The Skaven Age Has Arrived, Ending the Warhammer Age of Sigmar

Horned Rat is still alive! Since the fall of the Old World and the imposition of Age of Sigmar, Skaven have been less involved in the Warhammer story. They do, however, appear to have a significant role in the game’s future, according to a new CG teaser that was revealed at Adepticon.

The teaser is appropriately epic, revealing Sigmar’s duplicity and ultimately providing the Stormcast Eternals—likely the other half of the Age of Sigmar 4th Edition starting box—with an advantage. The powerful fighters are blaming Sigmar and becoming less human. Is a revolution imminent?


However, the ratmen were the most thrilling feature in the trailer. As you can probably see from my Ushoran conversion (WIP), I’m a huge admirer of Skaven, and the many clans have a ton of potential. The Skaven depicted in the trailer did not appear to belong to any specific clan, but they were also not the afflicted clergyrats of Pestilens or the assassins of Eshin.




The Jezzail snipers, the escaped cannon, and the massive Rat Ogre were among the several weapons that were emphasized in the trailer. This makes me believe that the plot will center on Clan Skryre and that the upcoming version of the big box will have brand-new models for these troops. A new model of the Ratling Cannon is long overdue, new Jezzails are a sure thing, and Rat Ogres need a makeover. Though I’m not familiar enough with the Stormcast range to draw the same conclusions, I assume the large man on the dragon and the winged assailants will be included in the box.

Do you think we’ll get a dual-kit as the rattling weapon in the trailer appears to be just as large as the Warp Lightning Cannon? I doubt that’s the case because starter sets are often push-fit, but it would be a nice change none the less.

One little passage, though, raises the possibility that Clan Moulder is involved. I believe the image below may be a Rat Rider, updating an extremely ancient Skaven type for the present day. These were first used by the three-armed scientist Throt the Unclean, who advanced Skaven mutations beyond anything seen before. Putting on my tinfoil hat, this revelation might even point to his comeback because he sided with Archaon in the Storm of Chaos parallel universe. Why is that relevant? You will observe.


The Jezzail snipers, the escaped cannon, and the massive Rat Ogre were among the several weapons that were emphasized in the trailer. This makes me believe that the plot will center on Clan Skryre and that the upcoming version of the big box will have brand-new models for these troops. A new model of the Ratling Cannon is long overdue, new Jezzails are a sure thing, and Rat Ogres need a makeover. Though I’m not familiar enough with the Stormcast range to draw the same conclusions, I assume the large man on the dragon and the winged assailants will be included in the box.

Do you think we’ll get a dual-kit as the rattling weapon in the trailer appears to be just as large as the Warp Lightning Cannon? I doubt that’s the case because starter sets are often push-fit, but it would be a nice change none the less.

One little passage, though, raises the possibility that Clan Moulder is involved. I believe the image below may be a Rat Rider, updating an extremely ancient Skaven type for the present day. These were first used by the three-armed scientist Throt the Unclean, who advanced Skaven mutations beyond anything seen before. Putting on my tinfoil hat, this revelation might even point to his comeback because he sided with Archaon in the Storm of Chaos parallel universe. Why is that relevant? You will observe.


Although the trailer was excellent and intrigued me for the first time in a long time about Age of Sigmar, the accompanying Warhammer Community post provides even more details on the Skaven’s plans.

The Skaven have been preparing the Vermindoom for three editions while hiding in the shadows. Looks like some sort of cataclysmic event a la Ragnarok, exploding massive holes in reality from which they can emerge and take control of the mortal realms. Imagine Vermintide, only larger.


The fact that the Great Horned Rat has evolved into the fifth Chaos God and a full-fledged member of the Chaos Pantheon is arguably more significant. With Archaon’s assistance—there’s that Throt connection again—this ascent signals the official arrival of the Age of Skaven.

Some general information about the fourth edition rules is also provided in the Warhammer Community article. Although no actual mechanics are covered, it appears that the system will be completely redesigned, with the addition of “reactivity in your opponent’s turn,” which excites me.

Personally, I think this new Skaven mythology fits wonderfully with my homebrew Skaven clan of Horned Rat devotees, lead by Not-Ushoran the Greater Daemon of the Horned Rat. It’s almost like someone at Games Workshop read my post and decided to make it canonical. Just saying. It fits too nicely. The release of Age of Sigmar 4th Edition is eagerly anticipated by me as I can’t wait to add a ton of new units to my ultra-religious sect of ratty cultists. I suppose the Stormcast will also be present.