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Home Blogs General The Procession of the Enixian Duskhaunt As the Nighthaunt Taketh: A beginner's guide # All Activity

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A blog by EnixLHQ in General

nighthaunt As the Nighthaunt Taketh: A beginner's guide ⋆⋆⋆⋆⋆

guide tactics beginner builds lists strategy how to play aos aos3 3.0 2021

Entry posted by EnixLHQ in Nighthaunt · April 26

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Current version: AoS 3.0 - GHB 2021 Battlepack: Pitched Battles 2021

Welcome fellow Shepherds of the Damned

I'm not going to stand here, beside you, and gesture to the war-torn battlefields after your conquest as though anything I have told you here today was why you won your battle. How you win with
your processions of murderers, necromancers, and healers who drew the ire of Nagash is ultimately up to you. I will, however, tell you what I know and point you in a direction. And, hopefully, that
direction is onward, ever forward, to inevitable victory.

First, What the Nighthaunt Are and What They Are Not

The Nighthaunt are not titans on the battlefield. We are not unkillable elites. We will never push up the middle of the battlefield and lay waste to everything in our path, nor will we ever hold territory
against an unmitigated onslaught.

What we are is a tactical strike force.

Nighthaunt asks of you to know your opponent. They will know their own strengths; it's easy enough for any army to be fielded and do what it says on the warscroll cards. It is much harder to win
against an opponent who is intent on outplaying those strengths. Sometimes it will be a clear counter; we are faster, we hit harder, or we can resist their damage. But, in most cases, it will come
down to playing the objectives and keeping your opponent on the back foot.

The key to winning as Nighthaunt is to know your opponent's pressure points and how to apply enough pressure, while not over-exposing your own.

If you want to know more, read on.

General Tactica

Play the objectives: There are very few battleplans that require you to take on the big bad across the table directly, and those that do often have a more fair way to gain those points other than
total annihilation. We are a superior army when it comes to objective claiming and defending with our quick units, teleportation, and From the Underworlds. By default, the rule to claim an objective
is to simply have more of your models within 6" of the center of it at the end of your turn than your opponent does, and it remains yours so long as your opponent can't beat that count at the end of
their turn, even if your models are no longer there. A battleplan has to specifically alter these rules if they require anything else --and some do-- so always be sure you are up on the objective
capture requirements being used. And then be ready to abuse them.

Know your tricks: Use the rules as written to your advantage. For example, most battleplans don't require you to hold an objective, just to claim it and then deny your opponent from claiming it by
keeping them out of range. That could be as simple as zoning in on the objectives on turn one with From the Underworlds and then charging with everything at the enemy just to deny them getting
close enough to flip the claim in the turns limit. Further, abilities like From the Underworlds and Spectral Summons count as and exhaust movement, but aren't moves themselves, meaning you can
exploit some battleplan objective rules and a few enemy movement lockdown abilities.

Expand your tactics: Most Age of Sigmar armies could be classified as "Hammer and Anvil" style armies, or you will see a lot of common tactical advice given out that fall along these lines. This
really isn't our style. Nighthaunt is all about tactical styles that expose and hunt for weaknesses. I will go into more detail for three styles of tactics in the Writs of the Mortarch section at the
bottom of this guide.

Choose the right Procession: You've only got the two, but they are both very important. Consider what your goal is, what your Grand Strategy is, and choose the Procession that best supports it.
The Emerald Host will focus on the raw power of your lesser heroes, sacrificing a command trait for a free command ability, propping up their low wounds with sacrificial bodies, and cursing the
enemy centerpiece's save rolls. Reikenor's Condemned, in contrast, shifts the focus to the troops, spotlighting Chainrasps and Glaivewraiths for model return, speed, and damage buffs. More
information on these Processions in the Processions, the Jailed Forced to March section further down.

Take battalions: Depending on your style of play, you will either have access to only Core Battalions or both Core and Warscroll Battalions. For Matched Play, the battlepacks Contest of Generals
(Core Book) and Pitched Battles 2021 (GHB and the tournament standard) limit you to Core Battalions. But they're free and useful. Consider filling out Vanguard with your troops and hero cover you
plan on charging with, or Battle Regiment for a shot at that all-important turn priority. With our numerous heroes the Command Entourage or Warlord CBs are within easy reach. And in this age of
monsters, Hunters of the Heartlands can be an easy fill if you expect an enemy monster. Unlike Warscroll Battalions, you don't necessarily need to build your list around these, instead slotting in
what units you're taking to tick off the bonuses as available.

For Open and Narrative play, consider one or two given points being played. In our army battalions are synonymous with specializing or equipment load-outs. They allow you to counter an enemy by
choosing from a variety of benefits that usually exploit specific enemies. Does your opponent love close combat? Shroudguard is a solid counter. So is Chainguard. Does your opponent have high
saves? Dolorous Guard can bring some Mortal Wounds. Battalions also have a few passive benefits to keep in mind as well; each one grants your army another Command Point at the start of the
game, another artefact you can equip on a hero.

Note that the Core Battalion ability Unified and all Warscroll Battalions offer choice of placing all units within that battalion at the same time otherwise known as a "one-drop." This one-drop feature
does not know distance or boundary, so you can certainly split that one-drop across the battlefield and From the Underworlds all at once if you wanted.

Target weaknesses: Most other armies depend on their heroes the same as we do. Units will often have banner carriers, musicians, or icon bearers or other champion models. Some armies are
powerful but slow, and some are fast but relatively weak. Some can lock an opponent in place. And we can exploit all of it. With our flying, we can move over and retreat through the front lines to
attack a hero or general or claim an objective. We have artefacts, like Slitter, than can halve a unit under the right conditions or can target specific models. Reikenor can use his Corpse Candles on
particular models to remove buffs or command potential from a unit. Spectral Summons can be used to not only pull a unit back after taking too much damage but can be used to reposition after
units move and change the points of battle, or get a unit out of a lock. The point here is to know what your opponent plans on bringing, knowing what their army is known for, and being ready by
bringing tools that can remove what they need working for them to win.

Don't forget your own buffs: Our most essential buffs come in two forms: our heroes and our battalions. Though some units, like the Bladegheist Revenants, have built-in buffs or special effects
when a specific other model is nearby, the majority of your power will come from choosing the right hero to support a unit. I will get into more detail in what those buffs are below, but the takeaway
here is that by leveraging what a hero or combination of heroes can give you will help set up your threat units.

ABW12: Always be within 12 inches. If you can't do anything else, at least make sure that your units are always within 12" of your heroes. You don't really want them in combat if you can help it, but
you have to keep them close. Oftentimes this means your hero will be running more than anything else, and running into position ahead of your charging units. This will put pressure on yourself to
make those charge rolls, lest you leave your hero hanging in the open, but you will want --need-- your heroes giving out their Deathless wards at all times. So bring a ruler and use it religiously, and
be prepared to spend that Command Point on rerolling that charge.

Tools of Terror

Let's get into things a bit deeper. Let's talk about what we can do. I won't get into everything, but I'll list what I think are our most useful abilities and tactics that use them.

From the Underworlds They Come: Half of the units we bring to a battle can go into the Underworlds and can sit there for up to 3 turns, and brought out anywhere on the board more than 9" from
an enemy. I cannot overstate how useful this is. Depending on the kind of list you want to build, you will want to either place your objective takers or threat units into the Underworlds. The very act
of putting something in the Underworlds means your opponent will have to mind their own deployments lest they open up a window for you to exploit a vulnerable edge or backline. For more about
this, check out Writs of the Mortarch at the bottom of this guide.

Wave of Terror: This is arguably our second most crucial ability, and it alone can win you the battle or turn the tide of a losing war. Unfortunately, this sliver of Nagash's power is as fickle as he is,
and if you're unlucky enough never to see it in a fight, it could cost you the game. Each time you charge, should you roll a natural 10 or higher, you trigger the ability to pile in and fight as though it
was the combat phase. It's not the combat phase, however, which means that your opponent gets no counter-attack. That natural 10 is a bit of RNG, only having a 16.67% chance of occurring per
throw and is not in our favor. This is why we like to build our lists with a lot of smaller units, affectionately called "MSUs" or multiple-small-units (though we will still rarely run minimums, just smaller
than maxed). You will want to strike a balance between the number of chances you get to throw those dice on a charge, the amount of heroes you will want to have around to cover those units that
charged and potentially spend CP to re-roll a charge, and the models you could lose in a counter before needing to return models or risk losing the unit.

Deathless Spirits: As long as a hero is present, that hero and any nearby units get a ward roll to negate a wound on a 6. This is important since it is our only method, other than model-return
mechanics, to mitigate mortal wounds and damage that gets past our unmodifiable 4+ save. As with Wave of Terror above, this ability both allows you and requires you to make choices about unit
sizes. A larger unit can charge in without a hero and get by on a large model count to keep their effectiveness up, but medium-to-small sized units are going to rely on Deathless Spirits to not
evaporate too quickly. You might find a tactical advantage of letting a unit or two advance without this protection, but if you are not shoring up the difference elsewhere, you will feel the loss all too
soon.

Flying: Flying is more than just ignoring terrain. It's also ignoring models. Nothing can get in your way when you're moving, which means that you can spend your moves getting into optimal
positions despite your opponent's best efforts to screen you out. You still have to follow the basic rules of movement, can't end a move closer than 3" to an enemy, for example, but now that bubble
of protection no longer forces your units to have to skirt around them to get to the other side. Just fly over. Where this ability shines the most is when retreating. Retreating is a normal move with a
few caveats attached to it; you give up your shooting and charge, and you have to end outside 3" of all enemies. But that doesn't mean "away," so you can retreat right over the top of an advancing
enemy line to set yourself up in their backfield or claim an objective. A couple of our units, Bladegheist Revenants and Glaivewraith Stalkers, can retreat and charge in the same turn, making them
powerful users of this ability.

Spectral Summons: As long as your general is alive and on the field, for a Command Point, they can pluck any unit, hero or otherwise, from anywhere on the battlefield and drop them wholly within
12" of the general and more than 9" from any enemy. The apparent use of this ability is to pull back a unit that's on the verge of being lost and heal them up from our various sources. But, it can also
allow a particularly fast general, like a Dreadblade Harrows, to pop in at any open space and reposition a threat unit or objective holder.

The Undying Dead

We don't have an overabundance of ways to dig into the grave to grab new recruits in the heat of battle. But, we are not without our tricks when it comes to keeping our units full of death dealers,
and when effectively used, this little bit can go a long, long way. Below I will list our sources of healing starting with the most models that can be returned, then abilities that require managing
wounds, then those that only heal wounds.

Ruler of the Spirit Hosts: Command Trait - D3 models to a unit within 9" of general, at the start of the hero phase. Our number 1 most selected Command Trait and for a good reason; it's free, it
can't be interrupted, and it brings back full models regardless of how many wounds a model in that unit might have to heal. This is extremely powerful when used on units with multiple wounds,
like Hexwraiths and Spirit Hosts, but don't let that stop you from using this to bring back a few more Chainrasps if you need to.

No Rest for the Wicked: Olynder's Command Ability - 1 model to each unit within 12" per Command Point, during the hero phase. Our Lady, if she's our general, can bring back 1 model to all units
that happen to be within --not wholly within-- her for a CP. This has a real trade-off: on the one hand, if she's surrounded by friendly units in the thick of battle that 1 CP can bring back a potential
ton of ethereal flesh. On the other hand, if Olynder is your general and you are not running Procession: The Emerald Host or the Sorrowmourn Choir battalion to beef up her potential wounds, you
run the risk of losing her before she could have her moment in the emerald light. And, it costs CP, which is a premium and arguably better spent on a Spectral Summons or a charge re-roll.

Nimbus of Power: Black Coach - D3 models to one unit wholly within 12", at the start of the hero phase. Exactly the same as Ruler of the Spirit Hosts, but with a larger range (mind the
"wholly") and from a non-hero (also non-summonable ) model that can change up its role from support to attack when needed. The Black Coach is already a beautiful and useful model that
should appear in almost every list, but as a support piece, you can keep your units healthy in the early-to-mid game before you charge the Coach into the face of that unsuspecting guy across the
field once it hits level 3+.

Captured Soul Energy: Spirit Torment - D3 (or 3 if Stormcast) worth of models returned to a unit within 6" if 3 enemy models died anywhere on the field when the combat phase transitions to
the battleshock phase. Or, you can opt to heal this many wounds to any 1 target, including heroes. This is one versatile ability and might merit bringing as many Spirit Torments you are comfortable
with. The only drawback here is that if you want to bring back Hexwraiths or Spirit Hosts, this is the first of the healing abilities that you would need to roll a 3+ or a 5+, respectively, just to bring
back one model. But, the trade-off is that you can target heroes (or other non-summonable units) for that heal, including himself.

This is where things change for us. Everything above returned models without requiring you to heal the targeted unit first. For 1-wound units, the below won't be an issue, but if you plan on putting
any of these supports near multi-wound units, you're going to have your hand forced.

Spectral Lure: Guardian of Soul's unique spell - D6 wounds must be healed if possible, otherwise worth of models returned to any unit wholly within 24". Probably the very definition of risk-vs-
reward for us you have here the potential of returning a full 6 models to a 1-wound unit, or even up to 2 Spirit Hosts, to a unit just under two feet away, but on a spell that requires a 6 to cast, can be
unbound, and only one attempt to cast it no matter how many GoS's you have. This would be downright amazing if it could cast on a 4, especially when comparing it to everything else listed here,
but the best you will be able to do about that is spending an artefact slot on Wychlight Lantern to get a +1, or giving him the Corpse Candle from Procession: Reikenor's Condemned for a one-time
+1 or +3. As an aside, the other Guardian of Souls artefact, Beacon of Nagashizzar, can add +3 to the models/wounds returned to a unit. It's statistically more likely that Wychlight will result in a
successful cast, about 25% more after considering an unbind attempt, but if you think you'll need the bodies more and have a hot hand the Beacon can be a good choice.

