Don’t miss the new Age of Sigmar (AoS) Battlescroll balance update for September 2026, with our look at the key rules changes across all factions, from Order to Chaos!
The latest Age of Sigmar Battlescroll balance update has landed, and it’s shaking things up in the Mortal Realms.
With new battletome supplements, points shakeups, and a few spicy rule tweaks, the latest Battlescroll is here to stir the pot. So, whether you’re charging into matched play or fine-tuning that next tournament list, there’s plenty in this update to change how your army hits the table.
Let’s take a closer look at the latest Age of Sigmar warscroll updates and how they’re reshaping armies now.
ARTICLE SUMMARY
- Biggest winners: Ossiarch Bonereapers, Stormcast Eternals, Slaves to Darkness, and Flesh-eater Courts all got long lists of cuts with almost nothing going the other way.
- Biggest losers: Fyreslayers and Daughters of Khaine. Fyreslayers took five hikes and zero cuts, and Morathi went up another twenty points.
- Warscroll cleanup: Aspiring and Exalted Deathbringers fold into Deathbringer, and Grave Guard, Black Knights, and Zombie Dragon fold into Barrow Guard, Barrow Knights, and Revenant Draconith.
September 2026 Age of Sigmar Battlescroll Updates
Updated September 23rd, 2026, by Rob Baer with new information, rules changes, faction updates, and the latest Age of Sigmar Battlescroll and FAQs.
There’s a lot stuffed into this quarter’s Age of Sigmar update, but once you get past the wall of rules text, it’s actually pretty easy to see what GW was trying to fix. They opened up some list-building options, pulled back a couple of Scourge of Aqshy rules that were getting a little too much mileage, and gave several units and battle formations some help.
Then there’s Sons of Behemat, who basically showed up with a stack of rewritten rules under one arm. Nighthaunt, Helsmiths of Hashut, Slaves to Darkness, Skaven, and Ossiarch Bonereapers all have worthwhile changes too, while several other armies got smaller fixes aimed at cleaning up awkward interactions.
The Overall Rules Changes
The first big change is simple enough, though, as list building just got a little less restrictive. A number of Infantry Heroes can now slot into regiments, and reinforcement restrictions have been lifted from quite a few units. So, if you’ve been fighting with a list because one unit just would not fit where you wanted it, this should help.
The new Hidden Under Ash-Clouds battleplan also got a clarification for Rolling Ash-Clouds. Terrain features are now included alongside Manifestations in the relevant effects.
GW also cleared up how Manifestations and faction terrain work with the Scourge of Aqshy seasonal abilities. They can’t use Eruption of Fury or benefit from Fight Through the Pain because they aren’t units. Enemy Manifestations and faction terrain can only be targeted by Eruption of Fury if they have a Move characteristic, since otherwise the friendly unit won’t still be in combat with them during the End of Turn phase.
Overall Age of Sigmar Battlescroll Faction Changes
This isn’t one of those updates where everybody suddenly has to relearn their whole army. It’s mostly GW knocking down the stuff that was getting pushed hardest in Scourge of Aqshy, while giving a few armies and units a bit of help.
Nighthaunt and Helsmiths of Hashut both got some useful upgrades, Skaven and Slaves to Darkness get cleaner tools, reinforced Ossiarch units aren’t getting dinged for being reinforced anymore, and Sons of Behemat players have enough changed rules here that, yeah, you probably want the updated document sitting next to you for the next few games.
Order
- Cities of Sigmar: The War Hydra’s Impossible to Destroy ability has been pulled back after doing a little too good of a job living up to the name. Impossible to Destroy now simply heals the Hydra for six, which is certainly easier to keep track of across the table.
- Fyreslayers: Blazing Impetus can’t be used on a unit that was set up during the same turn anymore. The prayer now targets a visible friendly Fyreslayers unit wholly within twelve inches of the Priest that wasn’t set up that turn, shutting down the extra movement trick that had gotten stronger than intended.
- Idoneth Deepkin: Abyssal Dweller lost its first bullet point, which removes the part of the Heroic Trait that reduced enemy movement. GW called this one out alongside Blazing Impetus as another Scourge of Aqshy rule that was doing a bit more work than planned.
