Alright, it’s the big one. Once a year, Kings of War gets its main update in Clash of Kings (not at all confusing to have an event with the same name), and today we’re looking at the 2025 edition! Massive thanks to Mantic Games for sending us a copy to review.
In this article, your…. Kings of Goon? (absolutely not) Goons of War? (better) [Sigh. –Ed.] will go through the various changes and give our thoughts. What we won’t be doing is talking about Command Dice. You can read that article here instead – we thought it deserved its own conversation!
Because we’re our own team, and a bit odd, this is going to be both a review and a roundtable. So, the first sections will be about what’s changed, then the talking heads will pop up and give opinions.
The Highlights
- Big hits to Ogres and Twilight Kin: Ogres get signposts to a new approach, Twilight Kin are told to get back in the sea (with varying impact).
- A full-on rework of Forces of the Abyss: A really interesting approach has been taken to mechanics, and there’s lots of fertile ground for future changes – and some post-release tweaking for Trident Realm of Neritica.
- Some surprising new directions taken for Scenarios, with progressive scoring featured, and one which is a Nightstalkers player’s delight.
- Core rule shakeups, with some (Duelist) potentially getting a whole bunch of underplayed models on the table.
- An oft-maligned Magical Artefact gets a huge glow-up.
What’s Not Here
- Command Dice, as mentioned, are being covered separately.
- We’ll also be looking at the lore featured in the book later in the week.
There are some disappointments, but they’re more matters of personal perspective, so we’ll talk about them as we go.
There’s also a disclaimer for this review. The book we received contained some rules errors. We reported these to Mantic, and, before publication, were given a list of corrections. We’ve written this review on the basis that those corrections will be made in the final version, or swiftly thereafter in the Companion app. We’d also note that this book combines the changes from its previous edition, so while every effort’s been made to ensure previous revisions weren’t commented on, it’s not impossible something’s slipped through. Except for The Herd. We checked. Twice. It didn’t take long.
The Core Rules
The changes here fall under three categories – a new core rule, some special rule amendments, and a few changes to Magical Artefacts and Spells.
Wavered Flank
If you’re Wavered, and engaged on a single flank, you can now disengage with a Change Facing Order and end it within 1” of enemy units. You’re no longer doomed to an inevitable finisher charge if this happens to you. While it may not come up often (getting flanked tends to mean getting dead), it’ll definitely prevent some feels-bad moments, which is nice.
Duelist, Iron Resolve, Radiance of Life
The latter two are just clerical changes, allowing for a bit more variation in applicability, but the big one is Duelist, which now gives triple attacks against Individuals. This’ll likely get a fair few pieces seeing the table more often, at least at first, while people figure out whether tanky Individuals still belong in this new, scarier metagame for them.
Blood of the Old King, Inspiring Talisman, Blizzard, Frostbite
Blood of the Old King now costs more for big stuff, but completely loses its downside, becoming a must-take item for offensive hammers that want one turn of big damage. Truly a zero to hero moment, and a fantastic glow-up – maybe too good, as it crowds out a lot of Artefacts in similar cost brackets.
Why even take Blessing of the Gods when there’s Blood of the “Swole” King on offer? (Awful stuff, Cytoplasm – Stephanie)
Inspiring Talisman’s glow-up is less spectacular – now it also turns Inspiring into Very Inspiring. Not bad, not amazing – if you’re paying for it, it’s likely to make a model without Inspiring gain it, but nice to have available.
Blizzard and Frostbite get some clerical changes – no impact on use, just cleaned up wording.
The Scenarios
Spice time! Two Progressive Scoring scenarios are added – Wrack and Ruin, which encourages players to split across two giant circles and then make a dash into the centre for the endgame, and Bulldog, which is basically a violent English schoolchild game but with a Loot Counter each (run across the board, try not to get body checked by a seven year old who wants blood/your opponent’s army).
