This article will describe in detail the Orruk Warclans army starting from its lore, describing the main units and their roles, how the army plays and finally our personal opinion of the army.
For a complete run-down of the different armies available in Age of Sigmar, consult our Age of Sigmar army overview article.
In this article we will refer often to Matched Play and other technical terms like allegiance abilities, command points, army roles in building a list, core battalions, Endless Spells/Invocations, etc. We assume the reader will be knowledgeable with those terms, otherwise please refer to the relevant guides for more details.
Overview of Orruk Warclans Army
Orruk Warclans are really two different factions gathered together in a single book. Orruks, the Age of Sigmar equivalent of Orcs, are the race that better represents the bestial and ferocious aspect of Ghur, the Realm of Beasts.
They live for war and would attack anyone that could put up a good fight. They venerate Gorkamorka, a complex deity that can sometime argue with itself and split in two halves: Gork that is brutal but cunning and Mork that is cunning but brutal.
When enough Orruks and their allies gather, they create a Big Waaagh!, a spiritual force extremely contagious that brings greenskin hordes together and generates enough energy to prompt them to accomplish utter devastation.
The 2 main groups of Orruks are the Ironjawz (the biggest and baddest Orruks) and the Kruleboyz (slimmer and more cunning). Previously there was a third one called Bonesplitterz, that, however, has been relegated to legends starting from 1st June 2025.
The Kruleboyz were the main antagonist of the third edition of Age of Sigmar, pitted against the Stormcast Eternals with Ghur, the Realm of Beast, as a backdrop setting. They are a complete new subfaction of Orruks focussed more on ambushing and shooting tactics (the Mork side).
With the recent update of some Ironjawz sculpts with the addition of new models, and the culling of the Bonesplitterz range, the Orruk Warclans roster is completely new with only few models just as old as Age of Sigmar (Gordrakk for example).
Orruk Warclans battletome was released not long after the launch of the fourth edition with some small changes from the index which introduced them to the new version. Unfortunately, they were under-performing before the battletome and they just got worse. The Hour of Ruin is a rough time for the Greenskinz…
Lore of Orruk Warclans Army
The two-headed god Gorkamorka is venerated by many destruction forces, including the Orruks that better understand his predicament. In the Age of Myth, Gorkamorka collaborated with Sigmar’s pantheon, happy to chase away the biggest monsters from the Mortal Realms, but all of this stopped when the Age of Chaos came.
Since then, all sorts of greenskins and their allies roam the land in search of a good fight and something to destroy, often targeting Sigmar’s cities or outposts but not denying death underworlds or chaos fortresses a good fight or scrap as they call it.
It is not exactly known how Orruks came to be, some say from another Orruk corpse the essence eventually mutates like a tadpole and continues its evolution process reaching a full-size Orruk in time. But to ask them directly is impossible as they just don’t care. They exist, and they do to fight. When they don’t have an opponent, they clash between themselves to determine who is going to lead: “da Boss“!
Orruks gather in warclans and, while they are more common in Ghur, the Realm of Beasts, they can be found anywhere outside of Azyr and the realms’ edges (Perimiter Inimical). This includes Archaon’s own turf, the Eightpoints, where they plan eventually to topple the Varanspire, the fortress home of the Everchosen.
There are three main groups of Orruks, of which the Kruleboyz are those that venerate Mork above Gork. They prefer dirty tricks and foul play: in the end it does not matter how you win as long as you win. They originate from the bogs and swamps of Ghur but have since spread far and wide. They are slimmer than their other counterparts and use in battle various beasts they captured and broke to teach them who is the boss. They are also accompanied by other greenskinz races like the smaller Hobgrots and Grots.
The Ironjawz instead are the more brutal Orruks. They prefer Gork and represent the greenskin’s shock troop throwing themselves at whichever obstacle the Waaagh! is encountering. They are tougher and bigger than their cousins and use crude weapons and pig-iron armours to protect them from the biggest blows.