Chaos
- Disciples of Tzeentch: Smoke and Mirrors picked up another restriction. The target can’t have been set up that turn, and it also can’t have been set up using Smoke and Mirrors during the previous turn. All Part of the Plan now caps Fate Points at nine, while Flamers of Tzeentch can use Lingering Burns even if they’ve been destroyed or are sitting in reserve.
- Helsmiths of Hashut: The newest Chaos army got a pretty healthy battle formation pass after GW decided those rules weren’t making enough of an impact. Hashutite Host now gives three extra Rally rolls when a Helsmiths unit is within combat range of friendly Infantry with at least one daemonic power point. The Bullfather’s Horns adds one inch to Move for every daemonic power point on the unit. Daemonsmith Cabal adds one to casting, chanting, unbinding, and banishment rolls when its Wizards and Priests are wholly within twelve inches of another friendly Wizard or Priest with at least one daemonic power point. Castigation Battery rounds things out by giving ranged weapons Crit (2 Hits) while the unit has two or more daemonic power points.
- Maggotkin of Nurgle: The Rotmire Creed in the Bubonic Cell Spearhead now has the Reinforcements keyword. Nothing crazy here, just a rules fix so the unit works properly in that Spearhead.
- Skaven: Krittok Foulblade doesn’t have to spend a Command Point on A Reputation for Cunning anymore, so that ability becomes a whole lot easier to work into a turn. The Warlock Galvaneer’s Lightning Master is also way more reliable now, because it just sets the target’s Warpvolt Scourgers to ten Attacks for the rest of the turn.
- Slaves to Darkness: The Chaos Sorcerer Lord’s Oracular Visions got much more reliable. A friendly Warriors of Chaos unit wholly within twelve inches gets a 5+ Ward if the Sorcerer successfully cast a spell that phase, or a 6+ Ward if they didn’t. Despoilers also had Feral Ruin replaced by You Will Serve!, which lets a Daemon Prince strip the Pledge to Chaos keywords from a nearby eligible unit and replace them with its own. Got an Ensorcelled Banner? You’re out. Brand of the Unaligned can’t be used on them either, so if you took the banner, you’re sticking with that choice.
Death
- Nighthaunt: Nighthaunt did pretty well out of this update. Death Stalkers can condemn an enemy unit and give friendly Nighthaunt units plus one Rend with melee weapons against it for the rest of the battle. Shadowy Aura now makes friendly Nighthaunt Infantry and Cavalry wholly within six inches invisible to enemy units more than nine inches away. Scriptor Mortis also got meaner, with Sentenced to Eternal Torment lasting for the rest of the battle instead of only until the start of your next turn.
- Lord Vitriolic’s Spectral Alchemy basically got rebuilt. He now has a menu of effects that can deal mortal damage, shut off Ward rolls, reduce a Wizard’s power level, or strip ritual points from a Priest. If his shooting already damaged the target that turn, you just apply one of those effects. If not, you need a three-plus.
- Ossiarch Bonereapers: The reinforced-unit Relentless Discipline tax is disappearing from Impassive Retreat, Ruthless Extermination, Pitiless Assault, Remorseless March, and Inviolate Legions. Katakros loses the same second line from Supreme Lord of the Bonereaper Legions. So if you’re running big reinforced bricks, you’re not getting taxed just for having more bodies in the unit anymore.
- Soulblight Gravelords: The Vengorian Lord’s Frenzied Surge got toned down after proving a little too strong during the Scourge of Aqshy season. The Lord can still move up to its current fury level and has to finish in combat, but the extra move now goes to another visible friendly non-Hero Soulblight Gravelords Infantry or Monster unit wholly within twelve inches. That unit can move through enemy models and combat ranges, but it has to end the move fighting an enemy the Vengorian Lord is already in combat with.
Destruction
- Sons of Behemat: Yeah, there’s a lot here. Colossal Slam now targets an enemy Monster or War Machine with a unit size of one, while Gargant Charge can be used by any number of friendly Mega-Gargant and Gargant units that charged that turn. Each one can smack an enemy it’s fighting for D3 mortal damage.
- Glowy Lantern is now a Passive ability and lets the bearer use Summon abilities from the manifestation lore picked during army composition as though it had Wizard (1). All Mega-Gargants also pick up two extra Attacks on Almighty Stomp and Almightier Stomp, while the Beast-smasher’s Menhir Club moves to five Attacks.
