Classes

Dawn of Waaagh!

Orks are hulking creatures quite literally born to fight, a deadly alien race that loves nothing more than a good scrap. Led into battle by hulking Warbosses, Ork hordes known as Waaaghs! leave utter ruin in their wake, as roiling, seemingly endless hordes of Boyz cause merry havoc with scavenged weapons and wargear. To the Orks, might makes right – and few are as mighty as they.

Ork armies are as diverse, punchy, and bonkers as Orks themselves! From the nigh-legendary “green tide” of choppy Boyz, to rumbling armoured columns, to Dread Mobs of clanking walkers, Ork armies are generally characterised by devastating (and inaccurate) firepower and bruising melee skills. Orks are wildly unpredictable to both you and your foe, ensuring no two games are the same and offering all sorts of hilarious moments, while for painters and collectors, the range is a playground for vivid paint jobs and crazy conversions.

The Incorruptible

The Grey Knights are the Emperor’s Daemon hunters. They are a highly specialised Space Marine Chapter whose existence is known only to a privileged few, and whose deployment is the ultimate sanction against the powers of the warp. Based on the moon of Titan, shielded from detection by vast and sorcerous wards, they have their own fortress-monastery whose defences are all but impenetrable, and whose deep catacombs contain labyrinths of dark secrets and forbidden lore.

Silver-clad psychic templars, the Grey Knight are selfless warriors who risk all to hold back the threat of Humanity’s eternal damnation. Just as the battle-brothers of the Grey Knights are a superlative evolution of all that it means to be a Space Marine, so too does their Chapter Armoury contain some of the greatest war machines in the Imperium. While they excel in combat against the creatures of the warp, they will fight any enemy that threatens Humanity, even those from within the Imperium itself. Unleashing their psychic might, nothing can stand in their way.

The Quest Begins

Often outnumbered but never outgunned, Imperial Knights are miracles of the Dark Age technology. They can annihilate entire regiments of the foe in a single salvo, or else wield industrial-scale close-combat weaponry that can tear down a fortress gate or flip a battle tank with a single blow. There are numerous patterns of Knight, each of which lend themselves to broad strategic roles, such as scouting or fire support.

The ground shakes as the Imperial Knights march into battle, the pennants and honour banners affixed to their armour flapping in the hot winds of war. Massive plasma reactors thrum with energy, driving the pistons, servos, and gears that send the Knight suits pounding forward with frightening speed. At the heart of each towering war engine is a Noble pilot, sitting in their Throne Mechanicum and controlling their mighty steed.

Dark Elves

Long ago, when Chaos was first unleashed upon the world, the Elven champion Aenarion drew the dread Sword of Khaine from its altar and used its terrible power to save his people from annihilation. When Aenarion died, his son Malekith was deemed unsuitable for the throne. Although he was a mighty warrior, a great sorcerer , a brilliant general and the rightful heir, many Elves opposed his coronation. They feared he was too focused on war, and potentially a de-stabilizing influence on the High Elf race. In retaliation, over many years Malekith engineered a terrible civil war that divided the race of Elves into two factions.

It was the High Elves who emerged victorious and drove the evil Dark Elves out from the ancestral home of their race. Under the leadership of Malekith the Witch King and his Sorceress mother Morathi, the Dark Elves sailed across the Great Western Ocean and founded for themselves a new kingdom in the northern reaches of the New World. This land they called Naggaroth, meaning ‘land of chill’.

Unlike the High Elves, who continually seek to suppress their passions lest they be overcome by them, the Dark Elves willingly embrace their hedonistic nature. Dark Elf society emphasizes individualism, selfishness, and pride. They have little regard for one another and even less for the other races of the world, whom they see as potential slaves and subjects.

In battle, the ruthless warriors of Naggaorth blend Elven discipline with savagery and ferocity, for the patron deity of the Dark Elves is Kaela Mensha Khaine, the bloody-handed God and the Lord of Murder. Nowhere is this more evident than in the beautiful and deadly Witch Elves, who serve in the Temples of Khaine and revel in violence and bloodshed.

Since their expulsion from Ulthuan, the Dark Elves have desired nothing more than to return to Ulthuan and avenge their defeat, reclaiming the land they believe to be theirs by right. In the Age of Reckoning, Malekith learns of an impending Chaos invasion of the Empire and uses this knowledge to set in motion a chain of events that will leave the island home of the Elves defenseless against an invasion. At the Witch King’s command, a great fleet of Black Arks – great floating islands laden with soldiers, monsters, and engines of war – sets sail across the sea to conquer the island kingdom of Ulthuan and fulfill the destiny denied the Druchii so long ago.