A new Loot Counter scenario, Seek and Destroy, adds in the burning mechanic from scenarios like Salt the Earth. Interestingly, the winner of the roll-off gets to place four Counters, which in some matchups might result in one side being incentivised to castle up – but, realistically, that’s not a reliable enough gameplan in most games.
Finally, we get two new Objective scenarios. Protect and Raze is again focused around burning things, this time on your opponent’s half of the board – a scenario-focused Nightstalkers list, in an ideal world, could simply send chaff across the map top of Turn 1 to burn everything, and then castle up to play keep-away on its own half. In most games, though, this is going to be about who breaks through the lines first, which is always a good way to reward engagement. Compass Points, meanwhile, looks like what it says on the tin – you have four compass points drawn from the centre of the board, and get extra points for controlling North and South. Interestingly, as written, you seem to score points twice for those, which may not be intentional, but likely doesn’t change much in most games either way.
There’s also a Narrative scenario, called Awakened Giants, where you have three AI-controlled Giants that hit your stuff on autopilot. You can slap this template on top of any other scenario for a laugh – though we’ll note that, as no starting facing is given for the Giants, you might just get to flank or rear charge them all on turn 1. You know, if you just hate whimsy.
The Factions
Now we get to the meat of things. There are three tiers of changes here, which we’ve broadly split into Major, Moderate, and Minor.
Major Changes: Forces of the Abyss, Trident Realms, Twilight Kin, Ogres
These factions see the biggest changes, with a Forces of the Abyss rework being the highlight of the book. This comes in the form of a huge glow-up pretty much across the board. The faction’s upgrade, Sacrificial Imp, now bumps De against shooting to 6+ for a turn once per game, and a huge number of quality-of-life changes have been made to various units. The main ones that are nice to see are a commitment to jacking up Nv values and Regeneration rather than simply adjusting the De lever, and there are likely a fair few build options to explore centered around Infantry rather than bigger stuff. We’ll also shout out the Manifestation of Ba’el, which can now At the Double and use From the Pit I Curse Thee! (what a name for an ability, tbh), with the tradeoff of now only picking one enemy within 12”. You might think we’re being deliberately vague about this, but there seemed to be some misprints on a couple of Heroes, and we don’t want to give false information. That would be very…. Mau’ti of us.
What we do feel safe to comment on are the new models. The Ambush box is conveniently packaged into a new Formation, which makes some of the new stuff even better for a reasonable cost, and it’s already pretty good to start with. We have Abyssal Berserkers, who are some very speedy shock troops (think glass dagger more than glass cannon), a newer, more fragile Snow Troll Prime equivalent in the form of the Berserker Apostate, which helps out its small children with Aura (Vicious – Berserker only), and Nagarri, who dial up the Regeneration ability of things near them. Finally, there’s the Lord of Lies, which is essentially just a beefy Archfiend that turns off enemy Auras. It’s reasonable to say every Forces of the Abyss player will likely want most of these releases.
Trident Realm’s new rules debuted earlier in the year, and it’s fair to say they met with mixed opinions on launch. So, they’ve been revisited, and in an interesting way. The majority of changes are Keyword based, centering the faction around Royal Guard (Placoderms and Gigas), Dambusters (big frogs), and Naiads. This serves to magnify the impact of three new Aura upgrades for the Trident King, who can now hand out Elite for Royal Guard, Rallying(2) for Dambusters, or Lifeleech(2) for Naiads. Of those, Rallying is likely the biggest move to the needle, taking units that are already solid (one of which has been buffed here) and making them pretty resilient. It’s looking like this will open up various different builds for the faction, and by using an underplayed piece to do so. Not bad work.
On the subject of debuts, Twilight Kin have gotten off to a roaring start, with an impressive number of internet arguments seasoned by solid results. It’s fair to say a reckoning was anticipated, and folks will not be disappointed. Most of the changes are again Keyword-based, but this time focused on removal, meaning that the Navigator’s Legacy of Oskan is drastically reduced in applicability across the faction. Bloodhex generally gets more expensive on bigger stuff, and minor buffs to Void Wranglers and Captains on Void Skiff don’t do enough to cancel out the flashiest nerf – the loss of Piercing(1) as part of Wicked Miasma. Where Twilight Kin go from here is up in the air, as every prominent build is toned down in some way, but the evenness of the axe’s fall likely means it’s a plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose situation for the emo Elves.
