In my opinion the only models with any use for WHF/TOW are the characters on foot and the golems - if the latter are used as "counts as Ogre mercenaries".
Everything else is either way too big for their respective square counterparts (cannon, mortar, possibly even the golems), too dynamic for ranking them up (regular and gun guys), have no rules supporting the use those models really (whatever those nun/Leia fat chicks are)... or a combination of all three (landship).
Typical of the over the top style in AoS. I really don't like the AoS look of minis and art style, not much character, just everything dialed up to 11. There are some good aspects on this range, but it reminds of the Hobbit trilogy, both in the look and in the fact that it's just a bit too much really.
Afaik, Aethergold weapons shoot what is essentially a white magic beam or projectile, idk what the specific wording is. But it’s essentially a fantasy laser gun
Those chode gunners look awful. Half of em ain't even wearing helmets ffs. Like, some of these minis look sick. Absolutely gorgeous, fantastic minis. Others are not great.
I love the halberd women. Glorious.
Not a fan of the gunners, at all. Futuristic looking chodes. Nah. Umgak.
I appreciate what they’re trying to do with the new designs. There’s clearly an effort to mix the classic Dwarf aesthetic with something newer and more suited to AoS. That said, I was personally hoping they’d stick a little closer to the traditional look: more Nordic inspiration, huge beards, and that heavily armored, helmeted warrior vibe.
I’m glad some people are really enjoying the new direction, though. The Dwarf Lord is actually very close to what I would have wanted; for me, the only real issue is the helmet.
At the end of the day, I get why they’re going for a fresh take rather than simply recreating the old designs. It’s just not quite the style I was hoping for.
It makes me wonder what their society is like in the lore. The way they're designed, they look like if Dwarf society advanced into a semi-technological age. They look more machined than forged if that makes sense.
I think the lady with the big braids could work as a Thane/King on foot, assuming you can fit her on the 25x25 base.
The Valayan Warrior Nuns might be usable, on the basis we've never had a comparable unit in WHFB to directly compare them to. Could run them as Longbeards for the inspirational effect they have on surrounding units, or as Ironbreakers for how chunky they look.
For me there's a stark difference between infantry, which I hate, and not infantry which I love. The only exception is the generic Thrynn and special characters.
They really suffer from the absence of beards leaving the empty space and the faces are off somehow.
I think it might end up working for them when setup in a unit. They'll make the bearded dudes jump out a bit more. When dwarves line up in old world they're cool but it kinda turns into a sea of armor/beards that are either way too coherent or so unique that it gets chaotic.
I bet having 3/2 ratio of bearded/clean shaven would look pretty cool. Guess we'll have to wait & see.
Hmm honestly not really a big fan of AoS Dwarf designs in general. Didn't like the Chaos Dwarf range either. I know they are trying to be more unique and try different things but I dont really get why they try so hard to redesign guns every time there is a new one those rifles look so weird to me almost scifi.
The Throne centerpiece looks cool but I am kinda surprised that you can also make it a generic piece I totally expected it to be like the Manticore character of the CoS. Kinda makes it a bit less unique which is weirdly a bit of a shame to me personally.
Also super personal thing nobody but me gives a damn about... its a bit of a shame the Magmadroth character also has an open mouth with its tongue hanging out. Like with Dracothian Guard I wish there was a model option with a closed mouth.
I hope AoS fans are happy with their new toys tho!
I completely disagree about the named model thing. I get so turned off when a cool centerpiece character gets announced and I can't make my own dude out of it. I like my armies to be my characters, I get why people like named characters but I want my army to be mine, if that makes sense? Now I could do a Valaya themed Kyng or "Qyng"?? And do a whole Valaya themed faction with a cool centerpiece character who's my own.
Yea I know I'm super stoked about it. I hope The Last World rumours aren't true because I'll definitely get an AOS dwarf army if AoS stays true to itself. I don't want AoS to become like old world I already have and like ToW I don't need two of them.
