The Helsmiths of Hashut, the Chaos Duardin, have brooded for centuries on the wrongs done to them, but with the Hour of Ruin, they have emerged to claim back what's rightfully theirs, and they consider everything rightfully theirs. In this article, we check out the first Age of Sigmar release for the spiritual cousins of Warhammer's Chaos Dwarfs, the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set.
We've been covering Age of Sigmar for a while on the site, and you can check out our review of the Age of Sigmar 4th Edition launch box here, and as the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set also functions as their Spearhead force, you can check out our getting started with the Spearhead style of gaming here.
What's In the Box
The Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set acts as the perfect introductory set for the new faction, and contains all the rules for the full planned release of miniatures, along with containing a complete Spearhead force that can be used straight away while you flesh out your full Age of Sigmar army.
The full box contents are:
- Helsmiths of Hashut Battletome
- 32 Helsmiths of Hashut Warscroll Cards
- Helsmiths of Hashut Transfer Sheet
- 14 miniatures (War Despot, Dominator Engine, Tormentor Bombard, and 11 Infernal Cohort)
The Tip Of The Glaive
The Helsmiths of Hashut Spearhead force is a complete force for the Spearhead Age of Sigmar game type. This force can be used against any other AoS Spearhead box using the unique warscrolls for it.
The Helsmiths' Spearhead force is led by a War Despot who boosts nearby units' ability to capture objectives. They're armed with a Daemonflame Glaive, with 5 attacks that hit and wound on a 3+. They're backed up by 2x 5 warrior units of sturdy Infernal Cohorts, one of which also has a Gong Carrier who can be removed to return D3 slain units to the battlefield, further adding to their resilience.
The real power of the force is the towering Dominator Engine and the Tormentor Bombard artillery piece. The Dominator is the fastest unit in this force, and its movement and attacks can also be boosted with demonic power points, which your force gains a growing number of each turn. It's immolation cannons start off with 5 attacks, each dealing D3 wounds. The Bombard has a range of 30 inches, but its attacks are also boosted for larger enemy units more than 12 inches away. It can also be used to reduce the control score of enemy units by allocating demonic power points to the Bombard, to stop them from scoring objectives.
Thick Beards, Horns And Tusks
On top of those in the Spearhead force, their Battletime details a number of durable and devastating units with which to grind their enemies down. Our favorites are the Infernal Razers, armed with Flamehurlers or Blunderbusses. The flamehurlers have a shorter range, but more attacks, and the blunderbusses have a slightly longer range, but are easier to wound and deal 2 damage each.
The Helsmiths also have Bull Centaurs, who, along with looking awesome, really capture the Helsmiths' cavalry aesthetic. They add 1 to their charge rolls for each demonic power point they have, and can also inflict extra mortal wounds by rolling a 6+ for each model in the charged unit, with the roll also boosted by the number of their demonic power points.
There's also an option for a different flavor of Dominator Engine, armed with Bane Maces for an entirely close combat experience of smashing your enemies into the ground, and for those who prefer range, the Deathshrikeker Rocket Battery adds another artillery option with 3 attacks dealing D3+2 wounds, with their Watch Them Burn reaction able to deal maximum damage to monsters or war machines.
Age of Sigmar Helsmiths of Hashut Final Thoughts?
The Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set is a great start for the Chaos Duardin, and the Spearhead force it contains offers a great insight into their larger game. The Infernal Cohorts stand firm on objectives while the War Despot supports them, and then the Dominator Engine wreaks havoc, as the Tormentor Bombard rains down fire on units that look like they might score other objectives. The miniatures across the range really capture the feel of the Chaos Dwarves of old. Thick black beards and tusks standing proud, and the demonic weapons they carry add an eerie feel to them.
The copy of the Helsmiths of Hashut Army Set used to produce this review was provided by Games Workshop.
Review Summary
Pros
- Great Spearhead force that captures their feel
- Bull Centaurs!
Adam is a Tabletop Specialist for TechRaptor. He started writing for TechRaptor in 2017 and took over as Tabletop Editor in 2019 and has since stood down… More about Adam