Finally, everyone’s favorite chonky lads take a hammering, but a bit of a weird one. Siege Breakers actually get a points cut – I know, I know – but lose a point of Speed. However, the real damage is to Ogre Warlocks and Nomagarok, whose titular abilities now check for Core units with the Merc keyword (which Siege Breakers notably lack). You simply can’t get the same results out of the old build any more, as you’re either losing magical potency or cutting back on Siege Breakers. So, something’s likely going to change, and we also see some assistance for that, with the Paymaster becoming a Unique upgrade for Sergeants – an appreciated bit of help for Rallying. We’d note that, strangely, it currently looks like the Paymaster is staying as a Unique Hero as well, which could potentially mean some stacking of Nv buffs and help out any Merc-focused builds. There might also be something in the new Formation, which helps out Red Goblins, and a hefty cost cut for Grokagamok.
EDIT: since publication, we’ve been told that the Paymaster as a Unique Hero is in fact gone. We guess those Ogre bois were stacked enough without having stacking buffs.
Moderate Changes: Goblins, Northern Alliance, Halflings, Nightstalkers, Elves, Sylvan Kin
Next up, we have another tier of changes. Goblins have the most prominent one, losing their current Formation for an upgrade to the formerly included units just like Ogres did, and gaining a new one that hands out Ensnare to some Sharpsticks Regiments and a Mincer Mob Troop. Grupp Longnail gets Inspiring and becomes a bit more expensive, which is maybe fine with the Duelist buff.
Northern Alliance take the expected hit to Pack Hunters, who go up in cost slightly in a surprise to few. What’s more surprising is the lack of nerfs elsewhere to this prominent faction, and indeed their only other non-clerical change is a buff to the Cavern Dweller, which gains Vicious and Wild Charge(2). Whether it sees more play now is uncertain, but it’s unlikely there’ll be a revolution in Northern Alliance lists – just some minor tweaks to the last few things depending on how much you liked Pack Hunters.
Halflings get one change, but it’s low-key really good. The Sauceror, currently a bit of a take-it-or-leave-it choice, gets a hefty discount to the point of easily fitting into most lists. This alone will meaningfully change the faction’s internal meta – it’s a real bargain now, and you can easily stick on an Inspiring Talisman with change left over after the cost cut. This in turn will make the Ravenous keyword much more relevant to the things that have it, giving them a boost in relative appeal.
Elves and Sylvan Kin see a few changes to some pretty important stuff. They lose the free Bow on the Elven King, and the Sylvan Kin version can no longer combine it with the Wanderer upgrade – sad news if you recently placed second at Clash of Kings with a list taking three of them, naming no names. On a happier note, Madriga the Elf, Boskwraiths, and Stormwind Cavalry get buffs, becoming regular Inspiring, much cheaper, and increasing the limit on Quicksilver Lancers while removing the Pathfinder limit respectively. This last one seems like a real boon, and definitely takes the sting off the gutting of the Three Kings template.
Nightstalkers get some weird changes. The Portal of Despair has gotten hungry, gaining Lifeleech(3), and generous, with its Radiance of Life upgrade becoming a default and Very Inspiring being added, in exchange for a points increase. Meanwhile, the Reaper Souldrinker gets Aura (Lifeleech(3)) now, which, combined with the Duelist change, could turn on some Reaper/Tormentor-focused builds. Perhaps to mitigate that, the Formation cops a huge points increase, which is otherwise frankly inexplicable from a competitive standpoint.
Minor Changes: Everyone Else
Sorry folks, but if we haven’t named your faction so far, odds are it’s pretty much untouched. That’s not to say there’s nothing – you’ll see the odd points, stats, list entry, or rules revision – but we’re talking one or two changes per faction, and nothing that’s going to set the world on fire or really shake up competitive builds.
