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Age of Sigmar: How to Play Soulblight Gravelords

5 Minute Read
Feb 21 2024

Today we look at how to play the Soulblight Gravelords faction. Undeath is a stone groove.

Parodying the noble houses of Azyr, Soulblight vampires are linked through a complex web of lineages and bloodlines, many of which possess their own particular quirks. The greatest serve in the Legions of Blood and Night, the armies of Mortarchs Neferata and Mannfred von Carstein respectively. If you want an army of irresistible undead warlords leading servants with unflinching loyalty, this is the faction for you.

Who are the Soulblight Gravelords?

The Soulblight Gravelords are the legions and dynasties of undead led by Soulblight vampires. On those nights when the skies are darkest and the winds blow cold, the Gravelord hosts rise from their crypts and march under the sinister glow of the realms’ moons and clouds of shrieking bats. Directed by the will of their vampiric overlords, they are a constant scourge upon civilisation, filled with the cruelty and malice one would expect of Nagash’s champions. These vampiric champions lead dynasties of their vampiric kin, accompanied by allied Deathrattle Wight Kings and covens of Necromancers able to raise hordes of Deadwalker zombies.

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Why Play Soulblight Gravelords?

Definitely a tactically interesting force, the Soulblight Gravelords offer a lot of flexibility in both play style and army composition. Manipulation and small unit buffs are the name of the game, and you can thwart your enemy’s attempts to weaken your units with static effects and abilities.

Strengths

  • Debuffs combined with a large number of wounds make you very hard to displace.
  • The army comes with many easy-to-use, interlocking synergies.
  • Some of the best recursion in the game.
  • Most of the heroes you’ll be using don’t mind being up close and personal

Weaknesses

  • Also, like the old army, once your Heroes go, your army isn’t far behind.
  • So many options in the book fit well in this army that finding the right balance can be difficult.

Soulblight Gravelords Signature Rules

How you play and what rules you worry about depends on your bloodline, but these are the basic rules you need to know for this army.

  • The Unquiet Dead – You get to pick two points on the battlefield as Gravesites to resurrect or deploy Summonable units from. An incredible way to drop some Black Knights or Skeletons downfield.
  • Deathless Minions – Soulblight units have a 6+ ward save.
  • Endless Legions – You can recycle slain Summonable units into half-strength units. Even in death, your Skeletons still serve.
  • Deathly Invocation – Your heroes all heal nearby Summonable units innately.

Soulblight Gravelords Key Units

In a Soulblight army, these are some units you’ll always want to consider.

1. Neferata, Mortarch of Blood

One of Nagash’s Vampiric Lieutenants, Neferata commands the Legion of Blood from atop her Dread Abyssal, Nagadron. She deftly enhances her troops and makes a fearsome fighter herself.

2. Vengorian Lord


This vampiric monster is a brutal leader, while not being quite as pricey as a Lord on Zombie Dragon. Also nice is that any buff from traits apply to all his attacks since he doesn’t have a mount. He just looks like one!

3. Blood Knights


A full unit of vampiric cavalry make for an amazing hammer unit. Hit them with some buffs and start wiping away units.

4. Black Knights


Battleline in Legion of Blood and a solid pick to boot. While not the most outwardly powerful selection in the book, they are a fast screen with MW potential that can quickly eliminate hidden threats like warmachines. Paired with a mounted Wight King they’ll do work, and then you can bring them back with your resurrection magic.

5. Deathrattle Skeletons


A solid battleline choice to hold the line. Their resurrection mechanic means they will last much longer than they really have any right to.

6. Grave Guard


An old and still solid staple, Grave Guard hit like a ton of bricks. Their biggest issue is their lack of speed.

7. Dire Wolves


Fast, cheap, battleline, resurrectable, meat screens- what is not to love? Man’s best friend, even in death.

8. Fell Bats


A fast and wounds dense unit for its points, Fell Bats are great for sneaking a back objective.

 

Sample Army (2K)

Allegiance: Soulblight Gravelords

Leaders
Vengorian Lord
Necromancer
Necromancer
Vampire Lord

Battleline
10 x Dire Wolves
10 x Dire Wolves
20 x Deadwalker Zombies

Units
20 x Grave Guard
– Great Wight Blades
– Reinforced x 1
20 x Grave Guard
– Great Wight Blades
– Reinforced x 1
5 x Black Knights
5 x Black Knights


How to Play Soulblight

Counter your enemy’s buffs and then hit them where it hurts while charming them into inaction. When your boys die, just bring them back, and keep the pressure on long enough for your sweepers to take out the stragglers.

~Care for a Drink, I’ve got just the thing…

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Author: Allen Campbell
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