The Khazalite Holds make their Battle Report debut on Warhammer+ on Wednesday, November 11, taking on the Helsmiths of Hashut in a duardin-versus-duardin grudge match. Warhammer Community posted a preview on November 10 with an interview with the Helsmiths general, and it's full of useful tips for anyone playing or facing the new army.
Published November 10, 2026. The full episode is on Warhammer+ from November 11.
Khazalite Holds vs Helsmiths of Hashut
It's the matchup a lot of Age of Sigmar fans wanted to see: the newest faction in the game against their dark mirror. Jay commanded the Khazalite Holds, and Battle Report host Si took the Helsmiths of Hashut. Warhammer Community calls the Helsmiths a dark mirror of the Khazalites (more on the gods in our Khazalite ancestor gods article).
Jay's plan: Hearthsworn Defenders
Jay picked the Hearthsworn Defenders battle formation. Its passive ability, Lock Shields!, makes enemy shooting worse against Khazalite units that are either fully inside their own territory or standing on an objective you control with the whole unit. In plain words: dig in, and the enemy's guns struggle to hurt you.
The clever part was how Jay used it. He won priority in the first battle round and pushed forward hard to grab the forward objectives. Because the ability also works on objectives he controls, that move stretched his shooting protection well past his own half of the table.
What it was like to face them
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Si didn't hide how hard it was. In his words, the Khazalite artillery, an Oathkeeper Cannon and a Stonebreaker Mortar, was a constant menace to his army. At the same time his own ranged units kept missing because of Lock Shields. His Deathshrieker Rocket Battery can hit really hard, he said, but hitting on 5+ makes it far less reliable.
Si's tip: don't sleep on Clanshields
Asked which unit to keep an eye on, Si picked one that's easy to overlook: Clanshields. On their own they look plain, but put them with a Thrynn, or even better Hjulda Drakkblud, and they turn into a real problem. According to Si, with the right support you can boost four of the five stats on their Kromdron Weapons without spending a single command ability, while they also make incoming attacks less damaging and shrug off the first point of damage they take each phase. His warning: underestimate them at your peril.
Photos: Games Workshop / Warhammer Community
Also on Warhammer+ this week
- Blacktalon: the final cut launches on Warhammer TV this week. It's more than three and a half hours of animation following Sigmar's legendary hunter.
- Interviews with author Robert Rath and Golden Demon legend Albert Moreto Font.
Speaking of Golden Demon, our SPIEL Essen finalists part 2 gallery has all 26 Age of Sigmar, Middle-earth and Diorama finalists.
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Want to try the Khazalites?
If the Battle Report sells you on the army, the Khazalite Holds battletome has the full rules and lore. For prices on every kit, see our Khazalite Holds pre-order prices, and for what's in the army and how to start, the Khazalite Holds faction guide.
My take
The interesting thing here is that Lock Shields! isn't just a "stay home" ability. Jay used it aggressively by taking forward objectives early, and that turned a defensive rule into a way to push up the table. For Helsmiths players, the lesson is that a gunline will struggle into this army, so plan to fight for objectives early. Si's Clanshields tip is worth remembering too: the plain-looking unit might be the one that wins the game.
WIZY Blog is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Games Workshop.
Sources
- Warhammer Community: Khazalite Holds make their Battle Report debut warhammer-community.com
Written by the WIZY creator
A lifelong gamer and Warhammer painter, and the maker of the WIZY RPG game. I write about games, hardware, Warhammer and crypto in plain English, and I check every fact against its source.
