Hedonites of Slaanesh Spearhead — Box Review & Guide

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The current Hedonites of Slaanesh Spearhead is the Epicurean Revellers, released in 2026 alongside the new Hedonites battletome. It’s an all-daemon force led by the Thricefold Discord, three rival Heralds of Slaanesh, with 20 Daemonettes, three Fiends and five Seekers. It’s fast, fragile and very aggressive, and its army rule changes depending on how many units you have left. It suits players who enjoy speed and a bit of risk. If you’ve never played Spearhead, start with our Age of Sigmar Spearhead guide.

What’s in the Box?

The box builds 31 plastic miniatures, which you use as five units in Spearhead games:

According to Warhammer Community, the Thricefold Discord was first released as a Warhammer Underworlds warband and has now joined the main Hedonites range.

Previous box

The earlier Hedonites of Slaanesh Spearhead box contained a mortal force: a Shardspeaker of Slaanesh, ten Blissbarb Archers with a Blissbrew Homonculus, five Slickblade Seekers and three Slaangor Fiendbloods. Its rules are now called Blades of the Lurid Dream, and Warhammer Community lists them alongside the Epicurean Revellers, so you can still play that box. The Epicurean Revellers is the new box on the shelves.

The Spearhead Rules

Here’s a plain-English summary. The full rules are free from Warhammer Community, so check the latest version there.

Battle trait: Favour Most Fickle

This is the heart of the army. You get one bonus at a time, depending on how many friendly units you have on the battlefield:

• 5 or more units: your units get +2 Control, which is great for holding objectives.
• 4 units: +1 to hit and wound in combat.
• 3 units: +1 to run and charge rolls.
• 2 units: all your units get a 5+ ward.
• 1 unit: +2 Attacks on melee weapons.

The Thricefold Discord’s three Heralds each count as a separate unit for this rule, so at full strength you’re well into the 5+ range. As the Heralds and your other units fall, the bonus changes, so losing models isn’t all bad news.

Regiment abilities (pick one)

• Bringers of Degradation: when it’s your turn to pick a unit to fight, you can pick both Daemonettes units and fight with them back to back.
• Daemonic Onslaught: once per battle, in the deployment phase, your Seekers or Fiends can make a free normal move before the game starts.

Enhancements (pick one for the general)

• Twisted Grace: after charging, your general can pile in an extra D6″.
• Excess of Violence: once per battle, a nearby unit gets Crit (2 Hits) on its melee weapons until your next turn.
• High Courtiers: while your general is next to a Daemonettes unit, both get a 5+ ward.
• Irresistible Soul-Musk: once per battle, teleport your Seekers or Fiends anywhere more than 6″ from the enemy.

For a first game, Bringers of Degradation and High Courtiers are the easiest to use. They both reward keeping your Daemonettes together with the Heralds, which is a sensible way to play anyway.

What Each Unit Does

Thricefold Discord

Your general is three Heralds in one unit. In your hero phase they can buff a number of nearby units equal to the Heralds still alive: Daemonettes get extra Rend against units that charged, Seekers move faster and Fiends get +1 to hit. The more Heralds survive, the more units you buff, so don’t throw them into danger early.

Daemonettes

Twenty Daemonettes in two units of ten. They hit accurately, get an extra attack when they charge, and have a 6+ ward. They also have Reinforcements, which means a destroyed unit can come back. These are your main damage and your main objective holders.

Fiends

Three large, fast daemons (10″ move) with damaging claws. Once per turn, Soporific Musk can give an enemy unit Strike-last on a 4+, which can turn a fight your way. Use them to hit enemy elite units or to protect your Daemonettes from a big counter-charge.

Seekers

Five daemonic cavalry with a 14″ move. When they run, any roll of 1–3 counts as 4, so they reliably cover huge distances. They’re good against enemy cavalry, but their real job is grabbing far-off objectives and finishing damaged units.

How to Play the Epicurean Revellers

This army is quick and hits hard, but it’s not tough. Strike first and make sure the trades go your way.

Deployment

Keep both Daemonettes units together near the Thricefold Discord so the Heralds can buff them. Fiends go on the side you expect the toughest enemy unit to be. Seekers can go on a flank, or you can use Daemonic Onslaught to move them up before the first turn.