Beyond this are the rest of our healing abilities. They will not return models, but they still have their purposes.

Spectral Tether: Spell Lore - D3 wounds only to heroes only within 12".

Lifestealer: Spell Lore - Deal D3 wounds within 12", caster heals that much.

Feed on Terror: Heal 1 wound to a hero within 6" of an enemy unit that fails battleshock. An unfortunately rare occurrence nowadays, but worth keeping in mind.

Harbingers of Grief

They don't have any choice but to heed Our Lady's commands, but that doesn't mean we don't have a few stand out heroes that put in the extra effort in the field.

Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed: Needed for the Forgotten Scions battalion (pending FAQ), and one of the leader options for the Shroudguard battalion. He can spend a Command Point to
grant a unit +1 attacks. This ability can only be used in the combat phase, but it can be yours or theirs, meaning you can pump up a few units for a counter-attack your opponent might not be
expecting. In terms of firepower, this is the best buff you can bring in most cases. It will have the most impact on units with low to-hit/to-wound attack profiles. Even more so with units with double-
digit model counts.

Knight of Shrouds (on foot): Also one of the leader options for Shroudguard. He can spend CPs to give every unit in a bubble around him +1 to hit. This is stackable, so 2 CP is +2 to hit within that
bubble. A great hero to pal around with Dreadscythe Harridans or Myrmourn Banshees to get their enhanced damage profiles through.

Reikenor the Grimhailer: The last of the options for Shroudguard and one of the best wizards in the game -- well, before Teclis. And the new Lord Kroak. Okay, but he's still good. We don't have
great spells, but there are a few you'd want his ability to get either a +1 or +3 to cast on, like his Wraithstorm spell, Lifestealer, or the endless spell Chronomantic Cogs. More importantly, his Corpse
Candles target specific models, so you can spot-remove a banner carrier and rob an opponent's unit of their buff.

Guardian of Souls: Necessary for the Chainguard battalion and is a wizard that comes with the only model-return spell we've got, Spectral Lure. Give him Spectral Tether, and you've got a
dedicated healer. Too bad there's unbinding likely, and unless you give the GoS the Wychlight Lantern or Procession: Reikenor's Condemned's Corpse Candle there won't be much to ensure the
cast. He's got a passive +1 to Wound bubble, though. That's... helpful.

Dreadblade Harrows: You get two of these in a box, which is great for the Forgotten Scions (pending FAQ), but unless you run that battalion, you'll only need one. He makes a great general thanks
to his teleportation ability, so he can stay safe, show up to use a Command Trait like Ruler of the Spirit Hosts, cast a spell if he has the Midnight Tome artefact, or use the Command Ability: Spectral
Summons to teleport units to him. He breaks the game in terms of mobility and objective capture, especially combined with From the Underworlds They Come.

Spirit Torment: Necessary, along with Chainghasts, for The Condemned battalion, Mr. Torment also brings a passive re-roll 1's to hit for any units within range of his 12" bubble with Nagash's
Bidding. This might not seem like much at first, but any units swinging with high attack profiles, like Spirit Hosts with their 5+/4+, will get more benefit from this buff--which is free and always on--
than they would from an extra attack that costs CP. Even more so for any unit that wants more 6's. Bladegheists get it even better, getting a re-roll misses buff with him nearby. Additionally, he
brings Captured Soul Energy, which is one of the few healing or model-return abilities we have that can't be interrupted (the others being Ruler of the Spirit Hosts, the Black Coach, and Olynder). It
triggers if at least 3 enemy models were killed in a round by the time a battleshock phase starts, and if so, heals either D3 (or 3 if those enemies were Stormcast) wounds or models to a unit within
6" of the Spirit Torment. Very versatile, as you get to choose if you want to heal or return models even if they're damaged, or you can opt to heal heroes, and the whole bit works whenever three
enemies are killed, so even in your opponent's turn. Note that it can only trigger once per turn per Spirit Torment, so if you want more than D3 models returned this way, bring another ST and kill
another 3 enemy models.

Krulghast Cruciator: The newest hero in this list comes straight from the book Broken Realms: Be'lakor, but is standard legal and is an interesting addition to the main Nighthaunt offerings. He's
got a decent set of attacks and ties with Lady Olynder as the longest-range hero we have with his 12" Phantasmal Torture missile weapon. But, as a support hero, his biggest contribution to the
team is what happens if his Phantasmal Torture can score at least one wound on an enemy model that sticks; Empowering Excruciation. This ability empowers this model to enhance the Deathless
Spirits ward by allowing it to trigger on a 5+ instead of 6+ for all friendly Nighthaunt models wholly within 12" of him, including himself, until the next shooting phase. This adds a reinforced bubble
of protection that we seriously need since our saves are not modifiable.

(There is a question to be cleared up by the FAQ team about this hero's Empowering Excruciation ability. Does the Deathless Spirits ward, when empowered by Empowering Excruciation, provide a
ward roll of 5+ to both normal and mortal wounds? Or does the +5 apply to only normal wounds and it is still 6+ for mortal wounds? I've written the FAQ team and this section will be updated with
the answer.)

All the rest of the heroes, including Olynder, are situational at best and filler on the shelf at worst. The Lady herself can dish out a fair amount of mortals at a short range consistently, and her
shooting is an ability so it can be still used after a run. Kurdoss Valentian hates other generals and can beat them to a pulp and steal the Command Point they get for being on the field. Lord
Executioner is slightly harder to kill, Tomb Banshee can scream at low Bravery targets, and the Cairn Wraith is so cheap he can just be there to make sure your out-of-pocket units can have
Command Abilities options and their Deathless Spirits ward.

Those Who Are Tormented

Let's briefly touch on each of the units that have notable roles in our army.

Battlelines

In Matched Play, a Batteline unit can be reinforced up to twice, for a total of 3x the initial unit size. Each reinforcement counts against the Reinforced Units limit available for play (2 at 1000 points, 4
at 2000).

Chainrasp Hordes - Unit Size 10: The two primary purposes of these little guys are to hold objectives and to swarm enemy units. They can be a lot to chew through and can buy time even with no
hero support if you're willing to spend reinforcements on them. With hero support, they can easily put out decent damage, especially in Reikenor's Condemned. The Dreadwarden that's included is
a unit champion, so this unit can issue its own Command Abilities. And finally they have a built-in buff to reroll Wound rolls of a 1 if there are more than 10 in a unit, and that alone is reason never to
bring less than 20.

Grimghast Reapers - Unit Size 10: The Reapers primary purpose is to target enemy hordes, getting free re-rolls against 5 or more models. But, thanks to their long-range weapons and easily
fighting in two ranks they are great against everything, even elite units, provided you can max your potential attacks using that range. They are expensive, though, putting less wounds on the table
for the points than Chainrasps. But they are also faster and deadlier. The Extoller of Shyish is this unit's champion, and thus can issue Command Abilities to its unit.

Spirit Hosts - Unit Size 3: These multi-wound ghosts have three primary purposes, balancing their risk and reward options. Their high attacks count and Frightful Touch mean they can reliably
damage targets with high save values more so than standard attacks; 2+ enemy saves mean nothing with a lot of 6s. Their large base sizes make them for an excellent hero screen. If you are willing
to pile 6 of these guys together, then you also have an objective camper not likely to give up its spot anytime soon. With any of the model-return abilities available to us that don't rely on wounds,
you can make a big enough blob of these immortal.

Hexwraiths - Unit Size 5: Until recently, our cavalry battleline was nothing to look at. Effectively a quarter of a Spirit Host in every way except speed, you would be forgiven thinking these guys are
best left in the stables. They see new purpose within Procession: The Emerald Host, however, as the abilities grant extra health for a general on a very reliable 2+ roll, and boost their wound and
mortal wound potential on a charge. With their two wounds each and packs of 5, they are great for quick objective grabs and holds or hero hunting while waiting for support to arrive. The Hellwraith
is their unit champion.

Others

In Matched Play, the following units can be only be reinforced once each, counting against the limit for play.

Bladegheist Revenants - Unit Size 10: Your baseline threat unit who can do amazing damage, retreat and charge in the same turn, and who's built-in buffs might just be overkill. This is also our
only Elite unit, meaning the whole unit can issue Command Abilities to itself. This unit doesn't need any other buffs to perform well (other than charging), but any hero can only help them do better.
It's good to keep in mind that they could have some Chainghasts nearby for the Fearful Frenzy buff without a Spirit Torment even on the board, but if you're going to invest in any elites for the
support I'd go with a hero to grant Deathless Spirits.

Dreadscythe Harridans - Unit Size 10: These ladies got a new warscroll with the release of Broken Realms: Be'lakor, which gave a few minor changes that result some really nice upgrades when
put together. Now their champion models, the Slasher Crones, can replace 1 for every 5 standard models in a unit, granting an extra attack each and the ability to issue CAs to the unit. In addition,
all Harridans can now explode attacks on natural 6's when rolling to to hit, scoring an additional hit to roll wounds for and effectively removing the deficit a 4+ to hit usually has. These combine to
out-damage a unit Bladegheists of the same size, even if they have charged, unless the 'gheists are benefiting from Fearful Frenzy. In addition, the Harridans' passive ability to subtract 1 from hit
rolls for enemy models within 3" now activates on enemy Bravery lower than 7 (so 6 or less). When combined with our army-wide -1 Bravery to enemies for being 6" or closer, armies with natural
Bravery of 7 are now affected, opening up most mortal armies to be subjected to this.

Myrmourn Banshees - Unit Size 4: A threat and utility unit that is the epitome of risk vs. reward. They can unbind or dispel as though they were wizards, with a +1 to the unbind for every four
models in a unit. It's short-ranged, though, only working within 18" for the unbind and 6" for the dispel, but if either is successful, the Banshees buff themselves +1 attacks (the dispel does D3
damage to the unit, so without healing you'll lose models). In terms of damage potential, 8 of these ladies can outperform 10 Bladegheists with just that self-buff alone, if you think the
reinforcement is worth it. This scales quickly with any more buffs you can toss their way. The Myrmourn are a good way to shore up any lists with weak unbinding, or to sneak in some damage
dealers in a small package.

Chainghasts - Unit Size 2: I talk up some Hexwraiths, but wait until now to even mention Chainghasts? You'd think that as our only non-hero/non-behemoth ranged unit, you might want as many of
these guys as you could, right? Especially considering our only other units with range are Lady Olynder, Krulghast Cruciator, the Black Coach, and Tomb Banshee and Chainghasts beat their best
ranges by 3 more inches? Well, not exactly. You're not going to pack more than 2 of these to a single unit, they aren't elite or champions, and are slightly more expensive than our cheapest hero. In
the ranged department you're looking at 15" and wildly swingy D3 attacks each. However, they do have a trick up their sleeves within melee: they get 1 attack per model within 2" when they are
activated. What do you do with that? Well, if you charge these guys into a horde pack and determine you've got some 10-15 attacks, why not use that 2" reach and slam them all into the hero
standing next to them? Still, without some assistance to their ranged I feel these guys are a bit one-trick and easy to snipe. Another Link in the Chain is great for when you want some Spirit Torment
buffing but can't fit another one into your list, so that's something to consider.

Glaivewraith Stalkers - Unit Size 4: You've got, like, 32 of these, right? Sorry about that. They shoved handfuls of these in Storm Strike, Tempest of Souls, and Soul Wars starter sets, so most
players will have an abundance of these guys. I won't harp on them and say they're literal trash, they can be converted into Reapers or mounted on Hexwraiths after all, but they aren't great. Or
rather, interesting? They are cheap with small unit sizes, meaning you can slot in a few pretty easily. They have a 2" range which means they can fight in ranks or behind other units. They can
retreat and charge in the same turn if they have a Deathbeat Drummer, and get to re-roll all failed hits if they've charged or get charged. And, every model can be a Deathbeat Drummer, so they'll
never lose the ability to issue commands to themselves. That all sounds amazing until you look closer. A unit size of 4 means fighting in ranks is almost moot. Retreating and charging means
slingshotting over that enemy unit into another one nearby, but with 4 wounds this unit will likely be dead before you can do that. And despite being able to re-roll all failed hits they will do less
damage than a charging Bladegheist, model per model. In fact, a unit of 3 Bladegheists will break even with a full unit of 4 Glaivewraiths. And while featured in the Procession: Reikenor's
Condemned, they don't receive a very impactful buff (they retain their ability to re-roll failed hits if no charging happens, as long as a ST or Chainghast is near by), but can benefit from extra model
return. I, uh... I feel bad for these guys.

Battery-Powered Curse Hearse

Does the Black Coach deserve its own section? You bet your sweet Necromancer and/or Vampire that's bound, gagged, and chained in the back it does! This beautiful, ornate, gloriously gothic
centerpiece is what the Nighthaunt are! I mean, look at it! Name a more gorgeous thing. I dare you. I'll wait... Nothing, right? And it's a great unit on top of that.

The Black Coach

Aesthetics aside, what you have here is an excellent support piece that can transition into several roles as you see fit, giving you some proper dynamic choices through the course of a battle. It's a
Totem now, so it can give out commands to units wholly within 18" of it! But, it's not a hero, so it won't be giving out a Deathless Spirits ward. Nor is it "summonable," which is the keyword all our
troop units have that allow our healing-mechanics to work on them. So, its healing is going to have to come from itself or a Spirit Torment (see how versatile they are?). Thankfully, it can do just
that.

