Slaanesh Is Back For AoS Second Edition
Well, at least imprisoned in a shadowy nether-realm between Ulgu and Hysh where the dark prince of pleasure is divested of all the souls he consumed in the world-that-was. But you know, that’s something.
Now we know exactly where Slaanesh has been “hiding” since the dawn of the Mortal Realms. But while Slaanesh is still MIA, his dark influence can still be felt in the mortal realms–and the Hosts of Slaanesh are shaping up to be a pretty fast faction in Second Edition.
via Warhammer Community
Here’s a look at what you can expect from Slaanesh’s hosts, called the Invaders
Slaanesh may be missing, the Dark Prince’s powers still wax strong for those with the strength to wield them. The Hosts are even more disparate and fractious than most worshipers of Chaos, with each warband following one of three main tenets. Pretender warbands form around Chaos Lords or Daemons who have declared themselves the ‘new Slaanesh’ in his absence, and they have no interest in relocating their master or returning to subservience. Elsewhere, Seekers relentlessly roam the realms, following every lead and leaving no rumour uninvestigated, searching for any sign of their missing lord – and slaying any who stand in their way. The Invaders, on the other hand, simply carry on as “normal”, living only to please themselves and sow mayhem where they can – if they happen to find Slaanesh on the way, well, the more the merrier.
So what does all this translate to? Well, as they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. So, speed is the name of the game.
Better hope that chariot doesn’t drop below 55mph.
From huge natural Move stats, to easily accessed abilities that allow you to re-roll runs and charges (or do both in the same turn), there’s not a corner of the tabletop that’ll be safe from your army.
And in the new edition, the abilities of your hero characters like the Keeper of Secrets and your Chaos Lord will still let you get off that all-important turn one charge.
Now whether or not you’ll be able to survive the counterattack is another story altogether. Slaanesh units are, by and large, more fragile than a Dark Elf troop choice. But. There’s a ton of variety to play around with:
Like all Chaos factions, the Hosts of Slaanesh have a ridiculous amount of choice. As well as a range of unique and unusual units like Hellstriders and Slaanesh Daemons, you’ll be able to use any models you like from Slaves to Darkness in your army – some, like the Chaos Lord on Manticore, may even get some powerful rules to match with the Mark of Slaanesh.
But enough about what’s in them, let’s take a look at how these armies will play.
On the tabletop, Hosts of Slaanesh armies will be keeping their General’s Handbook allegiance abilities, with some subtle tweaks to make sure they work in the new edition – the Invaders Host, for example, has been adjusted now that all Heroes can use their command abilities:
And there’s a new summoning mechanic on display as well:
That’s not all – Slaanesh is receiving some powerful new summoning mechanics in the new edition. Using the new Depravity Points system, you’ll be able to bring anything from Daemonettes to a Keeper of Secrets onto the tabletop WITHOUT spending reinforcement points. Generating Depravity Points is very thematic– you’ll score one for every wound your Heroes inflict on a foe without killing them, or every non-fatal wound they receive in return – representing how the servants of the Dark Prince draw power from suffering and cruelty. They’re not the only faction to be receiving summoning changes, either…
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So all that said, there’s a while yet before Age of Sigmar 2.0 comes out. Doubtless the Slaaneshi will have more tweaks coming–they’re already shaping up to be a hard-hitting faction.
Stay tuned for more AoS 2.0 (New-o-S?) coverage as it develops.