House Uthorin

Of all the noble houses of the Dark Elves, few can boast the power and influence of House Uthorin. As patriarch and ruler of the house, Lord Uthorin is a master of intrigue and politics. Rumor holds that his eye is fixed firmly upon the Witch King’s throne; if that is his ambition, he has wisely kept it hidden, preferring to play the role of loyal advisor.

Through cunning and treachery, Lord Uthorin’s eldest son, Kaloth Coldshadow, earned for his House the privilege of drawing first blood when the Dark Elves attack Ulthuan. Along with every warrior of the House, the Black Ark Nemesis conveys Beastmasters and their fearsome creatures of war, fanatical devotees of the Temple of Khaine, and powerful masters of Dark Magic across the sea. The full might of his armies now gathered, Lord Uthorin chooses to strike first at the Blighted Isle, near the Altar of Khaine.

The Witch King has plans of his own, however. Well aware of Lord Uthorin’s desire to rule the Dark Elves, Malekith commands Lady Arkaneth, Uthorin’s most powerful rival, to land her invasion force on the Blighted Isle as well. The cold and calculating Witch King has pit two of his most powerful rivals against one other, so that both will be weakened by the conflict and post less of a threat to him.

Lord Uthorin will need every measure of cunning and skill that he possesses to outmaneuver Lady Arkaneth, the Witch King and the High Elves all at once. If he should succeed, the reward for those loyal to his House will be almost beyond measure.

Dark Elves Career Options

The Forces of Order have marshalled their defences to strike down their evil adversaries, the Forces of Destruction, who have launched a crusade to eradicate all who hold civility and peace sacred. Become one with those who are foresworn to repel the fiendish advances of Destruction and to restore Order in the World of Warhammer Online.

Empire

The greatest nation of men in the Old World, the Empire is composed of the human descendants of Sigmar, who united the tribes of men at the Battle of Black Fire Pass. Sigmar was deified after the battle and his promise of eternal aid to the kingdom of Dwarfs still stands today. This action solidified the relationship between men and Dwarfs and planted the seeds for the burgeoning Empire through trade. Today, the Empire is led by Emperor Karl Franz, who rules from his seat in the city-state of Altdorf.
The life of a citizen of the Empire is a perilous one, for there are foes within every shadow and enemies around every corner. Secret cults abound, or at the very least, there are rumors of them running rampant. No one is certain who is trustworthy, and fear and paranoia are omnipresent in the isolated settlements that dot the Empires provinces.
As the Empire rots from within, it is constantly under assault from without. Chaos Marauders from the north frequently mount massive campaigns into the Empire, pillaging and destroying all that they can. In the Age of Reckoning, such a warhost has attacked the Empires northern borders under the leadership of a powerful Champion. The timing of the invasion is particularly ill-fortuned, for the Empire is being ravaged by a mysterious plague that is transforming the populace into murderous fiends.
Faced with such desperate circumstances, Emperor Karl Franz has been forced to call upon the Dwarfs and High Elves for aid, lest his lands be transformed forever into a nightmarish domain of Chaos.

The Order of the Griffon

In the Age of Reckoning, the Empire is ravaged by a strange and terrible plague that transforms its victims into savage murderers. Soon after the appearance of this vile disease, a great Chaos warhost assaults the weakened Empire from the north, crushing what little resistance remains in the plague-wracked villages of Nordland.
In the face of these dangers, many of the Empires citizens have given in to fear and panic. Some have abandoned their homes to settle elsewhere, believing the battle to be a lost cause. Others have embraced the powers of darkness, thinking it best to side with foes that cannot possibly be defeated by force of arms. Too few have found the courage to stand and fight, and even with the help of the Dwarfs and High Elves, the greatest nation of men in the Old World is perilously close to destruction.
Seeking a solution to the many difficulties arrayed before him, the Emperor summons forth the Grand Theogonist of the Cult of Sigmar, the Supreme Patriarch of the Colleges of Magic, and the Grand Master of the Reiksguard. Together with these advisors, Karl Franz devises the Order of the Griffon, a military force made up of highly skilled soldiers, Wizards and devotees of Sigmars cult who will be charged with facing the gravest threats from within and without.
Receiving their orders directly from the Emperor, the leaders of this new regiment will act as an extension of his will and authority, free to take any action necessary to protect the Empire from threats of any kind. Also, the regiment will serve as a proud example of the glory of the Empire and its ruler, meting out swift justice to those who would betray their countrymen or abandon their duties in these desperate and dangerous times.

