The Sylvaneth are the children of Alarielle, the Everqueen, the goddess of life.
Originally from Ghryan, the Realm of Life, they are now spread across all mortal realms and favour living in wild places like forests and woods.
The Age of Chaos forced them to retreat but now is the Season of War.
Will you listen to the spirit-song and answer Alarielle’s call?
What changed in the new edition for the Sylvaneth Warband?
Of the legacy warbands, Sylvaneth is the one that changed the most. Apart from Leader wounds going down and point adjustments, the Kurnoth lost their ability but strengthen their melee profile, while the Revenants went from 8 to 10 wounds.
New profiles were added both for the new miniatures, the Gossamid Archers and the Revenant Seekers/Spiterider Lancers and an alternative weapon loadouts for the Tree-Revenant Scion for a total of 7 new fighters.
Some abilities changed slightly, the new fighters all got a new ability and the Kurnoth lost theirs.
Background and Lore of the Sylvaneth Warband
The Sylvaneth are the forest spirits created from soulpods by Alarielle, Queen of the Radiant Wood, in the Age of Myth.
The name Sylvaneth, in reality corresponds to many different creatures, that are grouped together in armies called wargroves.
They defend nature and their sylvan habitats, most wary of any intruders, others more accepting of potential allies.
The bulk of the wargroves is made of Dryads, once gentle creatures now ferocious in their hit-and-run tactics, usually led by a Branchwraith.
Massive champions, Treelords and Treelord Ancients, lead the Noble Spirits, the more martial of the Sylvaneth of which the Tree-Revenants form the standing army.
Other tree creatures known as Free Spirits do not belong to any clan but still listen to Alarielle and answer her call.
Of those, the Kurnoth Hunters are possessed with brutal strength and agility and they are equally proficient with blades, scythes, or bows.
Finally, the Spite-Revenants are part of the Outcasts, a darker reflection of their kin, unable to hear the spirit-song, the way to communicate used by the Sylvaneth, unless when it is a call for war.
They are also not welcome in time of peace because of the atrocities they, and their leader Drycha, have committed.
Small warbands called Forest Stalkers are sent to the Eighpoints by the Everqueen herself to exact revenge against those Chaos worshippers that indulged in Ghyran or to retrieve precious artifacts or lamentiri, the essence of forest spirits.
But how do a Sylvaneth Warband play on the tabletop?
If you can’t see the wood for the trees, let’s analyse them in detail.
Overview and Points for the fighters in the Sylvaneth Warband
Note: if you haven’t read the basic rules for Warcry before reading this article, it might be helpful to know that the game’s abilities are activated by using 6 dice that you roll at the start of your turn.
If two of the dice show the same value, they can be used to activate a Double ability. If three show the same value, they can be used for a Triple ability, and so on.
So, when this article refers to an ability being a Double, a Triple or a Quad, it refers to this system. It might sound a bit confusing, but takes no time to get used to when you start playing
The Sylvaneth warband is made from 8 kits with 22 options of which 13 are leaders.
Arch-Revenant: 260 points
The Arch-Revenant is the most expensive leader of the Forest Stalkers.
He doesn’t hit as hard as a Kurnoth, but has a good melee profile with 2″ range, 4 Attacks at Strength 4 for 2/5 damage.
He is a fast leader with 10″ flying Movement with decent resistance (Toughness 4 and 25 Wounds).
He has a plethora of abilities as well: Draw from the Spirit-song is available to all Forest Stalkers and allows to heal up to 6 Wounds for a Double while Envoy of the Everqueen is a Leader ability that allows to increase up to +3 Toughness and Strength of all nearby fighters making the Forest Stalkers veritable power-houses (at the cost of a Quad)
Zephyrspite’s Tail Pincers is his own ability that allows to do straight 3 damage to an enemy within 1″ on a 3+. The other personal ability, Call to Battle, costs a Triple and can increase the melee Attacks of units within 6″ by 1.
In combo with other abilities, like the Enrapturing Song can have a little (and cheap) creature like the Dryad make 6 attacks per action…
The Arch-Revenant is pricy, but his abilities improved since the last edition making him a much more valuable leader.
