New Spearhead for Kharadron Overlords: less obvious power, more questions
New Spearhead for Kharadron Overlords: less obvious power, more questions
We recently had one of those very familiar hobby conversations: first hype, then list-reading, then mild panic, then the inevitable “yeah, we’re buying it anyway and testing it on the table”.
This time the topic was the new Kharadron Overlords Spearhead for Age of Sigmar, and our first impression was… mixed.
First reaction: the saves look great
At first glance, some of the defensive profiles looked genuinely spicy. As Michał pointed out, there are a lot of 3+ saves in there, and the Gunhauler sitting on a 2+ definitely catches the eye.
On paper, that sounds chunky. The kind of statline that makes you think the box might be much tougher than expected.
But then we started looking at the rest of the package.
The catch: very low model count and awkward pressure points
The big concern for us was that the Spearhead only comes in at 10 models, and from our reading it feels like only the Endrinriggers get reinforcement options. That immediately raises questions about flexibility and staying power.
And then there’s the classic Kharadron problem: if somebody gets properly into melee with you, things can go downhill fast. That’s not exactly shocking for the army, of course, but it matters even more here because the list feels quite compact and doesn’t seem to have much room for mistakes.
Compared to the previous Spearhead
What made us hesitate even more was comparing it to the earlier Spearhead.
From our chat, the previous one started somewhere around 750 points, and had recently dropped to about 640. The new one? Around 530 points to build toward a battle list. That’s a pretty noticeable step down in raw value.
So even if the rules package has some very interesting tricks, the units themselves feel less impressive in terms of sheer points on the table.
The biggest practical issue: Thunderers on foot
This was probably the moment when our excitement turned into proper list-building concern.
The Gunhauler doesn’t transport anyone, which means the Thunderers have to walk. And honestly, Thunderers on foot do not sound like a dream setup.
Yes, they may be better shooters in this configuration, but:
- there are fewer bodies,
- it’s only one unit instead of two,
- and apparently without reinforcement.
That changes the feel of the whole Spearhead quite a lot. Instead of a more forgiving combined-arms package, this looks like something that may require very precise movement and target priority.
Not all bad: the rules tech does look interesting
To be fair, the box is not just a pile of compromises. Quite the opposite — it feels like the designers put a lot of effort into giving it distinctive mechanics.
Some of the things that stood out in our discussion:
- the hero can heal everything with Fly,
- the ship gives an aura of -1 to hit, and not just against shooting but apparently also in melee,
- there is an optional once-per-battle teleport for a unit,
- alternatively, there’s an aura that reduces charge potential,
- and the general can take an ability that turns off the opponent’s ward in every combat.
That last one especially sounded absolutely brutal in our chat.
So this is where the new Spearhead gets really interesting: it may be weaker in raw contents, but it seems packed with rules that reward planning and positioning.
A different playstyle, not necessarily a weaker one
The more we talked, the more it felt like this is simply not trying to be the old Spearhead again.
Smaller ship, no transport, flying leader, Endrinriggers mostly unchanged, smaller infantry package — all of that points toward a different style of play. Less straightforward delivery, more movement tricks, more hit-and-run, more careful sequencing.
And that’s both exciting and a little scary.
Because, as we admitted in the chat, that kind of hit-and-run game hasn’t exactly been our strongest suit so far.
This may end up being one of those boxes that looks underwhelming if you judge it by contents alone, but starts to make sense once you play it with the right mindset.
The community reaction? Let’s say… skeptical
We also noticed that people online were already complaining pretty hard about this Spearhead. Reddit, unsurprisingly, was not exactly subtle about it.
But honestly, that only makes us more curious.
Sometimes a box is genuinely weak. Sometimes the internet decides something is bad before anyone has enough reps with it. And sometimes a list is just difficult rather than bad.
Right now, we’re not ready to make the final call.
So what now?
For us, the answer is simple: we’re still getting it, and we want to test it.
There’s also a decent chance that future updates could improve the package — transport access for the Gunhauler, reinforcement options for Thunderers, or just broader points adjustments all feel like plausible directions.
Until then, it looks like Kharadron players may need to think a bit more strategically and accept that this Spearhead is not a blunt instrument.
Which, to be honest, is not the worst thing in the world. We actually like the idea that different Spearheads in the same army can support different playstyles.
Now we just need to see whether this one works on the table as well as it works in theory.
If we get some games in soon, we’ll definitely come back with a proper battle-tested verdict.