Sometimes, people on the Internet disagree.
I know, I know. Your clicks have truly led you to the font of all wisdom. But keep reading, because it somehow only gets more useful from here.
While planning out our Kings of War article schedule, Jessicakes and I disagreed on the value of the range of Magical Artifacts available in listbuilding. Being normal adults, we decided that instead of fighting across the contributor channels and incurring the Wrath of Greg, we’d simply collaborate on an article.
We’re also blessed with the presence of a bonus Urr, who kindly offered to jump in and be a third voice, thus giving us new and exciting ways to disagree.
For new starters or people who don’t play Kings of War, Magical Artefacts are how Kings of War lists differentiate units, tweak stats, and fill the last few points. They’re available to every type of unit bar Monsters, Titans, War Engines, Allies, and Limited Units. Chariot, Monster, or Titan Heroes are still allowed to take one, unless they’re an Ally. Most artefacts are Common, and available to everything. Individuals also get access to an extra range labeled Heroic, which I’ll highlight as we go. You can’t have a duplicate of a Magical Artifact in a list, so no doubling up on Staying Stones (no matter how good your lewd joke is). Sometimes, an artefact has two costs – the second cost is for if a Horde or Legion takes it.
We’re going to give each option a pithy rating of Great, Good, Niche, or Bad, with our comments, but note that almost everything is viable somewhere. That said, we’re not going to pretend a stinker is good for the sake of being all positive, so look forward to some roasts where necessary. Black text is me, blue text is Jess, red text is Urr.
Let’s have at it.
Blade of Slashing
Gives you a reroll to hit in melee for a low, low price. I’d put this under Good, as it’s cheap enough to earn its keep easily on high value attacks, such as ones with Blast.
Let’s start by agreeing. It’s a Good item and excellent for filling those last few points of a list. I rarely take it and regularly regret leaving it as I watch my heroes fluff their attacks.
Very good at making sure your little 3-5 attack hero will ground a dragon. It can be a game saver, and it’s only 5 points. This or the Mace of Crushing are my go to 5 points items.
Ej Periscope (Heroic)
A cute way to see over your infantry, but with the prevalence of Ht3 and above I’m gonna say Niche – if it’s important enough to be able to see something when casting, just go stand on a hill.
Niche? This item is Great! If you’ve ever had to deal with a pesky Halfling Engineer sniping you, imagine how annoying it is when she does it from behind a unit. A steal at twice the price.
Great for me too. It lets a little caster hide behind infantry and cast over the top. It’s great for Drain Life, Hex, Scorched Earth and more. You could even launch Celestial Restoration across the board and hit whatever you need.
Fire-Oil
I went back and forth over this, and am going to say Good. Ultimately, this is an extremely cheap damage boost, albeit a matchup-dependent one, which keeps it from being Great.
Leave my poor Naiads alone you monsters. In all honesty it’s kinda Niche. Good when it’s good but not something that will guarantee pay off.
It can be devastating or useless, so it’s a niche item for me too here. If you are going to take it, you’ll get maximum value if your using it every turn, so a shooting unit with a lot of attacks is usually the way to go.
Healing Brew
In my opinion, this is our first Great. I appreciate it’s just a once-per-game small heal, but hear me out. Generally, units in Kings of War don’t get killed in one go, unless they get flanked or multi-charged. So, you probably have an opportunity to use this in that post-hit turn. You won’t always get to, of course, but for 5 points I’ll take the chance. It’s effectively the equivalent of a conditional slightly higher Nv stat, which I’d personally probably pay double the cost for. This goes in the majority of lists I write unless I have a specific plan.
Eh, there are better and more reliable ways of healing if you need them. Not to mention a Staying Stone is more consistently effective. By all means take it if you fancy but if you are in a position it makes the difference you have bigger problems. I’m calling it Bad.
You’re just playing wrong if a unit survives a hit. Jokes aside, its strength is dependent on the unit it’s on, and the rest of the armies’ access to heal. A berserker troop will never survive a hit to use it, while putting it on Siege Breakers, combined with their access to Drain Life, can guarantee that value (and break your actual opponents nerve watching all that damage disappear). Niche again.
Liliana’s Tear
From Great to Niche. This one depends on what’s kicking around near you – in an Ogre-heavy meta this might be cute, but I’m not going to spend even the low cost of the Tear on something that may well be irrelevant in half my games.
A cheap counter to some excellent abilities. Given the sheer range of protections this offers you’re bound to get the use of it in most games. Wouldn’t be my first choice but it’s a damn fine item. Rated Good.
Generally useless, just taking the Staying Stone. Niche (at best)!
