Part of our Kharadron Overlords hub: every Kharadron Overlords guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place. Browse all Age of Sigmar army lists.
Kharadron Overlords are sky-faring duardin who fly into battle in armoured airships, bristling with guns. They’re the most “steampunk” army in Age of Sigmar, with flying engineers, gun-toting marines and huge Skyvessels that carry troops across the board. If you prefer shooting to charging, this is the army for you.
The trade-off is a low model count and weak melee. Kharadron win by shooting the enemy’s fast units before they arrive, using their ships to drop troops onto objectives and staying out of close combat with anything nasty.
New to the faction? Our Kharadron Overlords army guide covers the background and the sky-ports.
A quick note on rules and points
Kharadron Overlords use Battletome: Kharadron Overlords, released in July 2025 alongside the Grundstok Trailblazers Spearhead, plus the free rules updates since. Matched play uses the General’s Handbook 2026-27. The October 2026 rules updates tidied up a few things, including the Skyvessel Cover battle trait and the Rapid Redeployment Squadron battle formation used in List 1.
Points come from Games Workshop’s official Battle Profiles, October 2026 document (published 28 October 2026). Every value below is points as of Battle Profiles, October 2026. Check the Warhammer Age of Sigmar app before you play, because points change several times a year.
The new Khazalite Holds battletome (October 2026) includes the Throngankor Alliance Army of Renown, which lets Kharadron fight alongside Khazalite and Fyreslayer duardin. Kharadron still have their own battletome, though, and these lists use it.
How army building works at 1,000 and 2,000 points
The General’s Handbook 2026-27 is designed for 1,000- or 2,000-point battles. 2,000 points is the standard size for events and most club games. Our Age of Sigmar points explained guide has more detail. For Kharadron:
- Regiments. Your army has 1 to 5 regiments. Each is a Hero plus up to 3 non-Hero units, or up to 4 in your general’s regiment.
- Check each Hero’s options. This matters a lot. An Arkanaut Admiral or Brokk Grungsson can take any Kharadron unit. Most other Heroes, such as the Endrinmaster and Aether-Khemist, can only take Infantry plus one Skyvessel.
- Guild Officers. Support Heroes such as the Aetheric Navigator, Aether-Khemist and Codewright can join an Admiral’s regiment as a “Guild Officer”. They use one of the regiment’s slots.
- Skyvessels and transport. Gunhaulers, Frigates and Ironclads can carry infantry. Your Skyvessels can also start the game in the clouds with the units in their regiment and descend later, so think about which infantry go in which ship’s regiment.
- Great Endrinworks. You can give one Great Endrinwork, a special ship upgrade, to one Skyvessel when you build your army.
- Auxiliary units cost an extra 20 points each after the first in the 2026-27 season. We don’t use any.
- Enhancements. One battle formation, plus one heroic trait and one artefact, which can’t go on Unique heroes. Several of these cost points for Kharadron.
List 1: Grundstok Trailblazers (1,000 points)
This list is built on the Grundstok Trailblazers Spearhead box: an Endrinmaster with Dirigible Suit, five Grundstok Thunderers, a Grundstok Gunhauler and three Endrinriggers. Our Kharadron Overlords Spearhead guide covers the box in detail. That’s 500 points. The rest comes from an Arkanaut Admiral, an Arkanaut Frigate and a unit of Arkanaut Company, which is very close to what came in the older Skyhammer Task Force box.
| Regiment | Unit | Points |
|---|---|---|
| General’s regiment | Endrinmaster with Dirigible Suit (general) | 140 |
| General’s regiment | Grundstok Gunhauler | 140 |
| General’s regiment | 5 Grundstok Thunderers | 130 |
| General’s regiment | 3 Endrinriggers | 90 |
| Regiment 2 | Arkanaut Admiral | 130 |
| Regiment 2 | Arkanaut Frigate | 280 |
| Regiment 2 | 10 Arkanaut Company | 80 |
| Total | 990 |
Battle formation: Rapid Redeployment Squadron (0 points). Your Gunhaulers can carry two infantry units with up to 6 models between them, instead of one unit of up to 5. That’s handy for flying the Thunderers to a better firing position.
Enhancements: Bold as Brass (heroic trait, +5 to his control score) on the Admiral, and Voidstone Orb (artefact, a once-per-battle chance to unbind an enemy spell) on the Endrinmaster.
Great Endrinwork: Grandiose Fuselage (0 points) on the Frigate. It gives the ship +5 control, which is great for holding objectives.
How it plays: The Endrinmaster is a flying Hero with heavy guns and a handy fighter for a Kharadron. Keep the Thunderers near the Gunhauler or the Frigate: while they’re within 6″ of a Frigate or Ironclad that hasn’t charged, enemies get -1 to hit them. The Endrinriggers fly and are perfect for grabbing a far objective or blocking an enemy charge. The Frigate carries the Arkanaut Company onto an objective, drops them off and keeps shooting, with the Admiral following up. With Bold as Brass and Grandiose Fuselage, that regiment is very hard to shift off an objective.
What to buy: Spearhead: Kharadron Overlords (Grundstok Trailblazers), an Arkanaut Frigate, an Arkanaut Admiral and a box of Arkanaut Company.