Turn 1

With five or more units, Favour Most Fickle gives you +2 Control, so spread out and take as many objectives as you can. Use the Heralds’ buffs and keep out of charge range of anything that would beat you in combat. If you’re going second, stay behind terrain until your opponent commits.

Turns 2 and 3

Now strike. Charge the Daemonettes into the target, ideally with the Fiends first to make the enemy Strike-last. With Bringers of Degradation, both Daemonettes units fight back to back. Accept that you’ll lose some units here: as your unit count drops, the battle trait switches to more useful combat bonuses.

Turns 4 and 5

Use the Seekers’ speed to steal objectives late in the game. If you’re down to two units, you’ll have a 5+ ward. If you’re down to one, it gets +2 Attacks, so it can still fight surprisingly well.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting that each Herald counts as its own unit for Favour Most Fickle.
• Charging piecemeal. These units are fragile, so they need to hit together.
• Getting caught by the enemy’s charge. Daemonettes do far more damage on the charge than when they’re charged.
• Leaving the Seekers out of the game. They’re your best objective grabbers.

Building and Painting Notes

The Daemonettes kit includes options for champions, standard bearers and musicians, and the Fiends kit includes an optional champion. The classic scheme is pale lilac or pink skin with purple claws and gold details, but Slaanesh daemons look good in almost any bold colour combination. Batch paint the twenty Daemonettes, then spend more time on the Heralds and Fiends. Our Hedonites of Slaanesh painting guide has a full scheme, and our general painting guides cover the basics.

Expanding Beyond Spearhead

Warhammer Community describes the Epicurean Revellers as an ideal start for the Decadent Host Army of Renown, a daemon-focused way to play the full army. More Daemonettes, Seekers and Fiends, or a Keeper of Secrets as a centrepiece, are all natural next steps. If you also own the older box with the Blissbarb Archers, you can mix mortals and daemons in a bigger Hedonites army. Our Hedonites of Slaanesh army guide covers the faction, and our points guide explains how to build a full army. For the lore, see our Slaanesh lore guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Epicurean Revellers a good starter army?

Yes, if you enjoy fast, aggressive play. The rules are short, and the battle trait is easy to track once you get used to counting your units. It’s less forgiving than tougher armies, though, because the daemons die quickly if they’re caught out.

Can I still use the old Hedonites Spearhead?

Yes. Its rules are now called Blades of the Lurid Dream and are listed by Warhammer Community alongside the Epicurean Revellers.

How many units does Favour Most Fickle count?

It counts your friendly units on the battlefield. Each Herald in the Thricefold Discord counts as a separate unit for this rule, so the full army counts as seven.

Do I need the battletome?

No. The Spearhead rules are free from Warhammer Community. You’ll only need the battletome for full-size games.

How does Spearhead compare with Combat Patrol?

Both formats give you a ready-made small army in one box. Our Spearhead vs Combat Patrol guide compares them side by side.

Which Spearhead box has 20 Daemonettes, 5 Seekers and Fiends?

That is the Epicurean Revellers, the current Hedonites of Slaanesh Spearhead. It contains 20 Daemonettes, five Seekers, three Fiends and the Thricefold Discord, a unit of three Heralds of Slaanesh, for 31 models in total. In Spearhead games those models form five units, with the Daemonettes split into two squads of ten.

Can I use the Epicurean Revellers models in Warhammer 40k?

Yes, mostly. Daemonettes, Fiends and Seekers are shared kits that also appear in the Warhammer 40,000 Chaos Daemons range, so the same models can join a Slaanesh daemon force in 40k. The Thricefold Discord is the exception to check, as it began as a Warhammer Underworlds warband for Age of Sigmar and may not have a 40k datasheet.

Related Content

• Hedonites of Slaanesh – Warhammer Age of Sigmar Guide — apply this guide to a specific army
• How to Play Warhammer 40k — Complete Beginner’s Guide — learn the core rules of Warhammer 40K
• Ossiarch Bonereapers Spearhead — Box Review & Guide — explore another helpful guide
• All Warhammer 40k Factions Ranked — Tier List — see which factions rank highest