Mace of Crushing
Same principle as the Blade of Slashing above, so another Good for me, with not much more I can say about it.
I’m torn on this. It’s not bad. Then again your damage roll is much more variable depending on the target than your hit roll. Whereas the Blade of Slashing helps overcome the cost of a Hindered charge, this just isn’t as consistent. Good I guess but meh.
Good. Sometimes two Heroes need items, and you’ve already got the Blade of Slashing.
Staying Stone
Another Great here. Wavers can be game-defining, especially on big expensive pieces, so making them much less likely is way more valuable than the bargain basement tag on this. Honestly, it can go on anything that isn’t Fearless, and it’ll generate value every game. An Ogre’s best friend.
Great. Literally Great. First choice to fill 5pts every time.
Best in class for the 5 points items. No arguments here, it’s Great.
War-Bow of Kaba
Niche for me. It’s cheeky, but consider what you’re putting it on. If you want to shoot with a unit, it likely already has a gun. The first priority of chaff is to be clogging the lines, which usually requires an At The Double. A support character with an Aura probably wants a Sacred Horn (see below), and a melee hammer wants to be melee hammering. I can’t name many if any units that would make good use of this.
5 pts to give an infantry unit a single ranged attack? It won’t win you a game but it may be enough to force a morale test and score a lucky waver. It’s certainly Good and fun to put on an infantry horde that might otherwise twiddle their thumbs on an objective. Probably not your first choice though.
Right down the bottom of the 5 points items for me. No chance I’d take this. Moving at the double is far better than one shot that still has to hit and wound before it can even try a nerve test.
Amulet of the Fireheart (Heroic)
Niche for me again – it sure does exist. I’m not going to put two spells on a wizard just so I can cast both in one turn; if I need both cast, I’d probably just take an extra body to stick it on. But, for the cost, there’s maybe a use out there, so it narrowly avoids a Bad.
This shiny little trinket is so good. In fact I’ll go out on a limb and say it’s Great. I’ve used it to great effect with an Ice Queen in my Northern Alliance army. First I Surge my Ice Elementals into combat then Wind Blast the unit lined up to counter charge them. Absolutely love it.
I’m sure there’s a great use for it out there, but it’s going to be heavily dependent on your caster and their spell access. The other thing to note is that if you’re taking this, you’re not taking the Conjurer’s Staff, so you can cast both your spells and fail both. Niche again.
Banner of Eternal Darkness
This is my first Bad. I would maybe pay half the cost for this, and even then, tough sell. Assuming you aren’t playing Nightstalkers (and if you are, why are you taking this), you probably have some Inspiring sources. If you don’t, you’ve made a big list-building error. If you do, they’re likely near your stuff anyway, unless it’s super hard flanking, at which point it’s only going to benefit from Mindthirst when it commits to melee. Personally, I would only really want to commit a hard flanking unit when the rest of my army is already committed, for threat saturation, which means an Inspiring source has probably moved up with them. Very, very corner case item, and there are better options for the cost in my view.
Pfft, as someone who excels at list building errors I think this is pretty good. I used it in my recent Clash of Kings list to give independence to a Frostclaw Horde. It shows a pretty base approach to list building if you rely on Inspiring characters for morale. Helm of Confidence, Banner of Eternal Darkness and Staying Stone all offer handy boosts and increase flexibility. It’s not Great but it’s damn Good.
100% in agreement with Stephanie here. Rubbish item. Spend the points on something that’ll actually have an impact.
Conjurer’s Staff (Heroic)
This gets a Good, because consistency is king (no pun intended). If you have, say, Bane Chant (2), this halves the probability of rolling no successes, from 0.25 to 0.125. That means you’re more likely than not to successfully cast it four times in a game, which is probably enough to make your combats go well. Likewise, on any kind of offensive spellcaster, this is probably paying for itself in extra damage dealt. If you have the points, I’d take it – just watch out for Unique spells, which don’t get the reroll.
I’m sorry, is this some kind of peasant magic item my Ice Queens are too awesome to understand? Honestly though, anything that makes your spells more effective is worth the points. I don’t know the statistics involved but more chances is more chances. Good by any measure.
Never leave home without this item. It’s amazing at making sure your spells go off. Hex, Bane Chant, Scorched Earth & Weakness can all have gameching impacts, and that extra reroll is massive in getting them off.
Darklord’s Onyx Ring (Heroic)
If you want a resilience-boosting item vulnerable to someone plinking one point of damage on your thing before committing to it, scroll down literally one entry and avoid this Regeneration casino silliness. Bad.
You need to plan for it but there’s nothing bad about this item. Either you tempt your opponent into splitting their firepower to target an individual; or you get a sweet Regeneration after their first melee. Adding an extra variable to your opponent’s decision making is Good in my book.