Branchwraith: 145 points
The Branchwraith is a spellcaster of the Forest Stalkers, and as such she has a 7″ ranged attack for 3/6 damage useful to hit from the second line while staying close to the fight.
Her melee attacks also are not do be underestimated with Strength 3 and damage 2/4.
But Toughness 3 means she is going to be hit a lot, and 18 Wounds will not last forever even if we consider all healing available to this warband…
Speaking of which, for a Triple, she can heal anyone D3 wounds within 6″. 2-3 wounds healed, even on a 6″ bubble, are not game changing, but in some situations may allow a unit to stay alive one turn longer.
Alternative use of a Triple is the universal ability Inspiring Presence that can double-turn the opponent (immediately activate another friendly fighter nearby skipping your opponent), while if you need healing for a Double she can heal herself up to 6 Wounds with Draw from the Spirit-song.
Branchwych: 145 points
On paper another useful support character with same ranged attack as the Branchwraith, but a 2″ melee attack that allows here to fight in melee without being engaged.
Considering her fragile constitution that is a boon to not underestimate. Her damage in melee goes down to 1/4 however.
Her ability is more offensive than the Branchwraith, but also much more unpredictable as you roll up to 6 dice (depending on the value of the Double) and on a 4+ allocate 1 damage, otherwise none. Statistically it means 50% of the dice rolled do no damage.
For the same Double, you could heal her for 6 damage or use other universal abilities.
Despite this, it’s still a potential damage dealer at the cost of just a Double on a decent fighter.
Kurnoth Hunters
- Kurnoth Huntmaster with Kurnoth Greatbow: 255 points
- Kurnoth Huntmaster with Kurnoth Scythe: 245 points
- Kurnoth Huntmaster with Kurnoth Greatsword: 215 points
- Kurnoth Hunter with Kurnoth Greatbow: 195 points
- Kurnoth Hunter with Kurnoth Scythe: 185 points
- Kurnoth Hunter with Kurnoth Greatsword: 170 points
The Kurnoth Hunters are between the most expensive fighters in the Sylvaneth Warband, but also the most versatile.
The Huntmasters are the leaders of this warband and they have 4 wounds more (32 instead of 28), same movement (4”) and Toughness (4).
As leaders they have access to Envoy of the Everqueen to increase Toughness and Strength of friendly fighters. A horde of cheap Tree-Revenants, with Strength and Toughness 6, can now punch much higher than their weight while the Kurnoth can become devastating and very tough.
The Greatbow is the farthest ranged option available to this warband with an amazing 20” range. 2 attacks (3 for the Huntmaster) at Strength 4 (can be increased with the Leader ability as there is no range limit) performing 2/5 damage allow interesting tactics where you can snipe out enemies from afar and makes up for the otherwise slower movement (4”).
If they get engaged, their melee profile is equally good with Strength 5 and 2/4 damage apiece, justifying their high cost.
The Scythe is the heavy-hitting option: 3 attacks (4 for the Huntmaster) with 2” range at Strength 5 for 3/6 damage can be decisive on many occasions.
The Greatsword instead provides more attacks (4 or 5 for the Huntmaster), with 1” range, same Strength but slightly less damage (2/5).
Usually more attacks means more potential damage, but here we are pretty close and the Scythe provides 2″ range that opens up different options…
Revenant Seekers
- Revenant Soulwarden: 210 points
- Revenant Seeker: 165 points
The Revenant Seekers represent the heavy cavalry with 10″ of flying movement, Toughness 4 and high wounds. Their attacks are proportionate with 2/4 damage at Strength 3.
Their unit champion, the Soulwarden, adds 1 more attack, more wounds and overall creates the basis for a good Leader profile.
Their ability costs a Quad and allows them to heal back up to 10 wounds after taking down an enemy. It competes with Envoy of the Everqueen for the use of the Quad, but in the very last rounds you may be out of range, out of leader or just want this fighter to survive, and healing 10 wounds on the last round can be pretty damning to an opponent chasing this fighter.
