Maggotkin of Nurgle Army List (2026): 1000 & 2000 Point Lists for AoS 4th Edition

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Maggotkin of Nurgle win by refusing to die. Nurgle’s armies combine diseased mortal warriors, the Rotbringers, with jolly, rotting daemons such as Plaguebearers, Nurglings and the enormous Great Unclean One. Almost everything has a ward save, many units can survive being “destroyed” once, and the faction spreads disease that slowly eats away at the enemy.

It’s a slow army that suits patient players. You won’t outrun anyone, but you can sit on objectives, soak up punishment and grind your opponent down. If you enjoy a tough, controlling army with a great sense of humour, Nurgle is a lot of fun.

New to the faction? Our Maggotkin of Nurgle army guide covers the background, and our Nurgle lore guide introduces Grandfather Nurgle.

A quick note on rules and points

Maggotkin use Battletome: Maggotkin of Nurgle. The new Bubonic Cell Spearhead arrived in January 2026 as part of a wave of new Nurgle models, including the Rotmire Creed cultists. The October 2026 rules update made several small fixes, including changes to the Tallyband of Nurgle formation, Putrid Blightkings and Beasts of Nurgle. The lists below use the updated rules.

Points in this guide come from the Battle Profiles, October 2026 document (Warhammer Community, 28 October 2026). Check the Warhammer Age of Sigmar app before you play, because points change several times a year.

The 2026-27 General’s Handbook also has optional “Scourge of Aqshy” rules for Nurgle, including Plaguefather’s Pox upgrades and alternative Putrid Blightkings and Sloven Knights warscrolls. We’ve kept to battletome rules.

How army building works at 1,000 and 2,000 points

The core rules suggest 1,000 points or 2,000 points, the standard size for events and most club games. Our Age of Sigmar points explained guide has more detail. In short:

• Regiments. 1 to 5 regiments, each a Hero plus up to 3 units, or up to 4 in your general’s regiment.
• Rotbringers and daemons are split. This trips up a lot of new Nurgle players. Rotbringer heroes such as the Rotbringer Sorcerer and Lord of Plagues can only take Rotbringers units. Daemon heralds such as the Poxbringer can only take daemons. The Great Unclean One, Rotigus, Bloab and other big heroes can take anything.
• The Bubonic Cell needs two regiments. The Rotbringer Sorcerer can lead the Rotmire Creed, but the Beast of Nurgle and Nurglings are daemons, so they need a daemon hero.
• Joining heroes. Rotbringer lords can join another regiment as a “Rotbringer Lord”, and daemon heralds as a “Plague Scion”. They take up a unit slot.
• Auxiliary units cost an extra 20 points each after the first in 2026-27. We don’t use any.
• Enhancements. One battle formation, plus one heroic trait and one artefact. All Nurgle battletome enhancements and formations are free.
• Underspending. If your army is 50 or more points under the limit, you get an extra command point in the first battle round.

List 1: Bubonic Cell (1,000 points)

This list is built on the Bubonic Cell Spearhead: a Rotbringer Sorcerer, ten Rotmire Creed, a Beast of Nurgle and two units of Nurglings. Our Maggotkin of Nurgle Spearhead guide covers the box in detail. A Poxbringer leads the daemons, and two units of Putrid Blightkings give the Sorcerer some muscle.

Battle formation: Plague Cyst, which boosts the control score of your Rotbringers units while they’re near your Nurgle daemons. It’s ideal for an army built to hold objectives.

Enhancements: The Carrion Dirge (artefact) on the Rotbringer Sorcerer, which once per battle drops the control score of up to three enemy units for a turn, and Gift of Febrile Frenzy (heroic trait) on the Poxbringer, which can give a nearby unit an extra attack in combat.

How it plays: The Rotmire Creed are your only shooting. Their blowpipes auto-wound on critical hits, and any enemy they damage can be infected with disease from long range (see General tactics). Shoot first, then let your tougher units do the fighting.

Putrid Blightkings are your main fighters. Each has 3 health and a 6+ ward, and their weapons are better against wizards and priests. Pox-Wretches are a big cheap unit of fourteen cultists that can try to spread disease to enemies they’re fighting.

The Poxbringer’s regiment is your anchor. The Beast of Nurgle has 8 health and a 5+ ward, and once per turn it can charge the closest enemy and deal mortal damage when it hits. Nurglings are tiny but annoying: a 5+ ward, a chance to survive being destroyed once, and they can come back near a Feculent Gnarlmaw (your faction terrain). Park them on objectives. The Rotbringer Sorcerer is slow (4″ move), so plan where it needs to be a turn early.

What to buy: Spearhead: Maggotkin of Nurgle (Bubonic Cell), a Poxbringer, two boxes of Putrid Blightkings and a unit of Pox-Wretches. If you own the older Bleak Host Spearhead, its Blightkings, Pusgoyle Blightlords, Plaguebearers and Spoilpox Scrivener are all useful in bigger lists.

List 2: The Grandfather’s Garden (2,000 points)

A Great Unclean One leads the daemons, the Rotbringer Sorcerer takes the Rotmire Creed and flying Blightlords, and a Lord of Plagues leads a heavy infantry regiment with Rotswords.