Another waste of points. If your heroes are getting hit, you’re doing it wrong. If they’re surviving after being hit, your opponent is doing it wrong. It really pales in comparison to the next item…
Gnome-Glass Shield (Heroic)
I’m gonna give this one a Great even with the Duelist changes, because there are so many pieces out there that can choose their battles and avoid getting hit by something that can realistically put damage on them before committing. Ideal recipients are high-Sp annoyances, ideally with Mighty, that can tie things up and prove a very outsized annoyance for their points – pretty much any old fool on a horse will do, or something flying. It doesn’t go in every faction, because not everyone has access to that sort of thing for a reasonable price, but it’s a staple where a solid bearer is available.
If your hero doesn’t already have a high De you need to stop putting them in harm’s way dumbass. Bad.
The Seductress was made for this item. High speed, Fly, Ensnare, Stealthy, Duelist, and Inspiring. With this item, you’ll shut down a shooting horde for the game, and I’ve had the misfortune of it winning against those hordes. It is filthy on a few heroes.
Hann’s Sanguinary Scripture
Niche for me. Unlike the Healing Brew, this is conditional healing, and is a bit more expensive. I’m sure there’s something out there that wants to stack Lifeleech, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Lifeleech for 10pts is nice but this wouldn’t be my first choice. It’s better than that Healing Brew nonsense if you want to have a source of healing. Niche because there’s no obvious unit to put it on.
Niche as well. The need to survive and hit back to get any value makes it suited to horde units, but healing one on a Horde isn’t that impactful.
Mead of Madness
In a game where threat ranges are a. key and b. usually even numbers, an extra inch for 10pts feels like a steal. For me, this is a Great way to make your fast pieces even faster, and is rather aggressively costed in my opinion.
No arguments here. I love it. Great stuff.
Orb of Towering Presence
Unit Strength only really tends to matter at the end of a game, but is hella important when it comes up. That said, it’s a problem I tend to address with the units that I take, rather than the items I put on them. Combined with the more generally applicable options available for the cost, I’m gonna say, respectfully, Niche.
Unit Strength is the difference between winning and losing. Especially in tournament play. Whack this on a fast moving unit to contest objectives last minute. Pop in on a slow but resilient unit to hold a quadrant. There’s never a bad time to take this item. Good.
You know what doesn’t have Unit Strength? Dead units. I’d rather take an item that’s more impactful throughout the game. Not to say it’s bad, but it’s not for me.
Piercing Arrow
Too expensive for a mere reroll – I’d rather go Fire Oil if I had points to spare for a ranged unit. It’s a Bad from me.
Not amazing on the face of it but when it’s good it’s good. Popping this on a Naiad Centurion with their Trident of The Drowned Sea is kind of hilarious. There will be other Niche applications I can’t be bothered to look up right now.
I’ll give you that, though for units with a few really good shots there are some delivery-focused items I do tend to like more. Nonetheless, I’ll accept your argument and upgrade to Niche.
The nichest of the Niche items.
Pipes of Terror
Now we’re cooking. I rate Brutal very highly as a rule, because, depending what it’s on, it can have the same value as a lot of extra attacks (or as some of the more expensive items on this list). If you just think of it as a guaranteed extra wound, for a unit hitting on 3s and wounding on 3s (usually the targets for a hammer unit colliding with a line unit), it’s equivalent to 2.25 extra attacks. It’s not exactly the same damage increase as Brew of Strength or Sharpness, but the cost to effect ratio is really, really high in my view compared to those. Great, and I will happily fight Jessica on this one if she disagrees.
Joke’s on you. I modeled my first ever Mantic unit (Northern Alliance Tribesfolk) with bagpipes to represent this item and it has made an appearance in pretty much every list I’ve made since. Great item. Did you even look at my Clash of Kings Tournament List?
No.
That’s okay; I didn’t read yours either.
Brutal always tips Ogre units over the edge into killing me. It’s a great rule on the right units. The challenge is often how does Brutal stack up vs the other items. Does a Dragon want the Pipes or the Staying Stone? It’s going to be up to you.
Skirmisher’s Boots
Cute, but if I’m taking a Troop, it’s likely chaff anyway, and so I’m probably taking a unit that’s Nimble already. I’ve seen this get some play in Formations that contain a Troop, so I won’t outright say it’s garbage, but it’s certainly not going higher than Niche.
In a game that values flank charges you can get a lot of mileage out of a hard hitting troop. Pop these on a unit of Halfling Stalwarts and they can get in a supporting position. I’ve also used them on Troops with ranged weapons for extra maneuverability. It’s just Good.
