The over-arching theme of Nighthaunt is that it is a properly evil army. They're not misunderstood, or using horrific means to further a noble cause. They're straight up evil. And they are really drawing a crowd.
With the release of Soul Wars and AoS2, Nighthaunt have kicked Chaos to the curb and taken up the mantle of "the big bad", posing a worthy villain to the noble and slightly broken Stormcast Eternals. And they have done it in style. Where the last couple of battletomes have had well supported model releases (Legions of Nagash as one of the few exceptions..), Nighthaunt has been spoilt beyond belief. From named characters, generic characters, a huge diversity of units and one of the coolest centrepiece models around in the form of the new and greatly improved Black Coach, there's really not much to complain about in the model support department (some would say the abundance of Easy-To-Build, but it sacrifices neither quality or dynamic design, so I don't really see that as a bad thing). But today, I really wanted to dive into the book, and go through what has me excited for this latest addition to the Age of Sigmar universe.
THE TRIUMVIRATE OF SPOOK
Probably the most significant models to be released as part of the new range are the three named characters, Lady Olynder, Reikenor the Grimhailer and Kurdoss Valentian.
Olynder has probably made the biggest impact so far. While she was hyped up and hinted at in the media lead up, there was plenty of speculation who this new Mortarch actually was. The obvious guess was Isabella Von Carstein given new form as the Mortarch of Grief for obvious reasons, and Khalida's name was thrown around a bit, but I for one am stoked that it's an original character. Her model is absolutely exquisite, and while some players had some concerns about the structural integrity of the model, there's no question that it looks ominous and forboding on the table. As for rules, if there are two words to summarise her warscroll, it's "mortal wounds". And she generates a LOT of them! She's not the safest ethereal lady to be around, and is quite capable of nuking off pretty much any character she lays her eye-sockets on. With a great command ability, and a great spell, she looks to be worth every point of her price tag.
Kurdoss is less subtle in his methods. While his command point mechanic is hugely disruptive to the enemy, his real purpose is in his ability to smash his enemies to smithereens with his hefty sceptre. With a very respectable stat-line, he's not out of place on the front line crushin' skulls and takin' names.
The third is Reikenor. Of the three, I think Reikenor is not only the cheapest, but the most flexible of the three. He's got a great spell backed up by Corpse Candles, plenty of rules that make his combat prowess something to actually be concerned about, and most importantly, he's FAST! Speed and movement make or break armies, and having such a mobile character means that you can apply pressure wherever you want.
It's not all rainbows and lollipops, however. All three are no small investment of points, and all three have a measly seven wounds. The unmodified saves go a long way, but you can still fail saves, and the Deathless Spirits save is hardly something to rely on. If you can keep these characters alive (figuratively speaking, of course) for most of the game, they'll have a significant impact, but they will be target priority #1.
THE MOST UNDER-RATED HERO IN THE BATTLETOME (in my opinion...)
Well, here goes. There's one character that I keep coming back to that no one seems to rate. And that's the Dreadblade Harrow. While he doesn't look like much at first glance, with a so-so combat profile and fairly situational re-roll wound rule, his teleport is where he comes into his own. He can essentially shadowstep anywhere on the board as long as he's not in combat. Handy, right? But with the new-found freedom of command abilities, combined with named characters being unable to carry artefacts or be bestowed with Command Traits, this guy because prime candidate for your general. Nighthaunt get a command ability as part of their Allegiance called Spectral Summons, where a unit on the battlefield teleports to wholly within 12" of your general, and 9" away from enemies. With the other-worldly speed of the Harrow, your opponent has to be prepared for everything, as you can redeploy a scary combat character, blender unit, or tarpit into unexpected quarters. Keeping your opponent on the back foot and playing reactively is how to win with Nighthaunt, and this guy plays to that strength.
IF ONLY YOU WERE BETTER...
Glaivewraith Stalkers are probably the most underwhelming unit in the book. I love the models, and I love that they can retreat and charge... that's huge. But I just don't know where they fall. It's not that they're garbage. I mean, it's only 60 points for a unit of four. It's just that I think there are far better options for the points; namely Grimghast Reapers. Reapers have the same attack profile, but with a pip of rend, they get re-rolls to hit against units of 5 or more, rather than being dependant on charges, they're faster, and they're Battleline. The points per model also works out to be cheaper. I want Stalkers to be used and to have a purpose, but right now, I just can't see where they fit in the army as a whole. The only possible use for them that I can think of is to charge into something, survive combat, then use Fly to retreat over the top and charge a unit your opponent thought was safe. But, well, there's other units that can do that better too... If you've found a combo that works, I'd be fascinated to hear it.
THE STANDOUTS
There are two units that really shine in my eyes. The first, and unsurprisingly, is the Myrmourn Banshees. With such a heavy focus on magic in the current game, these anti-magic falsettos are guaranteed to be a practical inclusion in any army. Offering some much-needed magic defence, these ladies not only give you a great amount of utility to handle arcane threats, but when they do, they get reeeaaally angry! With Rend -2 and D3 damage, they're actually very scary once their attacks start piling up!
The second is the Bladegheist Revenants. They're perfect for smashing their way through tough opponents, with enough rend, attacks and re-rolls to make sure the jobs a good'un. In addition, they can retreat and charge, making the poor Glaivewraith Stalkers even less appealing. I'm expecting to see these spooky spectres a lot, as I think they're reliable and hugely threatening.