Evocation of Death is the primary ability that powers the rest of its set. Roll 3 dice at the start of each battle round, no matter who's going first, and look at the results. Each 4+ is a level gained
for Evocation of Death, and each turn, you have three more chances to add additional levels.

Nimbus of Power is the first level and instantly sets itself as another Ruler of the Spirit Hosts as well as a self-healer. This is already amazing, but wait, there's more.

Unholy Vigour, second, which allows re-rolls of 1 for all its melee weapons (all of them, horses too), and it can now run and charge in the same turn.

Spectral Scythes is the level you will want to wait for before you put this thing into combat. This level empowers the Coach to let you pick a unit within 1" after it charges and roll a die and on a 2+
deal D3 mortal wounds to it.

Insubstantial Form, fourth. Now it can retreat and charge, which it absolutely should.

Witch-fire is fifth. Just start burning everything within 3" of this thing every hero phase by rolling a dice for each enemy unit in range and on a 4+ deal D3 mortal wounds.

This is a lot, and combined with its other abilities like Frightful Touch on the Reaper Scythe and Relic Bearer's Spectral Claws, and Reaped Like Corn (which is only on the Scythe), and the option to
bring the Soulreach Grasp, you might be asking just what are you supposed to use this thing for?

Behemoth in Battle

The Black Coach has three primary uses, any two of which you will choose for its life in the game; what I affectionally refer to as Corpse Cart and then either Soul Sniper or Reaper on Wheels.

Corpse Cart: In the early phases of the game, the Black Coach supplies you with another D3 of uninterrupted model-return. If you intend on layering this with other model-return abilities or
commands, you've got a strong support structure to keep behind your front lines while not risking putting your general in harm's way. There's too much firepower building up to keep the Black
Coach behind forever, but don't begrudge the effectiveness of using it to zone-out flanking attacks, shepherding units as they push forward, and providing a target to shoot at that's not your other
threat units.

Soul Sniper: Going this route means you elected to take the Soulreach Grasp instead of the Reaper Scythe, which will give you a ranged option for the shooting phase. It's only 10" and a single
attack, but it has -3 rend and D3 damage. Not bad since you get to use this twice (shooting and combat phases) even if engaged, but not likely to mean much without a buffing hero nearby. This
can be the better setup if some high-save enemy units are advancing on you thanks to that -3 rend, but only if you can reliably land those Grasp attacks. Selecting this means you'll want to keep
the Coach at range and keep healing, which unfortunately means losing out on the rest of the Coach abilities.

Reaper on Wheels: This route means leaning heavily on the Reaper Scythe and the collection of other abilities to do a ton of damage before the poor thing gets inevitably blown from the field.
Almost all of the Coach's powers are melee-centric; the Reaper Scythe being the only weapon choice to benefit from Frightful Touch and Reaped Like Corn, and the rest of the kit wanting to get
close and hug enemy units. Knowing the Coach can eventually run and charge, moving anywhere between 15" to 20" if not too damaged, you simply hold it back until level three and then bring it
into combat. Level three will take two turns, on average, which is plenty of time to see where things are lining up on the field. At that point, target that ranged squad in the back, the melee unit that's
punishing your threat unit, or an exposed hero and snap the reigns. If possible, keep it within a friendly hero for Deathless Spirits, or a friendly unit for Nimbus of Power, or both.

Which is better? When comparing the Soulreach Grasp vs. the Reaper Scythe you're only talking about a single wound in favor of the Scythe on average, assuming you're attacking twice with the
Grasp and the only buffs come from Unholy Vigour and Frightful Touch. The gap increases to 2 wounds if Reaped Like Corn can be used. What this means is that it's a matter of time. The Grasp has
a chance to do less damage over time, but at range and potentially longer, while the Scythe will do more damage but only in direct combat. The break seems to be about 3 rounds. Any less and the
Grasp wins assuming you got at least 1 wound at range. More than 3 and the Scythe wins.

All To Come Within the Fold

So we've covered all the units that could be considered Nighthaunt Proper that's wholly within the battletome or Broken Realms: Be'lakor, but for those wanting to shine their Nightmare Lantern's
alluring light into other "realms," you can call upon a few more lost souls. From Forge World, you can snag the Mourngul. From Warhammer: Underworlds, you can recruit the Briar Queen and
her Thorns. And from Soulblight Gravelords you can contract some vampire allies.

Forge World

Mourngul: From GW's resin model store Forge World you can grab this guy. It has rules and points, so it's a legal model, but there are some tradeoffs for not coming from GW's mainline. First
among them are the points; this tall boi is the most expensive single model you could put on the table, even more than the Black Coach. Second, for all those points, you're getting a warscroll card
that has seen a rewrite to nerf it in a pretty substantial way. Lastly, to offset the power the Mourngul previously had, it's a Monster and not a hero. A few armies have abilities and attacks that get
buffed when targeting a monster, and not being a hero means no Deathless ward and no potential artefact. This means that despite its strengths, you are either throwing it away as an expensive
distraction or supporting it with a hero, or in the very least, Shademist. Monsters also can't benefit from cover, but Nighthaunt can't do that anyway, so that's not a loss.

But, what this model can do, in addition to becoming the de-facto damage magnet as soon as it's on the table, is bring sweet, sweet bloody carnage. It's fast starting at 12", has a 2-mortal
wound Frightful Touch, starting with eight attacks with which you could get those MWs, and the second-best natural attack profile we have to back it up when you don't score those MWs. Oh, and
it can heal itself D3 wounds if it killed anything via Devourer of Flesh and Souls to try to stay at its top profile, and has a passive -1 to hit rolls for all enemy models within 6" with Ghastly Apparition.
Note that this last bit is models, not units. Ghastly Apparition will shroud any friendly units you have palling around with the Mourngul too, so long as the attacks originate within that 6" bubble. And
lastly, it's a frickin Monster! It has access to the Monstrous Rampage abilities that happen at the end of every charge phase. Drop the Mourngul with From the Underworlds on some unfortunate
unsuspecting target, nail that charge, and revel in piling bodies, especially so if that target is already engaged in a fight.

Underworlds

The Briar Queen: From GW's sister game Underworlds, you can pick up the warband Thorns of the Briar Queen and use those models on the table with rules that aren't too bad. The Queen and
her six unique Thorns come as a set, meaning that for the slightly inflated cost of a hero, you get a screen as well. The Briar Queen herself is a wizard and comes with the spell Howling
Vortex which is a tactical choice of a spell to be sure. With a casting value of 7, 18" range that targets a spot on the table, and 6" area of effect from that spot, you can splash any number of enemy
units in that radius with this spell potentially up to 24" away. You then have to roll 2d6 and either beat each enemy unit's movement characteristic or roll a double, and if so, they suffer 1 mortal
wound and have their movement cut in half. If you can pull this off, half movement can be a nice way to buy some time on a unit or several units that are more than 12" out, but this quickly loses its
usefulness once the threshold for a reasonable charge roll is crossed. She can back up her spell with three ranged attacks at 10" on 3's and 3's with 3 rend (one damage each, ha), and whip in
melee once at 3", on 3's, 2 rend, but D3 damage. All in all, there's a lot to the Queen that can be useful, but you'll be hard-pressed fitting her in anywhere that another hero wouldn't be more
helpful. The added tax for her Thorns doesn't help this, either, as though they provide a useful screen, they are just Chainrasps that retain their rerolling wound rolls of 1 if two of the six are still
around. This doesn't make her terrible, though, just tactically challenging. If she can slow even one fast unit down with her spell or hide behind a durable screen for a couple of shooting/combat
phases, she could easily be worth bringing.

Allies

Credit to @Landohammer for starting this list and giving tips on their roles, and the TGA Nighthaunt community for suggestions.

Nagash may command all undead, but he does not force his underlings to play well with each other. Despite this, the bearers of the Soulblight curse have been ready allies to the Nighthaunt for an
age now, and with their new reorganization some of their commanders and fodder have been made available to us.

Notes about allies - Unlike the additional units listed above, allies come with a suite of restrictions that will make your choice in playing them a very tactically demanding one. Primarily, you are
limited to how many allies you can bring; for games up to 1,000 points you have a limit of 200 points to spend on allies, and for games of 2,000 points this increases to 400 points. Additionally, you
cannot bring more than 1 ally unit per 4 native Nighthaunt units in your army. Also, allies do not benefit from your Allegiance abilities, cannot take any artefacts or Spell Lores, and cannot be a
general. And finally, any ability on either Nighthaunt or Soulblight Gravelord warscrolls that works with any keywords that don't appear on each other's warscrolls cannot be used, like Shademist
which can only shroud Nighthaunt units or the Vampire Lord's Crimson Feast which works on Soulblight Gravelord Summonable unts. Despite these limitations, some allies bring such terrible force
or amazing utility that they are worth considering for your armies.

Fell Bats: The only unit cheaper than Fell Bats are Glaivewraith Stalkers, but their light cost belies their utility. 3 to a unit, 3 wounds per base, extremely fast. They are not going to do any damage,
but they can cross the field 14" at a time without a run and can retreat and charge. Perfect for tying up a distant ranged unit or getting an enemy threat unit into a fight right away while you position
the rest of your army.

Corpse Cart with Balefire Brazier: This configuration of the Corpse Cart gives a blanket -1 to casting to all enemy wizards within 18" of it, and then a -1 to wound rolls if any enemy unit gets within
9" of it. This cheap cart can provide a nice protective bubble you can put near a battlezone without much fear of losing it.

Vargskyr: With 8 wounds on a single base and a 5+ save, this will be an easy target, but it can move relatively fast at 8" and pack quite a punch if it lives long enough to hit something. It's attack
profile is amazing, with a total of 5 attacks rolling at 3+ or better, with lots of rend and a potential total of 9-11 damage if it all hits. It's not exactly cheap, though, considering our useful heroes start
coming in at around this point cost, currently equaling a Spirit Torment.

Vyrkos Blood-Born: For the same cost of a Spirit Host unit, you can get this pack of 3, 3 wounds each, fast 10" strike unit. A bit brittle with 6+ saves offset somewhat by a 5+ ward save, the value
of this unit is that they can hit as hard as the Vargskyr, dealing 9-18 damage if they all hit. And it's likely they will with 3+/3+ and rend -1. Hope you roll well on those ward saves, though.

Belladama Volga: The first hero ally option and also a costly one, coming in for more than any of our native heroes save for Lady Olynder and is the last choice you can take in a 1,000 point army.
For those points, though, you get some nasty bonuses. First, she's a level 2 Wizard, so two spells and two unbinds, and though she can't take any of our Spell Lores she brings two her own, one of
which being extremely useful; Lycancurse. This spell targets an enemy unit within 18" and does D3 mortals. But, if any of those wounds results in a model kill you can set up a Dire Wolf unit within
3" of that afflicted unit, the new unit contains one wolf model for each model killed by the spell. Suddenly Dire Wolves are in direct battle with the unit you targeted, up to 3 of them per unit per cast
of this spell. Dire Wolves you didn't have to spend points for. It's a tougher spell to cast, though, at a 7 cast value, but Belladomma isn't done yet. She gets a natural +1 to all casting, dispelling and
unbinding rolls. And she's still not done. If she's near one of these packs of Dire Wolves or any other you bring, 3" to be exact, then if she takes damage you roll a dice for each before you allocate
it and on a 3+ allocate it to a wolf instead. And she's still not done. Want a Command Ability? At the start of the hero phase she can pick 1 friendly Dire Wolves unit wholly within 12" of her and that
unit will be able to fight if it is within 6" of an enemy unit instead of 3", and can pile in an extra 3" to boot. This means you don't even need to charge with those wolves. If they are already within 6"
and have received this CA, then on the combat phase you can use your new 6" of pile in and just start attacking. And per the FAQ this CA lasts all the way until your next hero phase, so if your
opponent Redeploys or otherwise moves some units around, or you kill the unit, and anything else is within 6" you can continue to pile in and attack. With Bella herself packing 9 wounds and a save
of 4+, and 10" of movement, you'll likely be putting her in danger right away as a vanguard to your army.

Vengorian Lord: We're now entering point values more expensive than any model in our Nighthaunt line, including the Mourngul, and requires game sizes of 2,000+ to take. What you get, though,
is a Hero who is a Monster (but not a Behemoth) and is a Wizard. With 10 Wounds, 3+ save, 12" move, an imposing damage potential through physical attacks--some of them reaching out to 3"
away--and you have got yourself a meaty powerhouse to go into fights and wrestle objectives with extreme prejudice. He passively reduces rend by 1 for any enemy unit within 3" of him, has the
potential to run and charge, heal himself both passively and via a Command Ability, and increase his damage potential with his own spell. This is the guy that yells "Come at me, bro" and then
actually kicks ass afterwards.

Lauka Vai: Slightly more expensive than the Vengorian Lord, this is another hero/monster (still not behemoth)/wizard combo you can select. The differences between this option and the one above
are as follows: One extra wound on the warscroll, an additional ability that deals mortal wounds after a charge move to an enemy unit within 1", a spell that halves charge rolls for enemy units within
12" of this model instead of the damage-increasing spell, and a Command Ability that adds +1 to hit rolls instead of one that heals. "Luka" is tilted more for direct impact damage than sticking
around to fight it out, though she can still certainly do that. It's worth noting that her CA that adds to hit rolls happens at the start of the hero phase (per FAQ) meaning that she can use it first and
then her ability to run and charge, which has the added cost not being able to use further CAs, and have both stack.

