Nighthaunt – Warhammer Age of Sigmar Guide

The Nighthaunt are the ghost army of Age of Sigmar: processions of shrieking spirits, cursed knights and wailing banshees bound to the will of Nagash. On the tabletop they are a fast, flying, combat-focused Death army that is easy to recognise and one of the most satisfying in the game to paint. This guide covers who they are, how they play in 4th Edition, which units to start with, and how to paint them.

Who Are the Nighthaunt?

The Nighthaunt are the spirits of the dead, torn from the underworlds of Shyish and bound into Nagash’s service. Instead of the rest they were promised, they are cursed to an afterlife that reflects their failings in life, and they are sent against the living as weapons of terror.

They are led by heroes such as Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief, the Knight of Shrouds, and the Guardian of Souls, and their ranks include Dreadblade Harrows, Chainrasps, Grimghast Reapers, Bladegheist Revenants, Spirit Hosts and Dreadscythe Harridans.

What Are the Nighthaunt Army Strengths?

Nighthaunt are a mobile melee army. Almost all of their units can fly, which lets them cross terrain and get around screens to reach the targets and objectives they want.

Their spectral nature also makes them awkward to kill with the heavy weapons most armies rely on. Their Ethereal battle trait means negative modifiers to their save rolls are ignored, so high-Rend weapons are no better against them than basic ones. Many also have a ward save. Check each warscroll for the exact values.

The trade-off is that their saves are not high to begin with. Lots of attacks and mortal damage, which skips the save altogether, are the main threats to them, so careful positioning and picking your fights matters.

Where Should Beginners Start?

If you’re starting a Nighthaunt collection, these units are a good core. Check the current battletome and Battle Profiles for exact rules and points.

Chainrasps: Your basic ghosts. Cheap, numerous and useful for holding objectives and screening your more valuable units.

Dreadblade Harrows: Fast spectral cavalry that add melee punch and can teleport across the battlefield to reach objectives.

Grimghast Reapers: Scythe-wielding elite infantry that excel at cutting down massed enemy infantry in close combat.

Spirit Hosts: Swirling knots of spirits that are durable for their size and good at holding ground and tying enemies up.

The Nighthaunt Spearhead box is the easiest single starting point, and it doubles as a small, ready-to-play army for the Spearhead format.

How To Paint Nighthaunt?

Here are some painting tips for new Nighthaunt players.

Colour Scheme Ideas

Ghostly Ethereal: The classic look. Prime white or very pale grey, then use a translucent blue-green such as Nihilakh Oxide or Hexwraith Flame on the robes and spirit bodies. Leave the upper areas paler and build up to white at the extremities. Paint chains, weapons and lanterns in metallics or rust for contrast.

Haunting Shadows: Use dark purple or deep blue on the robes for a more sinister look, shading with a dark blue or black wash and highlighting with lighter shades of the same colour. Keep the skin pale green or grey so the faces and hands glow against the dark cloth, and pick out the eyes in a bright colour.

Regal Spirits: Paint the robes dark green or deep burgundy for a regal, eerie appearance, highlight with lighter shades of the same colour and shade with black or brown washes. Use a pale flesh or grey for the skin and add gold or silver to armour and jewellery. A matte varnish keeps the finish ghostly.

Painting Techniques

Base Coating: A pale undercoat (white, light grey or Wraithbone) is the foundation of almost every spectral scheme, because translucent paints only glow over a light surface.

Drybrushing: A light drybrush over the robes and spirit trails picks out the flowing folds quickly and gives a soft glow.

Washes: Washes such as Nuln Oil, or a blue-green shade, add depth to recesses in robes, chains and armour.

Edge Highlighting: A lighter colour on the edges of armour, weapons and cloth adds definition and contrast.

Contrast Paints: Contrast paints are ideal for robes and spirit bodies thanks to their self-shading. They give depth without lots of layering, which makes them a great fit for beginners.