Horrors of the Warp

Nearly every sentient being has a psychic resonance with the warp – a terrifying realm where emotion takes form. Chaos Daemons are literally the nightmares of Humanity given flesh, immortal servants of the Chaos Gods imbued with all manner of fell power. Each Daemon is savagely strong, cunning, and often blessed with bizarre abilities that reflect their patron – from the head-claiming, horned legions of Khorne to the shimmering, magic-mastering hosts of Tzeentch.

Chaos Daemons are unlike any other army – instead of war machines or ranks of infantry, you’ll be fielding an army of eldritch nightmares and monsters. Focus your play style on your favourite Chaos God with an indomitable procession of Plaguebearers or a swift Slaaneshi strike force, or master the strengths of all four in a single, varied collection! Chaos Daemons are a savage close-combat army, using psychic powers and warpflame-spewing monstrosities to weaken the foe before tearing them apart with claw, blade and fang, capable of appearing almost anywhere they wish!

The Threat Within

Genestealers are the pioneers of Tyranid invasions, infecting human cultures and, over generations, turning them into mutant insurrectionists known as the Genestealer Cults. Blessed with alien cunning and strange “gifts”, these worshippers of the Tyranids bring entire worlds down from within, turning the implements they once used to build the Imperium to its ultimate ruin in carefully planned insurrections that see even the military might of the Astra Militarum humbled.

Genestealer Cult forces let you take command of an insurrection, combining a scrappy, rugged array of civilian vehicles and weapons with nifty alien tricks. Capable of pouncing on enemies from anywhere in hit-and-run attacks, Genestealer Cult armies boast versatile infantry and terrifying close-combat brutes. Rewarding to careful planners, Genestealer Cults allow you to punch way above your weight through sheer cunning, while for painters and collectors, the army offers a glimpse at the “ordinary” civilians of the 41st Millennium – give or take a few arms…

For the Greater Good!

The T’au Empire are a recent contender in the great game of the 41st Millennium, rising among fallen empires and intergalactic predators through diplomacy, unity and a simply terrifying amount of firepower. Optimistic and forward-looking, they push the borders of their fledgling dominion ever forward with well-trained and superbly armed cadres made up of infantry, alien auxiliaries and super-advanced battlesuits. Woe betide those that see the T’au Empire as naive, for this young faction will stop at nothing to bring the “Greater Good” to the galaxy.

The T’au Empire offers nigh-unmatched shooting, boasting firepower few forces can dream of. T’au armies eschew the monsters, madmen and magi used by other armies, instead giving you access to towering battlesuits and bizarre alien auxiliaries. Maybe you’ll field a fast-moving strike force of rapid assault mechs, or create a defensive line of Fire Warriors capable of obliterating anyone who dares get close. T’au models have a high-tech aesthetic and super-modular kits that let you customise your battlesuits to meet any battlefield need – or just what you think looks the coolest!

The Golden Legion

10,000 years ago the Custodians were created by the Emperor as his companions and sworn bodyguards. While they were created to defend the Throne World, the Adeptus Custodes have recognised that the most effective way to safeguard Terra is to take a proactive hand in the ongoing battle against Mankind’s innumerable foes. Guided by psychic divination and the intelligence gathered by shadowy agents, they strike down demagogues and warlords who might otherwise raise invasion forces against the heart of the Imperium.

The Adeptus Custodes never exceed ten thousand warriors at any given time. Fortunately, a single Custodian Guard is the equal of entire regiments of any other soldier, meaning that you’ll triumph despite being constantly outnumbered in battle. Equipped with the finest wargear that the Imperium can provide, your forces will be able to wade into the enemy. As bolts thunder from the guns of their guardian spears, swords and axes, their gilded storm shields deflect shots and blades as they fight and slay the enemies of the Emperor.

The Great Devourer

They came from outside of our galaxy – a predator from some distant, forsaken place. Part of a unknowable vast gestalt consciousness known as the Hive Mind, the Tyranids are bio-adapted monstrosities who endlessly travel the stars in search of biomass, consuming entire planets in order to grow and adapt, falling upon worlds in waves until nothing remains but ash and acid-scarred rock. They cannot be bargained with. They cannot be stopped. They are the Tyranids, and they will not cease until they have devoured the universe.

Tyranids offer you a seemingly endless horde of single-minded beasts and hulking monsters armed with claws, talons and bio-weapons. Tyranid armies are incredibly distinctive, using alien creatures where other armies might have tanks and planes! A vast range of models means your choice of tactics is up to you – maybe you’ll take an elite force of armoured, towering brutes, or perhaps a devastating line of bio-artillery backed up by nightmarish alien psykers. After all, to adapt is to survive!

Arrogance. Elegance. Firepower.