Bonkers on the right units, and by right units, it’s Berserker style troops. If I’m playing Northern Alliance, the Talannar’s Vanguard Half-Elf Berserkers automatically get this and Mead of Madness.
Torc of Dissonance (Heroic)
If it wasn’t once per game and Heroic, I might find this funny, but it’s only ever going to be a mild inconvenience, and the options in its cost bracket significantly outclass it in my view. Bad.
Very Niche item this. I’ve had it ruin my day when used to shut down my Surge spells. If your opponent is hurling Lightning Bolts from every corner it will be less influential. The important thing to note, it doesn’t require line of sight so can shut down the Bane Chanter hiding behind a unit.
Another point in the Bad category here. It just doesn’t compete. Once an event it might do something, but that means you’re missing out on a good item for the rest of every games’ turns.
Wingbane Cloak (Heroic)
I keep wanting to take this, as my hatred for models with Fly getting into my backline is well-known locally, but it just never quite pans out. Maybe if you could put it on a fast enough thing to get the first hit in and tie up a dragon for a few turns, but alas, it can’t go on things with Fly (which rules out most Sp10 models). Bad, despite my personal feelings.
I’d actually consider this kind of Niche. Flying chaff like Banshees are annoying. Flying units like Frostclaws or Scorthwings are potent but vulnerable. A Thegn on Frostfang hits like a mini Dragon and has a decent chance of chewing through a Horde of Scorchwings after taking their charge.
It is bad for stopping Dragons etc (see the speed issue above). But there are slower flying units that come in hordes, say Wights, that something like a Thegn could survive a hindered charge from, with Ensnare, while threatening to ground them if they don’t take the charge. The stars need to align for that though, so I’ll back niche on this one.
Aegis of the Elohi
It’s consistent healing, but again, Healing Brew exists. Niche for me.
What don’t you consider Great about a magic item that heals you for taking part? It discourages sparse ranged attacks, discourages Mindfog and if you fail a nerve test in melee you have bigger problems. Why waste 5pts on a Healing Brew for 1-2 heals when this is basically 6-7 heals depending on game length.
Babe who is damaging your unit for six turns without killing it?! If someone flubs that badly over and over again, you deserve the win to be honest. I’m sticking to my guns here.
Those who live by the gun die by the Elohi Horde.
Axe of the Giant Slayer (Heroic)
I have to point out that, hilariously, this also works on guns. Presumably you just yeet your axe at people via your bow/handgun/assorted ranged thingy. A nice rule to have on high value attacks, but a little costly for it, so it gets a Niche rating not for being bad, but for only really being decent on a few things.
Meh. Sure it’s nice and all but there are far, far better uses of 15pts. This is kinda bad.
Would be good if it was flat three extra attacks. As it is, you might just get a more restricted Blade of Slashing. Meh.
Blood of the Old King
As discussed in our Clash of Kings 2025 review, this had a huge buff. Blood of the Old King is now a definite Great for me, and will likely go in most if not all of my lists.
Between us writing and publishing this article Clash of Kings 2025 updated this item. It no longer sucks donkey testicles. On a unit you are relying on for a hammer blow it’s excellent.
With this year’s Clash of Kings, amazing. The only reason it would be in every list is some factions already come with Elite or Vicious, so they just take the other for a permanent version of this.
Chalice of Wrath
Love love love this, definitely gets a Great for a guaranteed “can’t be Wavered on a Countercharge”. Consistency is king, and compared to the Dwarven Ale, there’s less risk of failing at a key time. Getting Wavered by shooting sucks, I get that, but for the cost this is a solid pick on your premium units.
Possibly the most undercosted item in the list. Love it on a big hitter like a Frostfang Horde. Great, Great, Great.
No contrary opinion here. It’s Great.
Crown of the Wizard King (Heroic)
I’m unwilling to pay 15pts for something that can be mitigated by better placement. Just stop being cowards and put your spellcasters close to things. I am normal, and definitely won’t send Magnilde at them if you mess up. But, I’ll give this one thing in its favour – extending the range of Host Shadowbeast is good and based. Niche.
Friendly units are the ones you control the placement of. If your spellcaster isn’t where they are needed then tough. This item is Bad because it will make you lazy.
“If you turn and run away, you’ll live to fight another day.” Hex can stop you moving and casting, or you have stumpy little legs and can’t move and keep up with a charging unit. Sometimes you’ve got to be in a spot to inspire as well as try to buff something in the distance. Niche for me.
