Part of our Soulblight Gravelords hub: every Soulblight Gravelords guide, lore page and painting tutorial in one place. Browse every Combat Patrol & Spearhead guide.
Soulblight Gravelords have two Spearhead forces. Deathrattle Tomb Host (2025) is a skeleton army led by a Wight King, with Barrow Guard and Barrow Knights. Bloodcrave Hunt is the original box, a vampire-led force of skeletons, Blood Knights and Vargheists. Both suit players who enjoy armies that keep getting back up and grind the enemy down. The Tomb Host is the bigger, more patient horde, and the Bloodcrave Hunt hits harder and faster.
What’s in the Soulblight Gravelords Spearhead Boxes?
Spearhead: Soulblight Gravelords – Deathrattle Tomb Host
Released in 2025, this box builds 40 plastic miniatures:
| Unit | Models | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Wight King (general) | 1 | Undead lord who makes nearby units hit more often |
| Barrow Guard | 10 | Elite infantry that protect the Wight King |
| Barrow Knights | 5 | Skeletal cavalry that rebuild themselves |
| Deathrattle Skeletons | 20 (2 units of 10) | Endless battleline |
The Barrow Guard and Barrow Knights both include command models, and the Barrow Guard can swap their swords and shields for two-handed glaives.
Previous box: Bloodcrave Hunt
The original Soulblight Gravelords Spearhead box, released at the launch of Age of Sigmar’s fourth edition, contains a Vampire Lord (general), 20 Deathrattle Skeletons (two units of ten), 5 Blood Knights and 3 Vargheists. Its rules are still current and were last updated in April 2026.
The Spearhead Rules
Deathrattle Tomb Host
Battle traits:
- The Unquiet Dead: one skeleton unit starts in reserve. From round three, once per battle, it can climb out of the ground within 3″ of any board edge, more than 6″ from the enemy.
- Aura of Antiquity: once per turn in your combat phase, roll for an enemy unit fighting yours. On a 3+, its melee weapons lose 1 Rend until your next turn.
Regiment abilities (pick one): Overwhelming Hordes gives your non-hero units +1 to wound against smaller units, which suits an army of 10-model blocks. Deathmarch gives one unit a little extra movement and a big boost to its control score for the turn.
Enhancements: Shyishan Blade (better Rend for the Wight King), Propelled by Hate (charge re-rolls for a nearby unit), Stolen Animus (the general heals on critical hits) and Soul-Drain Pendant (makes an enemy unit strike last, once per battle).
Bloodcrave Hunt
The Vargheists start in reserve and can swoop down anywhere from round three. The Hunger heals your vampires after they fight, and heals them even more if they wiped out a unit. The regiment abilities are Endless Legions (bring back a destroyed skeleton unit at reduced size, once per battle) and Ruinous Chargers (Blood Knights deal mortal damage to every unit they trample on the charge). Enhancements include a teleport for the Vampire Lord, a spell that hits every enemy unit, protection from shooting and a boost to skeleton regeneration.
What Each Unit Does
Wight King
Your general is a sturdy fighter with a 3+ save and a blade that deals mortal damage on critical hits. Every hero phase, they can try to give a unit within 12″ +1 to hit. Keep the Wight King with the Barrow Guard, because they protect each other.
Barrow Guard
While the Wight King is within their combat range, both the Barrow Guard and the Wight King have a 5+ ward. That makes this pair the hardest thing to shift in the whole army. Put them on the most important objective.
Barrow Knights
Ten-inch cavalry with lances that hit harder on the charge. At the end of each of your turns you can rebuild one slain Knight, so they’re worth throwing into fights.
Deathrattle Skeletons
Weak individually, but at the end of every turn each unit can bring back D3 slain skeletons. They’ll stand on an objective all game if your opponent doesn’t commit real damage to removing them.
Bloodcrave Hunt units
The Vampire Lord is a strong fighter and wizard. Blood Knights are elite cavalry with a 3+ save that can ride over enemy infantry. Vargheists are fast, flying, savage monsters that are best at finishing off units that are already damaged.
How to Play the Deathrattle Tomb Host
- Deployment: Wight King with the Barrow Guard in the middle, one skeleton unit on the most exposed objective, and the Barrow Knights on a flank. Remember, one skeleton unit stays in reserve.