Completely opposite are the Bonesplitterz, that charge in battle covered only with some loin clothes and warpaints, believing Gorkamorka will protect them as long as they have eaten enough marrow bone from the greatest and most dangerous beasts they could find. Whatever the truth, they are indeed protected by an invisible force able to deviate some of the hits otherwise destined to them.
When they gather all together, they assemble a Big Waaagh! like the one Kragnos, the End of Empires, managed to bring to the very door of Excelsis. Kragnos was once the leader of a powerful race of centaurs, the Drogrukh and was imprisoned under a mountain for centuries by an alliance of powerful casters like the elder Draconiths and the Seraphon Slann.
And he would have stayed there forever, if it was not for Alarielle and her ritual that brought back life in all realms and stirred the Realm of Beasts from its torpor, allowing the Living Earthquake to once again roam the Mortal Realms.
Army rules for the Orruk Warclans
To check how Orruks play on the battlefield, we will have to divide them in Ironjawz and Kruleboyz as they are basically two separate armies. The things they have in common are the Manifestations and a dual-purpose scenery piece.
Ironjawz
Ironajwz battle traits are pretty straightforward (as you would expect from these Orruks pointing only to brute strength):
- Mighty Destroyers: once per turn in any hero phase a single unit can make a 3″ move that can end in combat (but can’t leave combat).
- Ironjawz Waaagh!: once per turn pick a hero who can, once per battle, give an 18″ area of +1 to charge and melee attacks for the turn.
They have four battle formations:
- Ironjawz Brawl: non-hero units rolling 8+ on a charge roll add 1 to their melee attacks.
- Weirdfist: Infantry units within 12″ of a priest or wizard have 6+ ward.
- Ironfist: after an enemy unit is destroyed in combat, the next Ironjawz unit fighting obtains +1 to hit rolls.
- Grunta Stampede: Add, up to +4, the number of enemy units destroyed to the Move of Gore-gruntas and Maw-grunta.
Ironjawz heroic traits include An Eye For Da Fight where units redeploying around that hero move a minimum of 4″.
While their most interesting artefact of power is Trophy Skulls, which adds 10 to the control score of the bearer.
Ironjawz spell lore, Lore of the Weird, includes an unlimited spell which adds Crit (2 Hits) to melee weapons (each critical hit becomes 2 wound rolls), a D3 mortal damage spell and a 24″ teleport.
Ironjawz also have a prayer lore: Warbeats. The unlimited prayer adds 1 to charge rolls or, when enhanced, an extra dice. The other two prayers are a healing and one that increases the damage characteristic by 1.
Ironjawz and Kruleboyz share the same Manifestations of Gorkamorka lore which are all spells.
Kruleboyz
The Kruleboyz battle trait revolve around the concept of Dirty Tricks. You can play maximum one per phase and the chances of success decrease the more you successfully trigger (starting at 2+ for the first one, and going on a 5+ for the fourth and subsequent trick). Here is the full list:
- Venom-encrusted Weapons: in your hero phase choose an Infantry unit which will score critical hits on a 5+ until your next hero phase.
- Sneaky Sneakin’: in your hero phase choose an Infantry unit with 10 or less models unengaged and teleport it within 3″ of a terrain feature and 9″ outside enemy units.
- Lethal Surprise: any charge phase when charged by an enemy unit, allocate D3 damage and for the next combat phase disable the “Charge (+1 damage)” ability on the enemy weapon profile.
- Noisy Racket: any combat phase assign Strike-last to an engaged enemy unit.
They have four battle formations:
- Kruleboyz Klaw: units are invisible when within 3″ of a terrain and 12″ away from any enemy unit.
- Middul Finga: during your shooting phase up to 3 Man-skewer Boltboyz or Beast-skewer Killbow increase their shooting attacks range by 3″.
- Light Finga: Sneaky Sneakin’ dirty trick can be used twice per turn.
- Trophy Finga: Companion weapons obtain Crit (2 hits).
Kruleboyz heroic traits include Slippery Skumbag which allows to retreat in a combat phase on a 3+ without receiving mortal damage.
While their most interesting artefact of power is Swamp Staff, which allows a non-wizard hero to make an unbind per turn or increases the power level of a wizard by 1.
