1.8 Cycle Conclusion

Today we look back at the 1.8 patch cycle to see not only how it fits into the ‘progressive’ expansion mentality, but more so to see how the story of past patches has evolved and in many ways concluded. This grand patch cycle ran from 1.8.0 to 1.8.6b with two content patches, 5 live events, and three patches following live events ushering in new classes!

Skull Reaper ~ Khorne HDPS

“Laying chained to the floor facing up are among the strongest Norsemen; but their strength is nothing compared to what it will be when Khorne’s blood fills their soul with a yearning to kill. Above these men is an iron grate – the floor of a massive arena where daemons fight each other. As the daemons are wounded and slain, their blood drips through the grate down onto the men below. All are christened as the blood drips on their bodies – these will be Khorne’s warriors. The lucky catch the blood on their tongues as it drips into their mouths – these will have a daemonic appetite for blood drive them. But a select few lay there with chains strapped across their chest watching the bloodbath above and are blessed to have a droplet of blood fall onto their eye – these are filled with the spirit and soul of a bloodletter, these are the Skull Reapers.”

~ Hurron Warpeye, Librarian of the Inevitable City

Skull Reaper

Archetype – Heavy DPS

Armor – Heavy Splint

Weapon – Greatsword

Mechanic – Skull Keeper

• You have been blessed to have the blood of a daemon drip into your eye, giving you a daemonic insight into the ways of your foe. With a piercing bloodshot eye, you learn to adapt in battle and survive longer than your weaker counterparts. Quick to adjust to your enemy’s tactics and attacks, you increase your martial prowess as you fight. You have a pool of 0-120 Skull Keeper points which will increase over time as you engage your marked target; each point equates to one point of weapon skill.

Mastery Trees

• Persecution – You hunt down those who hide behind thick armor hoping it will protect them from your savage blows.
• Misery – You are driven to prolong your enemies’ death and bleed every drop of blood out of them.
• Deprivation – Your soul is ravished at the thought of the weak suffering and you wear them down further.

Boyar ~ Kislev HDPS

‘Twenty three winters ago the fate of Kislev lay on the balances. Most of you are too young to remember those days, but that you live is a testament to capability of men like me… men greater than me! In that winter the skaven emerged from Hell Pit and joined forces with the Norse in a great northern onslaught. Whether they actually worked together or it was a mere coincidence no one can say, but what is for certain is that the combined numbers of those two great hordes of wild creatures almost broke Kislev. But we prevailed, Kislev prevailed. The boyars held the lines and never let Kislev falter. Every son of Kislev should strive to  become a noble, but even more so, every son of Kislev should strive to earn the prestige in battle to become one of the Tsarina’s Boyars!”

~ Bogdan Taryn, Magnate of Koniecpole

Boyar

Archetype – Heavy DPS

Armor – Heavy Splint

Weapon – Great-staff

Mechanic – Warden of Kislev

• You are trained and hardened to withstand the coldest winter gale and fiercest Norse onslaught. Trained for endurance, you prevail in the long-term where others would fail. Learning from the maneuvers of your enemy, you increase your martial prowess as you fight. You have a pool of 0-120 Warden of Kislev points which will increase over time as you engage your marked target; each point equates to one point of weapon skill.

Master Trees

• Ursun – The mighty god of Kislev gives you strength! You focus on fighting heavy armored units.
• Tor – The god of thunder enlightens senses as you fight on! You focus on long duration battles.
• Drazh – The god of fire fills your soul with a burning hatred for the enemy. You focus on weakening your opponents.

Carrion Feast

v1.8.6b

The men of the Empire and Kislev marched against the harsh winds of winter with one goal in mind – the devastation of Bastion Stair. They had hoped that the season would give them the element of surprise and that the elements would conceal their movements – they were wrong. Khorne sees all and foresaw the coming bloodshed. He knew the attack would decimate his forces in Bastion Stair, but such was his will. From the blood of those slain in the Red Winter a new host of the most savage warriors yet to march under Khorne’s banner would emerge. Order may have proved victorious in the Red Winter, but at what cost? Not only did the Empire lose hundreds of lives to the bloody struggle, but their blood nurtured a new beast, one who longed for more.

As the blood from the Blood Arena dripped down into the chambers below, it christened a new host of warriors whose savagery the world has not yet seen. Born of the Red Winter are Khorne’s new legion of Skull Reapers – men with bloodshot eyes who live only to serve Khorne’s two needs – Blood for the Blood God, and Skulls for the Skull Throne. They have but one purpose in life, and that is to slay and collect skulls for their master, and their first victims shall be the Kislevites who have for far too long lived in the shadow of Bastion Stair.

Facing unspeakable carnage, Tsarina Katarina has taken upon the decision to send forth her most seasoned warriors to confront the legions of Khorne. Already the Lynsk flows red with blood and Praag is naught but one large glowing ember – a burnt out husk of its former glory. The villages of the Northern Wastes and Troll Country lay in utter ruin. Marching to the front lines of the struggle against Khorne are Kislev’s grandest sons – the Boyars. These noble men have more seasons of warfare under their belts than any, and their commanding presence shall stabilize the faltering Kislevite front. Their time of sitting at the Tsarina’s court has passed, now is the time for action.

Order players who acquired the Colonel’s Commission in the Crimson Fields live event have two weeks early access to the Boyar. Destruction players who acquired the Bloodsworn Oath in the Crimson Fields live event have two weeks early access to the Skull Reaper.