We’ll highlight the US increase to flavours of Dwarf War Engines as something we’d like to see repeated elsewhere. The addition of Ogre Palace Guard Captains to Order of the Brothermark, the honestly very surprising Unique upgrade to Empire of Dust Skeleton Warriors, and the loss of Aura(Wild Charge(+1)) on Greater Fire Elementals in Salamanders is a nice way to tone them down just a bit.
As highlights for the wrong reasons, The Herd and Ratkin Slaves receive zero changes between them. Remember, though, that a lot of development time likely went into Command Dice, which affect every single faction in different ways.
Roundtable
Q: Who do you think are the biggest winners and losers from this update?
Stephanie: Biggest winner for me is Forces of the Abyss without question. Sacrificial Imps may well be the antidote to gunline prominence with Ogres and Twilight Kin losing so much power, and a lot of the pieces are there for a really nasty attrition list that nonetheless remains vulnerable to getting punched really hard in one go.
Biggest loser? It might be Ogres. While Twilight Kin have taken more hits, they’re more spread out. Ogre players need to find a whole new build, with a “Which Way, Western Ogre” dilemma posed to their playerbase – do you keep leaning into Siege Breakers, and accept either replacing or having worse Ogre Warlocks, or lean into the Merc keyword and find a way not to get shot to bits?
Urr: Twilight Kin are definitely the biggest losers in my book. All the nerfs are small, and target the most commonly complained about issues. I think we all knew Piercing(1) on the Summoner Crones’ spells had to go, and maybe it wasn’t the best idea to give an Elite hammer unit easy access to Stealthy to keep it alive, then Vicious when it wants to charge. Not to say they’ll be bad now though, as Twilight Kin had a lot of room to be brought down. If you like the Twilight Elf keyworded part of the list, you’ll be absolutely fine.
As for the winners? I’ll pick something other than the Forces of the Abyss. To me, the Dwarfs have once again slipped under the radar. They only got a few slight adjustments, despite being an incredible faction, and will absolutely be up there as a contender for top spots next year, especially with the toning down of the other powerful factions.
Cytoplasm: The Forces of the Abyss were my first Kings of War army, and I am so chuffed to see them growing up, perhaps to the level of the very best armies in Kings of War. The grinding ability of the Abyssals was based on Regeneration, but actually struggled to play the grind game as the combination of De 4+ and Regeneration(5+) didn’t amount to much staying power. Now with the Nagarri buffs to Regeneration and the Abyssal Guards’ Rallying, the anvil units might finally be able to last. With respect to the faster hammers of the army, the Abyssal Horsemen finally can compete against the Tortured Souls, and the addition of the even faster Berserkers means that alpha strike armies of the Abyss will look entirely different in 2025.
The most prominent loser (in my eyes) are the Goblins, as Gorp’s Explodomatic Bangstiks are retired in favour of a Formation that actually uses the contents of the Ambush box set. It was surprising the Bangstiks stuck around for as long as they did. I had many crazy adventures with these breakneck hooligans, and nearly always they ended up destroying themselves with some insane flank charge. The consolation is that the Fleabag Riders now can be upgraded with Bangstiks for the same Blast effect, but it won’t be the same. Is the new Formation a suitable replacement? Not particularly, but alas the wheels of change turn.
Q: What’s your favourite new scenario and core rule change?
Stephanie: I really like Wrack and Ruin. It presents relevant choices, and makes sure the dynamic of your army’s positional choices changes as the game goes on. A joke in my play group is that the best scenarios are the ones that make you walk around the table a bunch, and I feel like this one will definitely get my step count up.
As for core rules, it’s gotta be The Draining of King Charles… sorry, Blood of the Old King. That’s a huge buff for me as an enjoyer of yeeting horses at people, and I’ll be slamming it into every list.