Kruleboyz spell lore, Lore of the Swamp, includes an unlimited spell which does mortal wounds to a horde unit (many models in the same unit), one spell which reduces the attack of an enemy unit and one which adds +1 on the save roll of a friendly unit.
Kruleboyz do not have priests and as such, no prayer lore.
Ironjawz and Kruleboyz share the same Manifestations of Gorkamorka lore which are all spells.
Units and their roles in the Ironjawz Army – Heroes
Ironjawz Monster Heroes
There’s no leader more iconic for Ironjawz than Gordrakk, the Fist of Gork, the protagonist of many stories, recently even clashed with Kragnos before agreeing on following his Waaagh!. Despite so, he suffers from the usual issue that, as a named character, it can’t be improved further while his alter ego, the Megaboss on Maw-krusha, can take artefacts that for example can provide an after-save ward.
They have a really similar profile, both with a shooting attack and swingy melee attacks (Gordrakk hits on a 3+, all other profiles are on 4+), where Gordrakk prefers fighting hero monsters, and a Megaboss infantry. They both can increase their attacks (max +3) by killing enemy units.
The main selling point for Gordrakk is a +1 to hit to all Ironjawz in range when declaring the Waaagh! while a Megaboss that charged can go through the enemy lines in the combat phase.
Would future price cuts make them more appealing?
The latest kit released is a monstrous Tuskboss on Maw-Grunta. He introduces the concept of momentum that we will see also in the other 2 non-hero variants. This is built every time the unit runs or successfully charges but is decreased at the end of every battle round. This counter is added to the damage of the tusk melee profile.
What the Tuskboss adds is the ability, each time it charges, to add an extra momentum to itself and any other Maw-grunta who charged. Considering the decent size of their base, the wholly within 12″ bubble is not that big and having multiples of them is also expensive. It is also a protagonist of his own regiment of renown which allows to field the “big pigs” in other Destruction armies.
Ironjawz Infantry Heroes
Zoggrok Anvilsmasha is the latest named hero to join the fray accompanied by his loyal rockbrow squig, Klonk. He has two different weapon loadouts, and never like now the difference can be significative. The choppa provides a nice -2 rend, but more importantly if it scores a hit, it removes the ward save from the targeted unit for the rest of the battle.
However, the tongs bring from 4+ to 3+ his second ability: each of your hero phases, the targeted Ironjawz unit adds Crit(Mortal) to their melee weapons, which can be pretty scary. Klonk is a token that allows to re-roll the forging roll until Zoggrok rolls a natural 1 to save and then Klonk is gone for the rest of the game. Zoggrok has also his own army of renown Infantry-based.
The Megaboss on foot is a utility tool for the Brutes allowing them to fight immediately after him with a +1 attack for the rest of the turn. Aside from that, he has the same way to increase attacks by killing other units as other Megabosses, but still a 4+ to hit profile which can be quite swingy.
The Warchanter is the only priest in the army, and now that the rituals are all prayers, he is even more important to buff an Ironjawz army. There’s really no down-side, it is an auto-take, especially in a Weirdfist army providing a ward to Infantry units.
The only Ironjawz wizard is the Weirdnob Shaman, which is the best way for them to access Manifestations. He is also the source of the main teleport ability in the army and the unlimited spell in their lore allows to double the hits on critical rolls. He is even more important than a Warchanter, but often they come together.
The Ardboy Big Boss is there to buff the Ardboyz by giving them more rally dice when using the command Rally and +1 on their shield bash ability which does mortal damage in the combat phase. Arboyz are a good unit, but the Big Boss buffs seem minimal and his damage output is inconsequential. Being a bonus hero, at the right cost point may see more presence on the battlefield.
Units and their roles in the Ironjawz Army – Non-Heroes
Ironjawz Infantry
The Ardboys, with their recent updated sculpt, are the best anvil in this army with their 3+ save, rend 2 when they are charged and a mortal damage chance each combat phase. They are an essential unit in the army and the question is how many do you need. Looking outside the box, they are also essential in Zoggrok’s army of renown where they obtain an extra 5+ ward as long as two units of Arboys are within range of each other, and they receive also some minor buffs from an Ardboy Big Boss if there’s space in the list.
