If you are just starting an Age of Sigmar army, or you want to expand your existing collection you may have considered buying a chunk of miniatures at a discounted price. Games Workshop comes at the rescue with Spearhead sets, that are a group of miniatures belonging to an army combined together at a discounted price.
These boxes have an added bonus since the fourth edition: they are now fully playable out-of-the-box in the newest Age of Sigmar format that has the same name as the box: Spearhead.
Spearhead uses the same core rules as Age of Sigmar without any of the advanced rules that may make the game more complicated. It also reduces the army building exercise greatly as you will have really only 2 options, and it halves the gaming time as the forces clashing in a much smaller battlefield have around 5/6 units each.
In this overview we are going first to present briefly how the new format works, and then focus on all Spearhead armies available by faction. We will also be mentioning some other discounted boxes that allow to save some bucks even if they don’t have rules. Please note that not all Spearhead armies are available in a box branded Spearhead. When this is the case we will provide the information on where to find the relevant units.
The article has been updated with December 2024 FAQ. You can find the main changes here labelled as [Dec 2024 FAQ] or the full extract in Warhammer Community download section.
Aside from the Spearhead sets, Games Workshop occasionally produces limited edition sets around a theme (like the recent Regiments of Renown for the Dawnbringers series), an edition (like the recent Skaventide box set for AoS 4.0 launch) or for Christmas (the famous battleforces). Since those are limited edition and their availability can vary from few minutes to few weeks, they are not considered here.
Before presenting all Spearhead armies, we will have a summary table.
Quick overview of Spearhead rules
Spearhead is a quick Age of Sigmar format played on a battlefield 30″ x 22″ with a pre-built army list and a fun set of rules with plenty of twists. The rules are exactly the same as the Core Rules, so you can to ignore all Advanced Rules from the Core Book. The Spearhead reference sheet is available for free on the Warhammer Community website and summarizes all core abilities to use in a game.
To play you’ll need first a Spearhead box or army, a battlepack (the first one published is Fire and Jade available for free in Warhammer Community download section), and the warscrolls that are available for free in the indexes published for the fourth edition or on the Age of Sigmar app or in most recent battletome.
To prepare for a game you can follow these 5 simple steps as described in the core rules:
1. Pick a Spearhead army
While most armies come straight from a box, some are available in different boxes or could potentially be printed in other official publications like White Dwarf. Further below you’ll find a list of all official Spearhead armies.
To play them, apart from the miniatures, you’ll need also a set of rules and unit warscrolls. These are usually available in the battletome, but Games Workshop publishes them for free on their website. You can always consult the indexes of your faction and at the end you’ll find the Spearhead rules.
Note that a faction may have multiple armies, each with their own theme and playstyle. For example the Skaven have one army with plenty of bodies and ambushing mechanics, while the other is concentrated on ranged firepower and always moving around.
2. Choose a Realm Battlefield
Each battle is played on a pre-determined battlefield. Fire and Jade introduce Aqshy (realm of Fire) and Ghyran (realm of Life). The size is 30″x22″. You’ll need either the mats provided by Games Workshop with the pre-printed objective position, or a similar sized mat and 5 objective markers.
Each objective has a name, and the cards we will be discussing later refer to those, so be sure to be able to clearly mark which objective is which.
3. Pick your regiment ability and enhancement
Each Spearhead army will have one or more battle traits that explain how the army plays. They are usually an extract from the main Age of Sigmar army battle traits or abilities, and they could be anything from once-per-game powerful abilities, to a passive skill that all or part of your units can benefit from.
For example, a single unit from the Skaven Clawpack can make a normal move once per enemy movement phase, while all units from the Nighthaunt Slasher Host are ethereal, meaning they ignore all modifiers to save rolls.
Apart from that, this is where you’ll be able to customize your army. First you will need to choose a regiment ability between two. Those will characterise more how you are going to play the army.
Then you’ll need to choose an enhancement from a list of usual 4 options. This is a powerful ability that will affect only your general and enables to distinguish further the main hero of this army.
4. Prepare your warscrolls
Every unit in Spearhead has its own warscroll. In it you’ll find all characteristics and abilities which identify that unit. To read it, you can refer to the core rules of Age of Sigmar. The keywords at the bottom of the warscroll will be referred by some abilities so it’s good to familiarise with them.
An important keyword to remember is Reinforcement, highlighted also by a red icon with two white arrows on the top-right corner. Units with this keyword can be deployed once more after they have been destroyed the first time, simulating wave after wave of lowly minions joining the fray.
5. Fight the battle!
All is left is to play the game! The sequence of events is described in the Spearhead reference sheet but at a very high level:
- Players roll off. The winner decides who is the attacker and who is the defender
- Both players choose regiment ability and enhancement
- Defender chooses realm battlefield, deployment map and sets up the terrain first followed by the attacker
- The attacker deploys all its army first and decides who starts the game. Later on will be the winner of the roll off to decide
- The battle round is then composed by these steps:
- The underdog (the player with less victory points) is determined
- A Twist card is drawn
- Each player draws battle tactic cards until they have 3 in their hand
- The battle round starts
- At the end of each player’s turn, victory points are calculated for that player
The battle tactic cards are cards with a top half containing an objective that provides extra victory points when achieved and a bottom part with a one-off powerful ability. You’ll need to choose which half to use as the card is discarded as soon as the ability is used or at the end of the battle round in which you score that objective. You can also discard them at the start of the following battle round before drawing a new hand.
The Twist cards are cards that can affect the battlefield and give great bonuses to the underdog or hinder both players. This keeps every turn dynamic and unpredictable. For example, a card could mention that a specific objective cannot be contested and actually explodes damaging any unit within its area.
The game ends after 4 battle rounds. Note that future Spearhead battlepacks may alter this sequence of events and may introduce more realm battlefield, twist and battle tactic cards.
Table overview of Spearhead armies: explanation
In the table below you can see all the different value added boxes for Age of Sigmar. It will give you the perfect overview of cost, savings, characteristic and a direct link to a shop where (based on your location) you can actually get the box cheaper.
In the table you can see the following information:
- Spearhead name: name of the Spearhead army.
- Box: picture of the box it contains the army.
- Buy box: if you like this tool, feel free to buy one of the boxes via the link provided here. I will get a small commission (no extra cost for you) if you buy something after you click a link.
- Faction: the faction the box belongs to.
- Alliance: which of the four Grand Alliances the faction belongs to.
- Price: the price in £ if you buy the box at the normal retail price (GW price).
- Discount: the discount in price if you compare the price of the box with buying each unit individually (with GW prices).
- General: the unit that is selected to be the general of the army.
- SH Units.: the number of Spearhead units available in the box. Note that the number of units in AoS may differ.
- Notes: mostly used in case the box is not a standard Spearhead.
Chaos Age of Sigmar Value Added Boxes and Spearheads
Blades of Khorne
Bloodbound Gore Pilgrims
The Blades of Khorne Spearhead is the rebranded Vanguard box which allows to field the Bloodbound Gore Pilgrim army.
The general is a Slaughterpriest and this is the full list of units available:
- Slaughterpriest
- 5 Blood Warriors
- 5 Blood Warriors
- 10 Bloodreavers
- 3 Mighty Skullcrushers
Note that the Blood Warriors in Age of Sigmar have to be fielded in units of 10. There’s no difference in weapon layout so you can still use the AoS configuration with 1 in 10 Goreglaive.
The battle traits for this army revolve around the Blood Tithe concept: each time any unit is destroyed, you receive 1 blood tithe point. Then, during any hero phase, the points can be used either to move D3 friendly units up to D6″ (murderlust, costs 1 point) or to improve the rend of up to 3 units by 1 (heads must roll, costs 3 points).
The regiment abilities allow either to receive more blood tithe points each of your turns (to a maximum of 4 more per game), or to give units who already fought a 5+ ward for that combat phase. The enhancements contain some interesting options but our favourite is a 5+ ward to increase the general chances to survive.
