We are the Slaves to Darkness, the chosen warriors of Chaos, bound by our devotion to the Ruinous Powers. We embrace the gifts of darkness, forging our strength from the Chaos that consumes the realms.
We fight for glory, power, and the promise of eternal life beyond death. Our ranks swell with the corrupted and the ambitious, all united in our relentless pursuit of domination.
Who Are the Slaves to Darkness?
The Slaves to Darkness are a formidable faction in the Age of Sigmar, dedicated to the worship of the Ruinous Powers of Chaos.
They are found in most lands outside the occupied cities and their dominion is large. Not the kind of places you’d want to wander into on a night out, skulls piled high with ominous monoliths raised in honour of the Dark Gods dotted across the landscape.
They are found everywhere (except Azyr), and are in constant territorial battles. This promotes the strongest and cruellest to strive to dominate and control in the name of the Dark Gods.
They are not necessarily all evil, but the actions they perform are corrupting by nature as is the way of Chaos.
What Are Slaves to Darkness Army Strengths?
The Slaves to Darkness army have pretty wide-ranging unit types. Many players prefer to use them in a more aggressive style as they have some great cavalry options in Chaos Knights and Varanguard – smash your opponents with huge damage and then follow up with the rest of your army to support this with buffs and standing on objectives.
You could also use them to control an battle. Using models such as the Mindstealer Sphiranx will frustrate and block your opponent. Pledges will also help buff your army too.
There isn’t much in the way of shooting options, so range will be an issue. You’re also likely to be outnumbered too, so do bear that in mind with your setup.
Where Should Beginners Start?
This army has wide set of models to choose from, but we’ve just collated a few ones we think are strong choices for an initial army:
- Archaon: The Everchosen champion of the Ruinous Powers, this centerpiece is very, very solid. Comes with the benefit of the Eye of Sheerian for a double turn
- Be’lakor, the Dark Master: A very cool backstory to check out, Be’lakor is another strong model to add to your army. The Dark Master ability is definitely something to capitalize on too.
- Chaos Warriors: Solid and very useful for taking and holding objectives on the battlefield.
- Chaos Knights: Hard hitting and fast, one of the best cavalry units around. Also, have very strong health.
- Chaos Chosen: A strong attacking unit with some decent ‘once per game’ fight abilities. They are decent support units.
- Varanguard: Fast and powerful, most players of this faction would be wise to invest in this model type.
How To Paint Slaves to Darkness
If you like brooding color schemes, then Slaves to Darkness could be the one for you. We’ve put together some basic color ideas to get players started:
Color Scheme Ideas
- Brooding Warriors: You’ll need a good black for the armor and skin of your Chaos Warriors. You can highlight areas with dark metallics, maybe gunmetal or bronze, for a battle-hardened look. Then you could add a red or purple for cloaks and banners, and even add some brighter colors (greens, even pinks) for things like eyes or runes. Lastly do a wash of dark brown or black to create a grimy, brooding appearance.
- Corruption: This scheme works well with a base coat of a muted green or brown for the skin. You then can add and highlight this base with lighter shades of green or yellow. Armor could be painted in some kind of dark gray. Then finish off with more vibrant colors like bright pinks or blues for the mutations or glowing symbols. This will help the model really stand out.
- Twisted and Torn: Start with a base coat of dark blue or regal purple for the armor. Then highlight with lighter shades of blue or silver for a bit of zing. Deep reds or golds work well for fabric and banners. Then finish with a simple wash to bring out the details. Elegance in Chaos!
Painting Techniques
We’ve put together a few basic painting techniques that apply to all models to be honest, but certainly will be useful for new Slaves of Darkness players.
- Base Coating: You always need a solid base coat. This will be the primary color of your models. For Slaves of Darkness, this will probably mostly be dark colors like black, deep red, or brown.
- Drybrushing: This helps with highlighting specific areas, particularly armor, weapons or cloaks. It’s simple really, just use a lighter shade of your base color and then you can drybrush over raised areas, such as the edges of armor, the tips of weapons, or the details on capes.
- Washes: Washes are excellent for bringing out depth and give your miniatures a professional look. Use classic dark washes like Nuln Oil or colored washes (e.g. green or brown) to bring out any recesses in skin or armor. It’s fairly simple but a technique that can really add a lot to a model
- Edge Highlighting: Use this for details on armor, weapons, and fabric. Just apply a lighter color along edges of things to create more contrasts.