Terrorgeist: Want a giant behemoth monster? How about one that can shoot up to 10" away? A shooting attack that functions off enemy Bravery instead of rolling to hit or wound, and does
damage on how much over their Bravery you roll? Who has a Frightful Touch-like ability on their otherwise 3 swings, 4+/3+/-2 D6 attack? Who also does D3 damage to all units within 3" of it if it
dies? I mean, this is just a big ol' angry monster with lots of damage potential, lots of wounds at 14, lots of movement starting at 14", and a decent 4+ save. It'll be targeted. It will be killed. And it is
so expensive. But, arguably, the Terrorgeist is the benchmark by which all other behemoth monsters are measured and should hold its own toe-to-toe against most others.

Radukar the Beast: Despite the name he's not a monster, but is a hero and is the big bad guy of the Warhammer Quest: Cursed City box set. The profile looks pretty nasty before we get into any
abilities; 12 wounds, 8" move, 4+ save, a 2" attack with 6 swings rolling 3+/3+ with -1 rend and 2 damage, and another 6 attacks at the same profile, but doing D3 damage limited to 1", making a
potential 18-30 damage if everything hits and potentially wiping a weak unit out on that alone. But, Radukar can also run and charge, heal D3 wounds if he kills an enemy model, has a passive -1 to
hit from all sources, and a better Frightful Touch on his claws doing 2 mortals for every 6. And his Command Ability? He gets two. The first targets himself or whatever he summons (more on that in
a sec) at the start of the combat phase, and if they had charged they get +1 attacks to all their melee (and melee mount) weapons. And the second CA, usable at the end of your movement phase,
summons 1 entire 10-model pack of Dire Wolves wholly within 12" of himself and more than 9" from all enemy units. For a command point. Out of thin air. Which he can then buff with his first CA
since they work in difference phases. Now, Dire Wolves are fodder, each one having 2 wounds, 10" move, 5+ save, and an attack profile of 2 swings, 4+/4+ for a single damage. They get a
champion wolf (what's more dire than dire? Doom, apparently) that has an additional attack, and a unit ability that gives them +1 to hit and wound if they charge, making them great interceptors and
combat initiators, despite dying off quickly. But, here's the thing: Radukar summons a unit of these with a CA, which means they are basically free given how many CPs we get now. It's at the end of
your movement phase, so they don't get to move the turn when summoned, but they can still charge that turn or get to moving on the next. The summon circle caveat of 9" means Radukar doesn't
get to perform this trick while in the thick of battle, so you will want to get the summon out of the way early or at least before you engage him in battle.

Neferata, Mortarch of Blood: This expensive model has a host of abilities that are, frankly, better suited supporting other Soulblight units, which unfortunately if you took Neferata you won't be
taking any others. Still, she has some use. She's a level 2 caster like the other Mortarchs and comes with a spell that prevents any negative modifiers on a save roll. She also has a Command Ability
which imposes -1 to all melee hit rolls. These still work on herself, which makes her 3+ save stick to that or better, stacks with All-out Defense if you want it to be a 2+, and generally makes her very
hard to land a hit on. Her 12 wounds means that when something does hit, it'll be a while before she's really hurting. She's susceptible to mortal wounds, though, with no internal ward save and no
fancy armor to negate wounds like her blood brother below has. What she has, though, is access to Monstrous Rampage abilities and a nifty little thing called Dagger of Jet, where if her Akmet-har
does any damage to an enemy hero that is not negated in any phase where it could, you can then roll a die at the end of the phase and on a 5+ just kill that hero. This makes Neferata best suited for
anti-hero fighting, where she keeps herself shrouded from melee damage but in combat to get as many chances at that 5+ as possible. Risky. Very risky.

Mannfred von Carstein, Mortarch of Night: At the top, or bottom, of this list is the most expensive and also probably the most destructive entry available. If you are eying Manny-fred you are
likely either a Total War: Warhammer player, miss your Warhammer Fantasy Vampire Counts, or just feel some sort of way that our native Mortarch, Olynder, isn't a stat-heavy beast as the other
Mortarchs. Mannfred comes in as the most expensive ally option available, topping out the near the 400 point limit for allies in 2k games. 30 Chainrasps, 20 Reapers/Harridans, 9 Spirit Hosts, or 10
Hexwraiths all cost less than Mannfred. 20 Bladegheists cost the same (at of time of writing). But what do you get for all those points? Something a bit deceiving--which is perfect for someone like
Mannfred. At first blush his 12 wounds, 3+ save, ability to straight ignore the first wound or mortal wound allocated in every phase, self-healing D3 wounds if he kills a model in any combat phase,
and an attack profile starting at 18 attacks that he can drop down to 2+/2+ for a chunk of it (and close enough for the rest) for a Command Point that lasts from your hero phase to your next hero
phase, and the fact he's a gottdam monster, it certainly looks like he should be deleting whole enemy units by himself. But with a starting move 16", fly, no internal ward save, two casts/unbinds,
and the only ability I'm aware of that triggers if within 3" of an enemy unit at the start of any combat phase that allows you to literally disappear him and set him up anywhere else on the field more
than 9" away from an enemy, for free, you think that maybe he's supposed to stay out of harm's way. And then his personal spell, CV 7, which allows you to target a unit within 18", and then all other
units within 6" of the one you selected, and all get dealt D3 mortals if you roll a 3+ on a dice for each unit, you can start to see that Mannfred is meant to use some guile. And you call the Black
Coach a grab-bag of abilities... Mannfred is a force of nature, a deadly misdirection. His potential to deal wounds at any distance, reposition whenever a fight is disadvantageous, and plow through
units single-handedly means that he is best suited to wipe out or soften enemy targets that can't readily fight back. Sure, his great save and ignored wound every phase means he's indeed tanky,
but if he's hard targeted for mortals or ranged he won't last more than a couple turns, especially if he's not wading through models to heal himself. But, having all his attacks come from his single
model, access to Monstrous Rampage, and ability to sharpen his own blade means that when he does choose to attack it'll be a devastating affair. He postures himself like he's the biggest threat on
the battlefield, and if you play him with all his tricks he will be. But, just like in his lore, if you get too cocky his power will wilt sharply. But, unlike other units that might be able to be described the
same way, Mannfred will always be able to regroup as needed as long as he stays alive. And for the points, he better. If you take him, I recommend relying on his spell in the early game to chip away
at as many units as you can before committing him to a physical fight. If you notice a unit that's out-of-pocket that's perfect for a takedown, even if it's too far away, you can charge into something
else closer and then at the start of the combat phase remove him and set him up closer to catch up to it next turn like some sort of movie-magic serial killer. But, once engaged, don't overcommit.
Do a round of damage, and when it's on your enemy's combat phase, put him elsewhere. Only fully commit him if you're sure you will win. Just like Mannfred himself would do.

Processions, the Jailed Forced to March

We have two sub-factions called Processions that are available for Matched, Open, and Narrative play. In addition, we have access to six Core Battalions that are available to all armies in all forms of
play, and a further two more Core Battalions available for the current Matched Battlepack: Pitched Battles 2021. Unfortunately, all of our other battalions, called Warscroll Battalions, have been
made available only in Open and Narrative games.

Processions are nice, blanket army buffs we get to add for free and with no real requirements other than a forced Command Trait for one of them and a forced artefact for both. They add in a series
of abilities, but do not grant any additional artefacts or Command Points as Warscroll Battalions or some Core Battalions do.

Battalions are less army-wide buffs as they are configurations that allow you to build up specific tactical advantages for several units of our army. I won't get into all the battalions here, but I will go
over most.

Processions

Introduced in: Broken Realms - Be'lakor 2021

Procession: The Emerald Host: The first of our two sub-factions, this enables two abilities, a forced Command Trait, and a forced artefact for our army. The first ability is the Emerald Curse, which
allows you to choose any single enemy hero and give them a permanent -1 to save rolls for all attacks that target that hero. This is actually pretty huge and will really hurt the right target. Heroes
with high saves can now be brought back down to killable range, and those with already low saves can now be threatened to be ganked straight off the table. Also, the Curse works from all attack
sources, so even your allied models benefit from it (and allies in multiplayer games), and any enemy ability that counts as an attack against themselves. The second ability is Knights of Regret,
which affords your aesthetically painful Hexwraiths a couple of nifty new benefits that'll make them a valued battleline unit. Firstly, all Hexwraiths get a buff on the charge, granting +1 attacks to
both the scythes and the horses. At first, this might seem lackluster, but statistically, this makes a pack of 5 Hexwraiths just over half the effectiveness of 3 Spirit Hosts, but with much more
movement. Combined with the right general, that effectiveness skyrockets past Spirit Hosts and can make for a terrifying offensive line. Secondly, the Hexwraiths now act as a pseudo-wound
pool for whoever your general is. Whenever your general would otherwise allocate a wound or mortal wound, and a Hexwraith unit is within 3" of them, roll a dice and on a 2+ give that wound to a
Hexwraith instead. You can now inflate your general with 10+ wounds and bring the whole lot into battle with less fear of evaporation or strong headwinds. The Command Trait further enforces this
idea, giving the general a free once-per-battle use of the Command Ability on their warscroll. This means you'll want to bring a general who has Command Ability, of which we have a whopping two;
the Knight of Shrouds or Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed. Whoever you choose, you'll lose access to Ruler of the Spirit Hosts or any other Command Traits. Finally, the artefact is just a +1
attacks, and specifically for the first Knight of Shrouds that is included in the army, and only to his sword.

(There are two questions to be cleared up by the FAQ team about this Procession. First, being a unique character, if Lady Olynder is selected to be the general does she gain this Procession's
Command Trait? Also, can Spectral Summons, a Command Ability not explicitly written on any warscrolls, be used with this Procession's Command Trait since all generals get access to it? I've
written the FAQ team and this section will be updated with the answers.)

Procession: Reikenor's Condemned: This second sub-faction is already getting buzz as the maybe more competitive option. First off, you're going to want to have some Chainrasp Hordes in your
army. Maybe even some Glaivewraith Stalkers, if you're nasty. Though you can opt to bring in 0 of either of these units, they get some serious buffs in this Procession. Got a Spirit Torment or
Chainghasts? Well, now Chainrasps and Glaivewraiths can benefit from re-rolling all failed hits just like Bladegheists can when wholly within 15" of them. That's right, 15", not 12". Our best battleline
option just became bestier, still not out-damaging the 'gheists, but getting a substantial boost nonetheless, especially when you consider how many you might bring. The Glaivewraiths could
already re-roll failed hits on their own, but only if they charged or had been charged, so now they can park and still get the benefit. This helps if they lose their Deathbeat Drummer (though why
would they, all of them can be Drummers and still attack). In addition to all that, the Chainrasps and Glaivewraiths both now benefit more from a Guardian of Soul's Spectral Lure spell, returning D6
models in addition to any that might be returned by the spell. If all of the above sounds familiar, they should. These are the benefits of both The Condemned and Chainguard battalions, now baked
in as a baseline option, and now including Glaivewraith Stalkers. You can read up on those battalions below for their strengths and caveats that also apply here. Moving on, this Procession also
gives Reikenor, if he's in the army, the status of general even if he's not the model chosen to be the general, and gives the general(s) the Command Ability to select one of the Chainrasp or
Glaivewraith units you have and and add 6" to their movement for a CP if they're wholly within 12" of a hero or 18" of a general. And you get to keep your Command Trait. The artefact that's forced
upon you can go to any hero model and is pretty good. It's a Corpse Candle, just one use though, that has one of two effects depending on when you use it. If you use it in the hero phase you can
either damage the bearer or an enemy model within 12" of them and get either a +3 or +1 to cast spells, respectively. If you use it in the combat phase, again either on the bearer or an enemy model
within 12", you either get +1 to hit and wound for the bearer, or just +1 to hit, respectively.

(There is a question to be cleared up by the FAQ team about this Procession. Can the Chainrasp Horde or Glaivewraith Stalker unit champion, or Totems within range, issue this Procession's
Command Ability? I've written the FAQ team and this section will be updated with the answers.)

Battalions

New in AoS 3.0 and in an effort to balance gameplay and stabilize data reporting for future tweaking, Games Workshop has given all armies access to the same set of Core Battalions, and taken
away access to each faction's Warscroll Battalions. At least in Matched Play, which is the tournament style of play. Even though everyone gets access to these battalions, it still will benefit to dive
into each of them to see how we can benefit from them.

Core Battalions - Legal in all forms of play

Introduced in: Age of Sigmar 3.0 Core Rules

Warlord: Requires 1-2 Commanders, 2-4 Sub-commanders, 1-2 Troops. This is the only battalion to give out two abilities for fulfilling it. First, once per battle, you can elect to gain 1 additional
Command Point for the turn, an ability called Strategist. Secondly, you can select 1 additional enhancement for your army, or the ability Magnificent. These abilities are not restricted to the units
making up this battalion, so it makes this a powerful choice for us. An extra command point is always good, but you'll need to claim it at the start of the Hero phase, so you're going to need some
foresight not to waste it. And with the way enhancements work now, you can't go wrong with an additional one.