Urr: The best new scenario for me is Awakened Giants. Now, this is not a competitive play scenario, it is listed on its own page as a Narrative Scenario, but it just sounds like great fun. Three Giants start on the board, and randomly move at the end of the turn, and they fight anything from either player’s army whenever they make contact. The Giants don’t score or change the scenario in any way, so you’re just playing Dominate with Giants running around smashing your dudes.
Importantly, this scenario represents something that’s not for tournament players, which the rest of the book is focused on, so it’s nice to see they’ve not been forgotten.
Best core rule change? It’s Command Dice for me, but more on that elsewhere…
Instead Duelist going to triple attacks is the one for me. The amount of times I’ve had an assassin style Individual flub on killing an opponent’s important Hero has meant I’ve given up on the whole concept, but triple attacks really reduces the chances of a low roll ruining your plan. Not to say it won’t happen, but it’ll at least be worth a try again. The best part is now Kruufnir can now give a Frostfang Cavalry unit 90 attacks when fighting an Individual. Let’s get those dice rolling!
Cytoplasm: The inclusion of Progressive Scoring scenarios (beyond just Raze) is exciting for Kings of War. Since Stephanie already claimed Wrack and Ruin (which looks really fun!)I also like the look of Bulldog. It’s like old-fashioned Push with progressive scoring, but now it’s down to just one unit! That’s a lot of responsibility for one unit, and is evocative of escort missions in hero shooters.
The Wavered Flank rule just makes me feel a little better about my bad decisions. It was terrible enough that somehow I gave up a flank to an enemy, but that I couldn’t even change facing to meet it? Now at least this can be guaranteed. I know it’s not exciting, but sometimes I just want to be comforted.
Q: Are you more or less excited about your current faction?
Stephanie: I’m a Varangur player, and while I was initially disappointed by the lack of new things to do, my hype remains high. I was pricing in nerfs, and they haven’t arrived, which is nice – so, now I just need to be a little more patient, and react to however the metagame develops. I do covet my neighbour’s Abyss just a little bit, though.*
*make bottom surgery jokes at your own risk
Urr: Twilight Kin copped some deserved nerfs, but hopefully it’ll open up something more than the extremely obvious and same-y lists that have been floating about. It does give me a reason to finish painting up the rest of my actual elves that have been languishing in the cupboard.
As for Nightstalkers, I’ll have to get some games in with the new Portal of Despair. Technically it got buffed, but I was only taking it as a cheap token carrier/objective holder, so it might not make the cut, but it’s at least worth testing. Surely the formation’s points are a mistake, which is a bit of a shame, and a complete headscratcher if it isn’t. Maybe there was supposed to be another special rule added there? The Reaper Souldrinker is still up there as the worst character in the game. When the optimum unit for it to buff is a 10/12 De3 Troop, how on earth is upping its Lifeleech a buff? It can’t keep up with said Tormentors, it can’t catch any other individuals to use its buffed Duelist. All in all, I’m more confused than excited.
Cytoplasm: I’ve already gushed about how excited I am for my original faction, Forces of the Abyss, and those are really the most exciting changes. I mean there’s Fearless Abyssal Horsemen! If only there were new Abyssal Horsemen models, but alas. There’s going to be a whole rebasing project in the future for my Abyssals as being my first army, they weren’t particularly exciting when it came to basing. I can do a lot better now so I plan to! They deserve it now that they’ve got a whole rules revamp.
Final Thoughts
And that’s a wrap on our big review. Look forward to faction-focused content in the near future, as we work our way through where things stand in the meta – if there’s a particular faction you’d like to see reviewed first, please let us know in the comments!
Want to find out more about Clash 2025, specifically some colourful dice that have set the internet afire? Read our Command Dice Roundtable here!
Have any questions or feedback? Drop us a note in the comments below or email us at contact@goonhammer.com. Want articles like this linked in your inbox every Monday morning? Sign up for our newsletter. And don’t forget that you can support us on Patreon for backer rewards like early video content, Administratum access, an ad-free experience on our website and more.