Spiterider Lancers
- Spiterider Scion: 240 points
- Spiterider Lancer: 185 points
If the Revenant Seekers are the heavy cavalry, the Spiteriders are the light cavalry, but with a twist: they are more expensive thanks to their 2″ range weapon and 12″ flying movement.
They are even stronger (4) but with a different damage pointing towards critical hits (1/5). Their 2″ weapon however is the most interesting aspect: as their base is already bigger than normal infantry, the 2″ range means they can hit a pretty considerable bubble around them.
Their unit champion, the Spiterider Scion, build up on the basic profile by adding one more attack and wounds, but in this case he is too expensive for the damage potential he offers.
They share the same extremely situational ability as the Seekers.
Gossamid Archers
- Flitwing Scion: 170 points
- Gossamid Archer: 130 points
The Gossamid Archers are an interesting combination as they add flying movement (10″) with missile attacks at decent range (3-10″). They don’t hit as hard as a Kurnoth (1/4 at Strength 3), but they are more mobile and cheaper.
In addition, they can increase their Strength for a Double, Larval Shafts, meaning that they could be hitting on a 3+ most enemies in the game even with a Double 3. The Quad Envoy of the Everqueen would also work great on them, the only thing they miss is a way to get at least 3 attacks per action to increase the chances to score a critical hit.
Their Leader version, the Flitwing Scion, has a bit more wounds, one more missile attack and damage on melee, but he is not our recommended option for a leader despite his ranged capabilities and high flying movement that compensates his otherwise fragile profile.
Spite-Revenants
- Shadestalker: 140 points
- Spite-Revenant: 75 points
The Spite-Revenants are one variant of the Tree-Revenants box. Their personal ability allows to block an enemy on a 3+ for a Double.
Sure it’s only 66% chance to succeed and depending on the Double, the Spite has to be from 1″ to 6” distance from the enemy, but in the end, if it works, can prevent an enemy from running away or from grabbing an objective last minute.
The Shadestalker as a leader can also use the special Quad ability that increases Strength and Toughness within a 6” bubble.
The profile itself of the Spite is in line with the low cost: 10 wounds, movement 4”, Toughness 3 and 4 attacks at Strength 4 for 1/3 damage.
The Shadestalker adds more wounds (15), one attack (5) and more damage (2/4).
Tree-Revenants
- Tree-Revenant Scion with Protector Glaive: 115 points
- Tree-Revenant Scion with Enchanted Blade: 110 points
- Tree-Revenant: 65 points
The Tree-Revenants have an interesting strategic ability: they can be moved anywhere from the battlefield at the cost of a Triple.
It does not matter if they are engaged or far away from the enemy.
If there is an objective undefended, they are carrying a treasure, or they are the target of an enemy action, they can just disappear and reappear on the other side of the board.
It cannot be used as an offensive strategy because they appear more than 5” from an enemy and with 4” movement and a weapon range of 1” would take them 2 actions to engage any enemy.
Despite this, they are also pretty cheap, so they can be used in hordes to protect Kurnoth Hunters, engage an enemy unit before it gets to a key member of your army and so on.
Their profile is similar to that of the Spites, the only difference being the 3 attacks at Strength 3.
The Tree-Revanant Scion has 2 different weapon loadouts:
- The Protector Glaive adds a 2″ range that is always useful on leaders, and a higher critical damage (2/5).
- The Enchanted Blade has a more balanced profile, with 1″ range, but 4 attacks and 2/4 damage.
They are cheap leaders with decent attacks, but extremely vulnerable with low wounds and Toughness.
Dryads
- Branch Nymph: 135 points
- Dryad: 70 points
The Dryads also have an interesting horde-ability.
If one “shouts” at an enemy in range, every Dryad adds +1 Attack against that enemy (at the cost of a Triple, the distance based on the value of the ability).
Dryads have 4 attacks at Strength 3 (4 for the Branch Nymph) and can cause small damage (1/3) but in numbers and with 10 attacks (after using Enrapturing Song) per activation they can represent a problem. Or event 12 with an Arch-Revenant around and another Triple available…
Compared to the Revenants, their counterpart as cheap infantry, they have greater movement (5″), more attacks than a Tree-Revenant but less Strength than a Spite-Revenant.
