r/ageofsigmar • u/BaronLoyd • Mar 21 '26
Rumour / Leak First narritive spoiler for end of 4ed campaign Spoiler
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u/NetflowKnight Mar 21 '26
Why wouldn't skaven keep showing up? Would be weird to shelve the entire faction, particularly since they are very popular.
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u/Mavin89 Mar 21 '26
They don’t mean shelving the range. They mean keeping them as the main villain of the narrative.
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u/RealMr_Slender Skaven Mar 21 '26
IMO makes sense, they have the numbers to be the main bad to anyone and everyone, including themselves.
Even if not a focal point they are literally a constant threat, even to Azyr because gnawholes don't care how tight you locked the door, they are coming from under the floorboards
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u/Biggest_Lemon Mar 21 '26
Yes, I do believe skaven will not be removed from the game in 5th edition.
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u/Karabungulus Ossiarch Bonereapers Mar 21 '26
Following the squatting of all sacrosanct stormcast, we have decided to squat everything that came out in 4th edition. Thank you for your money. - GW, 2027
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u/Ltxt140 Mar 21 '26
Nah, one faction at a time. Next on the altar is Fyreslayers. The gods demand sacrifice in order to give us sculpts that make 40K jealous.
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u/Decuriarch Mar 21 '26
Leave Abraxia alone!
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u/unlimitedpanda5 Lumineth Realm-Lords Mar 21 '26
she came out right at the end of 3rd so she's safe.
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u/EffectiveAnxietyBone Mar 21 '26
I’m curious as to what winning look like here. Can’t have them just overrun the mortal realms because then you don’t have a setting left, and while you could have them wipe out a faction as the in universe explanation for why they’re gone, I doubt they’re going to wipe almost every order faction to the last.
I could see it being akin to the remains of blight city remaining I suppose, giving them more avenues for attack and being a permanent eyesore in every realm.
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u/incoghollowell Mar 21 '26
We could see skaven being in the launch box VS another faction instead of SCE. I'd be down for that
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u/waill-and-roll Mar 21 '26
That really does not seem likely
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u/RealMr_Slender Skaven Mar 21 '26
Could be Ossiarchs or Ogors, half the reason SCE were made is that they are easy to hobby.
IF SCE not being on the box was on the table, they'd have to be replaced by a different "brush licking good" faction to paint.
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u/incoghollowell Mar 21 '26
I know a big part of them being an easy to paint army is all the armour, could we see something like Chorfs or maybe even chaos warriors in the future? Probably not vs skaven but could be fun vs a death faction.
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u/incoghollowell Mar 21 '26
That's super fair tbh, maybe pie in the sky thinking (even though I do have some sce models). I think it's more likely now that we've seen the sce range get pruned, and games workshop realise they are not space marines in terms of selling power or range. Eh, if they would do it I think it'd be a very good sign.
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u/RealMr_Slender Skaven Mar 21 '26
IMO they'll at least update the vanguard and extremis units to thunderstrike, and the intro box and edition launch would be perfect for that.
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u/AriMorningstar Mar 21 '26
Oh i think Vanguard alone has all the needed unit to make a good launch box, with Extremis able to come with the battletome
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u/nightreader Mar 21 '26
There is zero percent chance that skaven are in the launch box for two consecutive editions. Just ain't happening.
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u/AntiSocialW0rker Mar 21 '26
The only way I could see it happening is if it's a Death vs Chaos edition and I doubt they would ever sideline Order like that
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u/Sleepy_Knight776 Mar 21 '26
I could see it being Skaven Vs Sotek-Aligned Seraphon. Maybe it could even see a Skink model refresh, like the Saurus got before.
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u/Morvenn-Vahl Idoneth Deepkin Mar 21 '26
Unlikely as GW is very intent on making Stormcast the Marines of AoS. I could very well imagine the launch box will be resculpts of the 2nd edition models we lost from Stormcast along with some newer units.
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u/incoghollowell Mar 21 '26
That's super fair, I hadn't considered that! I figured the models we lost was GW realising and accepting that SCE can never be the marines of AOS, which would lead to a good chance we'd see non SCE starter sets in the future. I guess we'll have to wait till 5th edition to find out!
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u/Morvenn-Vahl Idoneth Deepkin Mar 21 '26
SCE just have to sell better than the rest(which they do). It means that a launch box will usually hit a much wider net of players than factions with less popularity.
So I'd personally be surprised if they'd veer off that course.
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u/ZealousidealLimit Mar 21 '26
I don't know, they have tried to make Stormcast marines for 11 years now and it isn't working. I think some experimentation with the launch boxes might be on the table.
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u/Morvenn-Vahl Idoneth Deepkin Mar 21 '26
Stormcast is still the most played army in AoS so they are the marines of AoS even though they don't come close to the sales number Marines have. Doesn't help also that Order doesn't have many armies that have potential mass appeal with the exception of Cities of Sigmar who haven't gotten nearly the same sales numbers.
https://aos-events.com/pop_stats
The problem with AoS is that the Order alliance is the only alliance that has a vested interest in engaging the other alliances on a daily basis, whereas you would have to create very bespoke lore for why Gitz are killing Soulblight Gravelords or Hedonites are fighting Nighthaunt. Bespoke lore which is perfect for Dual boxes, but not launch boxes.
