Age of Sigmar: Darkoath Raiders Rules Preview
The Darkoath Raiders are getting a new Spearhead box and we’re also getting a look at their upcoming rules for Warhammer: Age of Sigmar.
When it comes to the Mortal Realms not all the inhabitants are pleased with the forces of Sigmar. A large portion of the peoples that inhabit the lands were straight-up abandoned by Sigmar when the realms fell to chaos. Those people had to make some tough choices. They felt like Sigmar had turned their back on them so they looked to other sources for survival. That’s where the Darkoath Raiders come in to play.
“The Slaves to Darkness have many faces, but many among them are the hardy men and women of the Darkoath Tribes, abandoned by Sigmar when he beat a hasty retreat from Archaon at the dawn of the Age of Chaos. “
Darkoath Raiders Rules Preview
The Core of the Darkoath Raiders revolves around the Oaths they make. They require the Darkoath player to reveal a battle tactic card. This revealed card can be completed and scored but then is set aside as the Darkoath Raider player can still use the command on the card. These set aside cards don’t count towards their hand limit either. They can also use the command before the oath is scored, in which case it’s discarded like normal.
I think this is a neat way for the army to give themselves a lot of options with Commands. Depending on how difficult it is to score those Oaths, you could see a Darkoath army with half a dozen or more commands they can use. That could really tip the balance in their game plan.
They also have two Regiment Abilities that allow them to lean into different aspects of their playstyle. You can go for the hit-and-run style attacks with Fearless Invaders. This allows them to retreat without suffering the mortal damage plus they can still charge later that turn. Or you can lean into the melee options with Rage of Arkhar. This gives a target unit +1 Rend for the rest of the turn.
If you’re playing Darkoath and get the new Spearhead box you’re going to get yourself a Darkoath Warqueen. And it turns out they are pretty good options to have around in that army! Her Oath of Supremacy and add +1 to hit rolls for a target unit which seems handy. That could combo nicely with the +1 Rend from above to allow a unit to really swing above it’s weight class.
The Darkoath Savagers have access to a Godspeaker who can use her divination powers on the unit. To be honest, I think this ability is a little to random for my tastes but if you’re going to bring the unit anyhow, you might as well use this ability! Re-rolls are useful and if you can generate them, great!
The Slaves to Darkness Battletome is coming to pre-order this weekend. Be ready to face the Darkoath Raiders!