The Nymph does the same damage as the Shadestalker (2/4) but with one attack less (4).
As all leaders she can also use the Envoy of the Everqueen ability but as the other Revenant leaders, she is fragile and the only good thing is her cost.
Ylthari’s Guardians (440 points)
- Ylthari: 165 points
- Skhathael: 85 points
- Gallanghann of the Glade: 105 points
- Ahnslaine, Revenant Archer: 85 points
Ylthari’s Guardians are a Sylvaneth Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 2.
- Vigour and Wrath (Double, all Guardians): add 1 to the damage from every critical hit performed.
- The Reaping (Quad, Ylthari): a good chance to allocate up to 6 damage to all enemies in range.
Ylthari is a Thornwych, a profile not existing in Warcry before. The closest would be a Branchwych, with which she shares both weapon profiles but her movement is 4″ instead of 6″. She has her own ability, The Reaping, that allows to damage any enemy within 6″ on a 2+. If you have a Quad high enough you can do some serious damage.
All other Guardian fighters are Tree-Revenants but with a very different weapon profile than their counterpart. They share the 4″ Movement and Toughness 3 but have higher wounds (10, except Skhathael with 12) but they do not have the ability to tele-transport around the battlefield (that makes the Tree-Revenants an excellent objective-thief, considering also the low cost). Instead they have an ability to increase their damage on critical hits by 1.
While this ability can be useful on a profile like Skhathael‘s, with 4 attacks at Strength 3 for 2/4 damage, it becomes less interesting on Gallanghan that has an already high damage output (2 attacks at Strength 4 for 3/6 damage) or on Ahnslaine that has only 2 attacks both melee and ranged.
Ahnslaine is also the archer of the group, with a range of 15″ and 4 damage on critical hit making her a useful alternative and in a Sylvaneth army one of the cheapest ranged fighter available. She is also the first Tree-Revenant Archer ever to appear in Age of Sigmar.
Skaeth’s Wild Hunt (410 points)
- Skaeth the Huntsman: 180 points
- Karthaen: 80 points
- Sheoch: 70 points
- Althaen: 80 points
- Lighaen: 70 points
Skaeth’s Wild Hunt is a Sylvaneth Bladeborn warband from Warhammer Underworlds Season 3.
- Might of Kurnoth (Triple, Karthaen): increase the melee attacks of friendly fighters in range.
While technically Sylvaneth, the Wild Hunt represent a different group of sylvan aelves: the Kurnothi. As such none of them has an existing counterpart in Warcry.
Skaeth is the quickest with 8″ Movement but the Mounted keyword, the rest of the warband has 5″ Move. With Toughness 4 and 22 Wounds he can take some punch, but his weapon has 8″ range and no minimum distance, meaning he can attack from afar without getting too close. As a Leader he can use Envoy of the Everqueen to increase Toughness and Strength of friendly fighters in range but doesn’t have any other specific ability.
The Leader ability matches well with Karthaen‘s unique ability, Might of Kurnoth, that increases the Attack characteristic. Activating them both in the same battle round may be hard (requires a Quad and a Triple) but can be devastating if you can pull it off at the right moment. Apart from that, Karthaen hits harder than a Revenant with 3 attacks at Strength 3 for 2/4 damage and is a bit more resistant with 12 wounds (the others have 10 except Lighaen 8).
Sheoch has more attacks (4) but less damage (1/4), while Althaen introduces the second ranged option in the Bladeborn warband and one of the cheapest in the Sylvaneth: 15″ for 1/4 damage. Her melee profile is forgettable.
Lighaen counts as Beast, and his profile is similar to a Tree-Revenant with higher critical damage (1/4), 8″ Movement but also higher cost.
Abilities for the Sylvaneth Warcry Warband
- Draw from the Spirit-song (Double, everyone): Heal up to 6 Wounds.
- Larval Shafts (Double, all Gossamid Archers): Add up to 3 to the Strength characteristic of the next missile attack action.
- Shrieking Terror (Double, all Spite-Revenants): A chance to block an enemy preventing move or disengage actions (on a 3+).
- Zephyrspite’s Tail Pincers (Double, Arch-Revenant): A chance to do 3 damage to an engaged enemy.