Where the Arboyz are the defensive/anvil option, the Brutes are the hammer and one of the best Ironjawz unit at the moment, especially against low-health Infantry. Indeed, units with a Health characteristic of 1 or 2 cannot contest objectives while in combat with them which is pretty wild considering that is the vast majority of units in the game.
The Brute Ragerz are part of a recent dual kit which is completely weighted offensively. They have run and charge, and strike-first the same turn they charge, making them extremely dangerous especially considering a potential range of 25″ or more (3″ of Mighty Destroyers, 6″ of auto-run, and up to 18″ of charge by rolling 3D6 with the Warchanter enhanced prayer).
The Weirdbrute Wrekkaz are the other alternative option of the naked Brutes with the same run and charge and an additional ward which really puts them in a weird spot because they are nowhere close to the offensive potential of the Ragerz, and even with the ward, without the Strike-first they get completely annihilated by anyone who just looks at them.
Ironjawz Cavalry
Ironjawz’ only cavalry are the classic Gore-gruntas. They are the quintessential unit, able to move around and resist if they get pinned down. They have a bit of damage on charge but the boars for some reason hit as bad as a horse meaning they will struggle to get out of a fight.
Ironjawz Monster
The last two monsters are coming from the same kit. They have the same momentum ability as the Tuskboss.
The Maw-grunta with Hakkin’ Krew has an ability to move across units while is in combat, ready to charge immediately after and bumping up his momentum score in the process which would be great if it was able to so some real damage. To give an idea, statistically, a fully buffed Maw-grunta has more or less the same damage output of a non-reinforced group of Brute Ragerz, which costs almost half…
The Maw-grunta Gouger has a similar profile to the above, without the crew attacks but a chance, which improves the more momentum it has, to give Strike-last to a unit it is engaged with.
Wizards and Priests in Ironjawz
This is the only wizard available in an Ironjawz army (in brackets their power level):
- Weirdnob Shaman (1)
And this the only priest (in brackets their power level):
- Warchanter (1)
Units and their roles in the Kruleboyz Army – Heroes
Kruleboyz Monster Heroes
Gobsprakk, the Mouth of Mork is the top Kruleboyz and a Warmaster. He is a flying wizard with power level 2 and a super annoying ability which allows him to damage any wizard after unbinding successfully a spell. And once per battle, he can roll 3D6 for higher chances to unbind and do extra damage.
Aside from that, and a signature spell which wants to damage units with high Health, there’s not much more utility and it is an expensive centre-piece with ok damage potential.
From the same kit, comes the Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha, a much more useful profile with better damage, an ability to always let Gutrippaz redeploy at least 4″ and damage on charge. Combined with a heroic trait like Slipper Skumbag and his 12″ of flying movement, it can be really hard to pin him down.
The Breaka-boss on Mirebrute Troggoth combines the regenerative abilities of the Troggoth with the cruelty of the Orruks (every hero phase can self-inflict damage to increase the mount attacks). Pointed correctly it can be an interesting option even considering his regiment can take any Kruleboyz unit and can be a bonus hero in Gobsprakka or Kragnos ones.
Swampboss Skumdrekk is another named character, with the same limitations of this type of unit. He wants to buff Hobgrot Slittaz by giving a single unit Crit(Mortal) during deployment and +1 to wound to an enemy target (also chosen during deployment), but Slittaz are not that great anymore and this reduces Skumdrekk utility.
On the other side of the same kit, we have the Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast. He can distribute his Sludgeraker Venom to friendly Kruleboyz unit (one unit per hero phase) and then any enemy unit damaged by those weapons (or the Snatchaboss itself) gets extra damage at the end of the turn and a -1 to wound which will last for all following turn. As the Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha, he can benefit from Slipper Skumbag heroic trait to increase his survivability.
