The Sons of Behemat are Age of Sigmar’s army of giants: a Destruction faction built almost entirely from Mega-Gargants and smaller Mancrusher Gargants. A full army is only a handful of enormous models, so every one of them matters. This guide covers who they are, how they play in Age of Sigmar 4th Edition, what to buy first and how to approach painting them.
Who Are the Sons of Behemat?
The Sons of Behemat are gargants who claim descent from Behemat, the Worldtitan, a colossal godbeast who strode the Mortal Realms before Sigmar laid him low in the Age of Myth. His supposed offspring now roam the realms in loose bands, driven by simple appetites: eat, drink, fight and stomp anything smaller than themselves, which is almost everything.
The biggest of them, the Mega-Gargants, are large enough to flatten a city’s walls. They aren’t an organised empire. Each Mega-Gargant is a law unto itself, and the warbands that form around them are loose, quarrelsome alliances held together by a shared love of destruction and a grudge against Sigmar. The best-known is led by King Brodd, who claims to be a true son of Behemat.
For more on the godbeast himself, see Who Is Behemat?
The Mega-Gargants and Their Kin
The army’s centrepieces are the Mega-Gargants, each with a distinct role:
- Gatebreaker: the specialist in smashing fortifications, terrain and big targets.
- Warstomper: the infantry-crusher, best at wading through large units of smaller models.
- Kraken-eater: a bruiser that grabs and hurls enemies and is at home holding ground. Despite its reputation, it is not bigger than its siblings: the Gatebreaker, Warstomper and Kraken-eater are all built from the same Mega-Gargant kit and are the same size.
- King Brodd: the named Mega-Gargant and the army’s unique hero.
- Beast-smasher: a Mega-Gargant that specialises in hunting other monsters.
- Mancrusher Gargants: the smaller gargants that fill out the army, screen the big models and give you extra bodies for objectives.
For the current warscrolls, battle traits and army options, check the 2026 battletome; our Sons of Behemat battletome guide covers what’s in it.
What Are Sons of Behemat Army Strengths?
Every model is a monster with a huge pool of health and a damaging melee profile, so the army hits very hard wherever it arrives. Gargants also have a high Control characteristic, which matters a lot in 4th Edition: objective control adds up Control, not model count, so a single gargant can hold ground against a unit of much smaller models.
The weaknesses are just as clear. With so few models, every loss is a big share of your army, and like most big monsters they lose effectiveness as they take damage. Armies with lots of mortal damage, focused shooting or fast screens to slow you down can cause problems, and you can’t be everywhere on a table with several objectives.
Where Should Beginners Start?
- Mega-Gargant kit: the heart of the army. One kit builds a Gatebreaker, Warstomper or Kraken-eater, so pick the role you want, or magnetise the heads and weapons to keep your options open.
- Mancrusher Gargants: the cheaper way to add bodies alongside your Mega-Gargants.
- Spearhead: Age of Sigmar’s smaller format is a gentle way to learn the faction. See our Sons of Behemat Spearhead guide.
When you’re ready for a full game, our Sons of Behemat army list guide has 1,000 and 2,000-point lists. Points change with each Battle Profiles update, so check the current values before you buy.
Playing Sons of Behemat
Sons of Behemat are one of the easiest armies to learn and one of the hardest to master. There are few units to track, so turns are quick, but your opponent can focus everything on one target, and every positioning mistake costs a big piece of your force.
- Spread the threat. Put gargants on different objectives so your opponent can’t deal with all of them at once. If they commit to killing one, the others should be ready to punish them by taking objectives or wiping out exposed units.
- Use the right gargant for the job. Warstompers against hordes, Gatebreakers against big single targets and terrain, Kraken-eaters and Mancrushers for holding and contesting ground.
- Screen your biggest models. Mancrushers can soak up charges and fire aimed at your Mega-Gargants.
- Take your time. Your turns are short, but every charge and pile-in matters. Use your opponent’s turn to plan ahead.
Matchups
Specific matchups shift with every battletome and Battle Profiles update, so treat these as general principles rather than a current tier ranking. For where the army stands right now, see our Age of Sigmar faction tier list.