Dwarven Ale
Nobody likes being Wavered, and two thirds of the time, Headstrong means you aren’t Wavered every time. I personally prefer the consistency of the Chalice of Wrath, but it’s worth noting Headstrong potentially mitigates being Wavered by shooting. This gets a Good from me, as if I were playing a pair of particularly Waverable units, I’d stick this on the second one every time.
Who doesn’t love Dwarven Ale? Good; for when you already have a Chalice of Wrath and need another option.
One Siege Breaker Horde gets Headstrong, the other Fury. Nice and easy.
Helm of Confidence
It’s like a better Banner of Eternal Darkness, but that’s not saying much – most of the same problems still apply, and now it’s slightly more expensive. I’ll be kind, and give this a Niche, as Nightstalkers players might like this, as well as especially wide shooty flankers in factions that don’t have decent babysitters for them.
One of my favourites. Reliable Babysitters are a nightmare to find. This lets the kids rampage off in the flanks whilst the grown ups form a battle line. Great choice for those of us who thrive on chaos.
Just have a modicum of restraint. Take the charge next turn, when you character can move up with its buddies. Bad.
Helm of the Drunken Ram
Yesss, we love a cheap damage boost. It’s reasonable that this comes with a downside, but you simply don’t put it on things that have the rules you’d lose. In the same vein as the Pipes of Terror, this is just a nicely costed way to up your output a bit, but note that a Hindered charge will cost you your Thunderous Charge (1) – so, try to stick this on something that already has that rule, like heavy cavalry, so you only lose one point of it. Gets a Good from me for the price point, but held back from Great as it doesn’t show up everywhere.
Niche as heck. Thunderous Charge is pretty cool but you are almost always better off shelling out more points to get a Brew of Strength which doesn’t care about hindered charges.
A Great item. A low price for a significant damage boost. Great for units that don’t want to be in terrain already, like anything with Furious Charge. Anything that can fly out of terrain unhindered is another great way to utilise this.
Mournful Blade (Heroic)
I mean, its stocks are rising thanks to Clash 2025, but this still requires you to get your Individual to their Individual, and even then unless you’re a combat monster you won’t necessarily kill them. We’ll see how the meta shakes out, but right now, this feels like a Bad for the cost.
Good on the basis of how utterly hilarious it is to watch someone’s hero get minced by your Naiad Centurion.
Most of the time, the type of unit that would want this item already has Duelist. I am thinking of putting it on a Shade to hunt Command Dice units, but we’ll have to see how they play out. Niche at best.
Sacred Horn
Good on a nice Aura, and that’s the only place it needs to be. You’ll see this on models with good Auras that want to catch a good chunk of the army – most notably the Stealthy Aura from Boomer Chariots in Ogres, but there are plenty more out there, which keeps it one step above Niche.
If this worked on things like Rallying it’d be Great. As is, it’s Good on heroes like the Muster Captain and her Aura – Strider. More range means more units that benefit.
Most likely to go on a faction’s Army Standard Bearer, so it’ll depend. It’s great on great auras. YMMV.
Scythe of the Harvester (Heroic)
As with the Axe of the Giant Slayer, you can use this thing as a giant boomerang on your guns. It’s gonna be another Niche for me, for the same reasons as that item.
*Shrug* You know my outlook on the Axe. I’m equally underwhelmed. Bad.
As above.
Sir Jesse’s Boots of Striding
Great. No questions asked. These boots have a legitimate claim to be the GOAT of items – I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in 80% or more of competitive lists. Strider is an amazing rule, and even though it’s one-use-only, being able to mitigate terrain on a key charge guarantees their presence in the competitive scene for most lists. Put it on your melee-iest unit, and enjoy your value.
I mean yeah, they’re Good and all but just not as awesome as they used to be. I’ve seen Strider cropping up in lists a bit more often now (such as the Halfling Muster Captain) so this item isn’t as auto-include as it once was. Still, let us raise a glass to Sir Jesse himself.
You’ll know if your faction needs it. If you do, it’s Great; otherwise, points go elsewhere.
Talisman of Silence (Heroic)
Mind Fog is a very mweh spell, and much better options exist for the points. I’ve never seen this taken in a list I don’t feel could be improved with a different item. Bad.
Most lists have access to Mindfog anyway through the Library of Arcane knowledge. Maybe it’s funny on a melee hero as a cheap alternative to a Broomstick? Otherwise kinda Bad.
Mindfog itself is good, but only having two dice casting dice means you’re far from guaranteed to get it off. If you must have it, better to get it from the Library and take the Conjurer’s Staff.
