact about this range is that it has two Warhammer Underworlds warbands to its name, being the Godsworn Hunt & Gnarlspirit Pack.  Each of these comes with the subset’s only Wizards, with the Hunt being a modest caster and her bodyguard, and the Pack being an ambush unit (something Slaves otherwise lacks).  That means in total before this wave, Darkoath players had but 5 units to choose from, plus the assorted rabble from Marauders & Cultists.  Games Workshop has decided to bless these favored warriors with plenty of new toys, however, so let’s go over each in detail.

First, a third leader enters the fray in the form of the Darkoath Chieftain on Warsteed, which appears to simply be a mounted variant of the Warchief.  It seems he comes with either an Axe or Sword, as well as a Javelin, meaning he’s likely meant to lead another “new” unit, the Darkoath Fellriders.  These cavalry come with Swords or Javelins, as well as the standard Champion/musician/icon bearer that AoS tends to do.  These are lightly-armored cavalry, and given how GW now breaks up swords vs spears, as can be seen on units like Ungor, it’s likely they’ll be choosing between something along the lines of a 2/4+/3+/-/1 Sword profile, or a mixed ranged/melee profile of 1/4+/4+/-/1 Javelins, likely at around 8” ranged, 2” melee (on top of hoof attacks).  This makes sense for shock cavalry, with a clear goal in mind of harassment and quick skirmishes.

The likely result of this wave bringing both the Fellriders & Darkoath Marauders is that the current Chaos Marauder & Chaos Marauder Horsemen units are going away to The Old World.  Given those sculpts are from 2002 & 2008, respectively, it’s about time they see some rest.  In the context of those units being replaced, that means Darkoath has a 25mm infantry chaff piece, in the Darkoath Marauders, a 28.5/32mm infantry in the Darkoath Savagers, and 60mm oval cavalry in the Darkoath Fellriders — that’s a reasonable density of massed unit choice for an army, and with a plethora of head options (30+, between all the new kits!) you’re likely to ensure every barbarian is unique.

Speaking of Darkoath Marauders, these too come with Javelins or Swords, although unlike their previous Marauder counterparts, shields are mandatory, meaning this unit likely gets a 5+ save from the get-go.

The last two units are a special treat, the first being another named unit led by Gunnar Brand, being a combined-arms force of bow, blade, and grit.  There’s a chance this unit has a Wizard, in the form of Broken Nadja, but she could just as easily be a Priest.  While the narrative tie-in is indeed cool, it doesn’t excite me as much as the final piece: The Wilderfiend.

This appears to be a wretched creature sat on a 60mm base, serving as the centerpiece for a Darkoath force.  These represent the warriors whose ambition grew too great to bear, or that displeased a Chaos God through their dishonor; in-game, I expect them to be similar to the Vargulf Courtier, not quite a monster, but a beast in melee.

Via Warhammer Community

On the topic of the oathbreaking Wilderfiend, I now feel it’s wise to touch on the mechanics that tie together Darkoath: Their Oaths.  Each existing unit in the army, without exception, has an ability called an Oath, which is fulfilled once per game and lasts until the battle ends.  Savagers and the Godsworn Hunt share the Oath of Conquest, which provides a 5+ Ward when you take an objective previously controlled by your opponent.  Sarrakar Blackwing & Theddra Skull-Scryer have the Oath of Dark Sacrifice and Oath of Arcane Apotheosis, respectively, which augments their spellcasting when they roll high on a cast or kill models.  The current Warchief on foot has the Oath of Murder, giving Fights-First when he kills a Hero or Monster, and doubles down given he activates in sequence with another Darkoath.  Finally, the Warqueen has the Oath of Supremacy, giving a double Inspiring Presence to hordes to reinforce her nature as a support Hero, so long as she’s in enemy territory.

These Oaths help guide a player towards doing exactly what the unit wants to do, assisting in gameplay decisions and truly being a feels-good rule across the board.  Infantry tends to get a 5+ Ward when dealing with objectives, Wizards get casting bonuses once they’ve hit their milestone, and Heroes augment their role, either as glass-cannon killer, or supportive commanders.

I fully expect the Darkoath Chieftan on Warsteed to essentially just be his foot variant with some extra hoof & Javelin attacks, but frankly that seems quite good!  A fast Hero with the ability to essentially pass along his Fights-First with a ton of profiles sounds like a winner to me.  The Fellriders & Marauders read to me as getting either a 5+ Ward, or maybe a charge consistency bonus when their Oaths are fulfilled; I might worry about stacking hordes of Marauders with a Ward, so there’s a chance they leave that ability to the Savagers.  I believe the Wilderfiend to interact with units that have fulfilled their Oaths, given its lore, perhaps being able to charge in the combat phase, or provide a buff to the worthy warriors.

This release has a ton of verbiage that makes it sound like a twisted version of the Cities of Sigmar, comparing the Chieftan on Warsteed to the Cavalier-Marshal, and the Marauders to Steelhelms.  Making Oaths the Chaos version of Orders feels like an incredible flavor-win, and reinforcing that idea seems like an obvious path for these kits.

So that’s a few opening remarks on Darkoath!  What sort of rules do you think will come along with these models? Are you interested in pursuing a Darkoath army? Let me know any thoughts you have in the comments below!