- The Kraken-eater’s Get Orf Me Land! now moves an objective 2D6 inches on a two-plus. The objective still counts as being in the same territories it started in for battleplan purposes, so you can’t scoot it across the board and suddenly change how the mission works.
- King Brodd’s Stomp got a bunch of cleanup too. The roster now requires King Brodd as your general, allows any Big units and non-Unique Little units, and doesn’t allow Regiments of Renown. References to Mega-Gargants have been swapped to Big units, while Gargants are now Little units. Double Stomp also loses its reference to Almightier Stomp.
- Several abilities are moving over to the new Destructive Impulse wording as well. Smash It All to Bits, Wrath of Brodd, Crafty Creepers, Double Stomp, and Watch This! all use that terminology instead of Rampage. Wrath of Brodd can also pass through terrain features and enemy models as though the model had Fly.
- The Gatebreaker Mega-Gargant probably has the most to relearn. It swaps the Mega-Gargant keyword for Big, drops to twenty-five Health and ten Control, gets new Hurled Boulder, Fortcrusha Flail, and Almighty Stomp profiles, and loses Longshanks and Son of Behemat. It’s Goin’ Down also changes to Once Per Battle (Army) in your Hero Phase.
- The new Fortcrusha Flail rule gives you two ways to swing it every time the Gatebreaker fights. Calamitous Sweep starts at sixteen attacks, hitting and wounding on threes with Rend one and Damage one. Crushing Blow is six attacks, hitting on fours and wounding on twos, with Rend two and Damage four. Once the Gatebreaker has fifteen or more damage points, those profiles drop to eleven and four attacks respectively.
- The Mancrusher Gargant now uses the Little keyword, and Always On Guard in Cracked Heels has been changed to reference Big units rather than Mega-Gargants.
- Kragnos: End of Empires now happens during your Charge Phase. For the rest of the turn, friendly Destruction units wholly within twelve inches roll one extra die when making charge rolls, up to a maximum of three dice. You still get the charge boost, but now it tops out at three dice.
- Grotmas Advent Regiments of Renown: Stumblefoot Gargant’s Projectile Vomit is now Once Per Turn (Army) in your Shooting Phase and only picks enemy units rather than splashing friendlies too. The Sons-related Regiment of Renown rules also got updated to use the new Destructive Impulse wording.
- Path to Glory: Primeval Monster in the Anvil of Apotheosis now changes the model’s Control characteristic to ten when you pick it as a Battle Mount.
Age of Sigmar Points Updates: Grand Alliance Order Winners
Stormcast Eternals (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Eleven cuts and not one NERF. Knight-Draconis leads the way at thirty points cheaper, while Knight-Arcanum, Knight-Azyros, Knight-Questor, and Tornus the Redeemed all dropped ten. Stormdrake Guard came down twenty, the single-model Stormdrake dropped ten, and Gryph-hounds, Vanguard-Hunters, and Shock Handaxe Vanguard-Palladors all lost ten. The Scourge of Aqshy Stormstrike Palladors got ten points cheaper too.
Verdict: Big buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 20
This is about as one-sided as a points pass gets. Every marked Stormcast change went in the player’s favor, and thirty points off Knight-Draconis makes that single Stormdrake Guard package look a whole lot better than it did last month.
Cheaper dragons and cheaper support characters at the same time? Pretty good week to be wearing sigmarite.
Kharadron Overlords (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: The boats got cheaper. Arkanaut Frigate and Arkanaut Ironclad both came down twenty points, Endrinriggers dropped ten, and the Scourge of Aqshy Endrinriggers dropped twenty. The big one is the Scourge of Aqshy Null-Khemist, which fell a full forty points.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 14
Forty points off one hero is a lot. If it wasn’t making lists before, you’re at least looking at it again now. And both boats got cheaper at the same time, so suddenly you’ve got a little more room to play with.
KO players wanted cheaper boats. Well, now they’ve got cheaper boats.
Idoneth Deepkin (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Four cuts, no hikes. Eidolon of Mathlann, Aspect of the Sea came down thirty points, the Akhelian Thrallmaster dropped twenty, and both the Ikon of the Sea and Lotann shaved off ten.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p.12
It’s not a huge list of changes, but these are pieces Deepkin players are actually putting on the table. Thirty points off the Aspect of the Sea is the one that really changes the math, since that’s usually fighting with a second Akhelian package for the same chunk of your list.