That’s 70 points under the limit, so you get one extra command point in the first battle round.

Battle formation: Plague Cyst.

Enhancements: The Carrion Dirge on the Rotbringer Sorcerer and Gift of Febrile Frenzy on the Lord of Plagues.

How it plays: The Great Unclean One is a huge wizard with 20 health and a 5+ ward. Its spell can make an enemy unit Diseased, it hurts enemy units fighting it at the end of each turn once it’s been damaged, and once per turn it can bring back a destroyed daemon unit (not a hero) at half strength. Keep it in the middle of the table with the Plaguebearers around it.

Plaguebearers are a classic Nurgle unit. They have a 5+ ward, can survive being destroyed once, and enemies are -1 to hit them while they contest an objective you control. The Poxbringer can make a nearby Plaguebearers unit fight straight after him with an extra attack.

Regiment 3 is your hammer. Rotswords have a 3+ save and can survive being destroyed once, and the Lord of Plagues gives nearby Rotswords +1 to wound when they didn’t charge. That makes them a great counter-attacking unit. Pusgoyle Blightlords fly and get extra Rend against units contesting objectives, so use them to clear enemy units off points.

What to buy next: a Great Unclean One, two boxes of Plaguebearers, a Lord of Plagues, Rotswords and Pusgoyle Blightlords.

General tactics

Spread disease. Once per turn, at the end of any turn, you can mark an enemy unit near your army as Diseased, or spread disease from a Diseased enemy to the units around it. Another battle trait deals mortal damage to every Diseased enemy unit once per turn. The more enemy units you infect early, the more damage you deal every turn for the rest of the game.

Use the Rotmire Creed to infect at range. Normally an enemy has to be fairly close to be infected. Any enemy the Creed damaged with their blowpipes that turn can be infected wherever it is.

Hold, don’t chase. Your army is slow. Take objectives early with tough units, then let the enemy come to you.

Stack your saves. Wards, “survive once” abilities and your heroes’ healing make Nurgle units much tougher than they look. Spread damage-soaking units across objectives so the enemy can’t focus one down.

Watch for Desperate Remedies. If an enemy tries to heal a Diseased unit, it removes the disease instead. Good to know when your opponent has lots of healing.

What to buy first

1. Spearhead: Maggotkin of Nurgle (Bubonic Cell). The core of both lists.
2. A Poxbringer. You need a daemon hero to lead the Beast and Nurglings.
3. Putrid Blightkings. Tough, reliable fighters.
4. Plaguebearers. Classic objective holders.
5. A Great Unclean One. The centrepiece for 2,000 points.

Our Maggotkin of Nurgle painting guide shows how to paint rotting skin, rust and slime quickly.

Common mistakes

• Putting the Beast or Nurglings under the Rotbringer Sorcerer. They’re daemons, so the Sorcerer can’t take them. Use a Poxbringer or another daemon hero.
• Rushing forward. With 4″ and 5″ moves, you’ll arrive piecemeal. Advance as a group.
• Forgetting to infect. Disease is your main source of steady damage. Use it every turn.
• Pushing the Sorcerer into combat. It’s your general and fairly fragile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bubonic Cell enough for 1,000 points?

It covers 510 points of the 970-point list above. Add a Poxbringer, two units of Putrid Blightkings and a unit of Pox-Wretches and you’re there.

Why can’t my Rotbringer Sorcerer lead the Beast of Nurgle?

The Sorcerer can only take Rotbringers units. The Beast of Nurgle and Nurglings are daemons, so they need a daemon hero such as a Poxbringer, or a big hero like the Great Unclean One who can take anything.

Can I still use the Bleak Host Spearhead models?

Yes. Putrid Blightkings, Pusgoyle Blightlords, Plaguebearers and the Spoilpox Scrivener are all in the October 2026 Battle Profiles.

Are Maggotkin good for beginners?

Yes. They’re forgiving because they’re so tough, so mistakes don’t get punished as hard. The main thing to learn is the disease rules.

Is 1,000 points a real game size?

Yes. The core rules list 1,000 and 2,000 points as the usual sizes. Start at 1,000 and build up.

What is the Feculent Gnarlmaw?

It’s the Maggotkin of Nurgle faction terrain feature: a rotting, plague-ridden tree you can set up on the battlefield. As this page notes, Nurglings can return to the battlefield near a Feculent Gnarlmaw, which makes it a handy anchor for an objective-holding army. Check the battletome or app for its current warscroll before you play.

How long does a 2,000-point Age of Sigmar game take?

Usually around two and a half to three hours between players who know their armies, and longer for your first few games. A 1,000-point game is roughly half that. Slow, tough armies like Nurgle can take a little longer because there are more saves, wards and disease rolls to resolve, so agree a time limit if you’re playing in a store.

Related guides

See every faction in our Age of Sigmar army lists hub, and read our Age of Sigmar Spearhead guide if you want to start even smaller. For more Chaos, try our Blades of Khorne army list or the Skaven army list.