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The ratmen awaken.Warhammer: Age of Sigmar’sSkaven are one of Games Workshop’smost iconic fantasy races, and their ancient range of models has been gracefully updated for 4th Edition with theSkaventidebox.
Whether you’re a new recruit to the great clans or a Grey Seer who has been climbing through the furry ranks since Warhammer Fantasy Battle and wants to know how the pestilent horde works in 4th Edition, you’re in the right place. Whether you’re looking for the best Skaven units, all the army rules, or want to know how to paint Skaven, you’re in the right place.
Skaven Units
Skaven have a lot of fun units, and you canfocus on different clansdepending on your preference, which offer myriad thematic units and playstyles:
Clawlord On Gnaw-fiend
The centrepiece of the Skaventide box, where many new players will start their Skaven force, theClawlord has a Ratling Pistol and Warpforged Halberd for perfect close-quarters devastation.
If your Clawlord is wounded, however,its halberd rises from five attacks to eight. This Hero can also inflict one mortal wound on a friendly squad within 13” in order toadd five to its control scoreuntil your next turn – perfect for defending an objective from the midst of combat.
Grey Seer
Grey Seers are the backbone of any magical Skaven force. TheirWarpstone Shards make casting far more efficient, and access to Lore of Ruin spells can make it a useful Hero on the battlefield.
Clanrats
Get ready to painta lotof Clanrats. Clanrats form the ravening horde of expendable footsoldiers that hold objectives andmire opponents in a horde of furry bodies. One Clanrat is useless, but 60? 100? With enough dice, anything is in your grasp.
Screaming Bell
A Grey Seer not powerful enough for you? Why not put one atop a gigantic war engine? The Screaming Bell is one of the most iconic Skaven units, and helpschannel your rodent wizard’s powerto extreme ends. Fancy sacrificing yourself to summon a Verminlord? Let the bell toll.
Deathmaster
If bombastic Warpstone spells aren’t your bag, perhaps you want to bea little more sneaky. The iconic Hero of Clan Eshin armies, a Deathmaster is an assassin of no comparison. The Anti-Hero rule on its Weeping Blade makes itperfect for taking out opposing characters, and the ability to throw its Throwing Stars in combat packs an extra punch.
Rat Ogors
Another iconic unit, Rat Ogors now come in units of three and carry one flamethrower per unit. Naturally. The Warpfire Gun can shoot in combat, so you’ll want tomove these hulking brutes up the battlefieldas quickly as possible.
Whether you want toinvoke the unit’s Unleashed Warp-Furyto add one attack to the unit’s melee weapons (which already have five attacks), in return for D3 mortal damage is your choice, but the unit is plenty devastating without it.
Army Rules
Skaven armies can use any Battle Traits during a battle and pick one Battle Formation ahead of a game. Here are your options:
Here are the Skaven Battle Traits:
Battle Formations
Skaven’s battle formations are flavoured for the different clans. Pick whichever best suits the units in your army, or choose your favourite clan.
Strengths And Weaknesses
The strengths of the Skaven are in theirversatility. While the horde of Clanrats will be present in almost any army list, yourelite units can be tailored to your personal tasteor playstyle.
Want monstrous creatures? Rat Ogors and Hell-Pit Abominations are right there. Wizards and artillery more your thing? Grab a couple of Screaming Bells. Want to unleash a deadly plague on the battlefield? You guessed it, it’s an option.
However, there are downsides.Nearly every unit is weak and easily destroyed, so you need to be cautious.
There’s alsoa lot of RNGinvolved with playing Skaven, where your weapons and abilities could hurt your own units as much as your opponent’s. Finally, there’s a lot of painting involved. You’ll have dozens, if not hundreds of rats to paint up to field a tabletop army, so you best keep your brushes pointed.
How To Play Skaven
Skaven is an army that strikes the fine balance of risk-reward.The more you risk, the better rewards you may reap. But you may also destroy your best units in the process.
Overwhelm with ravenous hordes, shoot explosive blasts with unstable Warpstone magic, and smash with brutish, malformed beasts. Skaven has it all, if you’re willing to take some risks.
How To Paint Skaven
The best tip for painting Skaven is tokeep things simple, because you’ll be painting a lot of them.
I’d prime black anduse a spray paint (or airbrush) to apply a basecoaton your models in whatever shade of grey, brown, or luminous orange you want your army to be.
Pick out the weapons and clothing, thenapply a grimy wash of Agrax Earthshade all over.
you’re able to roughly highlight the fur if you wish, but take a look at your to-be-painted pile before doing so, as that will add hours to your painting time when multiplied by a hundred rats.
Once you’ve repeated this process on every rat, you’re ready to play. Pick your clan, know your strategies, and sic your ravenous horde upon the mortal realms.