Battle Regiment: Requires 1 Commander, 0-2 Sub-commanders, 2-5 Troops, and either 1 Behemoth or 1 Artillery. Oh, the coveted one-drop ability. This battalion gives you Unified, meaning all
units that are a part of this battalion all come into play at the same time. In the past, thanks to wildly unbalanced warscroll battalions, certain armies were almost guaranteed to get priority on the
first turn while, conversely, some armies like us were almost guaranteed to not get priority, thanks to how many important units we could shove into a single formation. Now, we should all have
roughly the same shot. Unlike most armies, though, we can get a very particular benefit from this battalion. From the Underworlds They Come is a location, one that can be selected during
deployment, and one that any number of this battalion can go into even if not all of it does. This means, following normal rules for Underworlds, you can elect to use this one-drop to simultaneously
place units in reserve as well as on the field. That doesn't sound that amazing? Well, suppose you waited to deploy your Unified until your second or third unit deployment. You'll have a good idea of
what your opponent is putting out in the field. You can now, dynamically, decide what you're going to ambush them with and watch them second-guess their now locked-in deployment setup. I've
said it before (or will down below); A good deployment can just as easily win you the game as a bad deployment can lose it.

Grand Battery: Requires Artillery, which we don't have, SO MOVING ON

Vanguard: Requires 1 Sub-commander, 1-3 Troops. This will probably be the easiest battalion to fill out, and multiple times at that. The ability it grants is Swift, which means that any one member
of this battalion can get a free, once per battle use of At the Double or Forward to Victory, with no cost and no need for a hero, totem, or unit champion. At the Double replaces your dice roll for a
run with a 6. Forward to Victory, probably more important to us, allows you to re-roll a charge roll. Fishing for 10s is still our thing, after all. Any unit we really want to get Wave of Terror on is either
elite or has a unit champion, for the most part, so that aspect of the ability is okay, but if your very important WoT-needing unit is in this battalion, you've got a free shot at our best ability.

Linebreaker: Requires 1 Commander, 2-3 Behemoths. This is an interesting one. It's the only battalion to give out Expert, which is a free one-time All-out Attack or All-out Defense for any one unit
in the battalion. It requires two Behemoths. So, two Black Coaches? A Black Coach and a Mourngul? Two Mournguls? All-out Attack is great, but we no longer benefit from All-out Defense. I don't
see this battalion getting much use. Wow, it's expensive.

Command Entourage: Requires 1 Commander, 2-3 Sub-commanders. The lesser version of Warlord, this battalion requires half the HR work and no pesky troops for either the Strategist (CP) or
Magnificent (enhancement) bonus, but not both. Thing is, I see this one as being very easy to fill. We have so many heroes. Cheap ones. Go for this one if you just want one of the abilities but not
both, and shove any straggling heroes into it you couldn't fit anywhere else.

Core Battalions - Legal in Battlepack: Pitched Battles 2021

Introduced in: General's Handbook 2021

Alpha-Beast Pack: Requires 2-3 Behemoths. Holy god, 3 behemoths? The ability is Scent Tracking, and it gives D6" of movement to every unit in this battalion, before the game starts. Literally will
never get use in Nighthaunt. You don't want your Black Coach(es) in battle before they have leveled up. And if you are taking 2 or 3 Mournguls, I mean, I guess you didn't need that roughly 1/4 of
your army in points anyway. I suppose you could bring one Black Coach and one Mourngul and meet this requirement, but if you're not using Underworlds for the Mourngul you're throwing it away.

Hunters of the Heartlands: Requires 2-3 Troops. Extremely easy to fill, and you definitely should if you think your opponent is bringing a Monster. The benefit here is Expert Underdogs (why) and
it gives the units from this battalion immunity to Monstrous Rampages. Perfect for any units tasked with bringing those beasts down, they can flail all they want but their extra abilities mean nothing
to you. Well, they are still behemoths, so engage wisely, but at least these guys will be okay. Mostly.

Below are the Warscroll Battalions, tucked behind a spoiler field to keep them from delicate eyes (mine) that may want to weep over their untimely passing (again, me). Expand if you want a taste
of Open or Narrative play nostalgia.

( Reveal hidden contents

Spells in the Wake of the Necroquake

When it comes to spellcasting, Nighthaunt could stand to have a few more options. While we have a few stand-out Spell Lores we can choose from, our Endless Spells are very niche and might
belong on the shelf. I'll go over our wizards, their casting options, our spells, and some universal options that you might want to consider.

Wizards

Reikenor the Grimhailer: If you're going to invest in a spellcaster, Reikenor might be at the top of your list. He's no slouch with his Fellreaper if you need to swing it at an enemy unit with 5 or more
models in it, but it will be his Corpse Candles that will seal his seat on the court. Corpse Candles allows him to deal 1 mortal wound to either any specific model within 12" of Reikenor or to himself,
and if that wound ends up allocated either gain a temporary casting bonus of +1 or +3, respectively. The immediate caveat of this ability is that the damage must take, so if your opponent can shrug
the damage or Reikenor himself makes the Deathless Spirits ward that he has to attempt, then there's no bonus. But, the hidden power of this ability is in the selection of enemy models; you can
select a unit's icon bearer, musician, or champion and snuff them right out of the pack, taking their buffs and command potential with them. Reikenor also brings his own unique spell Wraithstorm,
which on a 7 will do D3 mortal wounds to a unit within 12", and if it kills a model will trigger another D3 mortal wound one more time.

Lady Olynder: Of course, Our Lady is on the list. She's a level 2 wizard, which means that she can cast and unbind twice. Olynder also comes with her own unique spell Grief-stricken, which on a 7
will make an enemy unit within 18" have to subtract 1 from all their hit rolls, while also granting +1 to all melee weapons that target them. Unfortunately, Olynder does not have access to access to
any casting bonuses, so even her own spell is a hard cast with a high chance of failure. Still, her other abilities can more than make up for this obvious slight of Our Lady's power, provided you can
keep her safe enough to use them.

Guardian of Souls: The last of our allegiant wizards, this is also our only unnamed one and means that you can assign an artefact to him that neither Reikenor or Olynder can have. The GoS has
access to a set of artefacts that are unique to him: Lightshard of the Harvest Moon, Wychlight Lantern, and Beacon of Nagashizzar. If you have been following my hints elsewhere in this guide, then
you know that I think that Wychlight is usually the best option, and maybe by now you see why. Casting bonuses come very rarely to us, and an extra digit on the die roll can make all the difference.

Nighthaunt Spell Lores

Soul Cage: A tactical spell if there ever was one with two effects baked in, Soul Cage can be a nasty bit of magic in the right spot. For a casting value of 6, a unit within 12" loses its ability to retreat
and must now wait until the end of the combat phase before it can fight. Going "at the end" means it's likely that the unit you're targeting won't be able to fight back until after the two or more units
you just shoved in its face have had a swing, potentially ending them before they could retaliate. But this spell can also buy time, which sometimes is all you need; just affecting an enemy unit with it
can make your opponent reconsider a charge move if that unit wasn't already engaged in combat, and if they were in combat a whole phase's actions have to be decided before theirs can.

Spirit Drain: What Spirit Drain is, is easy to cast. On a 4, within 18", roll a die for every Wound characteristic your target has, and for each 6 give out a mortal wound. Considering that's only a
16.67% chance, per die, to do damage, you won't see this spell taken very often. Still, feel it out if anyone tends to bring a double-digit Wounds hero to the table.

Lifestealer: With a casting value of 7, you'll probably find it's the best on Reikenor. It's just a D3 of mortals within 12", but it returns that much to the caster. Snuffing those candles on himself
doesn't seem so bad of an idea anymore. Nailing the cast and preventing the unbind with his bonuses make this almost his sure-pick spell.

Reaping Scythe: Now, this is an underestimated spell. Casting value of 4, so really reliable, and it gives any single weapon the caster's holding re-roll both hits and wounds until the next hero
phase. Mitigated by the fact that it only targets the wizard who cast it, the only native wizard who'd benefit from it is Lady Olynder, and oh does she ever. Re-rerolling fails on her Staff of Midnight,
when combined with the rest of her damaging abilities, makes her into a curb-stomping Queen. With the Midnight Tome, there are a few other heroes who might like this spell, too; Krulghast
Cruciator for sure, Knight of Shrouds (either one), Spirit Torment, or even Dreadblade Harrow.

Shademist: Since, as an army, we will want to focus on staying alive, and in the fight, Shademist is likely the superior spell for any wizard who's not Reikenor or Lady Olynder. Maybe even if they
are. Casting on a 6, a Nighthaunt unit wholly within 12" gains a buff of -1 to wound rolls for all attacks that target that unit. Not a lot of abilities buff wound rolls out there, so this tends to be a harder
counter to taking damage than -hit effects. And, we no longer have access to Mystic Shield or All-Out Defense, so this is our only avenue to protection outside of 6. To give you an idea of how
powerful this is, a reduction of 1-to-wound is about 25% less damage on average coming in.

Spectral Tether: If it weren't the only spell that we have that can heal heroes, I'd say this was a hard pass. Casting value of 6, 12" range, and D3 wounds, it's not a lot of healing when compared to
the myriad other ways we can put wounds back into a unit. But, since this can only work on heroes, and our heroes lack sources of healing, this becomes a spell to factor. I would bring a Spirit
Torment, instead, unless this spell were going to a Guardian of Souls. Captured Soul Energy can't be interrupted, after all.

Universal Spell Lores

Ghost-mist: The only universal spell that might be of service, this spell targets a terrain feature up to 6" away, and on a cast value of 5, makes it block line-of-sight. If any model wants to target
another model, they have to draw a line from closest parts of each and if that line passes through more than 3" worth of that terrain, visibility is blocked. This is great to block ranged attackers.

Nighthaunt Endless Spells

Under the new Endless Spells rules even our own spells have some niche uses we never had before. Unlike before, Predatory Endless Spells remain in the control of the wizard who cast it for up to
30" away. That wizard only loses control if they cast a second Predatory Endless Spell and then have to choose which they control and which goes wild, as they can only command one at a time.
This allows us to better control the spells we cast, and gives our opponent only the option to dispel them, as long as we mind the range.

A word of advice: If an Endless Spell has a casting value of 6 or less, it's fair game, though you may want a Guardian of Souls with a Wychlight or Corpse Candle attempting it. However, if you're
looking at a 7 or higher, save that for a self-wounding Corpse Candle, or better, Reikenor. There are a few reasons for this; you want an initial casting roll that's good enough to cast the spell, you
want an unbind that's more likely to be higher than your opponent can roll, and if they are spending casting slot on dispelling it that's one less spell they can cast that phase.

Shyish Reaper: Our physical iconification of death, yeah? This giant scythe appears on a cast value of 6 and up to 6" away. It can then move 8" and fly. You have to pivot the scythe when you move
it, and then push it that direction, but when it comes to a stop any models that it passed across (including the pivot), and any that are within 1" of it after it stops, their units must roll 2d6. If the
result is the same or higher than the unit's save, D3 mortal wounds. This does better against targets with otherwise impenetrable save values giving you a way to pierce that armor.

Vault of Souls: It's a box. Of doom? Another 6 cast and 6" range spell that can also move 8" and fly, but when it stops look for all the models within 6" of it and roll a dice for each. Any 6's and that
model suffers 1 mortal wound. And then once 10 damage has been allocated in this way, the box explodes. Roll a dice for any units still within 6" of it and on a 2+ that unit suffers the number on the
die in additional mortal wounds. Afterwards it poofs out of existence until you cast it again. This is our horde-killer spell, Frightful Touch in a box. The more bodies near it, the more dice you get to
roll, but anything not a 6 is a whiff, so don't rely on it.
 Mortalis Terminexus: Phantom hourglass supported by the souls of the damned. Man, I wish this spell was so different. As it is, another casting value 6 (to round out our 666) and a range of 18".
It, too, can move 8" and fly. This one works like a Chronomantic Cogs in that it has two time modes. But, unlike Cogs, the times are reverse or fast, with reverse healing D3 wounds to all units within
6" and fast dealing D3 wounds to all units in the same range, but after a dice check of 2+. This doesn't return models why? Missed opportunity there. But it can still be useful as a hero support
spell. Now that we can always control it just keep it behind Lady O or another hero and get D3 back every turn. Until its dispelled.

Universal Endless Spells

Aethervoid Pendulum: Slightly cheaper than our own Shyish Reaper, this is an alternative. Ask yourself, will it be easier to beat an opponent's save with 2d6 or easier to get a 2+ on a single die?
Do you want a blade that can go in any direction, or just a straight line in the direction it was set in? That's the difference. Oh, and this is cast on a 5.

Balewind Vortex: Just kidding. It's gone now.

Chronomantic Cogs: This spell used to be meta back in the 2.0 days. No longer table-wide and not as strong, the fast mode of this spell still allows you to +1 to charge rolls, but only for units who
are wholly within 18" of it at the time of declaration. While that might still be useful, the slow mode might be more so, giving any wizard within 6" of it 1 extra spell cast in the hero phase. It doesn't
follow the new Endless Spell rules as tightly, though, as if you have two wizards within 6" of it, one of yours and one of your opponent's, it's whoever turn it is that decides the speed. So you'll want
to keep them away.

Emerald Lifeswarm: Want another source of model-return? For a casting value of 6, you can set this down in the thick of combat and watch it return D3 wounds to one unit within 1" of it, that
being yours. Even better, if no wounds are needing to be healed, it will return D3 models instead. Don't lose control of this one or it may move its 8" away from you or target something else. As an
alternative, you can also park it in your backfield and use Spectral Summons to pull units back to heal up.

Horrorghast: This spell now prevents command abilities in the battleshock phase. That alone might be worth taking this thing, but it also makes D3 more models flee if the unit fails the check. But,
it's a 12" radius so that can include our own stuff, too. Cast of 6, range of 12", movement of 8" and flying, be sure to park this one behind enemy units you're engaged with, or about to take on.

