The Soul Wars was the narrative campaign of AoS 2nd Edition, triggered by Nagash’s Necroquake. It saw the Stormcast Eternals battle the Nighthaunt across the Mortal Realms as death magic surged out of control.
The Soul Wars is one of the most transformative storylines in Age of Sigmar’s history. It launched alongside the game’s second edition in 2018 and reshaped the Mortal Realms with the Necroquake, a cataclysmic wave of death magic that swept across every realm. It raised the dead in huge numbers and loosed the spectral hosts of the Nighthaunt on the living. What followed was a grinding war between the forces of Order, led by the Stormcast Eternals, and the ghosts of Shyish under Nagash’s lieutenants.
The Soul Wars wasn’t only a military campaign but a spiritual crisis. Nagash claims every soul as his by right, and the Necroquake gave him the power to press that claim across all the realms. Cities were haunted by the restless dead, ancient burial grounds woke, and the boundary between the living realms and the underworlds of Shyish grew dangerously thin.
What Caused the Necroquake?
The Necroquake was triggered by Nagash, the Supreme Lord of the Undead and god of death in the Age of Sigmar setting. Nagash had long planned a ritual that would draw the death magic of the realms to himself and give him dominion over every mortal soul.
The ritual centred on the Black Pyramid at Nagashizzar, in Shyish, the Realm of Death. Built from Shyishan realmstone, the pyramid was designed to draw death magic inward and amplify it on a catastrophic scale.
The ritual was sabotaged, however. Skaven agents of the Great Horned Rat slipped warpstone into the working, and it destabilised the ritual at the critical moment. Instead of giving Nagash controlled dominion, the energy erupted outward as the Necroquake. Death magic surged across every realm and raised the dead indiscriminately. The pyramid sank into the realm and created the Shyish Nadir, a vortex of death magic at the heart of Shyish.
Nagash survived, but his plan had only partly succeeded. The Necroquake massively strengthened death magic and his undead forces, and it threw every other faction’s plans into disarray. The same surge of magic also set loose wild, self-sustaining spells across the realms. In game terms, this is where endless spells came from, first introduced in the Malign Sorcery supplement.
Who Were the Main Combatants in the Soul Wars?
The Soul Wars pitted two main forces against each other, though every faction in the Mortal Realms was affected:
Stormcast Eternals: Sigmar’s immortal warriors bore the brunt of the fighting against the Nighthaunt. The Soul Wars introduced the Sacrosanct Chamber, Stormcast warriors whose reforging had bound them more closely to the magic of Azyr. They fought with celestial energy that made them well suited to fighting the spectral dead.
The Sacrosanct Chamber brought new units such as Sequitors (battleline infantry with soulshields and enchanted weapons), Evocators (warriors who channel celestial lightning), Castigators (archers whose bolts burn with celestial energy) and the Celestar Ballista. Lord-Arcanums and Knight-Incantors led them.
Nighthaunt: The spectral processions of Shyish were the Necroquake’s most visible result. They were led by figures like Lady Olynder, the Mortarch of Grief, Kurdoss Valentian, the Craven King, and Reikenor the Grimhailer. Each Nighthaunt is a soul Nagash has cursed with a fitting punishment in death: cowards forced to serve forever, executioners who can never stop seeking victims, mourners whose grief becomes a weapon against the living.
Their ethereal nature made the Nighthaunt hard to fight. Ordinary blows struggle to harm them, and their terrifying presence can break a defender’s nerve before the fighting even starts. This is a big part of why the soul-charged Sacrosanct Chamber mattered so much.
Other factions: The Necroquake upset every faction’s plans, and the period that followed brought new armies into the story. The most notable were the Ossiarch Bonereapers, Nagash’s legions of bone constructs, who arrived in 2019 to collect the “tithe” of bones that Nagash demanded from the living.
What Were the Major Battles of the Soul Wars?
The Soul Wars was fought across every realm, but a few events define the campaign:
The Siege of Glymmsforge: The best-known battle of the Soul Wars. Glymmsforge, a Stormcast-founded city in Shyish, came under siege from the Nighthaunt. The Stormcast Eternals defended it in desperate fighting against an enemy that could pass through walls and terrify defenders. Its story is told in Josh Reynolds’ novel Soul Wars, and it set the tone for the whole campaign.
The wider campaign books: The storyline continued through GW’s narrative releases of the period. Malign Sorcery explored the arcane fallout of the Necroquake and the endless spells it unleashed, and the Forbidden Power campaign book (2019) carried the death-magic storyline forward. The story then moved into Broken Realms, which dealt with the longer-term consequences.
