Here is everything that’s been rumored and confirmed about the Warhammer Old World miniatures game from Games Workshop and more…
There have been multiple announcements across the course of a year, so let’s recap everything we know about The Old World!
In case you missed the past Warhammer Old World announcements, we’ve included them here:
- GW Announces Warhammer Fantasy Returning (sort of)
- Fantasy Bears! More Kislev Previews For Warhammer Old World
- Bretonnians, Tomb Kings, Orcs & More Confirmed in Warhammer Old World!
Bretonnians, Tomb Kings & More Confirmed in Warhammer Old World!
This time, Warhammer Community posted some big news and actual confirmations! So, it’s always good to see. Let’s take a closer look!
It’s been quite a while since our last update, but that’s how you know we’ve been extra busy! Our miniatures designers, painters, writers, illustrators, and graphic designers have all been engaged in a period of industrious activity getting new miniatures designed and the main rulebook written, playtested, lavishly illustrated, and laid out. This truly is a gargantuan project with lots to show off, but for now we want to give a glimpse of some of the amazing artwork the Warhammer: The Old World team’s illustrators have been producing…
It’s always good to see something, and we all love some good art now that we know there most likely will be miniatures for all these factions in Warhammer Old World.
The world of Warhammer has always been blessed with the most lavish of artwork, but that’s no excuse not to create more! The studio illustrators have been hard at work rendering classic and new miniatures into full-colour artwork. A key part of this process has been to identify exactly the correct look and feel for these new pieces, capturing just the right level of gritty, myth-inspired classic fantasy that much of this beloved setting encapsulates.
Having both Tomb Kings and Bretonnians confirmed is just amazing! Obviously, they are two pretty big armies, and especially for Bretonnians, it would only make sense to have them in the game. Still, it’s always better to know for sure!
They didn’t really say much about Orcs, but what would fantasy be without Orcs?
Updated Warhammer Old World Map
This is the first map we saw them put out, and boy, the new one is much more expansive! This map really emphasizes Kislev, so we know there are up to 5 armies when you also include the drawings and such we’ve seen for Cathay.
They also talk about High Elves in the article, so a bit sneaky, but really another army is confirmed!
There’s lots more work to do, but we’ve recently added a number of emblems indicating locations important to the Dwarfs and the greenskins – in particular up in the mountain ranges that cross the Old World, and in the northern reaches of the Badlands. Each icon is just the tip of the iceberg, with a huge amount of work going into developing the character and history behind each and every group and faction.
Look at that; they even mention Dwarves as well. So while none of these are like crazy new armies, having your favorite old army confirmed by GW is always something great!
GW Announces Warhammer Fantasy Returning (sort of)
Boom goes the Warhammer Fantasy Dynamite. GW is revamping an old game in a new way.
After a quake-making announcement on Warhammer: Age of Sigmar’s Facebook on square bases coming back, the curtain has finally been drawn back revealing a new game announced from Warhammer Community.
Warhammer: The Old World Announced
It looks like now that Age of Sigmar is well underway, the GW team has decided on taking a step back into the past and revamping an older medieval fantasy setting that’s loaded to the brim with lore. Warhammer: The Old World will be taking place back before the efforts of Archaon brought about the End Times!
As 30k tells of events/lore that happened leading up to the 40k setting, Warhammer’s The Old World will be a setting before Age of Sigmar- with square bases.
The Old World is to Warhammer Age of Sigmar, as the Horus Heresy is to Warhammer 40,000. The bedrock of lore from which mortals rose to godhood and legends were forged. And like the Horus Heresy, seeing those mythic heroes in action has an undeniable appeal, as does re-creating the glorious armies of a previous epoch – an exciting proposition for hobbyists and gamers alike. And now, we have a dedicated team in the Warhammer Studio beginning the work of bringing all that awesome back to the tabletop.
It Won’t Be Here For a While
Note the appearance of Albion top left
The old world looks to be coming back! This was what the world looked like back before Archaon had all of existence sucked into the warp and spat back out as Mortal Realms. And while this is definitely a big announcement, GW also mentioned that this won’t be coming to pass any time soon.
In the deepest dungeons of the Warhammer Studio, the counsel of the wise have convened, ancient forges have been re-lit and work has already begun. So far… we’ve made the logo.
Next up, everything else.
You get the idea – this is a long way off. Years. More than two. Like three or more. Definitely not soon.
Keeping things transparent with the community of hobbyists, it’s exciting to see a new revamp of the game that’ll brush the dust off of some incredible lore. With that said, it’s looking like it’ll be a while before we see any real solid release details.