Malevolent Maelstrom: One thing we can't do is reliably shut down enemy casting. We can force them make some choices about it, though. Cast this on a 5, set it up 6" away, and then fly it
another 8". Get it within 12" of an enemy wizard and let them cast their spells. Since the new Predatory Endless Spell rules, you'll maintain control of this as long as your wizard that cast it stays
within 30", so it's a safe bet your opponent now has this ticking timebomb on their shoulder they now have to spend a spell slot dispelling instead of casting on you. Or risk it eventually blowing up.
Or try to move away from, but since this can move 8" it will likely keep up. Set up a counter in the form of a dice next to this spell when you cast it. Each time a spell is successfully cast within 12" of
it, or someone dies within 12" of it, the Maelstrom adds 1 to the counter. It maxes out at 6. At the end of every combat phase, roll a dice and add this value. If it's a 10 or more, boom, and everything
within 12" of it takes D3 mortal wounds and the model disappears. The chances are somewhat likely. The first time this becomes available is after 3 spells or deaths near it and you roll a 6. When
the counter is maxed at 6 you need only a 4 or more.

Prismatic Palisade: Wait, hear me out. Cheap, 5 on the casting roll, and it's a big ole bright wall you can put between you and their ranged units. It's complete cover if a line from the closest point
of their model passes through the Palisade on the way to the closest point of yours. Sure, they'll move around it on their way to get to you, but more importantly, they'll have to. And maybe lose a
buff for moving. There's a lot of ranged units out there, at least make them work for their shots.

Purple Sun of Shyish: This has some risk to it. May the die be in your favor, because this spell is excellent at thinning out some horde or ranged units a tiny bit that you don't want bothering you.
Bit of a hard cast at 8, range of 6", flight of another 8", and a footprint the size of someone's mother, this spell can be hard to get into position, especially in the thick of a fight. Add to that its
chance of going wild no matter what you wanted, even on the turn you cast it, because at the end of the hero phase you roll a dice and on a 5+ off it goes. But, wild or not, if it passes over any
models when it moves then a dice is rolled for those units, and on a 2-5 that's D3 mortals. On a 6 that's D6. Worth it?

Quicksilver Swords: Alternatively, you can swap purple for silver and try this out. 6 cast, 6" range, 8" fly, and after it moves you can pick a single unit that it had passed across and roll 12 dice. Yep,
12. Any 6s and that's a mortal wound. That's Frightful Touch from two Spirit Hosts! Oh, and the cherry on this skewer? No ward rolls for the damage. Pricey little spell, though, for that extra damage
potential.

Suffocating Gravetide: As an alternative to the alternative you can swap silver for sickly green and go surfing. One of the cheaper spells here in the "anti-horde" category, this one tags units via
models like all the rest, but gets to roll a dice for the number of models in each unit it affected. Any 6s are mortal wounds. Cast on a 6, set it up 6" away, and move it 8" with the customary fly, and
go for the thickest of enemy units.

Relics Primed for Corruption

I have a few artefacts that have become favorites, each with a utility that I think benefits a Nighthaunt army in some novel and meaningful ways. As an army, you can choose whatever your home
realm is and gain access to that realm's artefact in addition to any that come with Nighthaunt. You also gain access to the artefact that exists in the realm you will be fighting in, should you want to
take it, assuming you knew beforehand. And, now universal artifacts! We're spoilt for artefacts to choose from and though our native ones will almost always be better, some can compliment
Nighthaunt artefacts nicely.

Nighthaunt Artefacts

Shadow's Edge: Frightful Touch on a 6, but D3 mortal wounds instead. On any hero you can pump up the number of swings on; this can toss some excellent saveless damage.

Slitter: After picking this weapon's carrier to fight, but before they pile in, select an enemy model within 1" and roll a dice. If higher than the model's Wound characteristic, that model dies. Use this
after the enemy unit has attacked so that they can no longer move for the rest of that phase. If the model killed breaks up the unit more than 1", it is out of cohesion, and additional models have to
be removed until it is back in cohesion. Play this smartly and slice units in half. Be aware that abilities or effects that modify the wound characteristic of your target count toward the total you have
to roll to beat, but current damage allocated does not.

Headsman's Judgement: +1 to hit and wound rolls for one of the bearer's weapons. Simple yet effective.

Midnight Tome: Turns the bearer into a Wizard granting one spell/unbind, and a spell from Nighthaunt Spell Lore. The unbind alone can be worth it, but a well-placed Shademist is even better.

Pendant of the Fell Winds: The bearer of this artefact grants +3" of normal movement to all Nighthaunt units wholly within 12" at the start of their move. This means you can move the units that
are near the bearer first and give them the extra movement, and then the move the bearer closer to another set of units, and they can then be moved with the extra movement as well. We're already
fast, but with this, we're dogs after a bone. Excellent when combined with Flying and getting over those screens.

Realm Artefacts

Rest in Peace Malign Sorcery aretefacts... Gone are the Aetherquartz Brooches and Gryph-feather Charms. Dead are the Gildenbanes. With the release of General's Handbook 2020 each realm
now only comes with one artefact, a change which is intended to put more emphasis on the selection that come in each army's battletome instead of seeing the same handful across every army.
Still, despite this (and the heavy-felt loss of Aetherquartz Brooch) there are a few realm artefacts worth considering. Remember, you can choose a Realm of Origin; where your army hails from, as
well pick the one in whatever Realm of Battle you happen to end up, giving you potentially two more options. Here are my pics, ranked from best to worst.

Gravesand Brooch - Shyish: You can re-roll save rolls of 1 for attacks that target the bearer. A free old-style Mystic Shield? Stronger on us than you might think. Between this and anything below,
this might be best we've got.

Everspring Diadem - Ghyran: In your hero phase, you can heal 1 wound allocated to the bearer. A minor heal potion, eh? Given that our heroes are rather wounds-light, and healing them is more of
a trick than a mechanic for us, healing one a round shouldn't be overlooked, especially since our heroes wear targets on their backs.

Predatorʼs Torc - Ghur: You can re-roll charge rolls for the bearer. Not so important for a Wave of Terror attempt, but you don't want to leave your threat units without hero support and this could
mean the difference of making that happen. The re-roll Core Rule means you only get one re-roll of the charge per declaration, but it's free saving you a Command Point. Given that you generally
don't want your heroes in combat you can weigh risk vs. reward for this artefact.

Incandescent Rageblade - Aqshy: Pick 1 of the bearer's melee weapons. If the unmodified hit roll for an attack made by that weapon is a 6, that attack scores 2 hits on the target instead of 1.
Make a wound and save roll for each hit. This is an additional hit, so on the Lord Executioner or Cairn Wraith you can gain an additional effect. A 6 on either hero triggers both their warscroll effect
and this artefact's effect, but only for one of the hits each. For example, if a Lord Executioner rolls a 6 to hit his warscroll gives that attack 2 damage. This artifact then grants 1 extra hit, but it will
still be 1 damage. Similarly the Cairn Wraith's 6 would score both a mortal wound (and no further rolls for that damage) and an additional hit.

The rest of the realm artefacts are situational. Our Nighthaunt artefacts are demonstrably more powerful or fill in our niches better, but if you want to give a combat hero a re-roll hits or wounds,
give those a gander. However, whatever you do, avoid the Plate of Perfect Protection from Chamon. It literally does nothing for us thanks to our Ethereal.

Universal Artefacts

Arcane Tome: Bearer is a wizard. They know Arcane Bolt and Mystic Shield, the latter of which useless to us. But, importantly this allows that hero to unbind, or if they were already a wizard, cast
an additional spell. Can be useful if you already put Midnight Tome on someone else.

Seed of Rebirth: Re-roll Heroic Recovery rolls. If we need healing.

Architectures of Torture

Next, let me touch on a few things I'd want you to keep in mind as you tackle the challenges of enemy armies and tactics. These are a few guiding principles that have seen me to victory more often
than not, and I hope they do the same for you.

Always do this

Use From the Underworlds for at least one unit: You never know when an opportunity might show up, and just having something in reserve can save a bad game or keep an opponent too worried
to commit fully.

Build your list with a focused goal: We are often not considered competitive or tournament-level because we suffer from the "one list does not fit all" problem other armies with above 50% win-
rates don't have. Don't try to do too much with a single list. Instead, focus on a clear goal, like objective claiming/holding, and hone your list to support that goal. Moreover, having a clear plan
means that when things go wrong, you still have sight of your goal and can more easily get back on track.

Use your Command Abilities: Command Points are more plentiful now, but evaporate quickly at the end of the round. With 1 for going first, 2 for going second, 1 for our general on the field, 1+ for
any Core Battalions that grant them once a battle, and 1 per hero that themselves via Heroic Leadership, there will be many opportunities to use them. They have some restrictions, though; A
model cannot issue more than one command a phase, a unit cannot receive more than one command a phase, and the same command ability cannot be used in the same phase, so choose
wisely. Here are the useful universal ones.

Rally: At the start of the hero phase the unit that receives this command can roll 1 dice per missing model and on a 6 return it. The unit must be more than 3" from enemy units at the time.

At the Double: Don't roll a dice for running. It's a 6.

Redeploy: During the enemy movement phase, choose one of your units that's between 9" and 3" of an enemy and make them move D6". It has to stay outside 3" throughout the move.

Forward to Victory: Re-roll a charge roll.

Unleash Hell: If an enemy unit finishes a charge within 9" of one of your units with ranged attacks, fire at them. -1 to hit and can only target the charging unit. The firing unit must be outside
3" of any other enemy units.

All-out Attack: Either shooting or attacking, add 1 to hit rolls for the phase.

Inspiring Presence: Selected unit ignores battleshock tests.

Consider Some Tricks

Underworlds Chainrasps: A standard strategy is to put one or two units of Chainrasps into the Underworlds to drop on an objective right away. Careful with this, because if your units are too small
or not supported with a hero, you might have thrown away your units for not much gain.

Harrow Hopping: Another classic strategy is to use the Dreadblade Harrows to teleport to a position and, if he's your general, spend a Command Point to Spectral Summons a unit onto it. Great for
holding objectives. DHs are also great if carrying support artefacts like the Pendant of the Fell Winds and Midnight Tome, to hop in for some support wherever it may be needed.

Cheap Hero Hunting: A unit of Bladegheists with either a Spirit Torment or a Chainghasts unit can be a cheap-ish set to drop from Underworlds and snipe an enemy backline.

Vicious Spell Eaters: A pack of Myrmourn Banshees can dispel an Endless Spell at the start of the hero phase (Designersʼ Commentary, July 2019) as if they were wizards, but will suffer D3 mortal
wounds for doing so. The buff they receive from this, +1 attacks, is not contingent on taking the damage or losing models, so if you pair them with a model-return mechanic that operates before the
combat phase you can get those models back with the buff, since it's the unit receiving the buff and not the individual models within it. This means you could dispel an Endless Spell, even your own
from the previous turn if you had to, and shrug the wounds or reverse the damage via any of our model return abilities, and then attack in the combat phase with a full unit of +1 attacks. You can
even use this to your advantage "moving" your screamy sisters closer to an enemy unit or up the board by returning the models in any configuration that supports both the ability used and unit
cohesion.

Olynderbomb: Take Lady Olynder and anything you can reliably screen her with. Preferably things that bite, like some Spirit Hosts or Hexwraiths. Especially Hexwraiths if using the Emerald Host
Procession whether or not Olynder is your general. Give her a self-buffing spell like Reaping Scythe or crowd control like Soulcage. Drop the whole lot in someone's backfield and attempt to melt
everything. For a bit more investment you can pair her with a Spirit Torment so that it all benefits from re-rolling 1's to hit and healing/model return.

Mortal Reign: Thanks to the myriad of changes since the before times, my most winningest list has been reduced to cinders. But you can still benefit from the crux of that list, which is a single- or
double-reinforced unit of Spirit Hosts and a Spirit Torment with Pendant of the Fell Winds. In terms of damage, this murderball has some damage. It's not a mindblowing amount, but it's meltingly
good, and when targeting units with 2+ or 3+ saves all those mortal wounds make a difference. If you can, make the Spirit Torment a general and give him Ruler of the Spirit Hosts. Between that
and Captured Soul Energy that murderball won't die anytime soon.

Writs of the Mortarch

Lastly, a few list-building tips and strategies with examples that I hope will help you firmly set your position as a Mortarch of your own sect of Nighthaunt.

How to build a Nighthaunt List

Step One - Goals: Start any list-building venture by first thinking about what you want to accomplish. This is by far the most critical step because if you are not clear on what it is you want to do
with your list, you will find yourself making sub-optimal choices to fill in gaps and rushing to create lists that don't really accomplish anything. Setting a clear goal not only means having a sharp
idea of what you want to do with your list, but it also challenges you to evaluate each choice you make for their individual merits, as well as their contribution to obtaining your goal.

You might think that your goal is obvious: to win. But that's not going to be good enough for our kind of army. Your opponent is going to want to win, as well, and will be bringing tools to the table to
do just that for themselves. Instead, your goals need to be more precise than that. Here are a few examples: Capture Two Objectives on Turn 1, Hold Two Objectives for at Least Three Turns, Take
an Opponent's Objective, Eliminate a Certain Enemy Hero, Eliminate a Certain Enemy Unit, Eliminate the Enemy General, Defend Two Heroes for at Least Three Turns. A good source of goal ideas
are Hidden Agendas, too. Whether or not you actually use them in a game, they can be great guiding ideas to shape your army around.