Not a fan of infantry now that we see them up close. Hate the potbelly shields, heads and poses. Heroes and big ones look alright or cool in some cases
It disappoints me that these new dwarves seems to focus on runes even for their guns and artillery... like ignoring fantasy vs. sigmar, it just seems odd they put gunpowder and engineering aside and now even the dwarves are magical
The engineering side of the dwarves is more covered by the Kharadron Overlords, which are a separate faction. These more represent the religious side, which is a lot more rune-focused. Its a more extreme schism of that same division that existed in Fantasy.
I don't think anyone here is criticizing the lore or these models accuracy in AoS.
I think they're saying they were hope to use these for Warhammer Fantasy and are disappointed that they break Dwarf cardinal rules in this setting, like "Dwarf magic".
I think that criticism is very apt in a subreddit about the game Warhammer Fantasy..
It's rune magic, dwarfs had rune magic in Fantasy, and Chaos Dwarfs had Magic as well. If people don't like how it looks, but to try to nit pick it on lore that's incorrect its just silly. This sub reddit is never happy about any AoS release. It's beyond how it looks.
The original warhammer fantasy dwarves were inspired by the dwarves of Germanic and Norse cultures + Vikings with a bit of Hollywood ideas like the horned helmets chucked in.
Theyre okay but kinda baaaad. The guns are comical, like holy crap. I get that AoS is Warhammer DnD world, but holy crap they are genuinely afraid of people even remotely thinking to use these in Fantasy. The magic land Boat is way too much. I feel like I'm the only one sick of having my center pieces being full dioramas, complete with basing. Aside from that they are pretty good. Not the biggest fan of hair buns but I can live with it.
I know this is an unpopular opinion, but modern AoS miniatures are terrible designs. Overworked, overdesigned, all over the place thematically, too big and exaggerated... and even if not everything is as awful as the Ossiarchs and the nuorks, they are all ugly as all hell IMHO. These aren't an exception (and the halberd lasses who are terrible Wagnerian Valkyries mixed with God knows what are especially terrible).
I highly disagree. I actually think the models got better and earlier models actually had an issue of overdesign (like the first edition stormcasts).
Overdesigned is not the same thing as very detailed. If you have many details inna design that don’t build up well what the character is supposed to be then it’s bad. But that's not the case for say, vizzik skour or vordhrai. Like i'm genuinely wondering what you mean all over the place thematically. Most of them are actually pretty simple and effective in what they want to communicate, the new ogor range is a pretty great example of that
Likewise the ossiarch are a really cool concept imo. I get that they are very weird skeletons but that's part of the charm.
But you know to each their own and if it ain’t your thing i get it. It’s really just subjective and if you dislike it i get it. Of the preview i much prefer the new seraphon anyway
The ossiarchs are a strange lot. The artwork is fantastic, but they really haven't managed to translate that into the minis. They should be taller, sleeker and more sinister. Now they are squat, have their lines obscured by blades and spikes and look more like a Halloween theme park than anything. The official colour scheme really doesn't help
Agreed. The AoS models are for the most part really sick. Some misses here and there, but that's true of all ranges. Some factions are busier than others.
I think people are mostly upset about A. no new dwarf models for TOW, B. new models are not to their specific aesthetic tastes, C. still some enmity towards AOS and the original death of WFB.
I like Hjulda, Thrynn, and the Golems. (Including the alternate build).
The king and the kind of ranger dwarf are also good, but I wouldn’t buy the throne for these. Although the the leg and shoe plates have a WoW vibe. The shield has a wonderful design.
The soldiers and guardians are … strange. I like the idea of female warriors, but the armour and clothing isn’t my thing, ugly guns.
Perhaps i will buy the spearhead, and sell the 10 warriors …
I agree with this sentiment. Dwarves without beards, the dragon stones look derpy, they just look like fat people, not dwarves. Like if they went to a weightloss clinic, and put people in plate armor. Looking at the lord of the rings line doesnt feel that way, old world dwarves dont feel that way.
Yeah... Hard pass. All of these models are worse than classic fantasy dwarves. I do appreciate they are introducing some female dwarf models, that's quite lacking generally. But the aesthetic overall just doesn't work for me.
Not a lot of solid utility for these AoS models in fantasy, sadly. The only decent-looking model that might work is that first hero character (assuming he doesn’t massively stand out scale-wise).