GW Confirms Warhammer Old World: Size, Period & Square Bases!
Those who have studied the previous map updates will no doubt have discerned that the Empire is riven by civil war, with no one Emperor or Empress uniting the elector states, and so the Kislevites’ role is even more vital to the defence of the entire Old World.
Students of Warhammer lore will also note that the borders of Kislev are very different from what they may be familiar with. The eastern border is not here defined by the World’s Edge Mountains, but in fact extends through the Belyevobota Pass, through the Great Skull Lands – northernmost reaches of the Dark Lands – through the Mountains of Mourn, and out into the limitless expanses of the eastern steppes beyond.
These two excerpts give essentially confirm the specific timeframe of Warhammer Old World. It also heavily emphasizes Kislev, which, if you didn’t know, is also the major “good” faction in the highly anticipated Warhammer Total War 3, which continues to inch closer to a release.
This means that there may be more first-time Warhammer players with this Kislev emphasis, thanks to the record-breaking success of Warhammer Total War. Additionally, the Empire isn’t at full strength and is dealing with Civil War, this gives a ton of lore and army wiggle room for anymore interested in playing one of the many human factions.
They then go into a series of FAQ-style questions and answers.
More About Warhammer The Old World:
Definitely square! Warhammer: The Old World is a reinvention of the classic rank-and-file game of Warhammer Fantasy Battles.
They have stated before that they are returning to Squares for the classic Warhammer Fantasy rank and file gameplay, but rumors still rose up that it wouldn’t be so. This is quelling those. Yes and yes the squares are for-real, for-real.
What? No! What madness is that?! The scale will remain the same as it ever was. We want people to be able to use their old armies if they wish, or to start new ones, or to add new miniatures to old armies – whatever they want.
This is also directly quelling some other rumors that had risen up. The game will be the same scale it was, not some flavor of epic scale or anything like that. The emphasis on using old armies or adding or making new ones is fantastic.
Hopefully, this hints at a ton of support to come! Although it does make the “cross-play” between AoS and Old World a little rocky. It certainly won’t be as easy as say Horus Heresy and 40k. Either way, the return will be epic!
Both! We’ve played every single edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles over the years and like every player, we have our favourite bits from each.
This may not sound amazing at first, but the Dev team being able to pick and choose has the potential to create the best, most fun edition of “Fantasy” we have ever seen!
Currently, the new latest updates to both AoS and 40k have been very well received in general, so that’s a great sign!
Da boyz woz called Orcs in da Old World, so datz what dey’z called!
The change to Orruks seemed like mostly adding a “unique” factor to the IP, so the dedication to nostalgia and returning to the old terms is a great sign to trying to really get it right for the players.
Keen-eyed observers will have gleaned by now that Warhammer: The Old World is going to be set several hundred years before the End Times, so there’s plenty of space to explore the history of the setting. Especially knowledgeable students may also note this puts us just before another calamitous Chaos invasion, and one which, while central to the story of the Empire and the entire Old World, was barely touched on in previous iterations…
This is super interesting! Archaon might not be around, but there were still other Everchosen before him. A quick search places Asavar Kul as the Everchosen a little over 200 years before Archaon. This might be his time to shine! It’s also worth noting that Magnus The Pious helped defeat him, and reunified the empire. So there happens to be a Civil war going on? This might just add up!
Yes, we’re positive!
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This seems to be the team having a bit of fun poking at just how many rumors popped up about the bases. just in case you weren’t sure. Squares are definitely happening.
Kislev Previews For Warhammer Old World
Bear mounts are back in the latest Kislev faction previews for their Fantasy reboot in Warhammer Old World. Check out these bear mount variants!
Warhammer Community revealed even more on the Warhammer Old World front with a deeper, second step into the Kislev faction. If this is the first time you’ve heard about Warhammer Old World, it’s essentially their revival of the medieval world before it ended and became Age of Sigmar.
Iceguard of Kislev
One of the coolest aspects of returning to the world-that-was is the opportunity to revisit certain aspects of its classic lore and delve into them in greater detail than ever before. A perfect candidate for further investigation is the harsh, frozen realm found to the north of the Empire – Kislev, the land of the Ice Queens. To that end, let’s take a look at a project that’s currently in development…
One new unit that’s in the early stages of development is set in the Ice Court – the seat of the ruling Tsar or Tsarina. Known as the Ice Guard, they’re an elite fighting formation of warrior women, equally skilled with bow and blade. But where they differ significantly from the other Kislevite units we’ve seen in the past is that they’re able to channel the elemental magic of their realm in a similar manner to their Ice Queen – the most powerful practitioner of this unique form of sorcery. Here are some awesome pieces of concept art for the Ice Guard, courtesy of Forge World’s Mark Bedford.