The Slaughterpriest is a priest and as such he’s better he stays away from the toughest fights. With his abilities he can damage an enemy unit at 16″ range, or a friendly unit to get some blood tithe points.
The Mighty Skullcrushers are the heavy cavalry with an 8″ movement that is still a fast speed in a Spearhead battlefield. They hit decently hard and they can do an extra damage when charging.
The Blood Warriors represent the elite infantry with a high save characteristic, good attacks and the ability to do extra damage when they die.
The Bloodreavers count as Reinforcement, can be brought back by your general each end of turn and will swarm objectives and weaker targets. But with a super low save characteristic, they will not last long.
Overall this is a fun box with some good units oriented on Khorne’s mortal side which can help in a 2000 points game.
Start Collecting! Khorne Bloodbound Goreblade Warband
This box is half of the original Starter Set for Age of Sigmar that pitted Khorne against the Stormcast Eternals. As all starter sets it’s good value for money, but it contains mono-pose units with no interchangeable weapons. Blood Warriors and Bloodreavers in particular have much better options in their stand-alone boxes that in this box set (or in the new Vanguard box). The Blood Warriors new minimum size unit is now 10 making this only half unit and illegal in matched play.
At the same time, this is the only box where you can find all hero options contained in it (and the Khorgorath). Some of these heroes like Bloodsecrator and Bloodstoker are good options for any Khorne list, especially those focussed on the mortal side.
This box does not have Spearhead rules.
Bonus – Combat Patrol: Chaos Daemons
While advertised as a Warhammer 40,000 combat patrol box, this box is absolutely fine for Age of Sigmar as it contains all valid profiles of Khorne daemons, in particular since the Start Collecting: Daemons of Khorne has been retired.
If you need to expand the daemonic aspect of Khorne armies, here you can found a Bloodmaster, 3 Bloodcrushers, 10 Flesh Hounds (2 units) and 20 Bloodletters (2 units). There are no Spearhead rules.
Disciples of Tzeentch
Fluxblade Coven
Tzeentch is notoriously a good-performer in Age of Sigmar games and their Spearhead box contains some useful units other than a fan and dynamic Spearhead army. This is the list of units:
- Magister on Disc of Tzeentch
- 3 Flamers of Tzeentch
- 3 Screamers of Tzeentch
- 5 Tzaangors
- 5 Tzaangors
- 10 Kairic Acolytes
The only battle trait available for this Spearhead army is the ownership of 9 destiny dice which are rolled at the start of the game and their results can be used to replace other rolls like casting, run, charge, hit, wound and save rolls. If a roll requires more than 1 die, all dice have to be replaced by destiny dices. Once used, those are discarded.
It’s nicknamed as the “cheating mechanic” but it’s extremely fun. The regiment abilities allow to choose if either have a chance to resurrect a Tzaangor model when a Kairic dies, or to increase the rend of ranged attacks of the Flamers.
The enhancements list is rich of content, but our favourite has to be the ward ability that can give a bit more survivability to the demons once cast.
The Magister can fly and moves really fast, allowing him to cover a huge area of the battlefield and use his mortal damage ability to replenish the Tzaangor units.
The Kairic Acolytes are better used as a ranged unit but considering they are the one with the highest total control value, it may be a good strategy to use them to weight in on lightly protected objectives.
The Screamers are fragile but have high mobility that can use to do even few mortal damage when passing over enemy units.
The Tzaangor have lots of attacks that can cause more hits when in enemy territory and be replenished both by the Magister’s ability and a potential regiment ability. They are fragile, but they can do some work when opportunely deployed.
The Flamers are a great unit: they shoot, even better against bigger units, fly and have lots of attacks. You can give their shooting attacks rend to make this unit more efficient.
Overall, the Fluxblade Coven is a fragile army which will need to optimise their shooting potential to thin down opposition before committing. The Tzaangors alone will not hold the line, but the destiny dice can help a lot in “cheating” your way out of a difficult situation.
A mixture of mortals and daemons, this Spearhead box is a great entry point for Age of Sigmar.
Hedonites of Slaanesh
Blades of the Lurid Dream
Slaanesh Spearhead box is led by a Shardspeaker and showcases all most recent mortal units released for this army. This is the full list of units:
- Shardspeaker of Slaanesh
- 5 Blissbarb Archers with 1 Blissbrew Homonculus
- 5 Blissbarb Archers
- 5 Slickblade Seekers
- 3 Slaangor Fiendbloods
The mechanic of this army is around the temptation dice, reminiscent of Slaanesh’ last edition rules. You receive 6 of them at the start of each battle round and if your opponent fails any hit, wound or save roll, can be tempted with one of these dice. If they accept, the roll becomes automatically a 6 and you obtain D6 depravity points. If they reject, the unit that was tempted receives D3 mortal damage.
Depending on how many depravity points are gathered, Slaanesh units obtain passive abilities starting with run and charge (at 12 points), through critical hits become mortal damage (at 24 points) to a 5+ ward (at 36 points).
The regiment abilities give either a once per battle Strike-first ability to a unit, or once per turn a unit can retreat and still charge or shoot. The latter is actually quite powerful in this small format.
The enhancements are quite useful but all require the general to be quite close to the frontline with a quite weak melee combatant. The Shardspeaker indeed is a wizard and his main trait is the ability to get more depravity points from the safety of the backline.
The Slickblade Seekers are an extremely fast light cavalry that will want to always charge and choose carefully their opponent. Note that the kit could be used to assemble the Blissbarb Seekers, but those don’t have Spearhead rules.
The Slaangor Fiendbloods count as a heavier infantry that can move if they are shot by the opponent but could have had a more interesting warscroll. [Dec 2024 FAQ] They now count as Reinforced, so they come back once after being destroyed.
Finally the Blissbarb Archers are two units of archers able to run and shoot which will try to use their long range at maximum efficacy. Since they can be reinforced, they can also be used to take lightly guarded objectives or sacrifice a unit to save the others.
In summary, this is army is not for everyone. The temptation mechanism is not in its best iteration, the army does not have someone able to hold an objective as everyone has low save characteristic, and the heavy lifting will be made by the Archers.
Maggotkin of Nurgle
Bleak Host
Nurgle’s rebranded Spearhead box was one of the first Vanguard to be released. It contains:
- Spoilpox Scrivener
- 1 Pusgoyle Blightlord
- 1 Pusgoyle Blightlord
- 5 Putrid Blightkings
- 5 Plaguebearers
- 5 Plaguebearers
The battle traits revolve around the disease points, a resource that is obtained any time you score a critical hit to a maximum of 7 points. At the end of any turn the disease points can be spent to do mortal damage to enemy units engaged. In addition 1 unit of Blightlord and 1 of Plaguebearers are not set up until the third battle round.
The regiment abilities play with Nurgle’s duality: on one side you can heal a friendly unit, on the other slain models have a chance to damage the unit they are engaged with before being removed.
The list of enhancements has plenty of options to personalise your Spoilpox but nothing really stands out. The Spoilpox Scrivener is a shooting little hero able to buff the Plaguebearers either offensively or defensively.
However, the Plaguebearers are a relatively fragile unit with some offensive capability, but they come in groups of 5 (10 in the standard Age of Sigmar game) and one unit is not deployed until the third battle round. Their ward and higher health (2) than normal troops make them a little bit more long-lived, by a short span.
On the other side the Pusgoyle Blightlord is a veritable beast, with the highest movement in this army and great potential offensive damage. The fact that the 2 models are split in 2 different units (one appears only from the third battle round) allows them to cover a bigger portion of the battlefield.
But the spotlight in this army is on the Putrid Blightkings as they will be extremely hard to shift, dangerous when they counter-attack and if your opponent survives, they may well be finished by the Blightkings’ end of turn mortal damage mechanic.