And hey, nothing went up to pay for it.
Lumineth Realm-lords (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Eight cuts against three hikes. Alarith Stonemage, Avalenor, Alarith Spirit of the Mountain, Alarith Stoneguard, and Vanari Bladelords all came down ten, the Vanari Lord Regent on Lightcourser dropped twenty, and both Scourge of Aqshy entries (Alarith Stonemage and Scinari Loreseeker) got cheaper as well. Going the other way, Ellania and Ellathor went up twenty, Hurakan Windchargers went up ten, and the foot Vanari Lord Regent went up ten.
Verdict: Buff overall
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 16
Yeah, twenty more on Ellania and Ellathor hurts if that’s the model you built around. But look at where the discounts landed. Basically the whole Alarith package got cheaper together, from the Stonemage all the way up to the Spirit of the Mountain.
So if you were already looking at the mountain stuff, this makes that list a whole lot easier to fit.
Sylvaneth (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Treelord took the biggest single cut in the faction at forty points, with Arch-Revenant, Grove Guardian, Treelord Ancient, and the Scourge of Aqshy Kurnoth Hunters with Greatswords all down twenty. The taxes are Warsong Revenant and The Twistweald, both up twenty.
Verdict: Buff overall
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 24
Forty points off a Treelord? Yeah, now you’re actually checking whether you can fit one instead of just liking the model. Add twenty off the Treelord Ancient and suddenly the whole Forest Elder side of the book is noticeably cheaper. Warsong Revenant and The Twistweald pay some of that back.
Feels pretty obvious what GW wants here: more trees, fewer casters.
Seraphon (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Four cuts and nothing else. Saurus Oldblood, Saurus Oldblood on Carnosaur, Saurus Scar-Veteran on Carnosaur, and plain old Skinks each came down ten points.
Verdict: Slight buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 18
Not much going on here. The Saurus side got a few points back, and GW pretty much left the rest alone.
Ten points off Skinks is sneakier than it looks, though, because those little guys end up in a whole lot of lists.
Age of Sigmar Points Updates: Grand Alliance Order Losers
Fyreslayers (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Five hikes. Zero cuts. Auric Runesmiter and Auric Hearthguard both went up twenty, Vulkyn Flameseekers went up ten, the Scourge of Aqshy Vulkyn Flameseekers went up a brutal thirty, and the Ash-cloud Rune artefact now costs twenty points instead of nothing.
Verdict: NERF
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 10
Yeah, Fyreslayers got hammered here. Every marked Fyreslayers change costs more, and two of those hikes land right on the Runesmiter and Hearthguard combo that does a lot of the heavy lifting getting the army across the board.
And the Ash-cloud Rune going from free to twenty is probably the bit that annoys people most. There’s nothing cheaper elsewhere to take the edge off.
Daughters of Khaine (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Seven hikes against two cuts. Morathi-Khaine went up twenty to 770, the foot Hag Queen went up ten, Blood Sisters went up ten, the Scourge of Aqshy Melusai Ironscale went up ten, and the Scourge of Aqshy Khainite Shadowstalkers went up twenty. Two battle formations also stopped being free: Coven of Blood now costs twenty and Fervent Ritualists costs ten. The only relief is ten points off the Hag Queen on Cauldron of Blood and ten off the standard Melusai Ironscale. Avatars of Khaine are now Manifestations summoned by Bloodwrack Shrines.
Verdict: NERF
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 8
Morathi going up again is the obvious headline, but I’d be looking harder at those formation costs when you actually sit down to build a list. Coven of Blood going from free to twenty means every list that wanted it suddenly has to find those points somewhere, and that’s usually coming out of bodies.
The Cauldron getting ten back helps a little. Not enough to make this feel even, though.
Cities of Sigmar (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Genuinely split. On the cut side, the Conqueror Cogfort dropped twenty, Freeguild Gallants dropped twenty, and Erasmus Zonn, the Freeguild Marshal and Relic Envoy, and the Scourge of Aqshy Alchemite Warforger all came down ten. On the hike side, Freeguild Steelhelms went up twenty, with the Alchemite Warforger and Freeguild Cavalier-Marshal each up ten.
Verdict: Mixed, and the nerf lands where it hurts
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, pp. 3-5
On paper, this almost evens out. Then you remember how many Steelhelms some Cities lists actually take. Twenty points per block stacks up fast, while plenty of lists weren’t taking the Cogfort or Gallants anyway.