Kruleboyz Infantry Heroes
The Killaboss with Stab-grot was the omni-present foot hero in many third edition boxes. Unfortunately, aside from adding +1 to wound to a friendly Infantry unit who declared an All-out Attack ability, doesn’t add much else and despite being a bonus hero, has been so far absent from the battlefields. The stab-grot is a token which represents a once per battle minor ability.
The Murknob with Belcha-banna is not a totem any more but maintained the same 6+ ward aura and mortal damage to any enemy unit within the combat range. His point cost is currently going down, it may see a resurgence soon.
The Swampcalla Shaman with Pot-grot is the generic wizard in a Kruleboyz army and the only one of our foot heroes which is an auto-include in most lists. Out of the box he has a +1 to cast buff (represented by the Pot-grot token) which is lost only once he rolls a 4 or less to cast. But we can easily combine it with a Swamp Staff to increase his power level by 1 and make him even more useful. He also has a buff which increases a unit Save by 1 (on a 2+).
The Hobgrot Slittaboss is the latest kit added to the roster with a fight-after ability which pulls in a unit of Hobgrot Slittaz immediately after him with a +1 to wound bonus and one which would be great to instant-kill a small Infantry hero, but what’s the chance he survives long enough to deliver with a 6+ save, no ward and 5 Health?
Kruleboyz Cavalry Heroes
The Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof was first introduced in the Dominion box set. He is currently the only cavalry available to this army and his main ability adds +1 to hit to all Kruleboyz while he is contesting an objective he does not control. But it doesn’t seem enough to see him played…
Units and their roles in the Kruleboyz Army – Non-Heroes
Kruleboyz Infantry
The Hobgrot Slittaz were a popular screening unit, but they now cannot really compete with the Gutrippaz despite their shooting attacks (which work also in combat) and an ability to retreat at the end of the turn without taking mortal damage (on a 3+).
The Monsta-Killaz started as a Warcry warband and while thematically they get bonuses fighting monsters, their native rend 1 makes them one of the most interesting Infantry options in Kruleboyz. Combined with Gutrippaz they make up the bulk of the army.
The Gutrippaz are the backbone of Kruleboyz defensive line, which is hard to believe considering their 5+ save and no ward, but on a 3+ they can reduce the hit rolls of enemy attacks by 1. Works only in the combat phase, but their Crit(Mortal) and the fact that the Snatchaboss venom ability changed with the battletome release, makes them still the most efficient front-line unit in this army.
But the main threat in the army comes from the Man-skewer Boltboyz and their high rend, high damage shots which auto wound on critical hits (which can be on a 5+ with the right Dirty Trick) and a potential extended range in the Middul Finga battle formation. And if they are engaged, their weapons issue mortal damage on critical hits instead.
Kruleboyz War Machine
The Marshcrawla Sloggoth was infamous for its buffs in third edition which saw it popular also in Gloomspite Gitz armies, and now it is reduced to a bubble of run and charge which is not exactly what you want to do with Kruleboyz. Rest in peace.
If you need to get rid of a monster, the Beast-skewer Killbow is the right tool. With a potential 27″ range (in the Middul Finga battle formation), hits on a 3+ (not moving) and auto-wounding on a 5+ (with the right Dirty Trick), wounds on a 2+, rend 3, 6 damage straight and 2 shots per model, any monster would have a tough time to recover.
Wizards and Priests in Kruleboyz
These are the wizards available in a Kruleboyz army (in brackets their power level):
- Gobsprakk (2)
- Swampcalla Shaman (1)
Kruleboyz don’t have priests.
Kragnos, the End of Empires
We have a separate guide for Kragnos as his warscroll is reprinted in all Destruction battletomes.
Endless Spells, Terrain and Start Collecting in a Orruk Warclans Army
Orruks share the same manifestations which include a list of Gorkamorka-themed effects. The Foot of Gork is a giant foot which does not move, just teleports anywhere within 9″ of the other part of the manifestation to provide a bit of mortal damage to any unit being engaged and reduces their charge roll dice by 1. Gork-roara instead is a wizard/priest buffer (can add up to +2 to the casting or chanting roll) with a chance to either self-damage the buffed unit or add +1 to charge rolls of friendly Orruks. The Morkspit Marsh instead is a de-buffer which reduces the control score of enemy units and prevents the opponent from using Run abilities while in range.