Trickster’s Wand (Heroic)
Great. I adore this item. Even if you ignore the memey second half, and accounting for the inconsistency, being able to Hex comes up in so many matchups, and can make several pieces play completely differently – Nomagarok, Mind Screeches, factions that rely on Surge a lot – the list goes on and on. I would happily put this in every list, ideally on the tallest idiot I can find that doesn’t want to be in melee early.
Terrible. Awful. Leave at home. Stop shutting down my Surge casters you monsters.
Just really Good. It’s got enough range that putting it on a hero on a flank can still impact the game before it’s time to charge in. Just make sure your hero can see over infantry.
Wand of Borrowed Time (Heroic)
Frontloading damage is cute, but this has the same problems as the Amulet of the Fireheart for me. Bad, because of the extra cost.
Two spells a turn is brilliant. Amulet of the Fireheart is better point for point but this is the Good second choice for your other Ice Queen.
Sometimes just the threat of a double Surge can be enough to make your opponent play differently. But there are only so many casters that have two spells, or even have the target availability to cast two at once. Niche.
Blade of the Beast Slayer (Heroic)
Very spicy for multi-attack Heroes, especially as they often serve as emergency response when some big Monster or Titan has just landed in your back line, but a touch expensive. I’d say this is best used only when your faction has someone good to carry it, which to me means it’s Niche.
Honestly, if your rules text has more info inside than outside the brackets… probably time to step away from the keyboard and grab a cuppa. Niche if you can actually figure out what that Niche is actually meant to be.
Its niche is to make your Shade reliably ground a dragon before dying. So niche as to be Bad.
Blessing of the Gods
My answer for this and Chant of Hate are basically the same as for Blade of Slashing and Mace of Crushing writ large, except they’re more suitable for big units that benefit more from a volume of rerolls. For the cost, they’re okay, but because they get more expensive on Hordes and Legions I’d be careful about what I put them on. Both items get a Good from me.
Huh? I don’t know what Stephanie is on about but Elite without the caveats is just Great. Shove it on a unit with decent Ranged and Melee stats for maximum value.
Blessing of the Gods and Chant of Hate are the Brew of Sharpness/Strength we have at home. Good, but not great.
Brew of Haste
Extra threat range is always good, like I mentioned with Mead of Madness. Getting up the board faster is also always good, though a little less applicable when your unit is already fast. I’m tempted to say Niche because of the extra cost, but I don’t think it’s fair for me to do so just because my most played faction doesn’t generally take it, so I’ll stick to Good.
An extra inch of movement is an extra two inch charge. If you have zero shame like me you’ll shove it on a Flying unit. Great stuff and we love it.
Yep, great again. The Dragon that charges first usually wins. Or put it on some flying chaff to let your big unit take an item for extra damage.
Chant of Hate
See Blessing of the Gods. Chant of Hate is a little more variable in outcome, but I’m satisfied they’re close enough for the same rating. Good.
Mmmm, delicious, delicious damage. Not quite as brilliant as Blessing of the Gods because there is much more variation in armour values. It’s Good but a victim of those statistics things that prevent it being Great.
Dragonshard Shield
In a game of movement, no matter how good the one turn of standing still is, it’s never likely to be quite as good as being in the best place possible. With that, and the cost, in mind, I’m giving this one a Bad.
Pretty Niche. Good if you want to hold ground late game or defend an objective. Unfortunately it’s too reliant on a specific situation.
You can think of great uses for it, like De6 Naiads in terrain on an objective, but then your opponent just ignores them. It’s just too Niche for me.
Hammer of Measured Force
Okay, so this gets a very begrudging Great, because while I have fond memories of slamming a Horde of Scarecrows into the bearers of this and watching their consternation at making me harder to kill, it’s just obviously a really really good item to throw on a mid Horde to make grinding through them a way more daunting proposition. A 25-attack Horde that hits on 4s and has this will very consistently do double-digit damage over two turns, necessitating a decent-sized commit to make very sure they don’t do that, and increasing their output disproportionately for the cost. If you want to make your anchor unit hit harder than it has any right to, and develop a crippling fear of Zombies and other De2 units, look no further.
It looks great on paper but tends to be rather Niche in practice. Sure you can deploy it well and get it where it needs to be… or you end up facing hordes of zombies and goblins which kinda negate it. My favourite use was sticking it on Snow Foxes and hunting Drakons.
Hammer of Measured Force wielding Snow Foxes is not something I ever thought I’d see.
It has been a staple in Nightstalkers on a Blood Worm Legion, to put significant hurt on basically anything. But setting that up and using it well can be very difficult. I think it’s a Niche pick too.