If you’re playing infantry-heavy Cities, you’re probably losing actual bodies even if the totals look balanced.
Chaos Grand Alliance: Winners
Slaves to Darkness (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Nine cuts, no hikes anywhere. Archaon came down thirty, Abraxia came down twenty, the Chaos Lord on Karkadrak dropped ten (and thirty in the Scourge of Aqshy version), and the Slaughterbrute dropped thirty. On top of that, Chaos Furies and the Fomoroid Crusher each lost twenty, with the Mutalith Vortex Beast and the Legion of the First Prince Screamers down ten apiece.
Verdict: Big buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 38
Thirty off Archaon? Yeah, people are going to notice that immediately. He’s already the model a lot of these lists revolve around, and now he leaves a little more room for everything else. Slaughterbrute and Mutalith getting cheaper at the same time makes the monster side more interesting too.
And there’s no catch here. Nothing on those pages went up.
Skaven (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Seven cuts and no taxes. Lord Skreech Verminking and the Verminlord Deceiver both came down thirty, the Scourge of Aqshy Verminlord Corruptor dropped twenty, the Clawlord on Gnaw-beast dropped twenty, and the Brood Terror dropped twenty. Rat Ogors and Ratling Guns each lost ten.
Verdict: Big buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 36
Two Verminlords both dropping thirty in the same update is kind of ridiculous. Those big daemon rats don’t eat quite as much of the list now, and Ratling Guns getting another ten-point trim on top is an easy bonus.
Skaven weren’t exactly begging for help, but they got some anyway.
Maggotkin of Nurgle (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Five cuts, nothing going up. Morbidex Twiceborn came down twenty, Orghotts Daemonspew came down ten, Gelgus Pust and the Cankerborn each dropped ten, and the Scourge of Aqshy Sloven Knights dropped a full thirty.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 34
Thirty off Sloven Knights is the one that jumps out. If you kept looking at them and picking Blightlords instead, now the math’s a little less ugly. Both Maggoth Lords getting cheaper at the same time also gives you a little more reason to consider running more than one.
No weird tax buried somewhere else either. Nurgle just got points back.
Blades of Khorne (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Five cuts, all ten points each: Deathbringer, Herald of Khorne on Blood Throne, Skullgrinder, Skull Cannon, and the Scourge of Aqshy Bloodletters. GW also confirmed that the Aspiring Deathbringer and Exalted Deathbringer no longer have current warscrolls, and both models now stand in as a standard Deathbringer on a 40mm base.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 26
Nothing crazy here, but hey, every change went the right way. Deathbringer getting ten cheaper right as it absorbs two old warscrolls is pretty handy, and the Skull Cannon discount is probably the one that actually makes somebody shuffle a list around.
Got an old Aspiring Deathbringer sitting in a drawer? He’s got work again.
Helsmiths of Hashut (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Three cuts, no hikes. The Daemonsmith on Infernal Taurus dropped twenty, and both Dominator Engine builds (Bane Maces and Immolation Cannons) came down ten each.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 28
Only three changes, but they’re all pretty handy. Twenty off the Taurus gives that flying centerpiece a better shot at fitting into builds where it was getting squeezed out, while cheaper Dominator Engines make taking a pair feel a lot less painful.
For a newer book, getting discounts with no taxes is a decent sign GW thinks the baseline is pretty close.
Hedonites of Slaanesh (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Seven cuts and seven hikes, split almost perfectly down the daemon and mortal line. Synessa came down thirty, Dexcessa twenty, and the Keeper of Secrets, Lord of Pain, Syll’Esske, Scourge of Aqshy Infernal Enrapturess, and Daemonettes all dropped ten. Paying for it: Lord of Hysteria and The Masque both up twenty, with Thricefold Discord, Myrmidesh Painbringers, the Depraved Carnival formation, Obsession with Control, and the Incensed heroic trait each up ten.
Verdict: Mixed, but the daemons win
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 30
You look at this and immediately see thirty off Synessa and twenty off Dexcessa. That twin package had gotten pretty expensive. The mortal side picked up a bunch of smaller taxes, but ten here and there on enhancements is easier to swallow than fifty points across those two models.