The reinforcements arriving in the second half of the game need to be managed carefully to be efficient, but the Spearhead army is a solid one and this box represents a good starting point for a fully-fledged Nurgle army in Age of Sigmar with a bit of mortals and daemons.
Skaven
Warpspark Clawpack
Skaven Spearhead box is a good starting point for Skaven armies, containing plenty of sacrificial pawns for their schemes and the necessary ranged potential to blast their opposition. This box contains:
- Grey Seer
- 3 Stormfiends
- 1 Warp Lightning Cannon
- 10 Clanrats
- 10 Clanrats
This army is pretty simple to use with plenty of bodies. Their only battle trait allows one unit per enemy movement phase to make a normal move, enabling repositioning of the shooting units or a screening unit to hinder enemy charges.
The regiment abilities, however, allow either to give a good ward to the Stormfiends once per game against a single attack, or to bring back more Clanrats every end of turn.
The enhancements are all pretty good, increasing the survivability of the general. The Grey Seer, indeed, is a wizard, with almost inexistent save who would rely on cowardice and other units in-between to avoid confrontation. On his side, he can do mortal damage and increase one unit control score during his hero phase.
The Stormfiend kit can be assembled in various ways, but for easiness the Spearhead box mandates a specific arsenal, that results in 2 ranged rats and 1 melee-only. They are tough to kill and even harder to survive from, so they can make the difference wherever they go.
The Warp Lightning Cannon is pretty easy to understand: it’s an artillery piece to keep at the back that shoots a completely random amount of projectiles. On a good day it could be devastating, but don’t let it be engaged by enemy units.
Finally the Clanrats are a veritable scourge. They may not be the most damaging unit (at least in this format) but they keep coming back at the end of any turn and even when destroyed (they have the Reinforcement keyword). Proper use of this screening unit will make the difference between victory and defeat.
This box is an extremely fun to play Spearhead and a good starting point for Age of Sigmar. Considering that the cannon can be alternatively assembled as a Plague Catapult and that you may want to try other weapon loadouts for the Stormfiends if you are not keen on magnetizing, even buying multiple copies can be a great investment.
Gnawfeast Clawpack
This army comes from the Ultimate Starter Set of Age of Sigmar (or Skaventide, the fourth edition launch box). The units available, led by a Clawlord, are:
- Clawlord on Gnaw-beast
- 1 Grey Seer
- 1 Warlock Engineer
- 10 Clanrats
- 10 Clanrats
- 3 Rat Ogors
Their main battle trait is the ability to set a single unit in reserve (in the tunnels below) to be set up in the battlefield in a later movement phase. This is a good mechanic for a shooting unit like the Warlock Engineer.
The regiment abilities favour either a more ranged approach with shooting attacks making mortal damage on critical hits, or constantly moving swarms of rats with the ability to not be damaged when retreating.
The enhancement list has great options for your Clawlord, from more survivability with the 5+ ward to better control on where the Clanrats are resurrected. The general is a high-damaging unit with a good speed and even ranged attacks that can be used in combat, making him an all-round perfect leader of a Spearhead army.
We have already seen the Grey Seer in the previous army, but here on a support role he can really thrive.
The Warlock Engineer is also a hero whose utility is its ranged attacks. Its fragility means that it’s more suited for a backline role.
We have seen the Clanrats in the army above, and once again they are to form the bulk of the army with constantly returning models and the Reinforced keyword that allows them to come back once after death.
The Rat Ogors are no Stormfiends, but they represent in this army a good source of damage. They can even be pushed to greater feats of violence, but it costs precious health.
This army is a different approach to the other Skaven one, and represents a good way to use the miniatures present in the launch or starter set of Age of Sigmar. There’s no other way to obtain them, so you’ll need to split the Stormcast part with a friend if you are not interested in the full content. At the end of this edition (roughly in 2027) the Skaven side will most likely become its own separate Spearhead box.
Slaves to Darkness
Bloodwind Legion
Slaves to Darkness rebranded Vanguard box contains some great updated sculpts with sprues full of different options to customize your units. The Spearhead army is led by a Chaos Lord and fields:
- Chaos Lord
- 1 Chaos Chariot
- 5 Chaos Warriors
- 5 Chaos Warriors
- 5 Chaos Knights
Their battle traits invoke the random buffs given by the Chaos Gods to their followers. Once at the end of any turn a unit that is contesting an objective not controlled by an opponent and not in combat or a unit that destroyed an enemy unit, can roll on the Eye of the Gods table. The effects range from a ward to improved rend and are a great way to buff your units.
[Dec 2024 FAQ] A new battle trait sees the Chaos Knights not committing until the third battle round when they can deployed from any battlefield edge, 6″ away from all enemy units. In addition, the first regiment ability below does not work any more on Chaos Knights.
The regiment abilities allow one free roll on the Eye of the Gods table for a single unit of Chaos Warrior, or an increased control score for all Chaos Warrior units.
The list of enhancements follow the same pattern of Chaos Gods themed buffs with Slaanesh providing the Chaos Lord with strike-first. As a melee fighter with a strong offensive loadout he is well-placed in the middle of the enemy lines. He can also buff other fighters and obtain free rolls on the Eye of the Gods table.
The Chaos Chariot (that can also be assembled as a Gorebeast Chariot which does not have a Spearhead profile) is a fast unit with lots of attacks and damage on charge.
The Chaos Warriors are all-round great in both offense and defence. While in Age of Sigmar they are in units of 10 models, the 2 units of 5 in Spearhead can be used both to hold objective or wrestle one from the opponent’s clutch.
Finally, the Chaos Knights are equally devastating, with higher movement than the Chaos Warriors and extra power on charge making them devastating when unleashed.
The Bloodwind Legion is an extremely powerful Spearhead army with the chance to obtain random buffs during the game for that extra feeling of progression that makes them fun to play. In Age of Sigmar they are a good collection of units, especially the Warriors and the Knights.
Darkoath Raiders
In time for Christmas 2024, Slaves got a new Spearhead entirely dedicated to the barbarian bulk of their forces (which also got a recent model release): the Darkoath Raiders. They are led by a Darkoath Warqueen and include:
- Darkoath Warqueen
- 10 Darkoath Savagers
- 5 Darkoath Fellriders
- 10 Darkoath Marauders
Their battle traits works with the Battle Tactics cards. It allows to choose one from the hand each turn as the oath. The oath is fulfilled as usual when the battle tactic is scored at the end of the turn. If that is achieved, then the oath is put aside and the command can be used in any other subsequent round.
If the oath is not fulfilled, or if the command is used before scoring the battle tactic, the card is discarded as usual. This is a good mechanism to store important commands for later turns AND achieve the points for the battle tactic. The only downside is that your opponent will know in advance which card you have in your hand and is useless in the last battle round.
The regiment abilities allow to increase a single unit’s rend each combat phase, or to retreat in your movement phase without taking damage and still being able to charge later in the same turn.
The enhancements have utilitarian options like a good 4+ ward for the general, but also one that combines really well with the oath battle trait since it allows to draw an additional battle tactic card and then put one at the bottom of the deck.
The Darkoath suffer from having a relatively high To Hit roll (4+), hence the Darkoath Warqueen’s ability to add +1 to this roll until your next turn is extremely beneficial. Added with the regiment ability which adds rend, can make a single unit punch above their statline for an entire turn.
Aside from this, the Warqueen is, obviously in a barbarian culture where might makes right, the heaviest hitter, sharing with the Darkoath Savagers mortal damage on critical hits (unmodified roll of 6 to hit). The Savagers have also the chance to obtain free re-rolls of 1 to hit, wound, run or save, but is not that reliable.
The Darkoath Fellriders are the cavalry of this army, dangerous in charge but also pretty weak on the counterattack, meaning they will need to be used appropriately to avoid losing them quickly. But they return back, thanks to their Reinforcements keyword.
Finally the Darkoath Marauders represent the bulk of the army, with pretty basic stats. They also return back once and when they die in range of the Warqueen, on a 5+ each slain fighter can inflict 1 mortal damage to the unit in combat range which attacked them.
