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Blades of Khorne do one thing, and they do it brilliantly: they charge across the table and hit things very hard. There is no shooting worth talking about and almost no magic. Instead you get blood-mad mortal warriors, the Bloodbound, fighting next to Khorne’s daemons: Bloodletters, Flesh Hounds and the towering Bloodthirsters.
That makes Khorne one of the easiest Age of Sigmar armies to learn. Your plan every turn is “get closer, then fight”. The skill is in picking the right fights and charging together, not one unit at a time. If you like aggressive, hands-on games, this is the army for you.
New to the faction? Our Blades of Khorne army guide covers the background, and our Khorne lore guide explains the Blood God himself.
A quick note on rules and points
Blades of Khorne use Battletome: Blades of Khorne, released in 2025 alongside the Fangs of the Blood God Spearhead. The October 2026 rules update tweaked a few things, most notably when the Blood-drenched battle trait triggers and how Karanak’s teleport works. The lists below use the updated rules. Old Aspiring and Exalted Deathbringer models now count as a plain Deathbringer, so they’re still usable.
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, including alternative Blood Warriors and Bloodletters warscrolls and Brazen Mutation upgrades. We’ve stuck to the battletome rules, which are simpler to learn.
How army building works at 1,000 and 2,000 points
The core rules suggest 1,000 points for a shorter game or 2,000 points, which is the standard for events and most club nights. Our Age of Sigmar points explained guide has the detail. In short:
- Regiments. Your army has 1 to 5 regiments. Each is a Hero plus up to 3 other units, or up to 4 in your general’s regiment.
- Daemons and mortals lead different things. This matters for Khorne. Bloodbound heroes such as the Slaughterpriest can only take Bloodbound units. Daemon heroes such as the Bloodmaster can only take daemons. Karanak can only take Flesh Hounds and Claws of Karanak. The Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster is the exception: it can take any Blades of Khorne unit.
- Joining heroes. Some heroes can slot into another hero’s regiment. Bloodbound priests and champions join as a “Bloodbound Warmonger” (a Mighty Lord of Khorne can take any number), and the Bloodmaster can join a greater daemon’s regiment as a “Slaughter Seeker”. A joining hero uses one of that regiment’s unit slots.
- Auxiliary units cost an extra 20 points each after the first in the 2026-27 season. We don’t use any.
- Enhancements. Pick one battle formation, plus one heroic trait and one artefact. Unique characters like Karanak can’t take them.
- 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: Fangs of the Blood God (1,000 points)
This list starts with the Fangs of the Blood God Spearhead box: Karanak, two packs of five Flesh Hounds and the eight Claws of Karanak. Our Blades of Khorne Spearhead guide covers the box in detail. Because Karanak can only lead his own pack, we add a Bloodbound regiment led by a Mighty Lord of Khorne to give the army a solid core.
| Regiment | Unit | Points |
|---|---|---|
| General’s regiment | Mighty Lord of Khorne (general) | 110 |
| General’s regiment | Slaughterpriest (as Bloodbound Warmonger) | 120 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Blood Warriors | 180 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Bloodreavers | 80 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Bloodreavers | 80 |
| Regiment 2 | Karanak | 110 |
| Regiment 2 | 5 Flesh Hounds | 100 |
| Regiment 2 | 5 Flesh Hounds | 100 |
| Regiment 2 | 8 Claws of Karanak | 100 |
| Total | 980 |
Battle formation: Khornate Legion. When one of your daemon units fights, a nearby Bloodbound unit can fight straight after it. This list has both halves, so the hounds can tie up a target and the Blood Warriors pile in with them.
Enhancements: Ar’gath, the King of Blades (artefact) on the Mighty Lord, so enemy heroes fighting him can’t use ward saves, and Magical Scorn (heroic trait) on the Slaughterpriest, which makes enemy wizards and priests within 12″ worse at casting and chanting.
How it plays: The Mighty Lord is your general and the heart of the Bloodbound. Bloodbound infantry within 12″ of him get +1 to wound, so keep the Blood Warriors and Bloodreavers close to him. Blood Warriors are tough (3+ save) and get a 5+ ward while they’re contesting an objective you don’t control, which makes them perfect for walking onto the enemy’s objectives. Bloodreavers are cheap and get extra Rend on the charge, so use them to grab ground and screen the Blood Warriors. The Slaughterpriest can hurt a unit next to him in your hero phase, and he can unbind spells.
Karanak’s regiment is the fast hunting pack. In full games Karanak picks an enemy hero as his quarry, and he can teleport himself and one pack of Flesh Hounds close to it. The Claws of Karanak score critical hits on 5s while they’re near the hounds or Karanak, and their crits turn into two hits each. Flesh Hounds also make enemy wizards and priests nearby more likely to fail.
What to buy: Spearhead: Blades of Khorne (Fangs of the Blood God), a Mighty Lord of Khorne, a Slaughterpriest, a box of Blood Warriors and two boxes of Bloodreavers. If you own the older Bloodbound Gore Pilgrims Spearhead, its Slaughterpriest, Blood Warriors and Bloodreavers slot straight into this list.