So daemon-heavy Slaanesh made out better. Sybarite-heavy lists are picking up the bill.
Chaos Grand Alliance: Losers
Disciples of Tzeentch (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Five hikes against four cuts. The Burning Chariot went up ten and the Fateskimmer riding one went up ten as well, with the Ogroid Thaumaturge, the Scourge of Aqshy Screamers, and the Silver Summoner heroic trait each up ten. On the credit side, both Gaunt Summoner builds came down twenty, and the Changecaster and Exalted Flamer each dropped ten.
Verdict: Slight nerf
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 28
Twenty off both Gaunt Summoners is legitimately nice. By itself, that would’ve been a solid little win. The problem is several other pieces went the other direction, including Silver Summoner going from free to costing points.
Tzeentch keeps getting these updates where the numbers look fine until you actually start building the list.
Grand Alliance Death: Winners
Every Death faction came out ahead. All four of them. When does that happen?
Ossiarch Bonereapers (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Thirteen cuts against a single hike, and it’s the longest discount list in the whole document. Nagash came down forty, the Liege-Kavalos on War Chariot dropped thirty, and Katakros, the Gothizzar Harvester, and Immortis Guard each dropped twenty. Arkhan the Black, Mortisan Soulreaper, Kavalos War Chariot, Morghast Archai, Morghast Harbingers, Mortek Guard, Mortek Triaxes, and Necropolis Stalkers all came down ten. The only tax is Kavalos Deathriders, up ten.
Verdict: Big buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 45
Bonereapers probably have the longest “oh, that got cheaper too?” list in the whole update. Ten off Mortek Guard doesn’t look wild by itself, but when you’re taking them in bulk, those savings stack up into real list space. Then Nagash loses forty and the War Chariot Liege loses thirty, so suddenly the whole army has more room to breathe.
Deathriders going up ten is basically the one speed bump in all of that.
Flesh-eater Courts (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Eight cuts, one hike. Abhorrant Archregent, Grand Justice Gormayne, Crypt Flayers, and Morbheg Knights all came down twenty, while the Abhorrant Ghoul King, Abhorrant Gorewarden, Marrowscroll Herald, and Crypt Horrors each dropped ten. Royal Beastflayers went up ten.
Verdict: Big buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 41
That’s a pretty big flip from last time, when the monster builds were the ones taking the hit. Crypt Flayers and Crypt Horrors both getting cheaper is the big prize here, since those are the bodies doing the fighting, and twenty off Morbheg Knights gets them back into the conversation too.
Compared with all that, ten more on Beastflayers isn’t much.
Soulblight Gravelords (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Seven cuts against three hikes. The Coven Throne, Mortis Engine, and Prince Vhordrai all dropped twenty, with Blades of the Hollow King, the Vampire Lord on Nightmare Steed, Blood Knights, and Revenant Draconith each down ten. Going up: Askurgan Trueblades and Fell Bats by ten each, plus The Never-Dead origin at ten more. GW also retired three warscrolls, with Grave Guard, Black Knights, and Zombie Dragon folding into Barrow Guard, Barrow Knights, and Revenant Draconith.
Verdict: Buff overall
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 47
If you play Soulblight, ten off Blood Knights is probably the first number you circle. They’ve been sitting right on that edge of feeling too expensive. Coven Throne and Mortis Engine dropping twenty each also makes those support pieces easier to work back into a list.
The warscroll retirements are mostly housekeeping, and the base sizes carry over, so your models aren’t suddenly headed for storage.
Nighthaunt (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Six cuts and no taxes. Reikenor the Grimhailer and Scriptor Mortis both came down twenty, Spirit Torment dropped ten, and the Quicksilver Gheists battle formation dropped twenty. Two things that used to cost points now cost nothing at all: the Ruler of the Spectral Hosts heroic trait and the Lightshard of the Harvest Moon.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 43
Honestly, the free enhancements might be the best part of this. If you were already taking Lightshard and Ruler of the Spectral Hosts, that’s effectively forty points back before you even count the twenty off Quicksilver Gheists.
Then Reikenor gets cheaper too. Not bad at all.