If you always wanted to field an army which resembles the good times of Conan the Barbarian, this is a great chance with plenty of models and even your very own Valeria to lead them!
Order Age of Sigmar Value Added Boxes and Spearheads
Cities of Sigmar
Castelite Company
Cities refreshed range got a new Spearhead box showcasing all new human miniatures. This box allows to field:
- Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal
- 10 Freeguild Steelhelms
- 5 Freeguild Cavaliers
- 1 Ironweld Great Cannon
The Castelite’s battle traits play with the battle tactic cards allowing to use once per battle round a command without discarding the card. This allows to still score the battle tactic while using the command or, in rare occasions, to use a command in each turn of that round.
[Dec 2024 FAQ] The main battle trait moved from once per battle to once per battle round.
The regiment abilities give the options to choose between a once-per-game buff to your cavalry units (giving them strike-first) or to your cannon (shooting once in the enemy turn).
The enhancements for your general have a wide array of options, but the free re-roll each phase is extremely tempting. Indeed the Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal has some shooting attacks that work also in combat and can already bring back some Steelhelms. He is also fast and has a decent defence allowing him to lead the charge in the frontlines.
The Freeguild Steelhelms are the basic troop, who can occasionally get a ward when defending an objective. They can be reinforced (return back once after death) and can be resurrected both by a general ability and a potential enhancement, making them an extremely long-lasting nuisance.
On the opposite side the Freeguild Cavaliers have a devastating charge so be sure to avoid them being pinned down to take advantage of their speed and impact hits.
The Ironweld Great Cannon is an artillery piece with 2 different shooting profiles but as all artillery it becomes useless when engaged so you’ll have to protect it well. In a small format like Spearhead it may be trickier but not impossible.
This box represents a solid starting point for a Cities army for Age of Sigmar focussed on the human side. A pity the previous start collecting boxes centred on Aelves and Duardin have since been retired.
Daughters of Khaine
Heartflayer Troupe
Daughters of Khaine Spearhead box combines some of the newest models in the army with some of the oldest creating an interesting combination that in Spearhead allows to enlist:
- Melusai Ironscale
- 5 Witch Aelves
- 5 Witch Aelves
- 5 Doomfire Warlocks
- 5 Blood Stalkers
The battle traits revolve around the concept of blood rites, a mechanic that gives increasing bonuses each new round, starting from +1 to run rolls and ending with +1 to wound. This mechanic makes the surviving units even more dangerous in later stages.
The regiment abilities allow to cheat on this mechanic by anticipating one of the rounds (once per game) so that you can get a later bonus a round earlier, or by providing a +1 ward roll to a unit each combat phase (except the general).
The enhancements for the Melusai Ironscale are varied, and while the healing each time she kills a model is tempting, so is adding extra rend to the Blood Stalkers. The general can shoot, has a good movement characteristic and some decent attacks, but low save rolls. She can improve a unit hit rolls each of your hero phases, making her a great choice for leader of this army.
The Blood Stalkers work better as a ranged unit and in melee they would need a bit of buffs from the Ironscale to be interesting. They are still a great unit, but on the fragile side. This kit alternatively can assemble the melee-focussed Blood Sisters, but they don’t have a Spearhead profile.
The Doomfire Warlocks are extremely fast. They can also shoot and even apply mortal damage at distance. They are perfect to flank your opponent or grab some distant objective. Fun fact, this kit is also used for the Doom Riders from the Cities army list.
The Witch Aelves can return back after being slain that with their save roll and smaller unit size (in Age of Sigmar they are used in 10 or 20 models per unit) will happen very fast. They get rend when charging, meaning that they should do just that. This kit can also make Sisters of Slaughter, another human infantry, but they don’t have a Spearhead profile.
Overall this army is fast and hits hard, especially on later rounds. The problem is to survive long enough to use all those buffs. Depending on how much you value the Doomfire, this box may be worth a second purchase to reinforce an Age of Sigmar army.
Fyreslayers
Saga Axeband
Fyreslayer’s Spearhead box does not have the centrepiece (the Magmadroth) previous start collecting boxes had but is still a good ensemble of fiery naked duardin. The Spearhead army is composed of:
- Battlesmith
- 5 Hearthguard Berzerkers
- 5 Vulkite Berzerkers
- 5 Vulkite Berzerkers
- 5 Vulkite Berzerkers
- 5 Vulkite Berzerkers
Their battle traits include a table of Ur-Gold runes that provide a buff to the army until the start of your next turn. Each rune can be activated only once and when activating if a 6 is rolled it gives also an enhancement effect. The buffs are all-round from extra movement, to extra rend on melee attacks. Planning accurately which one to use each battle round is important.
The battle traits work towards compensating the low movement of the warband with the first allowing to re-deploy 2 units anywhere and much closer to enemy lines, and one gives a simple shooting phase to any unit not engaged in combat.
The enhancements well combine with the support role of the general, the Battlesmith, but our favourite probably goes on resurrecting dead duardin each hero phase. The Battlesmith buffs the defence of the units close-by, so he’ll need to move just behind the frontline. While his attacks are good enough, he is not the most resilient general.
The Heathguard Berzerkers are your damage dealer. Extremely low defence means they better stay close to the Battlesmith for the save and ward bonus, but when entering combat they will resolve it in their favour. This kit can also assemble the Auric Hearthguard, but they don’t have Spearhead rules.
The last warscroll, of which there are four units with 5 models each, is the Vulkite Berzerkers. Note that, while the warscroll indicates the model is assembled with paired axes, there’s no restriction in using the Slingshields for the same Spearhead profile. In Age of Sigmar, the Vulkite is split in two different profiles each with a minimum size of 10.
Fyreslayers are glass cannons that rely on accurate positioning and the buffs from the runes to go an extra mile, but if you are into them as a concept, this is a good starting box.
Idoneth Deepkin
Soulraid Hunt
The Idoneth Deepkin are an interesting concept for an army and this box represents some of their best looking units. The Soulraid Hunt, led by an Isharann Soulscryer, are composed of:
- Isharann Soulscryer
- 3 Akhelian Morrsarr Guard
- 1 Akhelian Allopex
- 5 Namarti Thralls
- 5 Namarti Thralls
Their battle traits use a similar mechanism to the main army called Tides of death. Basically each round all Idoneth have a bonus that applies for the whole round that represents the eff and flow of a tide. In this particular context their dreaded third round with all units having Strike-first, i.e. able to fight before any other unit without Strike-first as well, comes a bit too late in a game much shorter and with a smaller battlefield.
The regiment abilities allow to choose if to increase the rend of Namarti Thralls who charged or allow the Guard or the Allopex to heal at the end of a turn in which they fought.
[Dec 2024 FAQ] The healing above now works only once per turn (i.e. both units cannot heal in the same turn) and the Soulscryer ability has been rewritten from a bonus against shooting attacks, to an easier to achieve buff on wound rolls received.
The enhancements work on the ability of the Soulscryer to survive longer and provide support. His main ability allows a single unit each round to subtract 1 from the wound rolls directed towards that unit. Now, the enhancement that makes this roll happen on a 2+ is a great investment and the Soulscryer is a much better buffer.
The Akhelian Morrsarr Guard are one of the two assembly options for this kit and the one more offensive oriented. The other one, the Ishlaen Guard, does not have Spearhead rules. As a cavalry unit their main role is to get faster where is needed and charge with maximum impact. Once per game they have a chance to do mortal damage immediately after the charge.
The Akhelian Allopex is equipped with the Harpoon instead of the Net Launcher (the other loadout available) that is less useful as there’s not many monsters in Spearhead, but the high wound characteristic and scary model should keep enemies away.
