With a setting that has physical incarnations of magic and literal gods walking around, Warhammer Age of Sigmar is known for having over-the-top heroes with crazy back stories. Some stretching back to the World That Was (Warhammer Fantasy). I figured I would give my hot take on some of my favorite heroes. This is a super subjective list and I look at sculpt, story, and rules when creating my top ten.
10. Doralia and Galen Ven Denst
Okay. This is technically two heroes, but they come in the same kit! When I first saw them I loved how they brought back the dark gothic witch hunter aesthetic we used to see in Warhammer Fantasy and popular games such as Vermintide 2. Both their stories and rules also complement these awesome models. The characters act as agents of the Order of Azyr and basically travel slaying undead and demons as well as anything else that may threaten the cities of humanity. On the tabletop they are quite deadly with a mix of range and melee attacks as well as extra damage against wizards and demons. Overall, quite a pair that have had some interesting roles in the Broken Realms story arch at the end of Age of Sigmar 2.0 as well as their own Black Library Book Hallowed Ground.
9. Kragnos, The End of Empires
While not a new character Kragnos was added as a model into the Age of Sigmar range during the Broken Realms stories. He is single-handedly the reason why so many dragon empires don’t exist anymore within the mortal realms. Kragnos has some table changing rules besides his massive swath of 15 attacks. He allows friendly units to charge up to 18 inches instead of the standard 12. He can also deal up to 36 mortal wounds on the charge to other monsters! Mix in that he can shrug off most spells and that he usually counts as 30 models on an objective he is a massive force to be reckoned with on the table.
8. Lord Kroak
The lord of the space lizards Lord Kroak ranks in the top 5 of best magic users in the game. Lord Kroak leads the Seraphon legions and is the greatest of prophets rivaling Tzeentch. He also has received quite a glow up with the new model as well. He can channel his magic through other lizard wizards on the field for extra range allowing him to strike the backline easily. Lord Kroak also generates extra command points and most of the time heals all damage from himself! Add his deadly war scroll spells of Celestial Deliverance and Comet’s Call and he will be dishing out damage every Hero Phase.
7. Kairos Fateweaver
One of the head demons of the forces of Tzeentch, Kairos Fateweaver can see the past and future and uses his sight to twist the destiny of those against Tzeentch. While he is mediocre in combat his true power comes from his spell casting and dice manipulation. His lowest casting dice will always be changed to match his highest. Once per game Kairos can also turn almost any single die to the result he wants, allowing for all sorts of shenanigans. His war scroll spell of Gift of Change is one of my favorites, doing mortal wounds and changing enemy models into Chaos Spawn units. A very fun caster with a great kit.
6. Skarbrand
Skarbrand was punished for his ambition, his wings shredded and chained so that he could never fly again. Utilizing the axes of Carnage and Slaughter he is terrifying to see marching towards your front line. Skarbrand serves the chaos god Khorne and he is ANGRY. If he isn’t actively spilling blood onto the battlefield or if he is severely hurt, he gains an immense amount of power, dealing out up 15 normal wounds and 16 mortal wounds with his other axe. He is a wrecking ball that is definitely fun to set up and charge into enemy heroes and battle lines.
5. The Light of Eltharion
Eltharion is an ancestor to the Lumineth race of aelves that has been given form by Teclis to lead the legions of shining aelf companies on the battlefield. The model gets extra points from me for being absolutely stunning. His body being made of pure light of the mortal realms really translates through to the model design. He is quite scary on the battlefield as well. One of the best swordsmen that have ever lived Eltharion shines in combat when dueling against other heroes while being the aggressor. He also is immune to rend and reduces his damage he takes from attacks in half, making him quite difficult to bring down.
4. Morathi-Khaine
Morathi has recently accended to “God” status in Age of Sigmar during the Broken Realms story arch and has been a beautiful model even before that happened. While she is loosely under the “Order” grand alliance she has lied and manipulated her way to power throughout her time in the mortal realms. She keeps her followers in order by lying that the god Khaine is still alive and that she is channeling him through herself as she leads them. An interesting model she is paired with her Shadow Queen snake form making her a physical threat as well as a utility piece on the battlefield. She allows followers to fight in the Hero phase and buffs certain units on the field. She shines in her durability though as only 3 wounds can be assigned to her on each battle round which will allow her to stick around until round 4 at a minimum.
3. Bastian Carthalos
Bastian Carthalos is the leader of the elite Hammers of Sigmar division of the Stormcast Eternals. He was hand selected by Sigmar to lead that legion into battle. Before the gates of Azyr were closed he was the last Stormcast through holding off the hordes of Chaos while the forces of Order were able to retreat and Sigmar sealed the gate. Bastian is no slouch in combat as he can deal out 16 wounds with his weapon and countless mortal wounds when he calls down Sigmar’s lightning from the sky. He hands out free command points and shrugs off damage. Not to mention if he kills anything he heals all damage unless you can push through his mitigation in one turn. Truly he is worthy of being a champion of Sigmar.
2. Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead
Nagash has a close place in my heart, and I absolutely love his model. He truly is the lord of the undead and believes that he is owed all souls as the god of death itself. All other deities are taking the souls of mortals from him and thus they must be enemies. Nagash wants order throughout the mortal realms and by order he means everything falling under his control. Nagash on the tabletop is extremely deadly. Being able to cast 8 spells per turn with a +3 modifier. His armor also helps him shrug off mortal wounds. He also resurrects up to 15 wounds worth of models every turn. One of the most flavorful and unique spells in the game is held by Nagash. You get to hide a dice in one of your hands and if your opponent pics the empty hand then an enemy model near Nagash dies instantly. While it has a short range, there is some fun to be had with the spell.
1. Archaon The Everchosen
Considered by many the “Big Bad” of Age of Sigmar, Archaon was responsible for the destruction of the World that Was (old world of Warhammer Fantasy) and has stuck around to destroy the mortal realms in Age of Sigmar. He currently occupies his stronghold in the center of all the realms at the all-points. His entire goal is to plunge the world into Chaos and destroy everything Sigmar and his allies have made. Archaon is a unique model as he can be included in every chaos army with a mark and the Slaves to Darkness army as well. He has a multitude of attacks including with his sword The Slayer of Kings which has a special instant kill mechanic upon rolling 6s. His armor can bounce back and negate damage and he also has a special bravery buff for nearby units. His mount Dorghar is a beast unto himself with multiple attacks and special abilities that it can activate ever turn, from healing to dealing out mortal wounds. Archaon can also force units to fight again after they are slain making him a great utility piece but also a massive battering ram.
Well, there you have my super subjective list of Age of Sigmar heroes that I love to see on the battlefield. It was extremely tough to choose favorites and I tried to keep my list balanced between all the grand alliances. Are there any heroes not listed that you love both on the battlefield and in their lore? Let me know in the comments! Happy wargaming everyone!
Source: Board Game Quest
