Don’t Have A Cow Man! Preview Age Of Sigmar’s Mighty Monsters
March 30, 2020 by brennon
Games Workshop was showing off loads of preview this weekend for the worlds of Warhammer this weekend and first, we're going to look at the Mortal Realms of Age Of Sigmar. Here we got to meet some towering new additions to the Lumineth Realm-lords as they introduce us to Avalenor, The Stoneheart King.
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This fellow is quite different isn't he? Turns out that the Aelves under the command of Teclis have made allies of the mountain spirits and so they now march to war alongside ranks of spearmen, archers and cavalry. I wasn't entirely sure what I expect to see during the previews this weekend but this fellow is certainly very interesting.
Avalenor, The Stoneheart King is then also joined by Alarith Spirit Of The Mountain. Part creature, part actual mountain, these spirits are able to go toe-to-toe with the likes of a Bloodthirster apparently too. The more I look at them, the more I actually quite like the design but I'm not entirely sure that it fits what most people think when they say "Elf".
Following alongside these massive mountain spirits, the team at Games Workshop also previewed some actual Aelves who fight alongside them. Here we have the Alarith Stoneguard who come armed with some massive warhammers which are, again, quite the departure from the standard Elf designs of the past.
I have no real problem with these miniatures as a whole as I like the armour and weapon designs but those helmets are a bit weird. I know that clearly Games Workshop has been drawing from some different cultures in order to craft the look for the Lumineth Realm-lords but when you start worrying about trying to fit through a door with your helmet on, maybe you've gone a bit too far.
I could see some folk picking up these miniatures and shaping/shaving the helmets into regular conical points like Elves of old. As I said, I think it's neat that Games Workshop are taking chances and doing something different with their range but sometimes it can look a little wild!
Warcry Flame Worshippers
As well as this peek into the future for the Lumineth Realm-lords, we also got a look at what's coming for Warcry which is Games Workshop's skirmish game set in the Mortal Realms. See what you think of the Scions Of The Flame who really, really like fire.
These followers of the Dark Gods worship an aspect of Chaos known as the Ever-Raging Flame and they bring an entirely new set of abilities to the tabletop for dealing with unbelievers. Coming from the realm of Aqshy which has been the touchstone for a lot of different storylines within the Mortal Realms, they come wreathed in flames and with the power to imbue it into their weapons too.
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This particular set of releases will be another fun and inventive addition to the Mortal Realms. I always like seeing what quirky things Games Workshop do with Warcry, Necromunda and their more specialist games. It allows them to dive deeper into the background of the world and show off the nooks and crannies of their vast realm.
Whilst I'm sure a lot of people will be diving in to use these warriors in Warcry I could also see them being a cult that you might run into during roleplaying adventures in Age Of Sigmar: Soulbound. It is set in the realm of Aqshy as it happens!
What do you make of these new additions to the world of Age Of Sigmar?
"I think it's neat that Games Workshop are taking chances and doing something different with their range but sometimes it can look a little wild!"
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those high Elf Cow / Bull miniatures look incredibly stupid to me!
I feel like they are just throwing ideas out here to be able to sell big minis for all of the factions, and I used to like High Elfs, but these things and the new Teclis mini have put me right off.
Somebody at GW decided that it wasn’t right to design High Elves when you’re sober. It just isn’t thematic, is it?
Moo!
I mean … holy cow
that creature is not divine, but bovine 😉
The ridiculous cowheads on those elves make no sense at all.
I understand that they want to link them to the creature, but I think the hammers would have been enough.
I do like the new Warcry warband.
So Mad Cow disease has finally hit GW HQ?
Yep, and this is the great company that plans to bring back every ones beloved Old World, with new rules and “better” models. Just look at AoS and imagine the possibilities.
So that’s going to end well.
I’m looking forward to all the WFB lovers rolling in their graves / gnashing their teeth as the new models for that game get announced 😀
I mean they already showed that Kislev stuff and it lacked most of the old character and charm. Sterile and boring “modern” designs.
those are ice warriors, right ?
I think sterile and boring is what you’d want with them 😉
I’m not worried, because it’s just one example and they’ve got a few years to go and thus can change a lot of things.
Just look at the Sonic movie for proof.
Oh man, you think the fantasy fanbase is whiny and unpleasable now? I’ll just get my theater seat and bucket of popcorn ready…
I’m counting on it.
The public meltdown of some of the WFB fanboys when AoS was released was delicious as it practically showed why that game wasn’t going anywhere…
😀
Not everyone’s. Arguably, few loved Old World seeing how poor it sold.
I’d argue that WFB’s problem wasn’t just the background, but the mechanics as well.
As the ‘recent’ flood (and success) of small skirmish has proven not having to paint a gigantic army just to play a basic battle is great for everyone.
I quite like them although not a High Elf champion myself. I like the East Asian influence and I especially like how everything mini flows in one direction – very Elfy. I’m still not sure of Elves with Hammers but the Alarith Stone Guard look pretty handy to have by your side in a scrap.
I’m going to take perhaps an unpopular position here and say I really like the themes they’ve gone with for the elves. The high elves have always had thematic elements from ancient civilizations like Greece, Egypt, Japan, etc. It makes sense that they’d tie in ancient Mesopotamia with the icon of the bull. That said, I think I’d cut the crests off and use them as the helmets instead.
Aye, it’s very Ancient – getting Minoan vibes from them as well.