Nighthaunt Lore and History

The Nighthaunt are the spectral hosts of Nagash, Supreme Lord of the Undead. Unlike other Death armies, which rely on bones or corpses, the Nighthaunt are pure spirits, each a soul denied the peace of true death and turned into an instrument of Nagash’s vengeance against the living.

Every Nighthaunt is cursed with a punishment that reflects who they were in life. Lady Olynder, Mortarch of Grief, is the best-known example: a noblewoman who in life thrived on the sorrow of others, she is now bound to carry the grief of the dead. Reikenor the Grimhailer, a sorcerer whose hunger for forbidden power led him to his fate, was made one of Nagash’s harvesters of souls. These cruel ironies make the Nighthaunt one of the most narratively rich factions in the game.

The Nighthaunt came to the fore with the Necroquake, the cataclysm unleashed by Nagash’s great necromantic ritual. The wave of death magic it sent across the realms empowered spirits everywhere, and vast processions of ghosts swept across the land in the Soul Wars, led by heroes such as the Knight of Shrouds and Guardian of Souls.

On the tabletop, their spectral nature is reflected in flying movement and in rules that make them hard to hurt with conventional weapons. They are an army for players who love gothic horror aesthetics and an aggressive, otherworldly playstyle.

Nighthaunt in the Current Meta

Nighthaunt’s competitive standing changes with each battletome update and Battle Profiles release. For the latest picture, check our Age of Sigmar faction tier list.

Whatever the current balance, the army’s identity stays the same: fast flying units that reach objectives and vulnerable targets quickly, backed by heroes that make the ghosts hit harder or survive longer. Most lists combine cheap units such as Chainrasps for holding ground with harder-hitting units like Grimghast Reapers or Bladegheist Revenants for the fighting.

Collecting Nighthaunt

The Nighthaunt Spearhead box is the easiest entry point. Check our Nighthaunt Spearhead guide for what you get and how to use it. Spearhead is also a good way to learn the faction before committing to a full 2,000-point army.

When expanding, focus on the units that define the faction’s playstyle. Chainrasps are efficient objective holders, while Grimghast Reapers and Bladegheist Revenants provide melee power. Lady Olynder and the Knight of Shrouds are popular heroes that give the army its character.

Second-hand models and trading with other hobbyists can make your collection more affordable, and many local stores run loyalty schemes and starter deals. Check our Age of Sigmar faction tier list for which units are performing well before you buy expensive kits.

Painting Nighthaunt

Nighthaunt offer one of the most rewarding painting experiences in Age of Sigmar thanks to their flowing, ethereal sculpts. The classic approach uses a ghostly blue-green palette: Nihilakh Oxide over a white or light grey primer gives an instant spectral effect. Layer up to white at the extremities for a glowing appearance.

Alternative colour schemes work well too: purple spirits, green ghosts, or even fiery orange spectres. The key is a smooth gradient from darker tones at the base to lighter tones at the top. Nighthaunt models are excellent for practising blending and glazing. Check our guide on painting Nighthaunt for step-by-step ghostly effects.

How to Play Nighthaunt

Nighthaunt play as a fast, aggressive army that uses flying movement and spectral resilience to get into combat on its own terms. Because Ethereal units ignore negative save modifiers, high-Rend weapons lose much of their value against you, which makes the army awkward for elite, hard-hitting opponents.

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The usual plan is to fly over terrain and around screens, take objectives early, and charge the units your opponent least wants to lose, while keeping your heroes close enough to support the units around them. As in every 4th Edition army, objectives are held by Control score rather than model count, so cheap units with lots of models still matter.

Key Tactics

Use your flying movement: Most Nighthaunt units fly. Use this to cross terrain and get past screens to reach key targets and objectives.
Keep heroes involved: Nighthaunt heroes support the units around them and many are strong fighters too. Keep them close to the fights that matter.
Pick the right fights: Ghosts do well against a few powerful, high-Rend attacks and badly against lots of attacks or mortal damage. Send them into elite units and avoid hordes and mortal-damage specialists where you can.
Use your commands: 4th Edition commands such as All-out Attack and Redeploy are available to every army. Check the current battletome for how your faction rules combine with them.