ARE SPIRIT HOSTS STILL RELEVANT?
Yes. Very.
SHOULD I PUT A BLACK COACH IN EVERY ONE OF MY LISTS?
Also, yes.
THE MORTALIS TERMINEXUS
In what looks to be the new trend, Nighthaunt has got three allegiance-specific Endless Spells, and while they're all focused on doing mortal wounds, the standout has to be the Terminexus in my eyes. Being 60 points, it's yet another thing you would purchase before dropping points on Stalkers (I genuinely feel bad for this unit, because it's an alright unit... it's just that the rest of the book is better and inadvertently makes it look bad). But the Terminexus is great because it yields reliable results and has a great amount of flexibility. If you're going second in the turn, you can potentially fling it into your opponent's army, hasten time and dish out some hurt, then rinse and repeat the following turn before your opponent can react. Worst case scenario, you manage to chip a few wounds off some units; best case scenario, you drop a couple of support characters into the underworld. There is, of course, the possibility that your opponent will gain control of it and slow down time to heal back those wounds, but we don't play dice games for guarantees (unless you play Tzeentch...).
Alternatively, you can summon it in your own lines, heal up some wounded units, then eat the Terminexus with your Myrmourn Banshees and buff them up in a chain of events that has next to no negative ramifications. Sure, the Banshees might take some mortal wounds, but you're still in the hero phase and there are several ways of replenishing the unit. Eating the Terminexus also prevents your opponent from turning your eldritch weapon against you. For only 60 points, it's another mechanic your opponent has to keep in the back of their mind.
PROS OF PLAYING NIGHTHAUNT:
There are plenty of reasons to collect and play Nighthaunt. Being supported by the new starter sets, along with plenty of Easy-To-Build sets, means that this is a financially cheap army to collect. There is not much outlay to get your army off the ground and on the table, with only a couple of big ticket units. Even Reikenor is ETB at no expense to the quality, which is reflected in his affordable price tag.
They're also famously easy to paint. If you wanted to invest in a single pot of Hexwraith Flame and paint the entire force in a single day, you can do that. Of course, there are more complex methods that painters are using to get astounding results, but it's an army that is as quick or slow to paint as you make it. 'Ghosting' an army used to be considered a bit of a dirty way to get painted models on the table quickly, but with Nighthaunt, it's how it should be.
You ignore rend entirely, which is nice!
Nighthaunt are spoilt for units, good artefacts and spells, allegiance abilities and combos. One of the hardest things when writing a list is deciding what NOT to take, because you simply will not be able to fit in everything that you want to. For such a compact army, there are layers and layers of combos that are just waiting to be unlocked and enacted upon the foes of Nagash. You do have to be pretty intentional about what you want in your list.
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
I don't really like using the term "cons", because every army has intentionally designed shortcomings, in whatever form they come in. But like any other army, it's not all decisive victories and crushing empires. Nighthaunt do have some limitations that need to be worked around in order to overcome. The first and most obvious thing is that, with the exception of a handful of heavier units, all of your infantry are single wound models. From the lowly Chainrasps and Stalkers to Harridans and Revenants, every point of damage you take is a model off the board. There are ways to replenish units, such as the Guardian of Souls, but that's using a single spell, which can be stopped.
Nighthaunt also have a distinct shortage of Wizards. The army has a solid spell lore, but only one generic wizard in the Guardian of Souls, and then Reikenor and Olynder. There's an artefact that makes the bearer a wizard, which I think will see a lot of play, but magic users (and defenders) must be factored in when writing lists. The Guardian is pretty much going to be in every list, because of his utility and his signature spell, but is he enough on his own? I don't think so.
The last and most important consideration to keep in mind is your movement phase. While the movement phase is vital for every competitive player, this is especially true with Nighthaunt. The army is built on aura's, areas of effect and being "wholly within". That sounds really obvious to say out loud, but mastering the movement phase, model placement and setting up for turns ahead is what is going to separate the good Nighthaunt players from the great Nighthaunt players. Put a single model too far away, over-extend by a little bit, and you can see your whole battleplan unravel. This Battletome is full to the brim of intimidating tools, but having access to them and using them with ruthless finesse are two very different things. A player who's not careful with his movement phase will find himself giving away the advantage, where I think a player who can keep track of what everything is doing and exactly where it should be will be infuriatingly tough to beat!
On the other side of the coin, the high movement levels and Fly army-wide will make this an incredibly tricky army to pin down!
In summary, I think we're about to see a metric ton of Nighthaunt armies hit the scene, and I can't wait. Usually, when a new army drops, it's a few months before fully painted armies start surfacing at events, but considering the speed with which the army can be built and painted, I'm anticipating a much faster turn around. It's definitely an army people will need to get their head around, even as opponents. Know your enemy.
I like this army, and I think it's a fantastic release. The model range is amazing, and I was lucky enough to put a brush to the Soul Wars models in the lead up to their release. Will I start my own Nighthaunt army? Perhaps. But not yet. I've got a few armies on the queue before I tackle the spooky bros!
What are your thoughts on the army? Are you diving in? And how do you plan on beating this new threat?
Let me know in the comments.
As always, thanks for reading,
Gabe
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