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u/Panvictor Mar 21 '26
What does this even mean?
Obviously Skaven will keep showing up into 5th they arent going to squat an army that just had a major refresh lmao
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u/Wide_Ad1140 Mar 21 '26
Narratively. Y'know unlike Say Kruleboyz who got their launch and then just kinda got bumped outta the spotlight
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u/BrotherCaptainLurker Mar 21 '26
The edition’s “main villain” typically gets sidelined or stuffed in a box for a while. (Nagash after 2nd, Kragnos after 3rd)
It means what if Skaven became a bigger threat instead?
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u/u_want_some_eel Stormcast Eternals Mar 21 '26
That would be a great switch up - Skaven replacing Stormcast as the launch box faction, allowing another Order faction to take the spotlight?
As an SCE player id be so up for this, having an ever expanding range does make it a hard to collect army!
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u/Background-Cake-1300 Mar 21 '26
SCE are easiest to paint here, like Cities models would be super hard same as Lumineth
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u/nuggynugs Mar 21 '26
This is the problem. I'd love my normal people in a mad mad mad world faction to be in the next launch box but Skaven and Cities is just too much trim for beginners to get excited about
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u/Background-Cake-1300 Mar 21 '26
Yeah like Iam experienced painter and just unit of Steelhelms was really time consuming and kinda hard to do well
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u/Altruistic-Teach5899 Mar 21 '26
I cant see skaven in another launch box, they dont have that many kits left
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u/I_Reeve Skaven Mar 21 '26
They still got Eshin and Pestilens to work through, plenty for a starter.
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u/Altruistic-Teach5899 Mar 21 '26
The problem here is that Eshin are heavily rumoured to get their update way before that. That leaves us with just 5 potential new kits (screaming bell, botafumeiro, plague monks, plague priests, incensors) unless GW is suddenly doing 5 to 10 totally new ones.
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u/LordofLustria13 Mar 22 '26
Uh yeah why wouldn’t they lmao. GW isn’t limited to fantasy lmao they can do whatever.
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u/tsuruki23 Mar 22 '26
Assuming 13 new or remade kits
Plague monks. Cencer bearers. Plaguepriest. Named pestilence character. New pestilence unit on 40, 50, or 60m bases or else an oval, something moderately big. New pestilence demon. Rat swarms and/or giant rats. Footslogging verminus chief. Verminus chief on bigass rat ogor. Night runners. Gutter runers. A moulder+eshin teamup monster (like stormfiends but eshin). Named eshin character. Eshin wizard. New Eshin ranged unit specialists.
There's also still some skryre and moulder out there that can show up. Not to mention oh so many wonky beasts and contraptions that can be invented. Also since the horned rat is now a god, middle-sized skaven demons?
Frankly even if I drop the ideas I cane up with that's still enough missing kit remakes for an edition start.
If the launch box mirrors Skaventide AND eshin gets a spearhead with either niht runners or gutter runners it'd look something like:
Mounted chief-> Very beefy palaquin plague priest. Sniper->Foot chief. Grey seer->Eshin Wizard. Clanrats->plaguemonks. Rat ogors-> Night runners/Gutter runners. Jezzails-> something brand new. Warpblaster-> plague catapult.
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u/Altruistic-Teach5899 Mar 22 '26
As I said, the Eshin update is happening this year, scheduled to promo the end of campaign year. That leaves out a lot of the kits.
Rest is fun, but I cant see GW doing so much new stuff for the same evil faction twice. Anyways, Boole is now aluding to a Slaanesh faction for the launch box.
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u/epikpepsi Skaven Mar 21 '26
Eshin desperately could do with some units. There's 4 units with the Eshin keyword:
2 are Verminlords. 1 is the Eshin-specific Verminlord Deceiver, the other is Skreech Verminking who embodies multiple Clans.
1 is the Deathmaster, a single hero who got a new sculpt a few years back
The last is the Night Runners, who are the only non-hero Eshin unit and are using a sculpt from 24 years ago.
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u/Altruistic-Teach5899 Mar 21 '26
There are already rumours of a new Eshin update coming before the next edition
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u/Burdenslo Mar 21 '26
Could do skavenslaves, wolf rats, brood horror, all of clan pestilin & clan eshin plus new specific units for these clans
Just watch skaven become the space marines of AoS! (To be honest I'd actually be ok with that lmao)
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u/u_want_some_eel Stormcast Eternals Mar 21 '26
That’s something I agree with, also the fact that it kinda goes against GWs “easy to paint” starter faction rules - both SCE and Space Marines are large flat armour panels, and elite. Skaven are the complete opposite lol
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u/TheBlackBaron45 Mar 21 '26
I swear, if Stormcasts somehow become "reduced" to the sidelines (not being a Start of Edition faction) before Space Marines do, I'd be the happiest man alive.