The artwork is definitely dope and from the looks of their weapons, they might all be imbued with some level of magic. See the way they glow? They were also mentioned as elites serving their Ice Queen.
Check out the artwork on that banner. Doesn’t that look exactly like the old Ice Queen model from back in the day?
The Blast From The Past
Model Credit: Beasts of War
Since GW is pulling a massive nostalgia move with Warhammer: Old World, it would be neat to see the old models updated with the newer technology available. All while still keeping staple pieces of the model unchanged.
While brand new artwork for some new ice ladies has been revealed, we also can’t forget about the classic cavalry units of Kislev. The Ungol Horse Archers and Kislevite Winged Lancers may be in the same boat getting a model overhaul as well.
Fantasy Bears! More Kislev Previews For Warhammer Old World
Many heroes of Kislev tame great bears and ride them to war. Forming a bond with their mighty beasts is not easy, but for those who do, it is lifelong – indeed, legend says that when Tsar Boris died, his loyal bear guarded his corpse for a day and a night before disappearing into the snow. Some of you might actually remember this classic model of Boris riding his bear from years past…
GW is taking a deeper step into the Kislev faction and blowing the dust off the old Tsar Boris model. While he’s probably not coming back, they did mention that bear-mounted cavalry is under development.
New Bear Mount Concept Art Revealed
All we’ve really got to see is some artwork renderings of what may be ahead in the far, far future. With a silhouette of a man riding the bear for scale, things are looking sweet.
From what we can tell, the bear cavalry is going to have a few different armor styles. The shields are going to be mounted on the shoulder of the bear as some added armor to the mount while the rider’s not using it and whatever horns/antlers are found are turned into weapons on the bear’s helmet.
Finally, to match what we’ve seen with the weapons of the Kislev, this bear has some ice shards on its armor. Also, for what it’s worth, this mount looks like it’s meant for someone especially important.
There have not been any dates on Warhammer: Old World just yet. All we’ve seen is a simple announcement and a few concept art pieces for the Kislev. That should give you a pretty good idea of just how NOT far along we are into seeing this new system.
Bretonnia (and High Elves) In Warhammer Old World
Warhammer Community previewed a huge reworked map of Bretonia and some extra info bits fro other factions. Let’s dive into all the details!
Even though many of the Bretonnian cities, such as Parravon, Quenelles, and Aquitaine, will no doubt be familiar to many, the names and coats of arms of the lords who command each province are brand-new.
We knew that this wasn’t exactly a 1-1 Fantasy Battles reboot, and this goes on to prove that. Somehow, the story is either advanced, redacted, further in the past, or an alternate reality. As we know, Chaos originally won and the Age of Sigmar was born. It will be interesting to see the lore of this new-old universe develop.
However, one name, in particular, stands apart from all others, for it’s a name steeped in Bretonnia’s glorious history – that of the incumbent ruler, King Louen Orc-Slayer. But for someone to get a name like Orc-Slayer, there has to be…
Seeing that they confirmed they are willing to have old characters return, but don’t want a full reboot of all that was, it will be an interesting process to see how/who GW chooses to welcome back to the official lineup. I’m sure it will also frustrate some Fantasy players who were excited about the original announcement when their favorite character isn’t returning.
But hey King Louen is alive again, and slaying him some Orcs!
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The alarming regularity of their Waaaghs! and destructive rampages is the primary reason why the northern lands of Bretonnia are so heavily defended with mighty castles and walled cities.
Judging by the representation on the map and all the Orc symbols, it’s fair to assume one of the major enemies of Bretonia will once again be the Greenskin hordes.
The High Elves of Ulthuan were once the undisputed rulers of the seas, maintaining a trade network of colonies and glittering port-cities on every continent, from the Tower of the Rising Sun in the east to the Citadel of Dusk in the west.
You can clearly see the High Elves have a presence on the coast of Bretonnia as well with scattered enclaves around the map. Undoubtedly there is a light alliance between them due to the trade, although perhaps not a military agreement? We will have to wait and see.
Athel Loren (Wood Elves- home of the Ariel) is very clearly on the map, However, GW didn’t touch on them other than a passing mention. The reinventing of Fantasy Battles is inching forward, but seeing as this is one of only three updates over a year, it may still be very far out.
The current situation of our world is sure to hurt that slow pace as well.
Cathay From Total War In Warhammer Old World
The new Cathay Artwork previews for Warhammer Old World paint a wild picture of the army- check out what to expect!