The Namarti Thralls have the Reinforcement keyword, meaning the unit returns once when killed. They are deployed in units of 5 (in the full game they are in units of 10) and are extremely deadly against enemy infantry. They suffer from lower defence and low health, but they need to be killed twice to be completely removed…
Overall, this box is a great investment in the army and while the Spearhead rules work best only against specific armies, they are still an interesting group to play.
Kharadron Overlords
Skyhammer Task Force
Steampunk airships have a certain je-ne-sais-quoi that makes them intriguing. And this box provides one together with plenty of heavily armoured duardin. The Kharadron Spearhead list contains:
- Arkanaut Admiral
- 5 Arkanaut Company (1 with Skypike)
- 5 Arkanaut Company (1 with Light Skyhook and 1 with Aethermatic Volley Gun)
- 3 Skywardens
- 1 Arkanaut Frigate
Skyhammer’s main battle trait revolves around the Frigate being able to transport a unit across the battlefield. As the unit transported cannot charge in the same turn, it is more useful on shooting units or on taking an isolated objective.
[Dec 2024 FAQ] Arkanaut Company and Skywarden both obtained the Reinforcement keyword.
Unless you select the regiment ability that allows charging after being transported, the other one enabling the Frigate to retreat without being damaged and still shoot in the same phase.
The general, the Arkanaut Admiral, would want to be in the midst of the fight, and the enhancement to select should facilitate that, with either a once-per-battle healing or re-roll of a charge. Aside from being a great combatant, able to shoot also in combat, the Admiral can improve the control score of an Arkanaut Company in range.
Kharadron units notoriously have plenty of optional weapon loadouts. While the Skywarden kit allows to configure an extra heavy weapon, that is not a valid profile in Spearhead, as it is not the alternative warscroll, the Endrinriggers. So Spearhead rules assume you have two with Pistols and one with the Volley Gun. Apart from this, the Skywarden can leave a fight at the end of any turn without receiving mortal damage and their high movement will see them covering large portions of the battlefield. With the addition of the Reinforcement keyword, they can now return back once so you can get more from their shooting attacks.
The Arkanaut Company is another nightmare of set up. To make things easy, in Age of Sigmar a unit of 10 can have 3 models with each specialised weapon (Skypike, Volley Gun and Skyhook), so in Speahead you just need to split that unit in the relevant two blocks of 5. Once you are past the long list of weapon profiles, the Company is a unit who wants to take objectives first shooting with all they have and then throwing themselves head-in. You may want a unit to accompany the Admiral for that extra bonus control. They can now return back once, thanks to the Reinforcement keyword recently added.
The Arkanaut Frigate, apart from being able to transport the otherwise slowly duardin around the battlefield, is also a huge model to knock down with plenty of attacks, especially shooting ones. It is central on the Skyhammer plan to victory as most abilities depend on the right use of this centrepiece.
This box represents a good Spearhead army and a good starting point to collect the flying duardin!
Lumineth Realm-Lords
Glittering Phalanx
The military-skilled and proud Aelves who compose the Glittering Phalanx are:
- Scinari Cathallar
- 5 Vanari Auralan Sentinels
- 5 Vanari Auralan Sentinels
- 10 Vanari Auralan Wardens
- 5 Vanari Bladelords
As with the main army in Age of Sigmar, the Phalanx battle traits focus on the Facets of War, which allows to choose which ability can be used in that battle round. There are 2 different facets available: one, once per phase, gives -1 to hit rolls on a specific enemy attack, the other enables for a single unit to score critical hits on a 5+. [Dec 2024 FAQ] Lightning Reflexes is now not a Facet of War and can be used every round and multiple times: it allows to choose 2 units instead of 1 when picking who fights in each combat phase.
The regiment abilities either give +1 to cast to the Cathallar, or +1 to save to the second unit chosen to fight using the last facet of war described above.
The Scinari Cathallar is a support wizard whose main utility is to reduce the control score of enemy units and, as such, the list of enhancements adds more spells than she can “cast” (magic is simplified in Spearhead) to better support her units. In particular the ward it’s an interesting defensive spell.
The Vanari Bladelords should be used as bodyguards of your general as they provide each other ward.
The Vanari Auralan Sentinels are divided in two groups of 5 (in Age of Sigmar the minimum size would be 10) but they are still good archers with an incredible shooting range. In addition, they return back once killed and there’s no better unit to return back from your back field than a shooting one.
The Vanari Auralan Wardens are used to hold objectives as they have incredible buffs against units charging them. And they are a Reinforcement too, meaning they come back after the first time they are destroyed.
This Spearhead army is focussed on the martial side of the Lumineth, the Vanari, and if that is the aspect you want to explore in your Lumineth army, this is a great starting box. If you are more into the temple-specific units, there’s not much here to help you in the short term.
Seraphon
Starscale Warhost
We may be biased but there’s nothing more sexy than a group of lizards riding dinosaurs to battle. This Spearhead box is a great starting point for a Saurus-oriented Seraphon army and allows to field in Spearhead:
- Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur
- 5 Saurus Warriors
- 5 Saurus Warriors
- 3 Kroxigor
The battle traits revolves around the general, the most flashy unit in the army: each combat phase he can either swallow a single model (provided he can beat with a die roll their Health characteristic) or reduce an engaged enemy unit control score.
The regiment abilities either give a way to do 1 mortal damage to each engaged enemy unit at the end of a turn, or a ward to units in friendly territory.
The Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur is a veritable beast and the list of enhancements makes him even more dangerous, in particular if you ensure he always shoots at his maximum potential. With a rich pool of health, extremely damaging attacks and a high control value, he will be your strong point but also the main target for your opponent. Note that this kit can also assemble a Scar-Veteran on Carnosaur or a Skink Oracle on Troglodon, but neither has a Spearhead profile.
The Saurus Warriors, normally in units of 10, are divided in two units of 5 and they represent your main blocks of infantry, those that should hold objectives and score battle tactics.
Finally the Kroxigor hit hard, even harder against units with 5 or more models. With high health they are also tough to kill in one-go and will most likely make up your main offensive block after the Carnosaur. They have also another alternative assembly in the Kroxigor Warspawned but that one does not have a Spearhead profile.
This box has few alternative assembly options justifying at least a second purchase if you are interested in the Saurus side. The other Seraphon side being the nimble Skinks.
Stormcast Eternals
Yndrasta’s Spearhead
Stormcast Eternals first Spearhead box and the latest in a long range of discounted boxes, is actually partly the content of the Dominion box that launched the third edition of Age of Sigmar. With this you can field:
- Yndrasta, the Celestial Spear
- 1 Knight-Vexillor
- 3 Annihilators
- 5 Vanquishers
- 5 Vanquishers
- Stormstrike Chariot
This Spearhead is particular in the sense that their only battle trait sees Yndrasta and the unit of Annihilators can be set up only from the third battle round.
The regiment abilities either give a ward to units contesting an objective you control or allow a pile-in move ad the end of any turn to units who are in combat and contesting an objective. What this means is that if you did not manage to put all your models within the objective because it was occupied by enemy forces, after decimating them you can push forward some models and perhaps tip the balance of the control score.
As the enhancements work with Yndrasta and she is not going to be involved until the third battle round, the once per battle abilities are the most relevant to give an immediate impact, in particular the resurrection one. She is a great fighter with a single shooting attack and an extremely damaging melee profile, the main question being if she can change the course of battle entering so late?
The Vanquishers, normally a 10-man unit, are divided in two groups of 5 and are those that will need to take the objectives in early game and hold. Better if they can face other infantry units and use their bonus for increased damage.
The Knigh-Vexillor is the support hero able to heal a unit and buff their control score. But he is also able to defend himself and fight back when it’s needed so much of the weight on the first 2 rounds will fall on him.
The Annihilators main draw back is the slow movement but considering how late they arrive, they just need to get straight in with a charge, and if you roll well they can even give strike-last to their opponent. If you don’t roll well, they me be sitting ducks in the middle of the battlefield but with a 2+ save there’s no risk they are going to be removed.