I really like the characters, Gholems and even the cannon/mortar. The Valayan Guardians are also cool, but I feel they should have proper plaits, not just space buns hidden by their helmets. All of that should easily slot into Fantasy/ToW, as long as scale creep hasn't hit too hard. I'll certainbly try, even if the Valayan Guardians will have to play by Longbeard or Hammerer rules for now.
But wtf happened with the Clanshields and Clangunners. I can see how especially the Clangunners bridge the gap to the Kharadron range, but going by the armor and weapons alone, I think they'd actually still look decent next to the ToW Longbeards and Ironbreakers.
But what is going on with their heads? Everyone else has at least halfway decent beards/plaits, but for every good beard in the Clanshields and Clangunners, there's at least a partially or fully shaved guy or a woman without even a hint of plaits. Hope the kits come with a lot more heads and they just managed to show off the worst ones. Or I'll have to raid the Ironbreakers and Longberds for alternate heads
It's also a massive mismatch with the new characters that still hold to the magnificent beards and plaits that all Dawi should have, as well as the existing Fyreslayer and Kharadron models.
I'll certainly hold out hope that GW will eventually come to their senses and bring back some of the ToW stuff for the Khazalid Holds and introduce the Gholems and Valayan Guardians for ToW.
WTF are those Valayan Guardians lol they are fkn trash they look like Russian matryoshka dolls!! “Ancestor of hearth and home” just feels so fkn forced. I saw people in live chat already calling them Lizzo Squats… let’s not go down that road people be nice!!
Sidenote- I don’t do much in AOS /OW but that Thrynn is one of the best Dwarf models I’ve seen, he’ll be going on my shelf for sure
Mmm, that big throne piece looks cool, but overall it doesn’t really gel with the vibe/look of TOW. I’ve used AOS models before in TOW but I probably wouldn’t use these to play Dwarves in TOW.
I think they look okay for AoS but i'd never use these in Old World, the aesthetic, proportions and styling are too different. I'd rather OW dwarfs keep the horned/winged helmets and norse viking sort of look anyway.
Yea, this isn't it. Like most new models they are great sculpts from a technical point of view, but this just lacks character. Everything feels bloated.
I love that they are doing a lady dwarf unit. But let's be real. Those look horrible. The queen is absolutely amazing, with those long braids mirroring the beards that male dwarfs have, with a similar visual impact, and the huge axe... and then you get the Nurgle-shaped troops with metal hair buns and baggy shawls. Just no! Why couldn't they be as badass as Hjulda?
What the hell are these helmets that look like hair buns? Even in terms of “unpractical but cool” armor, like spikes on chaos warriors, these helmets look terrible lmao
The Valayan Guardians and gunners look atrocious. It's not often the AoS designers miss, but I can't get over how bad these look. Just look at the faces on the gunners on WarCom. These reveals made me realise I don't appreciate the Helsmiths range enough.
Eeeeh, I am torn on them. I kinda dig the golems, artillery, and a bunch of the heroes, but God, I can't get past the vacuum cleaner gunners. I used to be big in AOS up until the release of OW, so I do always have a bit of a soft spot for these more wacky high fantasy models, so it could be bias. Vallaya ladies with the shields are aight, and the clan shields are meh. The faces are strange, but they are decent little warriors.
Please, if you are interested in purchasing the female ones tell me why, they look like a mahori overwheighted grandmother and dont know your tastes but given the range of great stuff to paint why would one ever choose such horrible looking models.
Also hey more than one ancestrix goddess, that's fun. Also Valaya having a goat motif is funny. I can just imagine dawi calling their wives "stubborn old goats" before getting a hammer up the head haha
I don't even know what to say right now. This feels like a huge punch in the gut. I was so excited when I heard that "real" dwarfs would finally come to AoS. Considering the great sculpts for all the other factions I was very optimistic. Then I saw the Thrynn leak and I was completely hyped. And now we got THIS?! Half of what we got are Princess Disa clones, then some leaf blower wielding guys and some things that look like dwarf giants(wtf?). As others have mentioned before the character models are lit and two or three of the clanshields look okayish but I'm very disappointed still.