Inspiring Talisman (Heroic)
Some things just shouldn’t be allowed to have Inspiring, but we can’t all be Twilight Kin Summoner Crones. I’ve taken this on the occasional cheap buff idiot just to have an extra source knocking about – if your faction has easy access to Inspiring and doesn’t send its sources forward as chaff (looking at you, Snow Troll Primes), you can skip this one, but for the cost it’s a Good way to get more out of your support. I’m unswayed by the Clash of Kings 2025 changes, personally.
Decidedly Niche. The rules committee have done such a great job on the game this isn’t as universally useful as it might appear. When you find a place for it you’ll have lots of use of it. Even with the 2025 upgrade it remains Niche. Then again, you’ll never go wrong making an Inspiring character Very Inspiring.
Sometimes you just need a guy to sit back with some archers and cast Lightning Bolt, and not every faction get’s Inspiring casters. It does what it says on the tin, but you don’t always need it. Niche.
Tome of Darkness (Heroic)
As a player of alive and not-Elemental things, I’ve personally never used this, but it’s a very good amount of Surge for the cost. One of those items that pops up in every list that needs it, and gets a solid Good from me.
Bwahahahahaha. SO MANY SURGE DICE!
It is good, but it’s also niche. It depends if your faction has Shambling units, and if it does, there’ll be Surge elsewhere in the list. It’ll be a balance between number of caster vs number of dice, and it’ll be up to you to decide.
Zephyr Crown (Heroic)
Wind Blast on its own is an okay spell, but it tends to be best en masse where it can really mess with an opponent’s game plan. So, unless you already have access to it, you probably don’t want this, and if you do have access to it, then… why are you taking this. The one exception though is the exceptional Twilight Kin Summoner Crone affectionately known as Wendy the Windy (by exactly me). Wind Blast (8) with Piercing (1) is neither fun nor fair. This gets a Niche for that alone, in my opinion.
In a game that relies on movement and position, Wind Blast can really cause a headache for your opponent. Blow them off objectives, push them out of charge range, laugh as your opponent grumbles. If your army doesn’t have Wind Blast built in this is Good.
Niche. I believe there are two units in the game with damaging Wind Blast that can take this, the Twilight Kin Summoner Crone, and the Nightstalker Banshee. These factions also get heavy access to Wind Blast elsewhere in the lists, with Mindscreechs and Soulflayers. Add some other shooting units to these, and you can build yourself an oppressive WInd Blast. This is the spot where I’d take the Crown (and currently do).
Lute of Insatiable Darkness (Heroic)
Like a Brew of Strength that works 75% of the time in exchange for being able to put it on whatever wants it most each turn. A very solid source of extra damage, and goes in a wide variety of lists – I have to say Great. Personally I tend to avoid it, but that’s only because I strongly favour consistency (as I’ve been consistently saying throughout this article).
I guess it’s Good. I’d prefer two spells in a turn or more Surge on a spellcaster. A melee hero will be in the thick of it by the time this is useful. You won’t regret taking it but you can probably find something more interesting.
A solid item on any Army Standard Bearer. Only getting two dice makes it good rather than great, but it can save you the cost of a wizard, or let them do something else instead.
Shroud of the Saint (Heroic)
Celestial Restoration exists, and doesn’t take up an item slot. Yes, Indirect is a punishing rule, but we’ve talked about like three items that are probably more efficient for healing than this thing. Bad.
Yeah. Bad.
It’s just not enough dice. Bad.
The Boomstick (Heroic)
Niche for me. Nice on something that already has Lightning Bolt like an Ogre Warlock, or that wants to just walk around giving an Aura that doesn’t particularly need to be big, but it’s a lot of points.
Who doesn’t love a Standard Bearer who takes pot shots at people? If you have the points free and lack ranged attacks then a cheeky Boom Stick on your Thegn never disappoints. Niche only because it has no clear synergy.
I’d spend my points elsewhere. You should have a roll in mind for your heroes, and if it’s just Lightning Bolt three, I’d try something else. Niche.
The Scrying Gem
Look, I love this, as I feel that Kings of War is a game where clever deployment can set the course of the game, and bad deployment can really turn it against you. Achieving the former and avoiding the latter gets much easier when you get a sneak preview, and easier still when the important units start going down and you haven’t put anything of value on yet. But, it’s 25 points, and that’s a really hard sell when a skilled player can assess the likely deployments of their opponent and counteract them. I’m trying to be objective here, so into Niche it goes (I can’t bear to call it Bad).
It’s not great because I always roll a 1 on my D3. For someone with neurological damage that slows information processing this has been a godsend at the occasional tournament I’m a bit foggy. Good.
I’d like to love it, but too often an experienced player has their own deployment plan ready to go and they’ll set up in the same way regardless, so it only helps if your list is flexible enough to actually take advantage of their deployment. Niche here.