The Stormstrike Chariot is fast, heavy-armoured and has good damaged both ranged and melee. It can flank the enemy and take objectives otherwise outside the range of the Vanquishers.
As all boxes coming from starter sets, there are some limitations, like the Annihilators are mono-pose and can only be assembled with the shields. Yndrasta and the Knight-Vexillor can only be purchased in this box because of how they are spread in the same sprues. But if you are a Stormcast collector this is a must-buy, as Spearhead goes it’s probably the best one for the Stormcast.
Vigilant Brotherhood
This Spearhead can be found inside the Age of Sigmar Ultimate Starter Set or the Skaventide launch box together with a Skaven one. It contains few re-sculpts of original and iconic Stormcast units plus some new ones:
- Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-stalker
- 1 Lord-Veritant
- 3 Prosecutors
- 5 Liberators
This army is really small and their battle traits are a 5+ ward to a single unit, and once-per-battle, a single unit can run and charge in the same turn. [Dec 2024 FAQ] The ward ability went from once per battle to once per turn.
The regiment abilities are once again a one-shot abilities: either a single unit can retreat without taking damage and later charge, or a single unit has a chance to inflict mortal damage when each model is slain.
The general is the Lord-Vigilant on Gryph-stalker, that is an impressive hero with good attacks and the ability to once-per-game let a unit (including himself) fight twice. He can also buff the hit rolls of units trying to take over a specific objective. His main problem is that he will be often left alone and he may not be able to pull it off all the time. Half his enhancements are one-off abilities, so our preference goes on the 5+ ward.
The Lord-Veritant is a great hero able to do mortal damage through his prayers and with a ward that lasts until you roll a 1.
The Prosecutors are incredibly fast and can fly, so that can be used to flank your opponent and maybe do a shooting attack here and there. Rolling 3 dice during the charge means that they are rarely going to miss one and if they die, they are coming back once. This iconic model is the one who benefitted the most from the face-lift Stormcast units received.
The final unit is composed of our brave Liberators, 2 units of 5 each with a single model armed with a Grandhammer (exactly as a full unit for Age of Sigmar) used to mostly to defend controlled objectives and when necessary to push forward. With the keyword Reinforcement, they can come back once they are killed.
This Spearhead army suffers from too many once-per-game abilities and a low-count of models, but if you have bought one of the Starter sets then it’s the perfect way to start familiarising with Age of Sigmar. And don’t forget that more than half of the army comes back after being destroyed the first time, only one unit each of your movement phases.
Sylvaneth
Bitterbark Copse
Sylvaneth Spearhead box removes the Dryads with odd numbers from the equation and provides a fresh take on this army. The box allows to field:
- Branchwych
- 1 Treelord
- 3 Kurnoth-Hunters with Greatbow
- 5 Tree-Revenants
This army battle traits take advantage of the terrain features as any unit nearby one scenery piece can heal or tele-transport between them at the end of any turn (the latter only a unit per turn).
The regiment abilities either have a chance to do mortal damage to an enemy unit contesting an objective each end of turn, or tele-transport a single unit across the entire battlefield. As the gaming area is small, most terrains will be covering much of it anyway, so the teleport from the battle trait should be enough in most games.
The Branchwych is a support general able to cast some spells, in particular one that returns slain Tree-Revenants, so as an enhancement seems only natural to continue this trend with the ability to heal the other two units. Consider this character is not really survivable, so don’t get fooled by the melee profile and avoid direct confrontation when unnecessary.
The Treelord is the centrepiece of this army. It could be assembled also as a Treelord Ancient or a Spirit of Durthu, but neither has Spearhead rules. It will be tough for the opponent to knock it down, especially because it has 50% chances to give an engaged enemy unit strike-last each combat phase. It will be your main objective taker.
The Kurnoth Hunters in this Spearhead are assembled with Greatbows, other options valid only in Age of Sigmar proper are Scythes and Greatswords. The bows allow good shooting attacks but to use them at their best the unit should be disengaged, so keep them outside harm way until it’s time to commit.
The Tree-Revenants can be assembled also as Spite-Revenants, but only the former can be used in this Spearhead. The Tree-Revenants may be a small unit, but have Health 2 and can buff their offence or defence each combat phase depending on who they encounter, making them a versatile unit that can be used in different ways. And they have the keyword Reinforcements that allow them to return back once after being destroyed.
This box represents a great deal for any Sylvaneth collector, and even if the main general does not have alternative assembly options, the rest of the box has plenty and makes up a fun and entertaining Spearhead army.
Death Age of Sigmar Value Added Boxes
Flesh-eater Courts
Carrion Retainers
Flesh-eater Courts new Spearhead box replaces the old Start Collecting that contained everything you needed to create the entire army. This box instead contains all brand-new miniatures led by an Abhorrant Archregent, here is the full list:
- Abhorrant Archregent
- 10 Cryptguard
- 3 Morbheg Knights
- Varghulf Courtier
The main battle trait of this army works with noble deeds points that are accrued for each damage allocated by a hero during a fight (up to a maximum of 6 per hero). Heroes with 6 points provide a +1 attack aura to all friendly units within range. The points can also be used to resurrect dead Cryptguard (one point per model) or Morbheg Knights (2 points per model).
The regiment abilities instead focus on either being faster (+1 to run and charge rolls) or defend better (+1 to save rolls when contesting controlled objectives).
The general is the Abhorrant Archregent who has to go in the fray to obtain those noble deeds points. Unfortunately he is more of a wizard type and his defence is weak, so choose the fights carefully. For this reason the best enhancements are those that make him more durable like preventing shooting attacks or a once-per-battle healing.
The other hero is the Varghulf Courtier who is a bit more offensive and can heal and retreat at the end of a turn in which slayed any enemy model. Really useful at the end of the opponent turn to prepare him for a better charge the following turn.
The Cryptguard are the basic infantry in this army, with the ability to return back once after being destroyed and providing extra ward to nearby heroes. For this reason they should screen the Archregent whenever possible.
The Morbheg Knights represent the heavy cavalry with ok attacks but even better the ability to retreat and charge in the same turn without taking damage from the retreat. They fly, so they can cover a great portion of the battlefield.
This army takes advantage of the newest models and gives a taste of the full Flesh-eater army. It’s a great starting point to flesh out the rest of the roster.
Nighthaunt
Slasher Host
The Slasher Host is a great collection of Nighthaunt models and one of the easiest armies to practice Age of Sigmar rules. They are formed by:
- Knight of Shrouds
- 3 Spirit Hosts
- 5 Grimghast Reapers
- 5 Grimghast Reapers
- 10 Chainrasps
- 10 Chainrasps
They have two great battle traits. The first one makes them Ethereal, meaning that they ignore both positive and negative modifiers to save rolls, i.e. you ignore rend making much easier remembering which value you need to save. The second one works only during the charge phase and if the charge roll was 10 or greater: in that case a unit in contact with the charging unit obtains strike-last.
Our favourite regiment ability works on the above mechanic as friendly units who charged force a -1 to hit to enemy units. It means the turn you charge you are going to be devastating and need to prepare for the comeback the following turn. The other ability works only against a single enemy unit selected at the beginning of the game and provides all your units +1 rend against them. Rend is lacking in this army, so against strong opponents this could be a way to chip some armour.
The enhancements work with the Knight of Shrouds and the two best ones are a once-per-battle resurrect a model in each unit, or the ability to do mortal damage on critical hits which becomes useful against armies with good save rolls. Otherwise the Knight of Shrouds has ok attacks, and provides a 5+ ward to a single unit.
The Spirit Hosts should accompany the general as they provide him a 4+ ward. Apart from that don’t be fooled by the amount of attacks, in general they will not do much damage.
The Grimghast Reapers are the only source of rend apart the general and as such should be protected carefully and sent to hit the best targets, in particular units with 5 or more models with good saves to take advantage of their improved critical hit.
