Three new Arks of Omen 40k books, and the eerily cool Vashtorr the Arkifane miniature, were revealed at the Grand Narrative Finale preview!
The latest reveals from the Grand Narrative Finale preview are here, featuring the new narrative Arks of Omens books for Warhammer 40k, along with Vashtorr the Arkifane miniature!
Games Workshop Grand Narrative Finale Preview
This is what Warhammer TV and Warhammer Community had to say about them, along with our commentary on it as well!
There will be juicy reveals for Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer Age of Sigmar, Necromunda, and Warhammer Underworlds. You can catch all the details on Saturday. Fair warning to our fans in the UK and Europe – you’re going to have to get up pretty early for this one… Tune in at 4am GMT on the 19th of November.
An 11 pm preview on a Friday night here in the states, what a time to be alive!
New Arks of Omen Books
Each book is named for the character it stars – with two names you’ll definitely recognise, and one new player in the ranks of Chaos – and follows a dark crusade against the Imperium as the galaxy slips deeper into madness. Abaddon’s balefleets have set out to recover mysterious artefacts from all corners of the Imperium, and whatever he’s planning can’t be good news.
The first book is Abaddon, so expect lore and a spotlight on him in the first foray into this new set of expansions.
The Arks of Omen series also contains rules for a new style of Warhammer 40,000 game, called Boarding Actions. This self-contained expansion pits elite 500-point forces against each other in nail-biting close-quarters combat, fighting through the claustrophobic confines of ship decks and space hulks.
This isn’t Kill Team – in Boarding Action games, whole armies will smash through doors and clear corners. The twist? There’s no room for bulky monsters and war machines, nor for burning rubber down tight corridors or taking to the skies in cramped hallways. Instead, infantry and elites take centre-stage, locked in a desperate battle for control. You must adapt your tactics to the close confines of a voidship, and you’ll need to bring your best to survive point-blank firefights and sudden ambushes.
At first glance, these sound like Kill Team games, but they aren’t. Boarding actions are more akin to small-scale 40k, specifically inside hulking spaceships. Smaller games are always welcome, especially when you can use models you already own!
The first three books reignite the classic struggle between the Imperium of man and the forces of Chaos – with the third introducing a major new character to the setting, Vashtorr. The fourth book will be a distinctly xenos affair, however. We’ll have more on that next year, along with news on the rest of the series…
With four books already planned and three shown, this is clearly a confident move by GW, so expect decent support, at least through this revealed schedule and probably beyond!
What do you think the odds are that the last book has Genestealers in it and will lead into some sort of Space Hulk-type release in the summer of 2023?
We’re 50/50 right now, but there have been rumors…
Now that new name… Vashtorr…
Vashtorr The Arkifane
You might remember this next model from this teaser from earlier this year! Well, now we’ve got a name and a full look at the model, thanks to this preview!
Vashtorr the Arkifane is a major new character for Warhammer 40,000 – he’s an enigmatic daemonic mechanic, a fiendish forge-master who specialises in corrupt machines and insane innovation. Unsurprisingly, Warpsmiths and the Dark Mechanicum think he’s great.
Fiendish doesn’t even scratch the surface. This guy is downright horrifying.
Not to mention this concept art is absolutely fantastic…
Alongside his ally Abaddon, Vashtorr is the master planner behind the whole Arks of Omen scheme. His meticulous mind is constantly at work, whirring away to craft plans within plans, embedded with complex sub-plots and subroutines alike. Has the Despoiler has bitten off more than he can chew?
As a new “brain” to Chaos operations, this faction might just become more and more deadly for the Imperium. Hopefully, these new Arks of Omen books will give us more details and perhaps how the Imperium will fight back against this new Chaos surge.
Not everyone is a fan – Be’lakor especially seems to dislike this uncanny upstart. With one of the most stunning daemonic miniatures ever, could it be that the Dark Master is just jealous of Vashtorr?
Leave it to Be’lakor to not like new Chaos toys… He always was a stickler. BUUUT, this new guy looks amazing, and not even the First Daemon Prince can deny that!
They said in the stream that he would be about 5″ tall and comes on an 80mm base.
Wrath of the Soul Forge King Box Set Revealed: (January 27th, 2022)
A new Dark Angels vs. Chaos box set, Wrath of the Soul Forge King, was revealed at the LVO 2023 preview with both Vashtor and Azrael inside!
They didn’t give us a ton of info on this one, but we do know both Vashtor and Azrael will be inside! So, if you want either of the new models, this will be the earliest way for you to grab either of them.
Dark Angels Miniatures:
From the looks of it, this new box will come with Azrael, Dark Angels Deathwing Terminators, and one ten-man squad of Primaris Space Marines!
Chaos Miniatures Included:
The other half of the Wrath of the Soul Forge King box set looks to be the Obliterator and Venomcrawler Warpforged kit that was recently offered for $70 from the 2019 Shadowspear box, a squad of the new cultists and Vashtor himself.
The only other big thing they said was this is actually taking place on The Rock, and the rules and such will be in the next Arks of Omen book.
Check out the latest Warhammer 40k rumors for the rest of the 9th and even 10th Edition, new releases, and more!
Here’s the most up-to-date list of new Games Workshop bits from preview models that we should watch out for. Click on the gallery above to see dozens of Rumor Engines with new models still left to be revealed!
- New Primaris Space Marines 40k Rules & Minis
- Warhammer 40k 10th Edition Rules & Rumors
- Imperial Guard Rules & Rumors
- New World Eaters Codex & Models Rumors
All the Latest Warhammer Rules & Model Rumors
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About the Author: Andrew Schrank
Andrew Schrank
Job Title: Miniatures & Warhammer Hobby Staff Writer
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About Andrew Schrank: Over the past 15 years, Andrew has played all the games, including tabletop and video games, and immersed himself in the associated lore. Andrew joined the Spikey Bits team in 2018 and covers the Warhammer hobby and tournament scene, along with the latest in tabletop miniatures, each week.
Aspiring diplomat, Lord of Fluff, and Master of Ice Hammer, He loves Star Wars, Chaos Undivided, and Gundam. During his free time, he hunts Platinum trophies on PS5 and reads international news. On weekends, Andrew plays commander and cEDH games, often with unique strategies that push the limits.
He believes each day presents a new opportunity to grow and be challenged.