Thanks to the dynamic style of play From the Underworlds They Come brings, your games are going to be a combination of at least two types of goals; direct and indirect. Your direct goal is what
you are going to be spending most of your resources achieving while your indirect goal is going to be what you use to assist your direct goal. In terms of gameplay, if your direct goal concerns
objectives, build most of your list to allow you to take them and keep them. If your direct goal is to hurt enemy units, take more units that can deal damage and meet the enemy on your terms. The
rest of your list should support your indirect goal.

In most cases, you will leverage Underworlds to facilitate your indirect goal, so you can decide when to alter or enforce your direct strategy. More on this in a bit.

Your goals are also going to be informed by your available models, the points limit of the game, your tactical prowess, and your opponent--any of which may or may not be known to you before
showing up to play. More importantly, by selecting your goals first, you will already start making choices about how you are going to build to achieve them and know what to do when you encounter
your opposition and setbacks.

Step Two - Tactical Structures: There are many styles of tactical play available to Age of Sigmar armies. Hammer and Anvil, for example, is a very popular choice for most armies given its real-
world historical significance and ease-of-use. Though there is no wrong choice in tactics if you are having fun playing, there are certain styles that work better for us than others. Let's detail three
of these styles and how they pertain to Nighthaunt.

Hammer and Anvil: This tactic gets all the fame and glory. It is the most basic and straightforward of the army-style tactics, can be deadly offensively, and can dominate the field defensively. It's
also the most adaptable tactic to the large swath of army types available to play. If you are paring up against an opponent who knows their stuff, chances are you will see a variation of H&A. The
concept is simple; the bulk of your force is comprised of either a lot of wounds or a lot of armor, a thick shield of toughness that acts as a solid platform--an anvil. The rest of your army is
comprised of a highly mobile--or ranged capable--hammer. The anvil serves as a stationary or slowly mobile fixed force that ties up enemy movement through combat. Once engaged, the hammer
comes sweeping in to slam upon the opponent from the other side. The opponent, then, is caught between the two forces and is left with a bad situation. It cannot run because of the anvil, and it
cannot stay and fight because of the hammer. However, this technique has a downside that Nighthaunt makes evident either using it or playing against it: Hammer and Anvil tactics rely on some
kind of overwhelming power. You either need to greatly outnumber your opponent and tie them down or greatly out-fight them while you've got them. Anything less and you will have a crippled
army trying to defend a losing position. As Nighthaunt we simply lack a sturdy enough of an anvil to make great use of this tactic; our best saves are 4+, our most wounds for the points are
Chainrasps with a 5+ save, and our best fences, Spirit Hosts, are just too expensive and too small a unit. But, for our opponents that happen to use H&A, our creative uses of Fly, Underworlds, and
Spectral Summons can render an anvil useless giving us a huge advantage against it.

Envelopment: The Macedonians created H&A and then the Romans perfected it. But then Carthage comes along and decimates it with this tactic. Envelopment doesn't rely on anything
overwhelming at all to get its job done. Instead, this tactic focuses on exposing weaknesses in an opponent's army, and targeting in a more direct way their lifelines and advantages. It works by first
identifying your opponent's likely strengths--such as their their H&A tactic--and avoiding them altogether. Envelopment is synonymous with "flanking" and opts to ignore the more heavily-guarded
or deadly front or advancing side of an army and sweeping around the side to strike at the meaty sides and rear. This is generally done with a H&A-style deployment, but the anvil in this case is
purely a diversionary device. It gets the attention of your opponent long enough for you to drop or maneuver your more killy units around the side. The advantages of this tactic are that it requires
far less of a body count to be effective, you usually have clear lines of retreat or regrouping should you need it, and a confused or off-put opponent who now needs to hurriedly plan their next
move. However, a high degree of coordination is required to make this tactic work, which means more extensive planning and forethought. Also, if you are unable to establish an element of surprise
in your opponent, you could be setting up your threat units to get wiped from the board.

Pincer: If H&A is considered to be a brute force tactic, and Envelopment might be considered dirty trickery, then Pincer should be considered elegance in motion. Older than both the tactics I
described above, this tactic was first outlined by Sun Tzu. You know, the guy who wrote The Art of War in 500 B.C.? You might have heard of it. "When your quarry goes to ground, leave no ground
to go to." "What is of supreme importance in war is to attack the enemy's strategy." Sun Tzu wrote the definitive structure of war for any army who does not want to, or cannot, strike from a position
of ultimate power. Sun Tzu wrote a book about tactics that are tailor made for Nighthaunt. In fact, I might even go so far as to say that when Nighthaunt were designed The Art of War might have
been the inspiration. As such, I believe tactics such as Pincer are our superior mode of choice. Fundamentally, Pincer is a lot like Envelopment, but instead uses two or more maneuvering elements.
Instead of sweeping around to one side or another, you move your units in from both sides, or all angles, to encapsulate your opponent's resources or threats. This works perfectly with Underworlds
and Spectral Summons, allowing us to stage our mobile and bloodthirsty units in out-of-the-way locations, if even on the table, until they are needed. You can lean on the diversionary tactic of
Envelopment to try to set your opponent off-foot but you don't rely on it, needing it only to pull your opponent out of formation and exposing one or two angles of vulnerability. This means you can
set up your pseudo-anvils or posture like you are using Envelopment, and if your opponent catches on and neutralizes them your true Pincer tactic comes into play to make them pay for it. The
simplest way to engineer this strategy is to place your diversionary units or mobile screens on the field while you place your threat units into reserves. You then push forward with your fielded units,
knowing full well they are temporary, before summoning in your reserves to deal out the devastating damage a bit later. The advantages of this tactic are that it is quick to set up, is flexible enough
to adapt to most situations, and can provide an effective and damaging response to any pain points. The disadvantages, however, are that this will require planning several steps ahead of your
opponent, careful coordination of all your units, and the potential of over-committing units to a lost cause.

I have a clear favorite here, but all three tactics are certainly viable for use on the table. Selecting one early and adapting it to your goals will allow you to make better decisions about the following
steps.

Step Three - Troops: The backbone of any good team is not the leaders that lead them, but the team members who put in the effort. An army is no different. Now that you have a clear goal in
mind, your troop choices become much more manageable. If, for example, your goals were to take a couple objectives by the end of turn 1 and then hold them for as long as possible, you might
already be looking at large blobs of Chainrasp Hordes and Spirit Hosts to put in the Underworlds, or Hexwraiths to move and run up the board. If your goals are to fight for objectives and defend the
objective holders, then you might lean more toward Grimghast Reapers, Dreadscythe Harridans, and Bladegheist Revenants as damage dealers and Glaivewraith Stalkers as cheap objective
holders.

Troops have set unit sizes as detailed in their section at the beginning of the guide. So part of your troop choices is going to be to decide which ones get reinforced and how many times.

Your troop choices need to reflect your goals. Reject anything that doesn't fit.

Step Four - Heroes: Heroes are our linchpins, but not so much so that you should be building your list around them. There will be scenarios in which you will design hero-centric lists--Emerald
Host being a good example--but in a competitive sense, your heroes are best thought of as your support structure and not your primary focus. They are the bones underneath the muscle. They
should come fourth in your decision-making process.

You need heroes for Deathless Spirits ward rolls, a few bring buffs to enhance units, and they are your only source of healing and model-return mechanics. But, except in the rarest of cases, none
of them will be the unit that wins the game. It will be the troops they are supporting that do that. So, make choices that compliment the troops instead of the other way around. Spirit Torments are
great with Bladegheists, Spirit Hosts, other heroes, and the Black Coach. Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed is great for anything that wants to have more attacks. Knight of Shrouds on foot is
great for anyone not already swinging at 3+ or better. Guardian of Souls for clutch casting or his +1 to wound rolls. Krulghast Cruciator for his ward buff.

Depending on your point limit, you will have a hard cap on how many heroes you can bring, and my rule of thumb is to take that limit and subtract 25%. That means for a Vanguard (1,000+) match
aim for 3 heroes, and for a Battlehost (2,000+), aim for 4. This allows for some room for customization without running too few heroes. After your 3 or 4 Nighthaunt heroes consider your points and
if a troop choice can fill any gaps. After that, feel free to drop in an ally or another NH hero.

Step Five - Enhancements: By now, you should have a firm idea of what your list is going to do. You have your goals, the units that will achieve those goals, and the heroes who will back them up.
Now, it's time to think about enhancing them. Enhancements are the bits and baubles, the interchangeable and intangible parts to your army that help shape what they can do. The Procession you
choose, the Command Trait you general gets (or is forced to take), the artefacts you take (or are forced to take), the spells you select, and the Triumph you opt for all fall into this category.

When building your list you get a set of these for free: 1 Command Trait, 1 artefact, 1 spell per wizard, and the triumph. Certain Core Battalions allow you to select an additional one of any of these
categories except Command Trait. For example, if your list includes Lady Olynder and a Guardian of Souls, and you already selected Soulcage for the Lady and Shademist for the Guardian, if you
use the Core Battalion ability Magnificent you could elect to have another Spell Lore enhancement. You could then choose another spell for each wizard, such as Shademist so both the Lady and
Guardian have that option, and Ghost-mist for the Guardian. Enhancements don't allow for extra spell casting, so Olynder can still only cast two and the Guardian one, nor could Shademist be
attempted more than once per hero phase, but your options of who casts what are opened up. Same applies to artefacts, no two Pendants of the Fell Winds out there.

None of the options at this step should be the decision that makes or breaks your army. Instead, they should be the kinds of choices akin to sharpening your weapons or reinforcing your shields.
Your game shouldn't hinge upon if you took the right spell or artefact. Procession: The Emerald Host might be your key to keeping your general alive, but your list shouldn't depend on the Host to
succeed. You shouldn't purposefully dock your points for the hope at using your Triumph. These enhancement choices should give an already formidable list an edge that's needed to secure a win.

Final Step - From the Underworlds: Finally, you've got a list of ghostly delights, and it's time to think about how you are going to use them. You aren't done building an army until you consider the
pre-game and early-to-mid-game tactics you will employ utilizing that army. A good deployment can just as easily win you the game as a bad deployment can lose it, and you could have crafted the
perfect list only to see it swallowed whole by a wrong decision you made on turn 1. From the Underworlds is going to be the most reliable tactic, hands down, you can use to protect yourself from a
bad start and take an advantage in the early game, and this final step is going to try to teach you how to use it properly.

Final Step A - What's Going into the Underworlds: You get to put half of your units into the Underworlds, but you're going to want to select which ones and how many do so carefully. Again, refer
back to your goals. The units that support your indirect goal are likely going to be the ones you're going to want to put into the Underworlds for the simple fact they will be off the field for some
time and can appear almost anywhere. For example, if your direct goal is to eliminate at least two enemy units and your indirect goal is to cap objectives by the end of turn 1, you will want to put the
objective takers into the Underworlds for a quick drop while your threat units engage and tie up the units you're targeting. If your goals are the reverse of this, then put your threat units into the
Underworlds to drop down and distract your opponent while you march your objective takers up the field. Refer to Step One - Goals section again to decide which goals to focus on and how to
build a list to support them.

Final Step B - When To Deploy from the Underworlds: You have until the end of your movement phase in the third turn to drop units you put in the Underworlds. This gives you plenty of time. Once
again, your goals are going to dictate when you're going to drop the units you put in reserve. Objective takers, for example, you'll likely drop turn 1. Defenders, attackers, strike units, or
an Olynderbomb, might wait all the way until turn 3, or whenever the timing is right.

Underworlds is a tactical choice, and so will require both planning and patience. If you are unused to From the Underworlds and tend to feel exposed, practice with objective holding or light
skirmish units until you feel comfortable enough to place high-value units there, and adjust your goals and lists to support that.

Sample Lists and their Goals

And now for the section that everyone's been waiting for; just what does all this fancy-talk of building lists actually look like. I'll include a few examples here, each that I consider to be of a
competitive level. This means that I've played the list more than once and it won the majority of the time. This also means that these examples are snapshots in time; they worked for me and my
local meta and at the points they currently are. If and when points change, or the meta changes, this section will fall out of date and may not be as valid. I will try to keep it updated.

Note: Both the newness of AoS 3.0 and the inability to gather much thanks to the pandemic, I will have to update this section with lists as they prove themselves. In the meantime, if you have a
formidable list send it my way and I'll include it here and credit you for it.

Sample List Template

8 Hide contents

Army List

(copy and paste from Warscroll Builder after hitting the ? in the circle next to the save button)

Goals: Direct - Direct Goal. Indirect - Indirect Goal.

How to play: Description on how to play the list.

More coming soon...

Portraits of Grief

Thanks for reading! Please comment and share this guide if you found it helpful or have something you want to add.

As a bonus, if you ever wondered what this pontificating Mortarch might model and paint their army, catch the gallery below.

Portraits of Grief - The Grand Procession of the Enixian …

June 1, 2020 9

From the blog "The Procession of the Enixian Duskhaunt"

Behold the Grand Procession of the Enixian Duskhaunt Gathered en
masse in numbers untold. Well, actually, the number
is 274 (about a dozen not pictured) models and is worth over 8,000 p…

7 2 3 comments

Edited July 19 by EnixLHQ

Updates to allies

14 6 5

Previous entry
∠ Portraits of Grief - The Grand Procession of the …

46 Comments

1 2 NEXT ∠ Page 1 of 2 $

D
dmorley21 + 238
Posted February 7, 2020

This is a tremendous post.

A couple quick things. First is that the ethereal amulet does nothing for Nighthaunt. We're already ethereal, and allies can't take it.