The Chainrasps are a real nightmare for your opponent. They are plentiful and they come back once per game. They screen efficiently as they are blocks of 10 and fly but don’t rely on them to last long or do more than chip damage. Yet, when they charge, with the right regiment ability they give a -1 to hit to an enemy unit forcing them to retreat the turn after or spend it fighting them.
The Nighthaunt started the fourth edition great, and this box represents some of the less used units, so in time it may re-evaluate. But the Spearhead has strong rules, it’s easy to use and can achieve great results.
Ossiarch Bonereapers
Tithe-Reaper Echelon
The Ossiarch Bonereaper first Spearhead box contains a lot of interesting options. In particular they can field:
- Mortisan Soulreaper
- 10 Mortek Guard
- 10 Mortek Guard
- 5 Kavalos Deathriders
- 1 Gothizzar Harvester
Only one of the two Mortek Guard units will start the battle, the other one arrives as a reinforcement from the third battle round. Apart from this, the Echelon has Ossiarch commands that can be used only by spending Ossiarch command points. You receive two each battle round.
For example, the regiment abilities allow to choose a once-per-battle Ossiarch command between +1 to the ward roll in a combat phase or a Mortek Guard can retreat without taking damage, but other commands are available in the unit warscrolls.
The Mortisan Soulreaper is a type of melee wizard able to debuff an enemy unit hit rolls or use a command to heal/resurrect. His list of enhancements works best with Mortek Guards but consider one of the two units will arrive half-way through the game. He could heal himself for each damage he inflicts, that is not a bad enhancement.
The Mortek Guard is a solid basic infantry which prefers to hold objectives and wait to be charged. One of the two units will arrive from the third battle round and with their low movement they will most likely just defend their home territory.
On the other side, the Kavalos Deathriders are the fastest unit in this army and they want to charge as often as possible. In particular, they can fly over enemy infantry and damage them in the process, to attack the back-line of your opponent.
The Gothizzar Harvester is meant to replenish a nearby Mortek Guard. For each enemy in combat that dies, the Gothizzar accumulates a bone-tithe point (to a maximum of 6) which can be used at the end of any turn for a chance to resurrect a slain Mortek Guard. Note that it doesn’t have to be the one killing, just be within the 3″ combat range of the enemy model slain.
The Bone-tithe Echelon is a solid Spearhead which will need coordination and precision in executing the battle plan, but is also a great opportunity to kickstart an Ossiarch Bonereaper army.
Soulblight Gravelords
Bloodcrave Hunt
This vampire centric Spearhead is the latest value-added box available for Soulblight Gravelords. It contains:
- Vampire Lord
- 10 Deathrattle Skeletons
- 10 Deathrattle Skeletons
- 5 Blood Knights
- 3 Vargheists
There’s two main traits for this army. The first one wants the Vargheists starting from reserve and swooping down from the third battle round. The second one allows Vampires to heal after damaging an enemy unit in combat.
The regiment abilities either allow the Skeletons to come back as reinforcements after being destroyed, or the Blood Knights to do mortal damage when charging.
The Vampire Lord is a melee wizard, able to suck life essence out of a unit with a high Health characteristic and to heal back when fighting. His enhancements are quite varied, from increasing the chances of Skeletons coming back, to a mortal damage to each unit on the battlefield on a 7+.
The Blood Knights are also vampires and their main role is to charge. The can fly over enemy infantry and hit the back lines (provided there’s enough space for the base to sit) and represent your main objective takers.
The Vargheists are vampires, can fly and they are extremely damaging, but they don’t appear until the third battle round.
The Deathrattle Skeletons, in groups of 10, represent your basic infantry and the screens you’ll need to defend objectives or push forward. If they slain an enemy model, they have a chance to replenish their own ranks, but they don’t count as a Reinforcement unless you take the relevant regiment ability. [Dec 2024 FAQ] Their ability went to resurrect fallen comrades went from any combat phase to only your combat phase.
Overall this Spearhead box is a good start for a Soulblight army, with some iconic units, like the Blood Knights, recently re-sculpted in plastic. And as a Spearhead army, there’s plenty of customisation to try out different combinations.
Destruction Age of Sigmar Value Added Boxes
Gloomspite Gitz
Bad Moon Madmob
Gloomspite Gitz is a potpourri army consisting of various elements and this one groups plenty together. While in a fully fledged Age of Sigmar army they would not synergise really well, as a Spearhead this is an excellent group containing:
- Loonboss
- 10 Moonclan Stabbas
- 10 Moonclan Stabbas
- 5 Squig Hoppers
- 5 Squig Hoppers
- 3 Rockgut Troggoths
The Madmob is followed by the Light of the Bad Moon that bathes half of the board in the first 2 rounds, and the other half the following 2 rounds. Determining where it starts is important as the buffs provided to units wholly within are considerable: Stabbas have +3 to their control score, Squig Hoppers can retreat without taking damage and Troggoths add 1 to the save rolls.
[Dec 2024 FAQ] A new battle trait forces one of the Squig Hoppers unit to not be deployed until the third round, appearing as usual from a battlefield edge and more than 6″ from all enemy units.
The regiment abilities allow to return slain Stabbas in your hero phase or a teleport ability once-per-game.
The Loonboss is a fragile melee hero who buffs Moonclan Stabbas, as such better keep him way back behind your lines (remember the 3″ combat range as a 2 compact rows of Moonclan are not enough to cover the 3″ and a Loonboss straight behind them would be immediately engaged by anyone charging the front line of the grots). And to make him more survivable, the enhancement that reduces enemy hit rolls is a great option.
The Squig Hoppers are usually in units of 10, but in Spearhead they are split in two groups of 5 flying models who can do some damage but are mostly useful to pick up isolated units or low-defence generals. This kit can also assemble Boingrot Bounderz, but those do not have Spearhead rules.
The Rockgut Troggoths are the best unit in this army. When bathed by the Bad Moon they have incredible resistance and regenerate each start of turn. Their shooting attacks are negligible, but their melee profile can be devastating if the stars align.
The final unit, normally in groups of 20, is split in two units of 10 Moonclan Stabbas, each with negligible attacks but their nets can reduce by 1 the hit roll of an enemy unit engaged and this can be quite devastating on some units with high to hit rolls. They have the keyword Reinforcements allowing to return back when killed, so they are useful to flood the board. This kit can also be used to make Moonclan Shootas, but they don’t have Spearhead rules.
This Spearhead box is a lot of fun to play, with hordes of goblins, jumping cavalry and tough monsters. For Age of Sigmar this box has not a great value, and would need some considerable investment in one direction (either Troggoth or Squigs).
Snarlpack Huntaz
The latest expansion of the Gloomspite Gitz arrives riding wolves and with its own dedicated Spearhead: the Gitmob!
- Snarlafng Boss
- 2 Wolfgit Retinue
- 3 Snarlfang Cavalry
- 3 Snarlfang Cavalry
- 1 Sunsteela Wheela
- 1 Sunsteela Wheela
The Gitmob have a simple but powerful ability: they can retreat and charge without taking any mortal damage during the retreat. Combined with their high mobility it means they can be anywhere anytime.
The regiment abilities allow either to re-set up 2 units at the start of the first battle round, or to allocate mortal damage to an enemy unit each time a Sunsteela Wheela is destroyed.
The general is the Snarlboss, which introduces our 12″ movement which is crazy good in a smaller field like Speahead’s. His list of enhancements are mostly once-per-battle abilities but even the most interesting, which adds rend, does not include companion weapons meaning that its use is very limited. Indeed, as expected, the wolves’ profile is where the real damage is in this army, including the Snarlboss who can, on a 3+, increase their attack characteristic by 1 each of his hero phases.
The Wolfgit Retinue is a single unit of 2 ridden wolves which provides a 5+ ward to themselves and the Snarlboss as long as they stay in close proximity.