- Shooting and magic armies (for example Lumineth Realm-lords or Skaven gunlines) can wear down gargants before they arrive. Use terrain to approach, accept some damage, and go for the war machines and casters first. Once you reach their lines, light infantry rarely survives the fight.
- Elite armies such as Stormcast Eternals play the same “fewer, better models” game. Pick your fights so that your biggest hitters meet their heroes and elite units, and use your high Control to compete over objectives.
- Horde and weight-of-attacks armies such as Daughters of Khaine can do a surprising amount of damage to big targets with sheer numbers of attacks. Warstompers are at their best here, and taking out the army’s buffing heroes blunts the threat.
Collecting Sons of Behemat
Since the army is made of gargants, you need far fewer models than any other faction. A full army is only a handful of kits, which makes it one of the fastest Age of Sigmar armies to complete, even though each kit is expensive and a large centrepiece project.
Start with a Mega-Gargant kit and decide whether you prefer an all-Mega-Gargant force or a mix with Mancrushers. Check our Age of Sigmar faction tier list and the current Battle Profiles before investing in several copies of one variant, since balance updates shift which ones are strongest. Second-hand gargants are also common and can save you a lot.
Painting Sons of Behemat
Painting Sons of Behemat is a different challenge from most armies: each model is a centrepiece, and with so few of them you can lavish attention on each. The big areas of skin are the main job, so pick a flesh recipe you enjoy and build it up with washes and layers to define the muscles. Ragged clothing, rope, crude weapons and the trophies hanging from their belts give you plenty of chances for storytelling through paint.
Giving each gargant a slightly different skin tone or clothing colour adds variety to a small army, and weathering such as mud on the feet and wear on the weapons adds character. The large flat surfaces are ideal for practising wet blending and glazing. For colour schemes and paint recipes, see our guide to painting Sons of Behemat.
Related Armies
If you enjoy Sons of Behemat, you might also like these armies:
- Ogor Mawtribes — Both armies focus on powerful, large models that dominate through sheer size and strength.
- Orruk Warclans — The orruks are fellow Destruction armies with a very different, more numerous style of play.
- Imperial Knights — The closest Warhammer 40k equivalent: an elite army of a few massive war machines.
Everything Sons of Behemat on Warhammer Guild
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the Sons of Behemat?
The Sons of Behemat are an army of gargants, led by colossal Mega-Gargants that tower over almost every other model in Age of Sigmar. They claim descent from the godbeast Behemat and roam the Mortal Realms crushing everything in their path.
Are Sons of Behemat good for beginners?
They’re one of the most beginner-friendly armies to collect and play. A full army is only a handful of models, there are few units to track, and games move quickly. The catch is that every mistake costs a big part of your army.
What are the strengths of Sons of Behemat?
They’re among the biggest models in the game, with huge damage output and durability. Each gargant has a high Control characteristic, so a single model can hold an objective against a unit of much smaller models.
What are the weaknesses of Sons of Behemat?
Gargants lose effectiveness as they take damage, and with so few models, losing even one is a big blow. They’re also vulnerable to massed mortal damage, focused fire and screens that keep them away from objectives.
How many models are in a Sons of Behemat army?
Only a handful. A 2,000-point army is usually a few Mega-Gargants, often with some Mancrusher Gargants alongside, which makes it one of the smallest armies in Warhammer by model count. The exact number depends on current points, so check the latest Battle Profiles.
Who is King Brodd?
King Brodd is the named Mega-Gargant who leads the Sons of Behemat. He claims to be a true son of Behemat and leads his kin on a mission to stomp out Sigmar’s cities. On the tabletop he’s the army’s unique hero and a natural general for a Sons of Behemat force.
Why do the Sons of Behemat hate Sigmar?
Because Sigmar laid low their progenitor. Behemat, the Worldtitan, fell to Sigmar in the Age of Myth, and the gargants who claim descent from him hold a deep grudge against the God-King. That grudge is a big reason Mega-Gargants so often smash Sigmar’s cities and fortifications.
Related Content
- All Age of Sigmar Factions Ranked — Tier List — tier rankings of all Age of Sigmar factions
- How to Paint Sons of Behemat — Colour Schemes Guide — painting guide for this faction