Grand Alliance Destruction: Winners
Gloomspite Gitz (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Six cuts, no hikes, and all of it pointed at Gitmob. The Snarlboss on War-Wheela came down twenty, the Frazzlegit Shaman on War-Wheela dropped ten, Snarlpack Cavalry dropped ten, and Sunsteala Wheelas dropped ten (twenty in the Scourge of Aqshy version). Scourge of Aqshy Fellwater Troggoths also came down twenty.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 49
GW’s still messing with the Gitmob points, and this one pretty clearly says the War-Wheelas weren’t doing enough. Both Wheela heroes and the Wheelas themselves all got cheaper together.
Squig and Troggoth players mostly watched this one from the sidelines, which is fine. Nothing they use got worse.
Ironjawz (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Gordrakk came down twenty, the Megaboss on Maw-krusha came down twenty, and the foot Megaboss dropped ten. The lone tax is the Scourge of Aqshy Brutes, up ten.
Verdict: Buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 51
Twenty off a Maw-krusha? Yeah, Ironjawz players will take that all day. So much of the list comes down to whether you can pay for the big guy and still put enough stuff on the table, and now that math is a little kinder. Gordrakk losing the same amount puts the premium version back in the mix too.
Cheaper Maw-krushas. That’s basically the review.
Kruleboyz (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Two cuts and one hike. The Hobgrot Slittaboss and the Killaboss with Stab-grot each came down ten, while Kruleboyz Monsta-killaz went up twenty.
Verdict: Mixed, slight buff
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 53
Cheap heroes getting cheaper is never a bad deal when you’re trying to squeeze in a bunch of little regiments. At sixty and seventy points, these two barely take up any space now.
The trade is Monsta-killaz going up twenty, and that’s enough of a hit that anyone leaning on them is probably reshuffling things.
Grand Alliance Destruction: Losers and No-Shows
Ogor Mawtribes (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Four cuts and four hikes. Maulbeast Raiders came down twenty, with Grell Firefist, Morga the Mighty, and the Tyrant on Glutthorn each down ten. Against that, Redd the Maw went up twenty, and Gluttons, Hunters with Sabrefangs, and the Maw-cult Fanatics battle formation each went up ten.
Verdict: Mixed, leaning nerf
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 55
The totals look even until you actually build the army. Gluttons going up ten hits something Gutbusters take in volume, and Maw-cult Fanatics going from free to ten takes another little bite out of the same budget. Meanwhile, most of the discounts are on named characters you’re only taking once anyway.
Beastclaw did all right thanks to cheaper Maulbeast Raiders. Gutbusters are the ones paying for it.
Sons of Behemat (updated September 23rd, 2026)
What changed: Nothing. Not a single points value moved.
Verdict: Neutral
Official ref: Battle Profiles September 2026, p. 57
The giants got their discounts in the spring, and this time GW just left them alone. When your army is five models, sometimes no news really is good news.
Final Thoughts From Us: Age of Sigmar Balance Update
Overall, this one’s pretty friendly. Twenty of the twenty-five factions here came out neutral or ahead. Fyreslayers, Daughters of Khaine, and Disciples of Tzeentch clearly got worse, while Cities of Sigmar and Ogor Mawtribes landed somewhere in the middle. Death didn’t have a single loser.
You can also see another pattern once you look across all these changes. GW cut points on a bunch of expensive centerpiece models like Nagash, Archaon, the Verminlords, Knight-Draconis, and Treelord, while quietly putting prices on enhancements and battle formations that used to be free. Coven of Blood, Ash-cloud Rune, Maw-cult Fanatics, and Silver Summoner all went from zero to something. If GW keeps doing this, those little ten- and twenty-point extras are going to get real annoying when you’re trying to finish a list.
Fyreslayers got the worst end of this one. Five NERFS with zero relief is a nasty pass, and there’s no obvious upside elsewhere in the book balancing it out. Maybe GW comes back around to them next time. Could happen, but that’s still just us guessing, as they will be making their way into the new Khazalite Holds battletome soon.
Click Here to Download All the New Rules Changes!
🔗 Related Reads:
- Cities of Sigmar Faction Pack Review
- Nighthaunt Faction Pack Review
- Ossiarch Bonereapers Faction Pack Review
- Soulblight Gravelords Faction Pack Review
- Blades of Khorne Faction Pack Review
- Ironjawz Faction Pack Review
- Kruleboyz Faction Pack Review
- Idoneth Deepkin Faction Pack Review
What do you think of the September 2026 Age of Sigmar points updates, and did your army come out ahead?