- Rounds 1–2: Walk forward and claim ground. Skeletons are slow (4″ move), so don’t fall behind. Use Deathmarch to push a unit onto a key objective with a big control score.
- Round 3: Bring the reserve skeletons up from a board edge, ideally onto an objective your opponent has left lightly defended.
- Round 4: Your units regenerate, while the enemy is running out of bodies. Hold everything you can.
Playing the Bloodcrave Hunt instead
The Bloodcrave Hunt is far more aggressive. Skeletons hold your objectives while the Vampire Lord and Blood Knights go hunting, because The Hunger heals them every time they fight. Charge the Blood Knights through enemy infantry for Ruinous Chargers damage, and save the Vargheists for round three, dropping them onto a wounded unit or an undefended objective.
Common mistakes
- Letting the Wight King wander away from the Barrow Guard and losing both their 5+ wards.
- Forgetting the end-of-turn regeneration for skeletons and Barrow Knights. Write a reminder on a card.
- Charging skeletons into elite units. Their job is to hold, not to kill. Let the Barrow Knights and Wight King do the damage.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths:
- Regeneration everywhere: skeletons and Barrow Knights keep coming back
- The Wight King and Barrow Guard pair is extremely hard to remove from an objective
- Lots of bodies for a Spearhead, so you can cover the whole board
Weaknesses:
- Slow infantry, with skeletons and Barrow Guard moving just 4″
- No shooting at all in the Tomb Host
- Skeletons deal little damage, so you rely on the Knights and Wight King to kill things
Building and Painting Notes
Forty models sounds like a lot, but skeletons are very forgiving. Bone spray, a brown or sepia wash, a quick highlight and rusty metals will get a whole unit done in an evening. Pick one spot colour for shields and banners so the army looks unified. For the Bloodcrave Hunt, put your effort into the Vampire Lord and Blood Knights’ red-and-black armour. Our Soulblight Gravelords painting guide covers both vampires and skeletons, and our bone and skulls tutorial helps with the Deathrattle.
Expanding Beyond Spearhead
Every model in both boxes has a full Age of Sigmar warscroll. The two Spearheads combine well, with a large skeleton core plus vampires for punch. From there, a Necromancer, more Barrow Guard or a big monster such as a Mortis Engine or a Revenant Draconith (older Zombie Dragon models are now used as the Draconith) are popular next steps. See our Soulblight Gravelords army hub for more, and our points explained guide when you start building a full list.
Where to Buy the Box
If you want the Deathrattle Tomb Host box covered in this guide, it is listed on Amazon US through third-party sellers. Check that the listing still shows the same box before you buy, since stock and sellers change.
Price details
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Soulblight Spearhead good for beginners?
Yes. The Deathrattle Tomb Host has a simple, durable plan, and its regeneration forgives mistakes. Just remember to resolve all the end-of-turn abilities.
How does resurrection work in Spearhead?
In the Tomb Host, each skeleton unit returns D3 slain models at the end of every turn, and the Barrow Knights return one model at the end of your turn. In the Bloodcrave Hunt, skeletons regenerate on 6s in your combat phase, and Endless Legions can bring back a whole destroyed unit at reduced size.
Can I still play the Bloodcrave Hunt?
Yes. Games Workshop still publishes its Spearhead rules, which were last updated in April 2026.
What’s the difference between the two boxes?
The Deathrattle Tomb Host is all skeletons. It’s slow, numerous and very hard to remove from objectives. The Bloodcrave Hunt is led by vampires, with fast Blood Knights and Vargheists that heal themselves by fighting. Choose the Tomb Host if you want to outlast your opponent, and the Bloodcrave Hunt if you want to hunt them down.
What size board does Spearhead use?
Spearhead is played on a smaller battlefield than full Age of Sigmar, roughly 30″ x 44″, or half a standard 2,000-point board. That keeps both forces close together, so even the slow Deathrattle Tomb Host reaches the action quickly. A kitchen table is usually big enough.
How long does a Soulblight Spearhead game take?
Usually about an hour, or a little longer while you’re learning. Spearhead games run for four battle rounds with small, fixed armies. The Tomb Host’s many regenerating skeletons can add a few minutes of bookkeeping at the end of each turn, so keep a reminder card handy.
Related Content
- Soulblight Gravelords – 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