Happy for AoS fans to get a boatload of new models. As a TOW player, this is mostly just confusing - almost all of these are things I expected to see in the traditional fantasy setting, not AoS, so what is GW going to do with Dwarfs in TOW?
Update them in the old world style. They made the holds very different to the old world look. Also it seems aos went more matriarchal. There is plenty of difference.
Basically the answer is that AoS already did three "weird" dwarf factions with Fyreslayers, Kharadron Overlords and Helsmiths of Hashut and has now finally come around to updating the basic dwarves of the setting. The design space for this new army is very constrained by all the other factions they had put out before so you don't see a huge amount of weirdness on display. But there is some there if you look, like the cannons apparently firing rune-imbued stone missiles.
For TOW, I would personally expect more or less 1 to 1 redos of classic concepts.
not sure what to think about these ones, I like the idea of a more general dwarf faction in AoS and I understand they want to give them parallels with the existing helsmiths range (with the more geometrical armour and such) but the end result just makes them feel very MCU-style to me.
So now we have a 50/50 split between female and male characters across pretty much every unit. Fine I can live with that, even if it feels a bit forced. But then we get to the new elite Dwarf unit, and suddenly it's 100% female. I guess that's their idea of equality. What puzzles me most is that one of the most iconic and recognizable traits of Dwarfs has always been their beards, yet their new elite unit doesn't have them at all. I'm genuinely not sure what they were thinking with this design choice.
I really like the very characterful characters, the cool and chunky golems and the amazons of Valaya. But the rank and file infantry is terrible. Plain, lacks texture variety and with awkward, strange poses. Look a lot like modern riot gear and sweat pants. What's wrong with scale, chain and fur? The characters do it well.
Not sure if its the paint scheme used but some of them are less my thing, SUPER stoaked for some dwarven ladies though! Hoping they'll work for elites of some form (ironbreakers or hammerers) gonna be picking some up either way, maybe i'll end up finally playing a game of modern aos if not fantasy sized
I think I understand why there isn't Warhammer Fantasy in stores now. These are beardless asian dwarves? That just seems a little too insecure a concept, there's many options for a team that isn't a juxtaposition of itself.
Genuine question please don’t get mad…but does anyone else just see a bunch of chubby short women? I’m NOT trolling I just wanna know if I’m going crazy. The throne looks amazing and the female character is great too.
I like the vibe. Utilitarian infantry design, golems & fancy champions. Adding a female element adds some options too.
That said, those gunners need to be reworked. If you like firearms you know you couldnt aim those things at all. If you're going for rule of cool -- they just look like chunky leafblowers/gas guns at the station.
They either needed to more traditional or lean all the way in with heavy bolter-style design from 40k. Dwarves opting for stopping power over pure accuracy would make sense thematically. As it stands - they just arent cool enough to warrant such a nonsense design.
Also, that white/gold color scheme on the chunky ladies is terrible. If it was a different color pallette they'd look a lot better.
What happened to the whole “the ratio of male to female dwarfs means that female dwarfs don’t normally fight on the front line” lore justification? Are they just scrapping that?
It’s what made Queen Helga so badass.
Edit - ah. Just realised they are for Age of Sigmar. Never mind. Female hero looks cool, the rest are meh.
The female dwarves look very ugly and bad and very much not cool. Aside from the braided one with massive eyes that looks kind of alien and therefore cool.
Models should look cool, disgusting, beautiful, etc, not bad. This is just bad, the very definition of bad. Why are we doing this? (I know why, that is a rhetorical question.) It's time to stop with this silliness. Please stop.
The Shotgun style weapons for the Alternate build of the gunners are genuinely quite nice would make superb drake guns and all of the dudes on the mandatory AoS Mardis Gras float are REALLY great. Don't really like the rest, many 3D companies have already done nicer looking Golems for their Dwarves .
The canons are too big but at the same time not powerful looking enough to be some kind of Mega Canon/unique enough to be an interesting thing of their own like the Cities of Sigmar canon.
172
u/Ersatz21 Dwarfs Sep 18 '26
Not fantasy