List 2: The Red Tide (2,000 points)
At 2,000 points the Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster leads the army. It takes the daemon infantry, Karanak’s pack hunts heroes, and a second Bloodbound regiment brings the Skullreapers.
| Regiment | Unit | Points |
|---|---|---|
| General’s regiment | Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster (general) | 400 |
| General’s regiment | Bloodmaster, Herald of Khorne (as Slaughter Seeker) | 120 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Bloodletters | 150 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Bloodletters | 150 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Blood Warriors | 180 |
| Regiment 2 | Karanak | 110 |
| Regiment 2 | 5 Flesh Hounds | 100 |
| Regiment 2 | 5 Flesh Hounds | 100 |
| Regiment 2 | 8 Claws of Karanak | 100 |
| Regiment 3 | Mighty Lord of Khorne | 110 |
| Regiment 3 | Slaughterpriest (as Bloodbound Warmonger) | 120 |
| Regiment 3 | 5 Skullreapers | 170 |
| Regiment 3 | 10 Bloodreavers | 80 |
| Regiment 4 | Bloodsecrator | 110 |
| Total | 2,000 |
Battle formation: Khornate Legion again. With two big Bloodletters units and the Blood Warriors in the same regiment, you’ll trigger it most turns.
Enhancements: Skull Collector (heroic trait) on the Bloodthirster, so it gets an extra attack each time it kills an enemy hero, and Ar’gath, the King of Blades on the Mighty Lord.
How it plays: The Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster is a flying monster that is especially good at killing heroes. It gets +1 to hit against them, can deal extra mortal damage to a hero it’s fighting, and can give another nearby daemon unit +1 attack. Keep the Bloodmaster beside the Bloodletters: when he fights, a Bloodletters unit can fight straight after him, and both get +1 to hit. Bloodletters have deadly blades whose critical hits deal mortal damage, so a full unit of ten can delete elite infantry.
Regiment 3 is the second wave. Skullreapers are elite axe-wielders whose control score jumps by 8 while they’re in combat, so they can steal an objective even from a big enemy unit. The Bloodsecrator gets its own regiment and stays near the Bloodbound: it gives Bloodbound units nearby extra rally rolls, and once per battle it adds 1 attack to your Bloodbound units’ melee weapons for a turn. Save that for the big clash in round 2 or 3.
What to buy next: a Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster, two boxes of Bloodletters, a Bloodmaster, a box of Skullreapers and a Bloodsecrator.
General tactics
Feed the Blood Tithe. Each time any unit is destroyed, friendly or enemy, you earn a blood tithe point. At the start of a turn you can spend points to unlock a Blood Tithe ability permanently, from extra charge help to +1 to hit in combat. Cheap units like Bloodreavers dying is not a disaster: it feeds the tithe.
Use Blood-drenched. Each time you unlock a Blood Tithe ability, you pick one of your units to get a permanent boost for the rest of the battle. What it gets depends on the unit: Bloodbound get mortal damage on their crits, other daemons get extra Rend and monsters get extra Damage. Give it to the unit that will fight most.
Charge together. Khornate Legion, Karanak’s pack, the Bloodmaster and the Claws all reward hitting one target with two or three units at once. One unit charging alone usually bounces.
Hunt heroes. Karanak, the Bloodthirster and Ar’gath all punish enemy heroes. Removing a key hero early often wins the game.
Don’t forget objectives. Killing things feels great, but Age of Sigmar is won on objectives. Blood Warriors and Skullreapers are your best objective-takers.
What to buy first
- Spearhead: Blades of Khorne (Fangs of the Blood God). The core of both lists.
- Mighty Lord of Khorne. Your Bloodbound general and a big buff.
- Blood Warriors. Tough, reliable and great on objectives.
- Bloodreavers. Cheap bodies and screens.
- A Bloodthirster. The step up to 2,000 points, and a superb model to paint.
Our Blades of Khorne painting guide shows how to paint the classic red and brass scheme quickly, which really helps with an army this size.
Common mistakes
- Putting units in the wrong regiment. Bloodbound heroes can’t lead daemons, daemon heroes can’t lead Bloodbound, and Karanak only leads his own pack. Check each hero’s options before you build.
- Charging one unit at a time. Your bonuses come from ganging up. Wait a turn if you need to so that everything arrives together.
- Ignoring enemy shooting. You have none of your own, so use terrain to block line of sight while you close the distance.
- Forgetting the tithe. Unlock a Blood Tithe ability as soon as you can. The earlier it’s unlocked, the more turns you benefit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Fangs of the Blood God Spearhead enough for 1,000 points?
It covers 410 points of the 980-point list above. Add a Mighty Lord of Khorne, a Slaughterpriest, Blood Warriors and two units of Bloodreavers and you’re there.
Why can’t Karanak lead Bloodletters?
His regiment options are Flesh Hounds and Claws of Karanak only. Bloodletters need a daemon hero such as a Bloodmaster or a Bloodthirster.
Can I still use my Aspiring Deathbringer?
Yes. The Aspiring and Exalted Deathbringer warscrolls are gone, but the October 2026 Battle Profiles let those models count as a Deathbringer on a 40mm base.
Are Blades of Khorne good for beginners?
Yes. The army has no shooting and very little magic to learn, so you can focus on movement and charges. The hard part is getting your units to arrive together.
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.
Do Blades of Khorne have any Wizards?
No. Khorne despises sorcery, so the army has no Wizards and uses Priests such as the Slaughterpriest instead. In these lists the Slaughterpriest can also unbind enemy spells, while Magical Scorn and Flesh Hounds make enemy wizards and priests nearby worse at casting and chanting. That makes Khorne a good counter to magic-heavy armies despite having no spells of its own.
Can I use a Bloodthirster at 1,000 points?
Yes, but it takes a big share of your points. At 400 points, a Wrath of Khorne Bloodthirster would use 40% of a 1,000-point army, leaving fewer units to hold objectives. It is usually better to start with the Spearhead and a Bloodbound regiment, as in List 1, and add the Bloodthirster when you step up to 2,000 points.
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 Slaves to Darkness army list or the Maggotkin of Nurgle army list.