The Snarlfang Cavalry is where the damage should come from, with 2 different units of 3 models each, but only one of them each combat phase can claim the Strike-first bonus when they charge. And remember that they can retreat and charge continuously, so this seems an unnecessary limitations especially considering their 4+ save is the best in the army and is not that great.
The Sunsteela Wheelas, two units of 1 model each, are a bit more damaging and have also shooting attacks. They can jump over enemy models in their movement phase, damaging any Infantry unit in the process but is yet another mobility ability which makes Gitmob hard to pin down.
As of writing, February 2024, there is no box for this Spearhead (but should definitely exist) which is composed mostly of the army set box just released, and an old Warhammer Underworlds warband, Rippa’s Snarlfangs, now transformed in a generic hero and his accompanying guard.
While not the most reliable (lots of 4+ and 5+ in their weapon profiles) or resistant (hero with 5+ save and potential 5+ ward is brutal) it is an extremely fast army, with plenty of options to retreat from inconvenient situations without suffering any consequence. It requires strategic positioning, but is definitely a fan army, which is also a Regiment of Renown usable in other Destruction armies in Age of Sigmar.
Orruk Warclans: Kruleboyz
Swampskulka Gang
While this Spearhead is technically labelled Orruk Warclans, really represents a Kruleboyz army and is taken straight from the Dominion box set that launched the third edition of Age of Sigmar. In here you will find:
- Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof
- 1 Murknob with Belcha-banna
- 3 Man-skewer Boltboyz
- 5 Gutrippaz
- 5 Gutrippaz
- 1 Beast-skewer Killbow
The battle trait of this army allows the general and another unit in range to have strike-first once per game. It can be used also on the opponent combat phase, so there’s that.
The regiment abilities give defensive bonuses, in particular a -1 to wound to all enemy units but only in the first round, or a single unit is not visible to enemies further than 12″.
The Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof is a good unit: fast, decent health and survivability, good attacks and even the ability to increase another unit control score. His list of enhancement has some good situational abilities, but one that may work often allows to retreat without receiving mortal damage and still shoot and/or charge in the same phase.
The Murknob with Belcha-banna is another melee hero able to do mortal damage each combat phase to all units he is engaging.
The Beast-skewer Killbow is a war machine whose main use is shooting from an incredible distance. If you have a monster against (really few in Spearhead) it could be devastating, but most of the time this unit will be just average and if the opponent has some fast units, it can reduce the gap and engage them easily.
The Gutrippaz in this Spearhead are armed with Hackas (the other weapon profile is not present in this Spearhead anyway, you would need to buy the individual box). They can scare enemy units reducing their to hit roll and are your main objective-takers.
The Man-skewer Boltboyz have a good ranged profile, in particular if they don’t move, but suffer from the same issue of the Beast-skewer where they stop their utility as soon as they are engaged.
This box is the only place where you can find the mounted Killaboss and the Murknob, so if you are interested in the Kruleboyz, this box is a must-have. Coincidentally it contains a good portion of the Kruleboyz Regiment of Renown that allows to field them in another Destruction army, you just need an extra Man-skewer unit.
Orruk Warclans: Ironjawz
Ironjawz Bigmob
The Ironjawz finally joined the Spearhead party with their own box. In here you will find:
- Megaboss
- 3 Brute Ragerz
- 5 Ardboyz
- 5 Ardboyz
- 5 Brutes
The battle trait of this army consists in the unit of Brutes not being deployed before the third battle round, and each hero phase a single unit not set up that turn can move up to 3″ even in combat.
The regiment abilities either provide +1 to the Attack characteristic for any unit rolling an unmodified 8+ on a charge, or once per battle all units not set up that round can move 3″ in that hero phase.
The Megaboss is a force of nature, with plenty of attacks and the ability to increase them by 1 to itself or a unit of Brutes. The list of enhancements can really make this general shine, in particular increasing its rend to 2, or giving all units within 12″ a +1 to charge when the Megaboss charges itself.
The two units of 5 Ardboyz are the anvil on which your opponents should crash. High defence and increased rend when they get charged can really make them deadly. In addition they have a chance to do some mortal damage each combat phase.
The Brute Ragerz are one of the two assembly options available for this sprue, but this is the only set up available in this Spearhead. They have low defence, but compensate with Strike-first when they charge and a good potential damage.
The last unit, literally as they can only be deployed from the third battle round, combines the defence of the Ardoboyz with the attack of the Ragerz. They prevent units with a Health characteristic of 1 and 2 in combat with them from contesting objectives, meaning that even if they enter the fray late, they can be determinants right away. And a Megaboss can give them extra attacks.
This box is also a great way to start an Ironjawz army!
Ogor Mawtribes
Tyrant’s Bellow
The Ogor Mawtribes Spearhead box contains some of the oldest miniatures available in this format, in particular:
- Tyrant
- 2 Mournfang Pack
- 3 Ogor Gluttons
- 3 Ogor Gluttons
- 4 Leadbelchers
- 1 Ironblaster
The only battle trait of this army sees the Ironblaster, the Mournfang Pack and 1 unit of Ogors be deployed only from the third battle round. [Dec 2024 FAQ] A unit of Ogors was added to the list of units to be deployed half-way through the game.
The regiment abilities either allow to do mortal damage on charge, or adds some Health to the late-comer units.
The Tyrant is a brute with an ok melee profile, a shooting attack, a great control value and the ability to increase the control score of a friendly unit. Basically all you need from your melee general.
The Leadbelchers have a good shooting profile (in particular if they don’t move) but they don’t shy away in melee either with a high Health value that compensates a low save.
But your mainstay and objective-takers will be the two units of Ogor Gluttons (in Age of Sigmar they would be fielded in units of 6 minimum) with good damage, high Health/Control ratio, bonus on charge rolls, and when they hit, they hit hard!
The Mournfang Pack is definitely the best damage dealer but they appear only from the third battle round onwards. They will need straight away a charge on a 6+ to get in melee (assuming there’s any enemy unit in range) so their use may be more to take back abandoned objectives and make life harder to your opponent who wants them back in the last battle round.
On the other side, the Ironblaster is an artillery piece that can shoot afar, so, despite entering only from the third battle round, it can do some damage straight away. It’s a bit of a pot luck however, so you may also consider to simply charge into the midst afterwards. This kit can also assemble a Gnoblar Scraplauncher, which doesn’t have Spearhead rules.
Ogor Mawtribes suffer from a very high to hit roll that can be worsened easily especially in the Spearhead format, but when they hit they are devastating. The two reinforcements coming late in the game may decide the fate of the battle or arrive just too late to be of any use. This Spearhead is a lot of fun and if you are starting an Ogor army is a good place, consider however the age of these kits as theoretically they are overdue an update!
Sons of Behemat
Wallsmasher Stomp
The simplest army ever (usually 4 to 6 models) has also their very own Spearhead army consisting of:
- Mancrusher Gargant
- 1 Mancrusher Gargant
- 1 Mancrusher Gargant
Yep, the entire army is composed by a single warscroll: the “small” giant! The one that counts as a Hero is called Bullstomper and does not have the Reinforcements keyword, apart from that, they are all identical. The battle traits see them roar to their enemy reducing their to hit accuracy in combat and the general can give one extra shooting attack to another unit in range.
The regiment abilities provide either a healing buff or the ability for one charging Gargant to give strike-last to all engaged enemies.
The enhancements can really give a different flavour to the Mancrusher Gargant chosen as the general, from extra Health to a better hit roll when taking over enemy controlled objectives.
The Gargants are not too accurate, but when they hit they can do lots of damage. Their shooting attack is negligible, but they can straight up kill a model each combat phase if they can beat its Health characteristic with a dice roll and when they die they do area damage on the point they corpse would fall. And the best thing is that the two non-hero return back once again after being killed the first time!
If you like giants and even better armies with low model-count, then this is definitely the one for you. And from this Spearhead box to the main Age of Sigmar army the jump is small: you just need a couple or more boxes of the other kit available…