Yep, I too like the theme they’ve gone for… for the most part, these bulls are the first ones I haven’t liked but hey can’t please everyone.
I do like mini mountain range and trees on the back of the one version
That’s what I was thinking, bull faced and horned helmets would have been better. The trouble is they tried to add/keep too many things when they should have picked one.
that may indeed have been the problem …
a helmet designed by comittee that tries to cover all aspects of both the elves and their deity
I like the themes, but I don’t like individual model decisions, like the bull-hats on aelven hammerers.
I think I see the reasoning behind their decision. They may have wanted the bull heads mounted higher up to allow clearance for the hammers – unlike ‘Ardboys, many of whom have their arms locked behind their heads by helmet horns. But at that point they should have just mounted them on banners or something.
When I so the first images of the spearmen, cavalry and archers for the reinvented high elves, I was thinking these look cool.
Teclis was a bit over the top but then again it is GW.
But these new models, I don’t know. Cows and elves, isn’t this encroaching on the territory of the beastmen?
Is this the only animal that fit with stone and the cultures that they get their inspiration of?
I agree Cows were a strange thing to add with Elves. I’ve always thought of the Bull as a symbol of Khorne. Maybe there will be more animal avatars to come like a river spirit in the form of a Koi carp.
The problem imo isn’t that you can’t have bull themed Elves, it’s that they throw in this new stuff but still have the old stuff kicking about and that confuses everything.
Really like the big cows and the hammer guys except for their helmets. The Warcry warband is also great.
I find these new Elves incredibly frustrating. I like the aesthetic and ideas but the designs are so stupid. f.e. those hammer elves… why couldn’t the bull heads have been mounted on some sort of back pole? Maybe even with a japanese style banner attached? Having this giant top heavy ornament on their comically long helmets just looks silly to me. I like the armor and weapons but the helmet ruins it. Same with the Minotaurs. I don’t hate them. They’re a neat idea… but why the bonsai mountains? It doesn’t add anything to the design, it clashes heavily with… Read more »
I say that the High Cows would be awesome, if not for a minor detail which ruins them: how are they going to raise arms to use their hammers…
Also, after three-string bowmen stupid hats strike again…
Someone at GW is really not a fan of Helves.
High Cows… omg that is perfect.
Also, great point about raising the hammers high enough to swing them.
You could possibly just do a headswap for some sort of “Bull Helm” to keep the background AND obey the laws of physics?
https://puppetswar.eu/bull-helmets.html
They look like necrons corrupted by chaos.
Just when I’m positive High Elf helmets can not possibly get any more stupid, then they all ready are, GW comes through with a new level of dumb. You really have to give them credit, where credit is due. No other company will ever, and I do mean ever copy/steal that aesthetic. IP protected, guaranteed. I mean really, that’s like nearly two feet of helmet above his head? That’s just… insane. Who in their right thought that that would be a great idea. I am laughing so hard, my sides hurt. I mean I get it, AoS is over the… Read more »
I know how we’re going to stop these elves :
small doors
low ceilings
etc.
😀
Not an AoS player but I have to say I love the new Aelves. AoS is as over-the-top as a fantasy universe can get and I think these guys fit the bill perfectly. I hope they get a Warhammer Underworlds Warband soon,I’ll be snapping that up.
Saw the pictures first, and kept trying to figure out why they didn’t paint them in traditional Slaanesh colors like the other Keeper of Secrets minis.
This is definitely a new look- I’m guessing the Elves weren’t the only ones who were high.
OMG, these are terrible! lol
And there was me thinking Games-Workshop had grown out of making stupid looking monsters.
I got up way early for the online preview…. and boy it was disappointing… So GW now takes my sleep too! 😛
The Primarch is cool. I need a model to say “Wow, buy me” right at the moment. Doesn’t mean I WILL buy it right away when it’s out, but I kinda look for that reaction, otherwise I save me Silvers.
I think GW are just trolling us now. I like novel and creative, but these cow-mountains just look bloody stupid! They aren’t scary, they aren’t majestic, they aren’t anything really, beyond a random mishmash of ridiculous nonsense. All just my opinion of course. If you like ’em, buy ’em. Doesn’t bother me. Just more plastic crack I won’t have any trouble not buying.
Hoo BOY I was expecting some whining from the AoS haters and WHFB fanboys after this one, but not to this level! If they could put that energy towards something productive, they’d have 2000 points painted in a day! But in all seriousness, I’m not really as bent up with the new designs as some of the whiners on here are. Yes, they’re over-the-top and kind of ridiculous, but AoS IS NOT fantasy battle; it’s a brand-new setting with new takes on everything. I think a commenter on YouTube put it best: with this new setting, GW is able to… Read more »
I’m enjoying all the strange esotericism coming from this army. Myself, I will be doing some fun modding with them but nothing to jarring. This will no doubt get a serious delay though (I’ll be surprised if it doesn’t) with all that’s going on right now, sadly.
Heh, you’re either going to love ’em or hate ’em, no (insertlamecowjokehere) on this one! 😛
In the past, I loved hating on GW. It was (and on some occasions still is) a hobby for me.
Having said that, I love this model. Not sure whether it fits the AELFs but I might get this model just to paint it.
It is great model/statue for a satanic cult.
Hail Satan!
I really like these! I’d shorten the height of the bull helmets though, but I like it!
The only way those Stoneguard could work is if you cut out the heads and place those bull tops directly on the shoulders.
The new Warcry gang is nice though, like most of the others.