Kings of War: What is the Empire of Dust?

The Ahmunites were once one of the most powerful empires of Mantica, until their reckless meddling in Necromancy caused their downfall. Punished for their hubris, there is not a single living soul in the Ahmuinte Empire today. Legions of skeletal foot soldiers are lead into battle by ancient lords of fading grandeur. Bitter and hateful, these husks of humanity stand as a warning of the consequences of dark magic.

As the Ahmunites march north to enact their vengeance on the living world, we take a look at the ranks of soldiers, mummies and demons that join their forces, starting with the Empire of Dust Army set.

The Skeleton Warriors and Archers act similarly to their counterparts in Undead armies - cheap, unwavering but Shambling and not spectacular in close combat. They'll form the backbone (:P) of your army, so don't shy away from taking large units to outnumber your opponent. The key difference is that these units have access to the Casket of the Damned upgrade. This mysterious shrine of necromantic energy allows a once-per-game bonus to a Surge spell cast on this unit of five extra dice. Used cannily, this can be a game-breaker.

The Balefire Catapult is a rightly feared war machine. These infernal skull-throwers can pile on a lot of damage when they hit. They are often inaccurate but your opponent will still do everything they can to wipe them out as they know not to ignore these units for too long. They can also be Surged by your characters allowing for some devious moving and shooting.

Mummies are famed for being one of the most resilient units in Kings of War. High nerve, high defence and Regeneration combine to make these shambling dead almost indestructible. They expensive in points, and slow to advance, but they'll almost certainly reach the enemy and will strike them down with unnatural strength.

As the leaders of the Ahmunites, the Pharaoh and Cursed High Priest are steeped in necromantic lore. Both have strong Surge spells to drive their charges forwards, but fulfill different roles in the army. Ahmunite Pharaohs are powerful in combat, backed up by Regeneration and Inspiring. The Priest, on the other hand, is a potent spell caster who can be upgraded to support you infantry further, or act in a more aggressive role in the army.

Over the week, we'll be looking at other units in the Empire of Dust army, such as the hulking Enslaved Guardians - so be sure to check back!

The Empire of Dust range is available to pre-order now and will be shipping in July and August!