Boots of Levitation (Heroic)
This gets Niche, but in a nice way. Like, you only take it on a few things, but where you do take it, it’s really good. If you have a spellcaster with a really annoying short ranged spell, or you’re a certain aquatic aggravation with a very disruptive trident, it’s going to do wonders for how quickly they can impact the game.
Niche, not for everyone but ideal for a Naiad Cen.. oh right. What she said.
Gone are the days of Elves on horseback with the Boots running around Alchemists Cursing anything they want. Now they have to walk. Still solid for that, but not loads else. Niche.
Boots of the Seven Leagues (Heroic)
I’m sure there’s some meme build where your super special original character do not steal takes a random upgrade that turns them up to eleventy billion, then you Scout move them into prime position before Turn 1. Then you lose the starting rolloff and they unceremoniously die to a charge. I just haven’t seen any Individuals that make good use of this ability. Bad.
There are lots of fun things you can do with these. It’s Niche but shoving a spellcaster out front with your Scouts can be incredibly disruptive.
I haven’t played a faction with lots of Scout, which seems to be the way to go to get value here, so I’ll give it a niche.
Brew of Strength
Take Number, Make Number Better. We love to see it. Stacking damage buffs only goes so far, as this can be wasted against low-Def stuff, but if you pick your targets well this yields solid reward for cost. Great.
Great. Do I even need to justify that assessment?
Diadem of Dragonkind
Good when you already have Fireball for a high number (like in Ogres, Forces of the Abyss, or Abyssal Dwarfs), pretty expensive for what you’re getting when you don’t as Fireball is pretty short-ranged. It’s a Niche for me.
It’s expensive, short range and doesn’t negate cover. This is kinda Bad to be honest.
Pop it on your Efreet, and watch an individual almost hit horde levels of shooting. It’s great into specific targets and on specific units. I’m with Stephanie.
Brew of Sharpness
The be-all-end-all output buff. Bonuses to hit are extremely rare in this game, and I literally can’t think of a situation where this doesn’t make a unit objectively better at hitting things (unlike Brew of Strength, which is occasionally overkill). It’s priced to match, but if you want a reliable, dependable buff to get those last few points of damage through, accept no substitutes – drink your delicious Glass-Juice. Great.
It’s nice and all but I personally rate higher damage output from Brew of Strength or higher accuracy from Blessing of the Gods over this. Still Good though.
You have to pay for Greatness.
Wine of Elvenkind
Essentially Skirmisher’s Boots but more applicable. Nimble is an obscenely good rule when used effectively, and in a game where movement jank reigns supreme it’s hard to say more to no. That said, it’s a lot of points, and is competing with some heavyweight output buffs that are a lot more direct in effect. I’m gonna call it Good and move on.
It’s pretty great in a way but also not, but also is but maybe not. I want to love it but I don’t ever take it due to the cost and it sounds hilarious but is it really and on a Horde it loses a lot due to the size and… I’m going to call it Niche and not address my internal monologue.
Wings of Honeymaze (Heroic)
OK zoomers, here’s one for you. Sometimes, we gotta go halfway across the table with our Individual and beat something up. There are plenty of things that make excellent use of this, and while the price tag is eye-watering, there’s a reason it keeps showing up again and again in lists. You don’t take it everywhere, but you take it in enough places that it’s earned a Good.
Slap it on a Feast Master and go hunt heroes for breakfast. The fact it’s named in reference to one of the finest films ever made only strengthens the case. Good and often hilarious.
Crystal Pendent of Retribution
I hate to end on a Bad, but this thing is just a colossal meme. It’s extremely expensive – the most expensive item on this list – in exchange for about six damage to whatever killed you. Assuming they killed you in melee. Assuming they killed you at all. If you want to put this on some chaff, more power to you, but good luck if your opponent has guns because they’re all going to point at the bearer of this.
You only get this bullshit pulled on you once before you start to respect it. Niche but my goodness what a niche it is. Whack it on disposable Ratkin or Zombie Hordes to give your opponent a headache of a decision. This is pretty darn funny/frustrating as items go.
Final Thoughts
Final count for Stephanie:
- Great: 12
- Good: 14
- Niche: 22
- Bad: 10
Final count for Jessica:
I was meant to be keeping count?
Great: Jess
Good: Stephanie
Niche: Jess’s sense of humour
Bad: People who pack Hex
No, I just got bored waiting for you to finish writing your bits and wanted something to do. Hexy is Sexy, don’t @ me.
Next time we team up, we’ll be reviewing the Library of Arcane Knowledge, and all the different ways to roll dice therein. Who knows, we may actually agree on more than half of the options this time.
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