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The Stormcast Eternals are the poster boys ofWarhammer: Age of Sigmar, and Games Workshop has finally nailed the design aesthetic for the angelic warriors of the dead. If you’re picking up some kind of starter box, it’s highly likely that they’ll be front and centre, facing off against some manner of villainous horde, be that the ratmen of Skaven or the Orruk greenskins.
Whether you’re a brand new Warhammer Age of Sigmar player lured into the fantasy battles by the pungent odour ofSkaventide, or a long-standing player looking to get your chops around 4th Edition, this is your complete guide to the Stormcast Eternals.
Stormcast Eternals Units
The Stormcast Eternals have anenormous number of units, so I won’t go through them all. However, there are some important Heroes, crucial infantry, and amazing models that you should look at before all else.
Lord-Vigilant On Gryph-stalker
You’ll want a centrepiece for your Stormcast army, and what better model than Skaventide’s Lord-Vigilant? He’s no slouch in combat, dealing five attacks with his Hallowed Greataxe, each dealing two damage with two rend.
And that’s before his Gryph-stalker gets to work with its beak and talons, tearing at armour and flesh alike.
Lord-Veritant With Gryph-crow
However, you may want some more supporting Heroes in your army, too. The Lord-Veritant is a spellcaster who can alsodisrupt opposing spellcasters. His Judgement Blade also confers Anti-Priest and Anti-Wizard (+1 Rend) rules, making him a formidable anti-magic assassin.
Be careful, though, as rolling a one onany save will mean your Gryph-crow fallsand your countering abilities will be neutered.
Lord-Relictor
The Stormcast sure love their Lords. The Lord-Relictor is a powerful priest, and has access to some great prayers in the Stormcast battletome.
Translocation is always useful forrapid repositioning, but the Lord-Relictor can also heal units and buff their attacks. It’s always handy to bring one of these to a battle.
Liberators
The bread and butter of any Stormcast force, Liberators will make up your frontline. Elite soldiers in their own right, armed with two devastating hammers each, their job istying up opposing unitsas the ‘anvil’ part of the hammer and anvil approach (the irony is not lost on me).
They’re also perfect for soaking up damage andholding objectives.
Prosecutors
If Liberators are the anvil, Prosecutors are the perfect hammer. The most beautiful models in the Stormcast range, Prosecutors are also handy in a fight.
With a 3D6” charge and brutal Stormcall Javelins whichgrant an extra damage if they charged, you’ll want to ensure the Prosecutors are perfectly positioned for guerilla strikes on your opponent’s flanks. It shouldn’t be too difficult to manoeuvre them with a12” move.
Vanguard-Raptors
Another non-Skaventide unit on our list, these crossbow-toting soldiers are devastating. I’d always opt for theLongstrike Crossbows over the Hurricane Crossbows, thanks to their devastating Rend 2/Damage 2 combination with two attacks per Raptor and the Anti-Hero (+1 Rend) and Crit (Auto-wound) special rules.
Drop these on your backline and enjoy picking off your opponent’s favourite characters.
Stormdrake Guard
The Stormdrake Guard are one of the most fun units in the Stormcast battletome. Who doesn’t want to field a unit of dudes riding dragons?
Yes, you can breathe righteous fire upon your foes. Yes, you candeflect blows backto the opponents who dealt them. Yes, the Drakerider also has a lance in case a whole dragon wasn’t enough to do the job. What more could you ask for?
Army Rules
Stormcast armies can usethree Battle Traits and may pick one Battle Formationahead of a game. Here are your options:
For formations, the Stormcast Eternals have four to choose:
Strengths and Weaknesses
The Stormcast are a fairly forgiving army to play, but lack in numbers on the battlefield.
The army’s strengths are in its reliability and flexibility. Not only are there anenormous number of unitsto choose from, most of them havegood saves and strong attacks. Heroes have strong buff auras or spells that can aid nearby units, and the Stormcast tend to beforgiving for new players.
Mistakes aren’t punished as hard as with fragile armies, and the number ofrepositioning optionsmeans you can quickly plug any gaps in your battleline. Plus, they’re super easy to paint.
There’s only one real downside to the Stormcast, thelow model count. This means every unit you lose is a devastating blow, so if you’re anticipating fatal errors it may be worth thinking about utilising the Heavens-sent trait to mitigate your losses.
How To Play Stormcast Eternals
To be a successful Stormcast player, you need tomanage your buffs. Keep important units in range of your priests and spellcasters, and utilise the army’s prayers to buff, reposition, and heal your units.
As mentioned in the unit descriptions,a hammer and anvil approachis a good starting point for playing Stormcast. Use your Liberators andsolid defensive optionsto anchor the centre of the field, while your fast units blitz your opponent’s flanks. Just be careful not tooverextend too far away from your Heroes– those buffs are of utmost importance for keeping your few units alive and kicking.
How To Paint Stormcast Eternals
The traditional colour scheme for Stormcast Eternals is gold armour with blue cloaks, but the models lend themselves to any number of colour schemes. Players tend to opt formetallic armour and a bold colour for material, but let your imagination run wild. I’ve seen Stormcast painted as grey stone statues with fire in their eyes, or bright angels with rainbow wings.
If you want to go for the OG colour scheme though, your best bet ispriming blackand basecoating with a decent gold.Add shades to the recesses(Nuln Oil if you want a grimy, wartorn force or Seraphim Sepia if you want a bright, angelic gold).
After that,add a couple of highlightsto really make the armour glean. Follow the same process for any cloaks, shields, or blocks of your chosen colour,getting progressively lighteras you highlight further.
With your units assembled, tactics decided, and models painted, you’re all set to wage war in the name of Sigmar across the mortal realms. Or at least across your local gaming store.