- Swarm of Spites (Double, Branchwych): A chance to do up to 6 damages to an enemy within 6″ (on a 4+).
- Enrapturing Song (Triple, Dryad and Branch Nymph): Target an enemy up to 6″ away. Add +1 to the Attacks performed by Dryads (or Branch Nymph) against that enemy.
- Walk the Spirit Path (Triple, all Tree-Revenants): Remove this fighter from the battlefield and place it anywhere on the battlefield floor, 5” from any enemy fighter.
- Blessing of the Forest (Triple, Branchwraith): Heal D3 damage to all friendly fighters within 6″ (roll individually).
- Call to Battle (Triple, Arch-Revenant): Add +1 to the melee Attacks of friendly fighters within 6″.
- Thrumming with Life (Quad, all Revenant Seekers and Spiterider Lancers): After taking down an enemy heal up to 10 wounds.
- Envoy of the Everqueen (Quad, all Leaders): Add up to +3 to the Toughness and Strength of friendly fighters within 6”.
Reaction for the Sylvaneth Warband
Introduced in the new season of Warcry, Reactions are things that can be done in certain circumstances, but always during the enemy turn. They cost one action, so they can be used only by fighters that have not activated yet or are waiting. There are 3 universal reactions and one specific to each warband:
Vengeful Spites (Everyone)
- When: During an enemy melee attack action but before hit rolls.
- What: 1 damage to the attacking fighter for each hit and 2 for each critical hit.
Strategy and Tactics for the Sylvaneth Warband
The Sylvaneth are a well-balanced warband: they have ranged units, flying units, heavy lifters and cheap dispensable units.
They have interesting abilities like Draw from the Spirit-song that allows all Sylvaneth to heal as much as 6 wounds per turn even when in combat. Leave your opponent in disbelief when your almost dying Kurnoth gets some extra juice while still engaged. Or save your leader from certain death adding a couple of wounds more.
And if it’s healing you are searching for, the opportunities don’t end there: the Branchwraith can heal D3 wounds to all friendly fighters within 6″ and the Revenant Seekers/Spiterider Lancers can get 10 wounds back after taking down an enemy (for a Quad).
But they also have other cards up their sleeves like the ability for Tree-Revenants to abandon a fight and re-appear anywhere on the battlefield just in time to grab an objective or to evade the final blow when they are the target of your opponent.
Or, the other way around, they could prevent an enemy from running away with a Spite-Revenant and their ability Shrieking Terror that costs only a Double but they need to be close and it’s not guaranteed (2 chances out of 3).
On the other hand with Toughness 3 and 10 wounds most cheap units will disappear really quickly so you will need to compromise between how many Kurnoth you want in your army, and how many others should accompany them.
To this point, the addition of the new flying units that increase mobility for a profile less damaging than a Kurnoth but still interesting, gives new arrows in your quiver. The Gossamid Archers are an alternative ranged unit, not as powerful or long-ranged as the Kurnothi but they are faster, cheaper and can fly.
The Revenant Seeker and the Spiterider Lancer are expensive units, similar in cost to Kurnoth Hunters so you may not be able to afford both, but offer two different perspectives: on one side sheer power but slower, on the other less damage but more speed. Of the flying units, we personally prefer the Revenant because they really benefit from the Quad Envoy of the Everqueen that can give them the extra Strength required to hit more consistently.
The Quad can also be used defensively to give more survivability. In that case you want your leader to be as close as possible to where the action is, discouraging the use of the ranged leaders like the Kurnoth Huntsman with Greatbow or the Flitwing Scion, but also those weaker in defence like the Scions.
The Arch-Revenant then becomes perfect with his 10″ flying movement and decent defence. One turn with high Toughness also gives more breathing room to the more elite units.
If you follow the horde path, nothing is better than many Dryads charging towards a specific enemy, especially with a big base to allow maximisation of units around it, and the use of the Enrapturing Song to increase the chances of a critical hit by adding more attacks.
Or simply to project potential power.
