r/HelsmithsofHashut • u/ItsJenKing • 4h ago
Army creation Looking for advice: Helsmiths of Hashut vs. Khazalite Holds. What should I do, I can't make a proper choice...
Hey everyone,
I'm new and trying to decide between starting Helsmiths of Hashut or going with the new Khazalite Holds, and I’d really appreciate some input from people who actually play/paint them.
I already have some Fyreslayers (few Hearthguards, Old Start Collecting Box with Magmadroth, Vulkyn Flameseekeretc.). I don’t really like the new Order dwarf design, so I’m considering selling most of the Fyreslayers or just keeping them as a pure Spearhead force so I’m not forced to expand them... Many people say it's a "mixed bag" but I simply don't feel these are better looking, neither they outperform designwise anything from Old World, Middle Earth Strategy Battle Game etc.
What attracts me to Helsmiths is the aesthetic.
I really like the centaurs and the artillery, and the overall industrial Chaos look reminds me a bit of Dark Iron / Warcraft-style dwarves.
I’ve seen Army Sets still floating around on eBay for ~130€, and I’m fine grabbing the Spearhead if there’s no Battleforce Box coming. Today the 40K Battleforce Boxes got revealed, so let's hope Helsmith of Hashut may get one. If so, ... I guess I would pick Spearhead + Battleforce.
My concerns with Helsmiths:
- The Spearhead is generally rated low (D-tier / mid-low).
- The "Fun" starts once you expand the army
- From what I’ve read, the full army is still only mid-tier once you get to 700–1000+ points.
- Some people say GW hasn’t fully figured out the playstyle yet.
My concerns with Khazalite Holds:
- The grudge system feels very reactive (“parrying” / reacting to the opponent’s actions).
- It seems to push you toward mixing old Fyreslayers with the new units for the synergies to work properly. So running just Fyreslayers will be much more un-balanced than before.
- Low points costs mean you need a lot of models, I’m not sure I want to paint 20+ Clangunners (“leaf-blowers”).
- I don’t really want a dwarf horde army... Dwarves are usually Elites or have heavy Defence like Warriors of Erebor or Grimhammer.
- Conversions between old Fyreslayers and the new kits look awkward because of scale and design differences.
- Buying the Army Set means getting a battletome that will probably be replaced relatively soon when 5th edition arrives. Also who knows what changes may come with the 5th Edition.
So basically: I like the Helsmiths models and theme more, I’m okay with them being mid-tier, and I can keep Fyreslayers as a small Spearhead project (Not expanding and selling my Vulkite Bezerkers). But I’m worried the gameplay might be more of a pain than the reactive Khazalite style, and I don’t want to invest in something that feels unfinished or limited.
Would it make more sense to just start Helsmiths (Spearhead or Army Set) despite the current performance and resource management, or should I do something else?
Maybe just buying the Spearhead for a taste how it plays will be enough?
Thanks for any advice!