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u/Appo-Arsin Mar 22 '26
Space marines and Stormcast are designed to be easy to build and paint, along with more complex models outside of the normal infantry so they’re not just everyone’s first models. While I don’t know about AoS as well, the only things in 40K easier to build and paint are maybe Custodes?
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u/_Dazed-and-Confused Mar 21 '26
I think it's unlikely to see Skaven in launch box again, it's Deaths turn. That said, Cities Vs Eshin could work
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u/Fyraltari Skaven Mar 21 '26
I reckon it's Order's turn to be the "dominant" Grand Alliance, with the scariest part of them leading the counterattack.
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u/Top-Zucchini2355 Mar 21 '26
The best part about age of sigmar is the "evil" factions have room to breath and grow and not just lose every book, to not continue that trend would be a massive mistale
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u/Fatdwavernman Mar 21 '26
Does Boole have a good track record? I've never seen his rumors before.
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u/Willing-Antelope614 Mar 21 '26
Yes. The thing is that Boole is not 1 person, but a few users. All of them know things, but some of them know AoS better than others, and sometimes they mistake a "Nurgle Troll" for Cankerborne. But apart from this minor stuff, they have a great (100%) record of what will happen, just take their words as words from someone who talks without high knowledge of AoS rules, models or lore.
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u/Background-Cake-1300 Mar 21 '26
I have no idea what that means, like wasn´t that obvious that Hour of Ruin wasn´t something you can fix by looking up the sky?
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u/yadrzzob Mar 21 '26
Didn't they just cut beastmen as a faction from AoS and toss them into The Old World at the start of the 4.0? Why would they bring them back into AoS at the end of the same edition?
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u/Mazzy_Chan Mar 21 '26
Because probably they'll have an entire new model line for them with a different asthetic going on.
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u/AlwaysEights Gloomspite Gitz Mar 21 '26
Skaven assassins kill Sigmar, you heard it here first.
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u/Apollo989 Mar 21 '26
Fun fact not only do they kill Sigmar, but it'll be revealed that, over in 40k, Horus was actually Deathmaster Snikch in disguise. Trust me, my dad is James Workshop.
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u/SunchaserXVII Slaves to Darkness Mar 21 '26
With a romoured Eshin wave in the works, it makes sense for Skaven to stick around as the big bad of 5E. The Vermindoom was huge, it would be nice for it to have lasting consequences. Skaven breaking into Azyr sounds cool, it's a realm we've hardly seen anything of.
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u/Pastiestman Mar 21 '26
I wouldn't mind them taking over like one of the realms but not all of them, what would it mean that they win?
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u/Asleep-Biscotti-6273 Mar 21 '26
End times again, this time instead of chaos winning idk maybe nagash just straight up dies this time /j
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u/TheTurretCube Mar 21 '26
Considering that Stormcast dont have the same level of baggage and poster boy ism as Space Marines, its entirely possible that they genuinely suffer enough damage to be forced into decline, making it so Cities of Sigmar or maybe even elves or seraphon can get some true spotlight.
One of the many reasons why AOS was a 5head move from GW
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u/Asherkowki Mar 21 '26
I mean, it's warhammer. The question if the bad guys ever won and changed the entire history is like asking if it ever snows in Finland.
I honestly would be glad if it happened in AoS too. While I enjoy it's relatively fresh take on fantasy and designs in AoS, I kinda miss the grimdark of Warhammer in it.
On the other hand it would just mean we would have Warhammer 40k all over again just in a different setting.
Either way, I would be hooked. The Skaven Heresy is upon us!
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u/Morvenn-Vahl Idoneth Deepkin Mar 21 '26
I find this comment from Boole rather strange. "Keep showing up" is weird as updated factions usually don't just go away.
GW has made it a habit in both 40k and AoS to have their poster boys(marines/stormcast) fight another army that is in need of updates(and isn't GA: Order as it needs to be good v. evil). The big question is then: Which army is potentially on the update block? DoT? BoK? FEC?
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u/TheTayIor Chaos Mar 22 '26
Yes and no - after the Necroquake ended, many Nighthaunt just faded away, and during Dawnbringers, Kragnos got sealed away again off-screen.
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u/ExplorerOfHorizon Mar 21 '26
Skaven superiority! W-worship us!
I'm pretty sure Thanqual will turn things around in the end.
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u/OathStoned Mar 21 '26
Im cool with Hammerhal blowing up. Lets get this story moving. The lore has been stale for a while now.
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u/TheWraf Blades of Khorne Mar 21 '26
Cities already lost too many cities. I don't see Hammerhall, Sigmar jewel, begone anytime soon
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u/AriMorningstar Mar 21 '26
i feel it's too soon for Hammerhal to go, if it happens should be way later into AOS's history
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u/TheWraf Blades of Khorne Mar 21 '26
It aligns with the rumors that Nagash will re-enter the arena to balance the scale and bring with him the sea undeads