The craftworlds are great planet ships that sail the stars, bearing with them the remnants of the once-glorious Aeldari empire. Battered, broken but still unbowed, the craftworlders live lives of ruthless discipline and asceticism, mastering arts both aesthetic and martial over millennia-spanning lifespans. When roused to war, they shred their enemies with contemptuous fusillades backed up by the blades of carefully trained Aspect Warriors and the guns of swift grav-tanks and skimmers.

Craftworlds armies are highly focused warhosts where every unit fulfils a specific role, each utterly deadly when used in its proper place. Excelling at mid-range, these forces use speed to dictate the pace of battle, keeping their shooting units just out of reach while melee specialists cause carnage on the front lines. Collecting such a force offers the chance to paint and play with a huge variety of models, with incredible colour schemes to choose from and a diverse spread of Aspect Warriors, wraith constructs, and more to demonstrate your skills.

The Masque of Death

The Harlequins are an elite cadre of warrior-dancers who have escaped Slaanesh through the patronage of Cegorach, the mysterious Aeldari god of mischief. War to them is a careful ritual, a deadly dance prosecuted in the defence of the hidden places of the webway.

Playing the Harlequins is like choreographing a particularly deadly dance, as your specialist troops run rings around their sluggish enemies, devastating them up close and in melee. A small but focused roster of ultra-customisable units means your force won’t need many models to complete, while rich detail and lurid colour schemes offer hours of painting fun for each model. A Harlequin army is a deadly cast of characters, each playing their role to perfection – and leaving your enemies in shreds.

High Elves

The High Elves are an ancient people with a history that spans millennia. While the ancestors of man were little more than cave-dwelling primitives, the Elves built magnificent cities of glittering silver and white marble on their island home of Ulthuan. Elven scholars and explorers were the first to chart the stars and sail the world’s oceans. The Elves were also the first race to mount an organized defense against the invading hordes of Chaos, beginning a war that continues to the present day

Early in their struggles against the Ruinous Powers, the Elves discovered that negative emotions such as fear, rage, jealousy and greed serve to fuel and strengthen the power of Chaos. Since that time, the High Elves have struggled to keep their intense passions tightly under control. Though intelligent and enlightened, all Elves have the capacity for savage violence.. In order to suppress this dangerous and unpredictable aspect of their psyche, the lords of Ulthuan continually strive to eliminate all extremes of emotion; in High Elf society, to surrender to anger or lust is to show weakness. As a result, the High Elves live by a strict regimen of rules and codes and embrace a way of life that emphasizes harmony, balance and inner peace.

Magic is the lifeblood of the High Elves. With millennia to hone their skills, it is little wonder that the Mages of Ulthuan are among the most powerful practitioners of magic in the world. Their thoughtful, meticulous approach to the study of combat, coupled with their patience and mental discipline makes the High Elves deadly fighters, as well. On the battlefield, High Elf swordsmen are graceful, lithe, and lethal when they detect a weakness in their adversaries.

The High Elves will need all of their wisdom and skill if they are to survive the Age of Reckoning. When Finubar, Phoenix King and ruler of Ulthuan, gathers his finest warriors and sets sail for the Old World to aid the beleaguered Empire, he is unaware that he and his allies are pawns in an elaborate plot designed to leave Ulthuan vulnerable to an invasion. As Finubar’s fleet of longships pass beyond the horizon, vast shadows fall across the island of Ulthuan. The skies are darkened by a great swarm of Black Arks laden with hateful Dark Elf warriors seeking to reclaim their ancestral home and destroy forever their despised cousins, the High Elves.

The Shining Guard

The Shining Guard is the elite band of warriors charged with the defense of Ulthuan when the Phoenix King takes the armies of the High Elves west to aid the Empire. Led by the renowned warrior Prince Tyrion, the Guard is a small but highly skillful fighting force. Prince Tyrion personally selects the High Elves who are elevated to the ranks of the Shining Guard from among the best and bravest of the citizen militia. These prestigious warriors stand as an example of the highest honor that a High Elf in the militia can hope to achieve.

When word reaches Prince Tyrion that a great Dark Elf invasion fleet is on its way to Ulthuan, he leads the Shining Guard north to the Blighted Isle, guessing that the enemy fleet will attempt its first landing there. Sure enough, the leading Black Ark of the fleet makes landfall on the northern coast of the Isle, and the Shining Guard meet the invaders head-on.

The noble warriors of the Shining Guard do not lack for courage or prowess on the field of battle, but the scale of the dark Elves’ invasion is massive. The situation seems hopeless, until word reaches Prince Tyrion that the Phoenix King is returning to Ulthuan with several legions of warriors. Now, the Guard must fight to stall the invaders and buy time for reinforcements to arrive.

