After a tense two-month wait, Games Workshop has opened the lid on its Warhammer Age of Sigmar 4th edition launch box. Titled Skaventide, this box is packing a total of 74 brand new miniatures for the Stormcast Eternals and Skaven armies – as well as terrain pieces, extra rules, and cards to play the new Spearhead game mode.
This full box set reveal is the culmination of two months of piecemeal previews from GW, which drip-fed us info on key changes in the Age of Sigmar 4th edition rules, as well as showing off around half the new models in this box – including the Skaven‘s swarming Clanrats and the Stormcast Eternals‘ new Reclusians.
At last, Thursday’s pre-recorded preview stream showed us the rest of the box set’s contents – a total of 24 grim Stormcasts, and a mighty swarm of 50 skittering Skaven models, plus the surprise inclusion of four terrain pieces, and dedicated rules and cards for the new Spearhead quick-start game mode.
The all-new Skaven models in the box include a mounted Clawlord general; new models for the Rat Ogors and Grey Seer, and the rolling, clockwork gatling siege gun we saw in the 4th edition trailer (it’s called a Ratling Warpblaster).
Meanwhile, alongside revamped Liberators and Prosecutors, the Stormcasts receive a veritable DnD adventuring party of epic heroes, including your mandatory Big Cloaked General On Some Kind Of Gryph Mount (Lord -Vigilant on Gryph-stalker, to you); the executioner Lord-Terminos; the strongly inquisitor-inspired Lord-Veritant; and a highly heroic Knight-Questor, complete with Tactical Rock.
As usual, GW still hasn’t given a precise release date or window, nor a price for this box set – however, we’d estimate it will cost around $220-240. The 3rd Edition Dominion launch box was $199 when it launched in 2021, and that didn’t include the terrain, extra printed rule booklets, or cards that GW’s throwing in here, so we reckon this one is at least 20-40 bucks more.
Of course, given we’ve seen GW make several wide-scale Warhammer price increases across all its ranges since 2021, it’s possible Skaventide might come in above $240 – but we suspect not. The firm’s always priced new edition starter sets aggressively to recruit as many new fans as possible, and this one ought to be no exception.
Here’s the contents of the box in full – followed by everything we now know about each previously unseen unit:
Stormcast Eternals
- Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-Stalker x 1
- Lord-Veritant and Gryph-Crow x 1
- Lord-Terminos and Memorian squire x 1
- Knight-Questor x 1
- Reclusians x 3
- Prosecutors x 3
- Liberators x 10
Skaven
- Clawlord on Gnaw-beast x 1
- Grey Seer x 1
- Warlock Engineer x 1
- Clanrats x 40
- Rat Ogors x 3
- Warplock Jezzails x 3
- Ratling Warpblaster x 1
Extras
- 4 terrain pieces
- Age of Sigmar 4e core rulebook
- Spearhead: Fire and Jade book (rules and scenarios for the new mode)
- Spearhead card deck
- General’s Handbook cards – matched play game setups for the new edition
- Double sided game board
- 2 range rulers
New Stormcast Eternals models
The new Stormcast Eternals models feature a mixture of updated classics, and new units and characters from the veteran Ruination Chamber.
There are four brand new characters in the box that we hadn’t seen before this reveal:
Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-Stalker
This chap isn’t breaking any molds – he’s strongly inspired by Stormcast generals of old, like 2nd edition’s Lord-Arcanum on Gryph Charger. But new touches like his armored crest, segmented armor plates, and that rather grimdark, sweeping axe, give him some serious style.
Lord-Veritant and Gryph-Crow
This guy is an out-and-out parallel to Warhammer 40k‘s inquisitors. Lord-Veritants, we’re told, are “hand-chosen for their particular hatred of Chaos”, issued with a flaming sword and “staff of abjuration”, and sent off to hunt down and slay sorcerers and heretics. Metal.
Lord-Terminos and Memorian squire
This might be the most 40k Space Marine Stormcast Eternal we’ve ever seen – we’re getting major vibes of the Judiciar and the Chaos Space Marine Lord of Executions, and it appears the Lord-Terminos’ lore gives them much the same role – WarCom says they’re “responsible for the rites of the Last Threshold, taking the heads of soul-stricken Stormcast Eternals who voluntarily enter oblivion”.
Knight-Questor
We heard you like classic fantasy, so we made a Stormcast Eternal character who’s an “errant hero” lone wanderer, says GW. Knight-Questors are given a specialist mission by Sigmar and sent off “roving the realms” to get it done, solo, doing things their own way, man.
New Skaven models
The titular antagonists of Skaventide have fewer previously unseen models, purely because 40 of their 50 included minis are diminutive Clanrats to make up your battleline horde. Here are the new entries:
Clawlord on Gnaw-Beast
We know by now that every AoS launch box needs a mounted hero on either side – and the Skaven’s general here is a stunner. For starters, it’s got a badass, gnarly halberd in one paw and a multi-barrel handgun in the other. But let’s not bury the lede here: it’s a rat riding a bigger rat. We love this. We love this.
Grey Seer
We love it when GW, with all its modern technology, much-expanded workforce, and piles of cash, takes an ancient, much beloved character that’s been around since Warhammer’s mythic prehistory, and brings them bang up to date with a spectacular sculpt.
This new Grey Seer does just that. The Skaven’s infamous wizards and high priests to the ratmen’s god – the Great Horned Rat – Grey Seers are a staple of ratty Warhammer armies, and this new one is frankly gorgeous.
Ratling Warpblaster
Honestly, after its starring role in 4th Edition animated trailer (rewatch that below), we’d have been heartbroken not to see this preposterous clockwork death machine appear in the launch box.
Luckily, we’re not disappointed – and it’s arguably the star of the show. We can’t wait to see how much ranged damage we can do with those six bulbous barrels…
Rat Ogors
Pipped for an updated sculpt for some time, these misshapen part-rat, part-gorilla, part-firepower elite creatures are fearsome to behold. They look excellent to paint, too – pimples and scarring and embedded warpstone, oh my!
We were always expecting AoS 4th Edition to emerge in 2024, following GW’s well established rhythm of rotating editions for its two main miniature wargames every three years. The final confirmation came on March 20, when the firm put out a cracking animated trailer for the new edition (watch it above).
We’ll keep you updated on all the key release timings and other info around the Age of Sigmar Skaventide box set as we hear it. In the meantime, you can keep up to date by bookmarking our Age of Sigmar news homepage or following Wargamer on Google News.
Alternatively, get a general grounding on all the Mortal Realms factions with our full guide to all the Age of Sigmar armies.
Source: Wargamer