Second, I'd definitely add Pendant of the Fell Wind as an artefact worth taking. The +3 movement is absolutely huge in a game of objectives when our models all have Fly.

Third, I'd definitely include endless spells. Chronomantic Cogs is such a useful spell for Nighthaunt, that I feel that it needs to be mentioned. Using Reikenor to cast Purple Sun or Geminids is
also really fun/useful.

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EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 7, 2020

6 On 2/7/2020 at 3b08 AM, dmorley21 said: 7

This is a tremendous post.

A couple quick things. First is that the ethereal amulet does nothing for Nighthaunt. We're already ethereal, and allies can't take it.

Second, I'd definitely add Pendant of the Fell Wind as an artefact worth taking. The +3 movement is absolutely huge in a game of objectives when our models all have Fly.

Third, I'd definitely include endless spells. Chronomantic Cogs is such a useful spell for Nighthaunt, that I feel that it needs to be mentioned. Using Reikenor to cast Purple Sun or
Geminids is also really fun/useful.

How funny. Ethereal was supposed to be Fel Wind. I referenced it enough in the article, but when I copy/pasted I didn't catch that. I'll fix that soon.

I'll definitely add some Endless Spells soon.

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N
Nogginnocker + 22
Posted February 7, 2020

6 Quote

Slitter: After picking this weapon's carrier to fight, but before they pile in, select an enemy model within 1" and roll a dice. If greater than the model's Wound characteristic (which is
current wounds, not total), that model dies.

Really excellent write-up. Thank you for this! One correction though, “Wound characteristic” is not the same as “remaining wounds.” It refers to the maximum number of wounds on the
warscroll. This is the same mechanic as the Megaboss ability “strength from victory” for Ironjawz.

+ Quote 1

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 8, 2020

6 On 2/8/2020 at 12b16 AM, Nogginnocker said: 7

Really excellent write-up. Thank you for this! One correction though, “Wound characteristic” is not the same as “remaining wounds.” It refers to the maximum number of wounds on the
warscroll. This is the same mechanic as the Megaboss ability “strength from victory” for Ironjawz.

You're right. A "characteristic" is what's labeled on the warscroll, but can be modified. Damage isn't a modifier, it's an allotment of wounds. I'll change that later.

Also, dispelling is FAQed to be a "start of the hero phase" action, so I'll update a tactic concerning that, as well.

Thanks!

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The_Dudemeister + 135
Posted February 10, 2020

6 Quote

Unfortunately, since Nimbus of Power and No Rest for the Wicked take place during the hero phase, and not the start of it, models returned with those abilities won't benefit from the
buff.

What do you mean by that?

Also, unlike the self-healing, returning models with Nimbus of Power happens at the start of the hero phase oddly enough

+ Quote

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 10, 2020

6 On 2/10/2020 at 5b21 PM, The_Dudemeister said: 7

What do you mean by that?

Also, unlike the self-healing, returning models with Nimbus of Power happens at the start of the hero phase oddly enough

You're right. The self-healing of Nimbus is hero-phase-proper, while the model-return part of it is at the start. I'll update this guide with that.

+ Quote

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 11, 2020

Updated with a new magic section Spells in the Wake of the Necroquake, and added a new magic-related tactic to Architectures of Torture.

Feedback welcome!

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EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 12, 2020

Added a section on the Black Coach and a submission by The_Dudemeister.

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J
Jabbuk + 111
Posted February 15, 2020

Been rereading your guide a few times just to get immersed in my new project. Really love it. I can't wait for you to finish list building tips thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

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R
Reuben Parker + 244
Posted February 15, 2020

Out of interest have you tried any pure horde lists? I saw most NH going for more elite and with battalions etc the lists end up around 130 wounds. However if you go for more horde options
you can get upto 170 plus. I donʼt have the models to try it though. Was thinking max horde and lots of executioners just as tough heroes mainly to bubble out 6+ shrug and re roll charge CA.

Something like

dreadblade

3 executioner

Wraith

2x30 reapers

2x40 chainrasp

12 banshees

Quite a different approach as it would want to be a hammer and board control list instead of the normal surgical / skirmish style.

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D
Dredgejosh + 5
Posted February 18, 2020

This post is awesome! I do have a question. How would you go about putting together a Knightbomb: list. I'm just curious if you have ever done it or had success with it. I really like the idea.
Thank you.

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EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 20, 2020

6 On 2/18/2020 at 8b26 PM, Dredgejosh said: 7

This post is awesome! I do have a question. How would you go about putting together a Knightbomb: list. I'm just curious if you have ever done it or had success with it. I really like the
idea. Thank you.

I have and it worked, but it can be tricky.

The Knightbomb is an investment. You will want to build a list around what can support it so that it can be used effectively. In this case that means being able to put the bomb in the
Underworlds so you can drop it in your opponent's weak spot without being too exposed until you are ready.

A smaller front line of threat units that you could consider "temporary" should be next. Something that you push with at the start of the game that draws attention.

With the rest of your points to try to build out the support needed, like heroes and objective holders, to supplement your on-field units and buy time.

A list I used (and plan on including above when I can get the time to write the list building section) was the Dolorous Guard and Forgotten Scions for the bomb, The Commended for the
objective holders and to steal the ST or Chainghasts for their true purpose, supporting a couple of 10-man Bladegheist units. With the last points I grabbed a Cairn Wraith and the Emerald
Host. Deploy how you like.

The trick will be to make what you don't put into the Underworlds able to pick up your objectives and hold them, pretty much as bait, until you drop the bomb.

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J
Jabbuk + 111
Posted February 23, 2020

Hey @EnixLHQ

Absolutely love the last part about list building and suggestions. I've been reading the Woe to those Afar list and you reference chainghasts a few times while I believe there isn't any in the list
build. Thought I'd mention it. Love the overall strategy though and this is the list is like to go for first.

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EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 23, 2020

6 On 2/23/2020 at 2b55 PM, Jabbuk said: 7

Hey @EnixLHQ

Absolutely love the last part about list building and suggestions. I've been reading the Woe to those Afar list and you reference chainghasts a few times while I believe there isn't any in
the list build. Thought I'd mention it. Love the overall strategy though and this is the list is like to go for first.

You're right. Fixed. That was from an earlier version of that list that didn't do so well.

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S
Snoogens + 18
Posted February 23, 2020

6 On 2/23/2020 at 6b27 PM, EnixLHQ said: 7

You're right. Fixed. That was from an earlier version of that list that didn't do so well.

Would you recommend replacing the balewind and barrier with a Chainghast to roam with the Revenants in case I'm up against an opponent that barely has any ranged things going on, such
as Maggotkin of Nurgle?

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J
Jabbuk + 111
Posted February 24, 2020

@EnixLHQ I noticed none of your suggested lists include the Guardian of Souls and I was under the impression that he was mandatory since he's a really good caster for us. What is your
opinion on him?

+ Quote

J
Jabbuk + 111
Posted February 24, 2020 (edited)

@EnixLHQ (really hate this double post bug on phones.. so sorry)

Edited February 24, 2020 by Jabbuk

+ Quote

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted February 24, 2020

6 On 2/23/2020 at 7b21 PM, Snoogens said: 7

Would you recommend replacing the balewind and barrier with a Chainghast to roam with the Revenants in case I'm up against an opponent that barely has any ranged things going on,
such as Maggotkin of Nurgle?

Sure. There is probably a couple of ways to counter; healing and damage output. Nurgle are spongy, and seem to win their games through a combination of chipping away at armies through
mortal wounds and through debuffs. At first blush I'd suggest doing what you could to reverse the chip damage they can reliably put out; if you can just as reliably return the models they can
shave off, then you're already ahead when it comes to combat rounds. Beyond that focusing on damage output might help, too. Reroll buffs, KoS +to hit (though expensive against Nurgle),
GoS +to wound. Don't forget All Out Attack on units that don't get the buff through other means.

6 On 2/24/2020 at 3b23 AM, Jabbuk said: 7

@EnixLHQ I noticed none of your suggested lists include the Guardian of Souls and I was under the impression that he was mandatory since he's a really good caster for us. What is
your opinion on him?

Definitely not mandatory. A strong optional at best. This is because of what he does, he's a wizard with an unbindable model-return spell and a +1 to wound bubble. If you need another caster
with a Nighthaunt Spell Lore and already have Reikenor (or can't afford him), then certainly take him. If you plan on keeping him out of unbind range to cast Spectral Lure, even better. But,
point per point, Reikenor is a better caster, and if you want unbinding you get more bang with Myrmourn Banshees.

I use GoS, just not often. And he just doesn't appear in my stronger lists most of the time.

6 On 2/24/2020 at 3b24 AM, Jabbuk said: 7

@EnixLHQ (really hate this double post bug on phones.. so sorry)

No worries. Hopefully a mod will see it and delete them. I can't.

+ Quote 1

S
Snoogens + 18
Posted March 2, 2020

6 On 2/24/2020 at 4b04 AM, EnixLHQ said: 7

6 On 2/23/2020 at 7b21 PM, Snoogens said: 7

Would you recommend replacing the balewind and barrier with a Chainghast to roam with the Revenants in case I'm up against an opponent that barely has any ranged things
going on, such as Maggotkin of Nurgle?

Sure. There is probably a couple of ways to counter; healing and damage output. Nurgle are spongy, and seem to win their games through a combination of chipping away at armies
through mortal wounds and through debuffs. At first blush I'd suggest doing what you could to reverse the chip damage they can reliably put out; if you can just as reliably return the
Expand $

With Prismatic and Vortex being removed against a non-ranged army such as Nurgle, and adding a unit of Chainghasts instead, perhaps Reikenor doesn't really have a spot in there?
I'm thinking of something like GoS instead, preferable hanging with the Reapers. The +1 wound and d6 return could be pretty damn neat.
That means the Spirit Torment doesn't necessarily need to hang around there as his aura will be pretty neat with the Revenants instead, especially as I'd be able to aura both the units with the
Chainghast + Spirit Torment there.

Would love your feedback on these thoughts, got a game versus Nurgle coming up this weekend.

+ Quote

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted March 3, 2020

6 On 3/2/2020 at 11b47 PM, Snoogens said: 7

 Would love your feedback on these thoughts, got a game versus Nurgle coming up this weekend.

There's no benefit from having both the Chainghasts and Spirit Torment in range of the Bladegheists unless you mean one buffer unit each for a couple of units of 'gheists.

Yeah, Reikenor can take a seat if you want to take GoS instead and spend the points on something else. Just be sure to give him the Wychlight so whatever he casts for you you'll get that +1.
But if you don't need a caster, or just don't want either of these wizards, you could always throw a Midnight Tome on any of the other heroes.

I think a real good counter to some Nurgle blight might be the Dolorous Guard, if you could swing it. Since Nurgle will do some mortals pretty certainly and regularly, being able to shift some
to the Hexwraiths and then returning the dead ones via Ruler or Olynder would give you some staying power on your general. Worth thinking about.

+ Quote

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted May 18, 2020

Updated!

Added a breakdown of three tactical styles: Hammer and Anvil, Envelop, and Pincer under Writs of the Mortarch
Added a new sample list Pressing on the Pain
Added a blip about how Lady Olynder can still shoot after running (it's an ability)
Added a blip about Chainghasts and their flails
Clarified some wordage here and there

+ Quote 1

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted May 21, 2020

Updated again!

Added Lens of Refraction (Hysh) to Relics Primed for Corruption

Added Talisman of the Watcher (Ulgu) to Relics Primed for Corruption
Clarified Know your Tricks under General Tactica to reinforce knowing a battleplan's objective capture rules.
Updated Vicious Spell Eaters under Architectures of Torture to better reflect Myrmourn Banshee's self-buff in regards to taking damage and shrugging/returning models.

+ Quote 2

EnixLHQ + 494
Posted June 16, 2020

Added All To Come Within the Fold, a section that touches on the Mourngul and the Thorns of the Briar Queen. It's located after Battery-Powered Curse Hearse
Cleared up some text about Spirit Torment's Captured Soul Energy ability that was bothering me
All instances of "artefact" now match GW's choice of spelling

+ Quote 1 1

Avatar Rage + 230

Posted June 22, 2020

You are doing Nagashʼs work

+ Quote 1

T
Tamachan + 4
Posted June 29, 2020 (edited)

Great article and interesting insights.

I found that at times, the likelihood statements were slightly confusing or might be even wrong, though.

Let's take this example:

6 Quote

Shroudguard: For such a simple battalion, the net benefit of it cannot be understated. Two units of Bladegheists, our baseline threat units, get a Frenzied Fervor save of 5+ instead of
a Deathless Spirits 6+. Just how much more saving is that? Why it's 33%. In a game of dice and random numbers, giving two of some of your best units a 33% increase in the chances of
just totally ignoring incoming damage is nothing to scoff at. It's no wonder you see this battalion everywhere. It does have some drawbacks to note, however. It's still a Deathless save,
so you still need a hero nearby to grant it, and you need the hero you chose to include in this battalion to see the Frenzied save. A hero that, by the way, doesn't benefit from that tasty
save he's handing out. Despite that, this battalion is excellent for some good ole' fashioned warmongering and tieing up some enemy threat units.

How did you calculate the 33% increase from a 6+ to a 5+ safe? It's either a 50% increase in relative terms (twice as likely to roll a 5+ than a 6+ terms) or a lot clearer in absolute terms a 33%
chance to save instead of a 16.6% chance to save. I think to talk about percentages in absolute terms would be clearer in your text.

Keep up the great work.

Edited June 29, 2020 by Tamachan

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