Prince Tyrion knows that his casualties will be heavy, and his heart mourns for the brave soldiers that he will lose. For those who choose to fight in the face of such peril, however, there is great honor to be earned. Should the Shining Guard prevail and drive the vile Dark Elves from their home, they will be immortalized in songs and tales for centuries to come.

Greenskins

So named because of the color of their waxy skin, the greenskins are savagery personified. They are ill-tempered, primitive, and live only to fight. In the absence of another foe, greenskins will eventually turn on one another for want of violence. In their culture, might makes right and the weakest members of society are one false step away from being dinner.

The greenskins have no homeland to speak of. They capture other races’ settlements and then make those places their own, decorating them with tribal graffiti, wood, and scrap materials fashioned into crude symbols, and oftentimes, the bones of those they have slain. This leads to a very unique form of architecture that is distinctively ramshackle.

Periodically, a powerful Orc Warboss will unite the greenskin tribes into a single swarming mass called a «Waaagh!», named for the common greenskin battle-cry. In a Waaagh!, the greenskins unite into a stampede of frenzied Orcs, Goblins and Snotlings bent on destroying everything they encounter. Save for pure Chaos itself, there is no force in the Warhammer world as devastating as a Waaagh! set in motion.

At the onset of the new Age, the greenskins have been united by the Black Orc Warlord Grumlok and his diminutive counterpart, the Goblin Shaman Gazbag. Together, they have led their tribe, the Bloody Sun Boyz, to dominance. Now, they wage war upon the Dwarfs, guided by an unseen hand.

Orcs

Orcs are the largest of the greenskin species. They are bigger, more aggressive, and more muscular than their smaller cousins, the Goblins, Hobgoblins, and tiny Snotlings. Orcs continue to grow throughout their lives and their skin darkens with age. The strongest and most powerful Orcs grow to become Black Orcs, marked by their increased size and darker skin.

Orcs are not bright by any means, but they do possess an animalistic awareness of social structure. They are bullies who impose their will on anyone they think is weaker than they. There is nothing an Orc loves more than to fight. If they lack other opponents, they will fight amongst themselves. Such battles are always bloody affairs, for Orcs are fearsome foes, even when wounded. They feel no pain and fear nothing.

An especially powerful Orc will rise to the top of his tribe by way of ruthless savagery and victory in personal combat. If he is able to defeat the current Warboss, he will assume that position. If he is especially strong-willed, the new Warboss may be able to lead the entire tribe into Waaagh! while still fending off challenges to his leadership from within.

Orcs fight with primitive weapons that are little more than big chunks of scrap metal. They give these weapons such descriptive names as «choppas», «bashas» and «smashas», and they wield them with brutal strength.

Goblins

Goblins are considerably smaller than Orcs, but they compensate for this disadvantage with a feral cunning that their larger brethren lack. Goblins are constantly bullied and intimidated by the Orcs and this has caused them to evolve into sneaky and insidious creatures whose comical appearance belies their malicious intelligence. In many ways Goblins are the brains behind greenskin tribal society. Goblins frequently are the Shamans of their tribes and are often clever enough to use the leverage associated with this position to manipulate the larger but slower Orcs into doing their bidding.

Goblins are also the most adept of the greenskin races at using technology. Goblins build objects of simple, but effective design. As with all greenskin construction, machines and siege engines cobbled together by Goblins have a very primitive look, but a five-hundred-pound rock hurts just as much when its hurled through the air by a crudely-fashioned greenskin Rock Lobber as an ornate Dwarf Grudge Thrower.

Raiders of Realspace

Sundered from the Aeldari in the harrowing events of the Fall, the Drukhari are sadistic corsairs for whom the universe is merely a plaything. Sustaining themselves through the suffering of living beings, Drukhari warbands strike forth from the hidden city of Commorragh in search of slaves, plunder, sport, and the chance to influence the Dark City’s labyrinthine and deadly politics. Murderous, swift, and utterly without mercy, they have been the ruin of countless worlds.

Drukhari armies are fast, lightly armoured raiding parties. Poison-slinging Kabalites mounted in incredibly fast transports offer fire support to gladiatorial Wyches and the hulking nightmares Haemonculus Covens, alongside esoteric and terrifying units like shadow-lurking Mandrakes and winged Scourges. Drukhari armies exchange durability for raw speed and attack power, allowing you to slay enemies before they’ve even had a chance to react. For hobbyists, you’ll have a stunning, diverse range of models to play with, paint, and convert – after all, as every Archon knows, variety (and suffering!) is the spice of life.