Ironjawz and Kruleboyz share the same terrain piece but with two different build options.
Ironjawz Bossrokk Tower can be garrisoned by a single Hero Infantry which becomes the Shouty Boss. If it is garrisoned, the tower distributes a debuff to an enemy unit within 18″ on a 3+ (4+ if there’s no hero within). The debuffs include reducing by 1 dice the charge roll, reduce the control score or casting/chanting rolls.
The Kruleboyz Skaregob Totem has the same garrison rules as above, but instead allows to add +1 to any Dirty Trick roll and the Shouty Boss increases the range of this ability from 12″ to 18″ which is pretty good.
Kruleboyz were the poster boys of the third edition, with many starter sets available. Of those only the Orruk Warclans Spearhead box is left with a Killaboss on Great Gnashtoof, a Murknob with Belcha-banna, 10 Gutrippaz, 3 Man-skewer Boltboyz and 1 Beast-skewer Killbow, which is a great way to kick-start this army.
The Ironjawz received their very own Spearhead box, the Ironjawz Bigmob, which contains a Megaboss, 3 Brute Ragerz, 10 Ardboyz and 5 Brutes, another great way to start an Ironjawz army.
Both boxes can be used in the titular Spearhead format. You can find more information in our Spearhead article.
Armies of Renown and Regiments of Renown in an Orruk Warclans Army
Orruk Warclans have four Armies of Renown.
The most interesting is for sure the return of the Big Waaagh! which allows to field together Ironjawz and Kruleboyz. You need to keep the regiments even (so 1 each or 2 each, pending FAQ on Kragnos as he has both keywords), but otherwise have no other limitations. The battle traits revolve around “inspiring an Ironjawz and a Kruleboyz unit each of your hero phases, by giving the former +1 to run and charge and the latter critical hits on a 5+. There’s also the ability for the general to bring back slain units.
Zoggrok’s Ironmongerz instead is an Ironjawz Infantry-only army, which is probably the best part of it at the moment, led by Zoggrok himself, which sacrifices few abilities for bringing Arboyz to a 3+/5+ save/ward before any other buff, as long as 2 units of them are within range of each other.
Murkvast Menagerie is a Kruleboyz monster themed army which sees Skumdrekk at the helm, then can enlist a Snatchaboss, a Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha, a Breaka-boss or a Sloggoth. For every monster enlisted, a Swampcalla Shaman and a non-hero Infantry can be added. Nice try, but little substance.
The last one, Krazogg’s Grunta Stampede, is the opposite of Zoggrok’s one, where only Maw-gruntas and Gore-gruntas are allowed. It comes from the Dawbringer Crusade series and is available on Warhammer Community Downloads section under Other Rules.
Orruks also have three Regiments of Renown, all usable in any other Destruction army, except Da Kountin’ Krew which cannot be used in Ogor lists.
Da Hurtlin’ Hogz is an Ironjawz regiment with a Tuskboss and a Maw-grunta Gouger unit. 2 “big pigs” for some theoretical heavy impact on enemy lines.
The next two are both Kruleboyz. Da Kountin’ Krew has Skumdrekk himself lead 2 Hobgrot Slittaz units of 10 models each which can now run and shoot while in range of the Swampboss, on top of all other buffs Skumdrekk can provide them.
The last one, Big Grikk’s Kruleshots, comes also from the Dawnbringer series and is available in the Download section. It involves a Beast-skewer Killbow who gets the Hero keyword and 2 units of 3 Man-skewer Boltboyz.
For more details on Armies and Regiments of Renown you can read here.
Tactics and Final Verdict on the Orruk Warclans Army
When fourth edition launched, Destruction indexes were on average disappointing with many armies struggling to get even in the top half of the meta ranking. Between the outliers there were the Kruleboyz, which had some simple lists that worked in spreading mortal damage left and right, especially through the Man-skewer Boltboyz ranged potential.