With the Old World feeling closer every day (well, we imagine it has to be making progress) Games Workshop has released even more concept art. They are doing this as part of Total War III, but make specific mention of the Old World and new rules once again.
They did a similar thing with Kislev and state these are replicas of what they want the minis to be. So if you like the art, expect the models to follow suit!
Warhammer Community just unveiled a bunch of new artwork and lore all about Cathay. They also throw in some really cool history about how the region has developed over time. Let’s get into it.
More Cathay Previews Warhammer Old World & Total War
Believe it or not, Grand Cathay has existed in the lore of the Warhammer world since its foundation, though with the action-focused mostly on the kingdoms and empires to the west of the World’s Edge Mountains, not much was ever revealed about it.
First up is Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon. Honestly, she is pretty awesome, plus with her taking two forms, we could have another Morathi type mini to break out when Warhammer Old World drops!
The undisputed star of the cinematic trailer is Miao Ying, daughter of the Celestial Dragon Emperor, and one of the divine rulers and provincial commanders of Grand Cathay.
Who wouldn’t want a giant dragon leading their forces into battle? We sure would! This isn’t nearly all they showed, however.
Terracotta Sentinels
These monolithic constructs stand out in the cinematic trailer in more ways than one – they’re absolutely colossal for starters, yet seem able to move with surprising swiftness and grace for towering animated statues.
Can you see the tiny warrior that comes up to the Sentinel’s ankles? These look like they would be such fun painting challenges and would smash through the lines with ease on the tabletops!
Kongming Sky Lanterns and Sky-junks
The Cathayans maintain fleets of aerial vessels comprising Kongming Sky Lanterns and larger Sky-junks to keep watch over their borders. In the trailer, a flight of these aircraft took to the skies to battle the airborne elements of their Tzeentchian foes.
Maybe they will give the Overlords a run for their money? Who knows, either way, it would be cool to throw these on the battlefield and rule from above, or rain down on your enemies. They don’t give away much about timeframes but do mention rules more than once (don’t actually show any, just mention the word…).
Meaning they have to at least be developing them. Hopefully, this all points to them coming out with Old World and all these dope Cathay concepts as actual miniatures before too long!
RUMORS: Warhammer Old World Timeline & Release Dates
We know that Games Workshop mentioned 2023 as being the 40th Anniversary of the 1st edition of Warhammer Fantasy Battles.
So that’s it for now, but stay tuned to the Warhammer Community website for more information throughout 2023, which is of course the 40th birthday year of the venerable game of Warhammer!
Perhaps we will see the Old World released then?
These rumors talk about which factions to expect first, and when they will be on the way. Plus some insights into when the new edition of Warhammer Old World will supposedly release. Let’s check it out!
- No new miniature previews until mid-2022
- Model ranges are in the works, but the backstory is the most progressed part
- The first factions will be old-time favorites like Empire, Orcs & Goblins, Dwarfs, and Chaos. Other niche factions will come, just not at the very beginning
- The Warhammer Old World release could be 2023, but COVID took a bigger toll than expected
- The main studio will be more involved in the process than originally expected
- Lastly, COVID has destroyed the new edition once every 3 years.
Well, this isn’t great news, honestly. We were hoping for a little sooner release date than 2023 for Warhammer Old World.
Again though, these are rumors, so let’s hope they aren’t true and we get a release sooner than 2023. However, with how much COVID slowed everything down, we wouldn’t be surprised to see this as a realistic date.
Next, the factions involved also make sense, they will try to launch the game with a bunch of favorites. This way the most people will get into the game, which will then allow it to grow into the future.
With how much they’ve shown for Cathay, we expected them to be in the early release, but might be the first release after the game is out to keep the hype going.
Lastly, the promise of a new edition every 3 years (we assume for the main games like Warhammer 40k, and Age of Sigmar) seems to be out the window, but that’s not really a bad thing when you consider we’ve barely seen books for either system so far…
In case you missed the past Warhammer Old World announcements and Rumors, we’ve included them here:
- GW Announces Warhammer Fantasy Returning (sort of)
- Fantasy Bears! More Kislev Previews For Warhammer Old World
- Bretonnians, Tomb Kings, Orcs & More Confirmed in Warhammer Old World!
Rules & New Release Updates For Warhammer Old World
Do you think this could be the actual release date for Warhammer Old World? Are you excited about the rework?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Virginia Restless, Miniature Painter & Cat Dad.
I blame LEGOs. There was something about those little-colored blocks that started it all… Twitter @catdaddymbg
