Who are the Slaves to Darkness?
The mortal might of Chaos, the Slaves to Darkness are the armoured warriors, knights and marauders who follow the Dark Gods — and, above them all, Archaon the Everchosen. They can pledge to any of the four Chaos powers or none, fielding disciplined, heavily armoured troops that hit hard and endure punishment. In Warhammer Age of Sigmar they're the classic, versatile Chaos warhost — the black-armoured heart of the Everchosen's legions.
The Core Fantasy
Slaves to Darkness are the durable, versatile army of the Mortal Realms: well-armoured mortal warriors who can be tuned to any of the Chaos gods. This is the fantasy of the conquering warhost — disciplined, adaptable and relentless, marching beneath the Everchosen's banner to claim the realms.
Expect:
- Tough, heavily armoured infantry and cavalry
- The freedom to mark your army to any Chaos god
- A balanced, flexible toolkit that suits many playstyles
- Archaon and powerful Chaos lords as centrepieces
Start your army: the Slaves to Darkness shortlist
Picked your side? Here's what we'd put in the basket first.
- Starter box: Spearhead: Slaves to Darkness Darkoath Raiders
- Rules: Battletome: Slaves to Darkness
- Core troops: Slaves to Darkness: Darkoath Marauders
- Cavalry: Slaves to Darkness: Chaos Knights
Browse the full Slaves to Darkness range, or compare every Age of Sigmar starter set.
How They Play on the Tabletop
The Slaves to Darkness plan is durable, balanced aggression: advance behind heavily armoured warriors, weather the enemy's blows, and break their line with disciplined melee and hard-hitting cavalry. Your mark of Chaos shapes the army's flavour — ferocity, resilience, sorcery or speed — letting you build the warhost to fit how you like to play.
What you'll love:
- Durability: armoured warriors who hold the line and keep coming
- Flexibility: god-marks let you tune the army to your taste
- Balance: a well-rounded force with no glaring weakness
What can bite you:
- Shooting-light: you'll mostly win in melee, so you must close in
- Synergy-reliant: marks and buffs need combining well to shine
- Jack-of-all-trades: balance can mean no single overwhelming trick
The Armies of the Everchosen
The Slaves to Darkness signature is their marks of Chaos: by dedicating your warhost to Khorne, Tzeentch, Nurgle, Slaanesh — or remaining gloriously Undivided — you reshape its strengths to suit your plan. Add Archaon, the most fearsome champion in the realms, and you have a versatile army that can be built a dozen different ways and still feel cohesive.
They're the gateway to all of Chaos. Once you've picked a favourite god, you can lean further in: see our Blades of Khorne, Maggotkin of Nurgle and Disciples of Tzeentch analyses, or the Hedonites of Slaanesh guide.
Key Unit Roles (What You'll Commonly Need)
Forget memorising every warscroll. Think in jobs:
1) The Chaff (Marauders)
Cheaper, numerous bodies to screen, hold objectives, and free your elites for the kill. Expendable but useful.
2) The Line (Chaos Warriors)
Heavily armoured, disciplined infantry — a tough, durable wall that anchors the army.
3) The Hammer (Chaos Knights and Chosen)
Hard-hitting elite cavalry and warriors who deliver the decisive, line-breaking charge.
4) The Lords (heroes and Archaon)
Powerful champions and sorcerers — including the Everchosen himself — who buff the host and lead from the front.
Getting Started the Smart Way
Building Slaves to Darkness from scratch? They make a superb, durable first Chaos army. Aim for:
Step 1: A block of Chaos Warriors
- Your tough, armoured, objective-holding heart. Disciplined and hard to shift.
Step 2: A unit of Marauders
- Cheap bodies to screen and grab objectives, freeing your warriors and knights to fight.
Step 3: A unit of Chaos Knights
- Your hard-hitting hammer for breaking enemy lines — and a great centrepiece to paint.
Step 4: A Chaos Lord or sorcerer
- A leader to buff the host and set your mark of Chaos — the engine of the army's flavour.
Cover those four jobs and you've got a durable, flexible warhost that can grow toward any god. New to the brushes? Our beginner painting guide will get those classic black-and-bronze armour schemes started.
Common Beginner Mistakes (Avoid These)
- Skipping your mark. The god-mark is a big part of your power — choose it deliberately.
- Crossing in the open. With little shooting, use screens and cover to reach combat intact.
- Forgetting buffs. Lords and sorcerers turn solid warriors into winners — use them.
- Ignoring objectives. Winning the melee still loses if you don't hold the points.
Who the Slaves to Darkness are For
"Choose the Slaves to Darkness if you want a durable, versatile, classic Chaos army — armoured warriors and knights you can tune to any of the Dark Gods, led by the mightiest champions in the realms. Give them a miss if you want strong shooting or one razor-sharp gimmick; this is a balanced, adaptable warhost. Slaves to Darkness reward smart marks and solid fundamentals. Take up the black armour — and conquer."
Further reading: meet the relentless servants of the Blood God in our Blades of Khorne army analysis, or explore the full range over in Warhammer Age of Sigmar.
Start your Slaves to Darkness collection
Ready to bring Slaves to Darkness to your tabletop? Shop the Slaves to Darkness range at Loaded Dice for miniatures, box sets and everything you need to build your army.