What Was the Impact of the Soul Wars on Stormcast Eternals?
The Soul Wars period put the Stormcast Eternals’ greatest weakness front and centre: the cost of reforging. Each time a Stormcast dies and is reforged in Azyr, they can lose something of themselves, such as memories, emotions or parts of their personality. Warriors who have been reforged many times can become cold, distant and less human.
The war against the dead made this theme hard to ignore. Stormcast were fighting an enemy whose whole purpose was to claim souls, while their own souls were slowly worn down by every death. It turned the Stormcast from straightforward heroes into tragic figures, and it remains one of the faction’s central themes.
How Did the Soul Wars End?
The Soul Wars didn’t end with a single decisive battle. The Necroquake’s first fury subsided, but it left the realms permanently changed. Death magic stayed stronger than before, the Shyish Nadir kept pulling magic and souls towards the heart of the Realm of Death, and Nagash remained a constant threat.
The story moved into the Broken Realms narrative, which dealt with the longer-term consequences of the Necroquake and set up the next edition. The Soul Wars left its mark for good: the Mortal Realms were transformed, endless spells became a permanent part of the setting, and the balance between life and death had shifted.
What Was the Soul Wars Starter Set?
On the tabletop side, Soul Wars was also the name of the Age of Sigmar 2nd Edition starter set. It’s often remembered as one of the best-value boxes Games Workshop has produced. It contained two armies, Stormcast Eternals (Sacrosanct Chamber) and Nighthaunt, along with the 2nd Edition rulebook, warscroll cards and gaming accessories.
The miniatures were push-fit and could be built without glue, which made the box very accessible to new hobbyists. The Stormcast side was led by a Lord-Arcanum on Gryph-charger and included Sacrosanct Chamber infantry such as Sequitors, Evocators and Castigators. The Nighthaunt side was led by a Knight of Shrouds on Ethereal Steed, with units such as Chainrasp Hordes and Grimghast Reapers. Both forces were playable straight out of the box and easy to expand into full armies.
The box was very popular and stayed on sale for much of 2nd Edition. Many players who started with Soul Wars went on to build full Nighthaunt or Stormcast armies, and models from the set are still a common sight on gaming tables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Soul Wars the same as the Age of Sigmar?
No. The Soul Wars was a specific narrative campaign that took place during Age of Sigmar’s 2nd Edition (2018-2021). Age of Sigmar is the wider game and setting. The Soul Wars was one chapter in the ongoing story, after the Realmgate Wars (1st Edition) and before Broken Realms and the Era of the Beast (3rd Edition). The story has since moved on again with 4th Edition.
Do I need to know the Soul Wars to play Age of Sigmar?
No. The Soul Wars set up important lore, especially the Nighthaunt’s place in the setting and the Shyish Nadir, but you don’t need to know it to play. The current 4th Edition books give you all the context you need. Knowing the Soul Wars does help you appreciate the setting and why factions like Nagash’s undead act the way they do.
Are Nighthaunt still playable after the Soul Wars?
Yes. Nighthaunt remain a supported faction in Age of Sigmar 4th Edition, with their own battletome and warscrolls. The Soul Wars made them a major faction, and their spectral look keeps them one of the most striking armies in the game.
What happened to Nagash after the Soul Wars?
Nagash remained a major antagonist through the Broken Realms story, where he faced opposition from Teclis and the Lumineth Realm-lords, among others. His story has continued since, with his power rising and falling as the wider conflicts of the Mortal Realms play out.
Can I still buy the Soul Wars starter set?
No. The Soul Wars starter set is out of production, having been replaced by later edition starter sets. Many of its models are still sold separately, and second-hand boxes turn up on eBay and in trading groups. The models can still be used with current rules, but check the latest warscrolls, as some units have changed or been retired over the editions.
What is the Shyish Nadir?
The Shyish Nadir is the vast vortex of death magic at the heart of Shyish, the Realm of Death. It formed when Nagash’s ritual at the Black Pyramid went wrong and set off the Necroquake. The pyramid sank into the realm and created an inward-pulling whirlpool that drags death magic and souls towards its centre. It reshaped Shyish and remains one of the Soul Wars’ lasting legacies.
Is there a Soul Wars novel?
Yes. Josh Reynolds’ novel Soul Wars, published by Black Library, follows Stormcast Eternals defending the city of Glymmsforge against Nagash’s Nighthaunt after the Necroquake. It’s often recommended as one of the best ways into Age of Sigmar fiction, because it introduces the setting through compelling characters and needs no prior reading.