Crimson Fields Guide

v1.8.a6a consists of the Crimson Fields live event. As the Ice Witches of Frosthome lead the forces of Kislev in a battle to contain the Slaaneshite winter offensive, the forces of Order led by the generals of the Empire strike at Khorne’s fortress of Bastion Stair. They hope to shatter the Blood God’s army with a surprise attack; but the Blood God sees all, his minions prepare for the approaching Empire armies. The Empire does not know that no amount of bloodshed will serve to stop Khorne, for the more they kill, the greater his appetite grows.

Crimson Fields ~ Erengrad Docks

“Your watch tonight Corporal Byal.”

“I know I know Sergeant… Third night in a row I draw the short straw and get the dock-watch. Rotten luck!”

“Other than the cold, you’ve little to worry about. Not even the Norse are foolish enough to sail the Sea of Claws in winter.”

“Fate has  a funny way of making the unlikely happen at the worst of times…”

“Bah, nonsense! Tor guide you in darkness, Dazh keep you warm, Ursun give you courage, and of course, Manaan spit you up back onto dry land.”

“Comforting…”

~ Conversation between Corporal Byal and Sergeant Czerno of the Erengrad Watch

Erengrad is Kislev’s key trade artery with the rest of the world; and as with any rich coastal city, it has suffered Norse raids for centuries.  Typically during winter when ice coats the Sea of Claws, ships cease to sail its waters and Erengrad descends into a cold peace, awaiting the spring thaw when commerce, and the Norse raiding, can begin anew.  However, so long as the winter fog shrouds Erengrad, the men who watch for its safety remain uneasy. It’s often what they can’t see that threatens the most…

The Erengrad Docks is the newest scenario in Warhammer. The battle rages during the night time as the forces of Destruction raid the city by way of the sea. The Erengrad Docks scenario is a three-point capture scenario as the battle rages around the key locations of the Harbormaster, the Warehouse, and the Imperial Wharf. Players must tread carefully as they navigate the foggy docks in the night-time… one false step and they could end up either in the water or with the enemy’s blade in their ribs.

Crimson Fields

Slaanesh had ordered an attack on Kislev in the middle of winter, hoping to catch the Kislevites off guard, but nothing can disturb the frigid air of the north without alerting the Ice Witches of Frosthome. Keen to return the favor and strike at the forces of Chaos while their forces were split, the armies of the Empire march for the dreaded slopes of High Pass. Their target – Bastion Stair, the stronghold of Khorne’s armies. Khorne has seen their movements and delights in the coming bloodshed. The Red Winter is about to begin…

Crimson Fields Intro

For six weeks we’d sat within the rickety walls of Fort Straghov attempting to find warmth as the biting wind found its way through every crack in the fort wall, through gap in our blankets, and though every hole in our worn clothes. The cold was so piercing that most men lost a tooth or two to intense chattering. It was the dead of winter, and we, the 2nd company of the 1st battalion of the Altdorf Volunteer Regiment, or should I say the only company of the Altdorf Volunteer Regiment, were left to defend the northern frontier of Kislev. The other three companies never arrived, we know not of the fate of those seven hundred fifty men. Two hundred and seventeen able-bodied lads under my command as the first line of defense against the hordes of Chaos – Sigmar save us!

Haruspex ~ Slaanesh RDPS

You were born in agony, and you shall die in agony. You have been fed on the pain of your enemies and nourished on the suffering of the weak. When you are cut and bleed, smear your blood across your body and take joy at its warmth. You shall not know fear nor feel the cut of the enemy’s blade across your skin, for these are attributes of the pathetic and the unworthy. Embrace your own pain and turn it into pleasure. Take in the pain of those around you and forge it into a weapon that will devastate the foes of the Dark Prince. Go forth and unleash the Dark Winds for the glory of your master.

Iskar Paindrinker, Chosen of Slaanesh

Haruspex

Archetype – Range DPS

Armor – Light

Weapon – Staff

Mechanic – Winds of Agony

• You have a pool of 200 points of Winds of Agony, the suffering harvested from all the tortured souls throughout the ages. Your abilities consume Winds of Agony and as you fight you will deplete this pool. You may harness the suffering in combat to replenish your pool of Winds of Agony.

Mastery Trees

• Depravity – Your far reaching sense of pain allows you to focus on long ranged attacks to devastate those who fear to approach your beauty.
• Vice – You tap into the sense of lust in your enemies as your presence overwhelms them and focus on medium ranged attacks.
• Turpitude – You can taste the very suffering of the souls around you and use it to fuel deadly short ranged attacks against those who would dare touch your body. 

Ice Witch ~ Kislev RDPS

“We live in a world drowning in its own blood; a world where women are most often the victims. But this does not have to be so. Kislev stands at the forefront of the struggle against Chaos, and as such all our folk must prepare for the inevitable. Today you begin your lives as Ice Witches. Today you grasp your fate in your own hands and turn the tide against Chaos. Winter’s unforgiving chill now courses through your veins, use it to exact punishment and justice upon the foes of Kislev!”

~ Ice Queen Katarina, Daughter of Tsar Boris

Ice Witch

Archetype – Range DPS

Armor – Light

Weapon – Wand

Mechanic – Ice Magic

• You siphon the chill of the northern airs and unleash it with deadly force. You have a pool of 200 points of Ice Magic. Your abilities cost Ice Magic and as you fight you will deplete this pool. You may harvest the cold from the air in combat to replenish your pool of Ice Magic.

Mastery Trees

• Boreal Tempest – You channel the winds of the far north as you unleash devastating attacks from a long range.
• Ice Tors – You harness the winds as they wail around the mountainous peaks bordering your homeland and use them to unleash medium range attacks.
• Frozen Steppes – You breathe in the winds of the Kislevite steppes, the very winds which feed your soul, and use them with deadly force in close range attacks.