Best Nighthaunt Units

Spirit Hosts

Swirling knots of spirits, each base a cluster of ghosts with several wounds. They are durable for their size and good at holding objectives and tying up enemy units in combat.

Bladegheist Revenants

Fast, frenzied elite ghosts armed with tomb greatblades. They are the army’s dedicated melee damage dealers, best when charging into enemy infantry.

Lady Olynder

The Mortarch of Grief and the Nighthaunt’s most powerful hero. She is a strong Wizard and a powerful support piece, and her presence anchors many Nighthaunt armies.

Chainrasps

The cheapest, most numerous ghosts in the army. They are ideal for holding objectives, screening and soaking up attacks, and they let you spend more on your elite units.

Knight of Shrouds

A classic Nighthaunt commander, available on foot or on an Ethereal Steed. He is a strong fighter who leads from the front and supports nearby ghosts. Check his current warscroll for exactly what he does in 4th Edition.

Related Armies

If you enjoy Nighthaunt, you might also like these armies:

Ossiarch Bonereapers — Fellow Death faction whose disciplined bone constructs contrast with the Nighthaunt’s spectral hosts.
Soulblight Gravelords — Both serve Nagash and can be themed as a combined undead horde.
Flesh Eater Courts — Fellow Death faction offering a different take on the undead, with monstrous ghouls instead of spirits.

Everything Nighthaunt on Warhammer Guild

Play

Lore

Nighthaunt Lore

Painting

How to Paint Nighthaunt

Frequently Asked Questions

Who are the Nighthaunt?

The Nighthaunt are an army of malevolent ghosts and spirits bound to the service of Nagash, the God of Death, in Age of Sigmar. Each spirit is cursed to an afterlife that reflects its sins or failings in life, as with Lady Olynder, who once revelled in others’ grief and now carries the grief of the dead.

Are Nighthaunt good for beginners?

Yes. Nighthaunt have a clear, aggressive playstyle, flying movement makes them forgiving to move around the table, and their ghostly models are relatively quick and satisfying to paint. The Spearhead box is an easy starting point.

What are the strengths of Nighthaunt?

Nighthaunt are fast and mostly flying, so they can cross terrain and reach objectives and vulnerable targets quickly. Ethereal units ignore negative save modifiers, which makes them consistently durable against high-Rend weapons, and their heroes support the units around them.

What are the weaknesses of Nighthaunt?

Their saves are modest to begin with, which makes them vulnerable to lots of attacks. Mortal damage skips the save roll entirely, so armies that deal a lot of it are a real threat; ward saves, where a unit has one, are their only protection against it.

How do ethereal saves work?

Ethereal means you ignore negative modifiers to the unit’s save rolls. Rend doesn’t make the save worse, so a weapon with Rend 3 is no more effective against the unit’s save than one with no Rend. Positive modifiers, such as All-out Defence, still apply. Ethereal is separate from a ward save, which is an extra roll some units make against each point of damage. Check the current warscrolls for which units have each.

What primer should I use for Nighthaunt?

A white or very pale primer, such as Wraithbone or Grey Seer, works best. Spectral Nighthaunt schemes depend on bright, translucent glazes and Contrast or technical paints, and these only look ghostly over a light undercoat. Prime black only if you’re going for a dark, shadowy scheme. A zenithal spray of white over grey gives you extra shading for free.

Is Hexwraith Flame good for painting Nighthaunt?

Yes. Hexwraith Flame is a Citadel technical paint that gives a bright, glowing green, and it’s a popular quick way to paint spectral robes and glowing effects, especially over white. It’s very strong, so apply it thinly or mix it with Contrast Medium for a softer tint. Nihilakh Oxide over white, as described in this guide, gives a paler blue-green alternative.