When the Orruk Warclans battletome was released, Ironjawz and Kruleboyz have been definitely separated in two different armies sharing only the manifestations and a terrain kit with two different assembly options. However, the Kruleboyz were slightly but significantly nerfed, while the Ironjawz, despite not receiving any nerf, didn’t improve either.
In summary, pending some drastic changes in the seasonal battlepack which can shift the balance of some units/armies, both Orruk armies are worst off than at the start of the season. Let’s analyse them individually.
Ironjawz are all about melee contact and getting there fast, and that’s where Mighty Destroyers battle trait helps. That’s also why the battle formation Ironjawz Brawl which gives +1 attack to a unit that rolls 8 or higher in the charge is extremely popular. The list of artefacts and heroic traits is not that interesting with the choice often falling to Trophy Skulls for an increased control score (by 10) and An Eye for Da Fight for that minimum 4″ Redeploy which again helps mobility.
Then there’s the manifestations, and actually the new ones may be interesting for Ironjawz with the Gork-roara helping wizards or priests to improve their chances to get the important buffs this army needs. Otherwise the Krondspine Incarnate is one of the most popular with the Morbid Conjuration always a great choice.
Units wise is also too straight-forward with this army. You need a Warchanter for the buffs, and the Weirdnob Shaman is the only option to cast the manifestations. Then you have Brutes which are the best offensive unit, the Ardboyz, which are the more defensive unit, Gore-gruntas to score battle tactics and Brute Ragerz for their threat projection. Zoggrok has also some interesting buffs, but aside from that any list will revolve around this, leaving aside a lot of other good-looking units.
The Kruleboyz are all about tricking the adversary with some nasty surprises, but pulling them off becomes increasingly more difficult the more they are used. The Tower (new scenery piece) helps by adding 1 to the roll, but the fact that the teleport and the venom applied to the weapons (to score critical hits on a 5+) are now both hero phase actions, means only one of the two can be performed each turn, which is a bummer.
Because of this change the battle formation Light Finga which allowed to do twice the teleport in the same phase may be less popular allowing other ones to raise up. But artefacts-wise the Swamp Staffa which increases the power level of a Shaman is a clear winner, as is the most acceptable heroic the trait Slippery Skumbag, which allows your biggest heroes to avoid a combat they can’t win.
The Breaka-boss with his potential to increase its attacks by damaging himself is an interesting option. Not that popular until the battletome release, but it may see some uptake. On the other hand, aside from the aforementioned Swampcalla Shaman, your leader options are reduced to a Snatchaboss on Sludgeraker Beast to spread its venom (although it’s less powerful in the battletome version than it was in the index) and a Killaboss on Corpse-rippa Vulcha for his ability to control better Gutrippaz off-turn movement and his higher damage potential.
For the troops, Monsta-killaz’ rend makes them extremely popular and Gutrippaz are more resilient than Hobgrots Slittaz and much more useful, while the Man-skewer Boltboyz and an occasional Beast-skewer Killbow are great additions to add to the threat projection of this army. Unfortunately the list of units which are interesting ends here, and it’s a pity considering how young is the model range and how many unused heroes/monsters there are.
To summarise, the battletome does not give justice to neither of the two armies, which all have extremely recent kits, including the Ironjawz which had also some resculpts of models not even 10 years old. Should that stop you from collecting either of these armies? Absolutely not! Destruction is fun, is not about winning but about playing your toys. Rules come and go, what is strong today may be the weakest tomorrow and vice versa. Even a different battlepack may completely change the perspective of a unit and these models are gorgeous! So go out, roar Waaagh! and have fun!
Other resources
Some excellent information that we often use from articles like this one comes from YouTube channels like Warhammer Weekly with Vince Venturella, AoS Coach and of course The Honest Wargamer.
If you are interested in the competitive standpoint, when we talk about statistics, a tremendous effort is done by Rob from the Honest Wargamer, Ziggy and Tsports Network! in the AoS Stat Centre with precious information, constantly kept up to date.
Really good informative material is also collected by Dan from AoS Shorts.