To resume, a Forest Stalker warband has few options for leaders, like an Arch-Revenant or an Huntmaster, a choice between a Kurnoth armed with Greatbow and one with Scythe (one of them could be the leader) or the Revenant Seekers, and a group of Dryads, Tree-Revenants and Spite-Revenants depending on personal preference.
Dryads are quicker and an ability that can be used more often. Tree-Revenants can snitch objectives or force your opponent to not abandon their post and Spite-Revenants can fill the gaps.
All of them can be used for the final spite to the enemy: their reaction allows to damage the enemy if they succeed to hit their adversary. This is perfect for this cheap infantry that can do more damage before dying than they would have had during their normal action.
In conclusion, this warband provides many options and careful planning is greatly recommended, but it can be extremely satisfying.
Pros and Cons of the Sylvaneth Warband
Pros:
+ Decent mobility
+ Ability to heal
+ Varied abilities and strategies
Cons:
– Expensive elite fighters, missing a layer in between them and the cheap infantry
– Not many offensive abilities
Some thematic warbands for the Forest Stalkers
Just for fun here we present few thematic warbands, meant more for fun or narrative context than for competitive play. Note that in narrative play you need to complete a quest that allows you to recruit a Hero before being able to add him to your roster.
Tree-power: A Kurnoth Huntmaster with Scythe, 1 Kurnoth Hunters with Greatbow, 2 Kurnoth Hunters with Greatsword and 1 Kurnoth Hunter with Scythe
For the leaves!: Arch-Revenant, Branchwraith, 2 Tree-Revenants, 3 Spite-Revenants, 3 Dryads.
Above the woods: Arch-Revenant, 3 Gossamid Archers, 1 Spiterider Lancer, 1 Revenant Seeker.
How to buy a Sylvaneth Warcry Warband
The Sylvaneth warband can be purchased from 3 boxes and 3 blisters.
But to get every single assembly option you may need to buy more than one of the same box.
Unless you already have an Age of Sigmar Sylvaneth warband, in that case you most likely already have everything you need.
The 2 blisters are:
- Druanti the Arch-Revenant (£22.5)The Branchwraith (£10)
- And the Branchwych (£15).
The Branchwraith has been officially retired, but if you want an alternative model, Forgeworld has for Blood Bowl Willow Rosebark that would need little conversion to be perfect.
The Kurnoth Hunters box contains 3 models for 35£. You can assemble only one Huntmaster but with any variation of weapon.
A single box should be enough to give you any option for your Warcry warband, but if you want to use them in Age of Sigmar you will need all 3 models to have the same weapon profile or try and magnetize them.
The Tree-Revenant box (25£) provides you 5 models, and once you decided your leader (between the Scion and the Shadestalker), you can assemble the other 4 models however you prefer (Spites or Trees).
To be an Age of Sigmar valid unit however all 5 need to be of the same type.
The Dryads are available in a box of 16 for 25£ and you could decide any of them is your Nymph.
For 55£ if you are starting at the same time an Age of Sigmar army you can get the same 16 Dryads, a Branchwych and a centrepiece like a Treelord Ancient in the Start Collecting! box.
You can also read more about the Sylvaneth Start Collecting Box here.
However, for Warcry purposes, this box does not offer much value.
For alternative models you can find 3 Tree-Revenants (although one armed with a bow) in the Warhammer Underworld warband Ylthari’s Guardians for 15£.
The latest addition to the family are the Gossamid Archers (£35) and Spiderider Lancer box (£37.5) that allows to assemble those or the Revenant Seekers.
Tips on painting a Sylvaneth Warband for Warcry
Do you have an awesome looking Sylvaneth Warband?
I would very much like to display them right here on this page.
All you have to do is send my some files. You can read more about how to make that happen here.
The Sylvaneth have been around since the Old World (most models were part of the Wood Elves range), therefore there are multiple and old guides like these for Dryads and Tree-Revenants.
Warhammer TV recently revamped these using the new Contrast paint range or the classic method, or for the Ylthari miniatures.
As many armies in Age of Sigmar, you can of course use your own theme or colour scheme like this winter theme from the Warhammer Community.
There’s many more guides online from other painters like this one for Kurnoth Hunters or this for Tree-Revenants.