List 2: The Sky-fleet (2,000 points)
At 2,000 points, the Admiral takes command of an Arkanaut Ironclad, the biggest ship in the fleet, with the Frigate and Gunhauler as escorts. Three units of Thunderers give you a serious gunline.
| Regiment | Unit | Points |
|---|---|---|
| General’s regiment | Arkanaut Admiral (general) | 130 |
| General’s regiment | Aetheric Navigator (as Guild Officer) | 120 |
| General’s regiment | Arkanaut Ironclad | 430 |
| General’s regiment | 10 Arkanaut Company | 80 |
| General’s regiment | 5 Grundstok Thunderers | 130 |
| Regiment 2 | Endrinmaster with Dirigible Suit | 140 |
| Regiment 2 | Grundstok Gunhauler | 140 |
| Regiment 2 | 5 Grundstok Thunderers | 130 |
| Regiment 2 | 3 Endrinriggers | 90 |
| Regiment 3 | Aether-Khemist | 100 |
| Regiment 3 | Arkanaut Frigate | 280 |
| Regiment 3 | 10 Arkanaut Company | 80 |
| Regiment 3 | 5 Grundstok Thunderers | 130 |
| Artefact: Celestium Burst Grenade | 10 | |
| Total | 1,990 |
Battle formation: Veteran Ground Troops (0 points). Once per round, up to three Arkanaut Company units that haven’t moved that round are harder to hurt, since incoming attacks lose 1 Rend. Park your Arkanauts on objectives and let them hold.
Enhancements: Bold as Brass on the Admiral, and Celestium Burst Grenade (artefact, 10 points) on the Endrinmaster. Once per battle, it stops a visible enemy unit within 12″ from using ward saves for the turn, which is great against tough Heroes and monsters.
Great Endrinwork: Grandiose Fuselage on the Ironclad. In deployment you can also name a Skyvessel as your flagship, and if it has no Great Endrinwork, it gets one. Make the Frigate your flagship to upgrade a second ship. Tracer-fire Rounds, which ignores negative modifiers to hit when all the ship’s guns shoot one target, is a good pick.
How it plays: The Ironclad is a flying fortress with huge guns. It can ferry the Admiral’s infantry, makes nearby infantry harder to hit and holds the centre. The Endrinmaster’s regiment is your flexible wing: the Gunhauler escorts the Thunderers and the Endrinriggers steal objectives. The Frigate and Aether-Khemist form a second strike group that can drop Arkanauts and Thunderers wherever they’re needed. Focus your fire. With this many guns, you can destroy one important unit every turn.
What to buy next: An Arkanaut Ironclad, a second Spearhead box (for more Thunderers, a second Gunhauler kit and Endrinriggers), an Aetheric Navigator, an Aether-Khemist and a second box of Arkanaut Company.
General tactics
Shoot first, fight never. Thunderers and Arkanauts are poor in melee. Kill fast enemy units before they reach you, and don’t charge into a fight you can’t win.
Use Skyvessel Cover. Infantry wholly within 6″ of an Ironclad or Frigate that hasn’t charged are harder to hit. Keep your gunline tucked in beside your ships.
Think about transport. Plan which infantry each ship will carry before the game starts, as they need to be in that Skyvessel’s regiment to start in the clouds with it.
Use the Endrinriggers. They’re fast flyers and perfect for grabbing empty objectives late in the game.
Focus fire. With a small army, half-killing two units is worse than destroying one.
What to buy first
- Spearhead: Kharadron Overlords (Grundstok Trailblazers). Half of List 1 in one box.
- An Arkanaut Frigate. Carries your troops and makes them harder to hit.
- Arkanaut Company. Cheap infantry to hold objectives.
- An Arkanaut Admiral. The best general and can take any Kharadron unit.
- An Arkanaut Ironclad. The big step up to 2,000 points.
Our Kharadron Overlords painting guide covers the sky-port colour schemes and how to paint all that brass quickly.
Common mistakes
- Putting a Skyvessel in the wrong regiment. Most Heroes can only take one Skyvessel, and some can’t take any. Check the Hero’s options first.
- Moving ships away from the infantry. Skyvessel Cover only works within 6″.
- Getting into melee. Only a few Heroes can hold their own in a fight. Keep your distance.
- Splitting fire across several targets. Destroy one unit at a time.
- Spending the enhancement points by accident. Several Kharadron formations, traits and artefacts cost 10 or 20 points. Include them in your total.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Grundstok Trailblazers Spearhead enough for 1,000 points?
It covers 500 of the 990 points in List 1. Add an Admiral, a Frigate and some Arkanauts and you’re there.
Can I use the older Skyhammer Task Force Spearhead?
Yes. Its Arkanaut Admiral, Frigate and Arkanaut Company are exactly what List 1 adds to the new box. The Skywardens it came with can also be built as Endrinriggers.
Why can’t my Endrinmaster take the Ironclad and the Gunhauler?
The Endrinmaster can only take one Skyvessel and infantry. To take more ships, spread them across several Heroes’ regiments, or give the Ironclad to an Admiral.
Are Kharadron Overlords good for beginners?
They’re a good pick if you prefer shooting armies. The transport rules take a game or two to get used to, so start at 1,000 points.
Is 1,000 points a real game size?
Yes. The General’s Handbook 2026-27 is designed for 1,000- and 2,000-point battles.
How many models are in a 1,000-point Kharadron Overlords army?
About 22. List 1 above has 22 models: three Heroes, five Grundstok Thunderers, three Endrinriggers, ten Arkanauts and two Skyvessels (a Gunhauler and a Frigate). Kharadron have one of the lowest model counts in Age of Sigmar, so the 2,000-point list only reaches about 45 models, including three ships.
Which Hero should lead a Kharadron army?
An Arkanaut Admiral is the safest general for most lists. He can take any Kharadron unit in his regiment, including an Ironclad, while Heroes like the Endrinmaster and Aether-Khemist can only take infantry plus one Skyvessel. That flexibility makes it much easier to fit your biggest ship and its passengers into one regiment.
Related guides
See every faction in our Age of Sigmar army lists hub, or start smaller with our Age of Sigmar Spearhead guide. For the other duardin, try our Fyreslayers army list, and for another shooting-friendly Order army, see the Cities of Sigmar army list.