The Fyreslayers Find Their Place in the Khazalite Holds, but Leave Part of Their Identity Behind

There is something instantly recognisable about any Fyreslayers collection: ranks of warriors with orange crests, enormous axes, ur-gold runes and the occasional volcanic creature that looks far too large to share a base with a duardin. For more than a decade, Grimnir’s lodges have carved out their own identity within Warhammer Age of Sigmar, even though their miniature range has never been particularly extensive.

Now, Games Workshop has confirmed what will happen to the Fyreslayers following their incorporation into the Khazalite Holds. They will still be able to form armies of their own, but several units will disappear from the new battletome and move to Warhammer Legends. The decision raises a question that goes beyond the rules: what happens when a faction finds a new home, but some of the miniatures that defined it are left behind?

One book for two duardin cultures

The arrival of Battletome: Khazalite Holds will bring together the new Kromdron and the Grimmdron, the name given to the Fyreslayers within this duardin organisation, in a single publication. The former represent a culture of strongholds, heavy armour, engineering and reverence for the ancestor gods. The latter retain their devotion to Grimnir, their warrior traditions and their close relationship with fire.

Games Workshop has confirmed that it will still be possible to field an army made up entirely of Fyreslayers. They can also be combined with the new Khazalite units or fielded through their own Army of Renown, called Fyrd of Fyrepeak. Their integration therefore does not require players to mix both cultures on the tabletop.

From a lore perspective, the union makes considerable sense. The Fyreslayers’ volcanic strongholds have endured decades of relentless attrition, made worse by an attack on their spiritual capital by an alliance of Hashut’s followers and Skaven. As we discussed in our article on Age of Sigmar’s new identity, the Khazalite Holds offer an opportunity to explore what the different duardin cultures share without necessarily erasing their differences.

Vulkite Berzerkers leave the battletome

The biggest news concerns seven entries in the current Fyreslayers range that will not appear in the new book. Games Workshop will soon withdraw these miniatures from sale and move them to Warhammer Legends twelve months after the battletome’s release. They include the Vulkite Berzerkers, Auric Runemaster, Battlesmith, Doomseeker and Grimwrath Berzerker, as well as the Magmic Battleforge and Magmic Invocations.

The departure of the Vulkite Berzerkers is particularly significant. For years, they have formed the bulk of many lodges and featured in various starter boxes. Their removal reduces the Fyreslayers’ own infantry options, leaving them to rely primarily on Hearthguard Berzerkers, Auric Hearthguard and Vulkyn Flameseekers. The Magmadroth-mounted characters and many of the current heroes will also remain, joined by the new Ormyr and Ashtongue.

It is worth clarifying that moving to Warhammer Legends does not mean the miniatures can no longer be used. Games Workshop maintains this system specifically so that older collections can continue to take part in casual and narrative games. However, these units will no longer be part of the army’s ongoing development, nor will they receive the same treatment as those included in the new book. For anyone who has spent years expanding their lodge, that distinction matters.

When a collection no longer fits the new plans

Reactions to the announcement reveal an understandable concern. Some hobbyists explain that Vulkite Berzerkers make up a substantial part of their armies. Others point out that their disappearance is difficult to accept when they have been one of the faction’s most distinctive units and appeared in boxes sold until relatively recently.

There are also suggestions for giving them a second life. Some players feel they could use their Vulkites to represent Hearthguard Berzerkers or even Khazalite warriors, taking advantage of similarities between the miniatures. It is a reasonable solution for games among friends, provided everyone agrees on what each unit represents, but it still leaves the hobbyist to make the adjustment.

And here lies an important consequence of this kind of reorganisation. A collection is also the result of years of painting, purchases and personal choices. A player might have spent months assembling a lodge of forty Vulkites, customising their shields or building a volcanic stronghold for their games. Even if those miniatures can still be used in other ways, it is understandable that their owner might feel the army they have invested so much time in is changing without their involvement.

Magmic Invocations were part of their identity too

Among the announced retirements, the loss of the Magmic Invocations deserves particular attention. Fyreslayers have never simply been duardin who fight with axes. Their culture revolves around an almost religious relationship with fire, ur-gold runes and the memory of Grimnir, whose essence was scattered across the Mortal Realms following his clash with Vulcatrix.

Miniatures such as the Molten Infernoth, Runic Fyrewall and Zharrgron Flame-spitter helped convey this supernatural aspect of the faction. The Magmic Battleforge served a similar purpose as a terrain piece, evoking the temples where Zharrgrim priests keep their ancestors’ traditions alive. These pieces gave a tabletop a distinctive visual identity before the game had even begun.

Their retirement has also drawn attention among hobbyists, who particularly lament the loss of these invocations. We share that concern: although the Khazalite Holds bring new war machines, golems and armoured warriors, it would be a shame if the Fyreslayers’ integration ended up sidelining their most distinctive elements. Fire, elemental creatures and volcanic temples tell a story that deserves to retain its place alongside the new stone halls.

Our verdict

We believe integrating the Fyreslayers into the Khazalite Holds could be a good decision for the future of the duardin, especially if Games Workshop uses this opportunity to develop their relationships, rivalries and shared traditions.

The prospect of bringing Grimnir’s warriors together with the new Khazalites is appealing from both a lore and a collecting perspective. However, it is difficult to understand why that expansion of possibilities has to come with the retirement of a unit as representative as the Vulkite Berzerkers. Dropping the invocations and the forge also feels like a missed opportunity, precisely when the new army could benefit from greater cultural and visual variety.

We would like this new chapter to deepen the Fyreslayers’ identity, rather than gradually reduce them to a group of warriors accompanying their Khazalite kin. Their lodges, priests, Magmadroths and relationship with Grimnir still offer plenty of stories to tell. If you have a Fyreslayers collection, those miniatures still represent more than entries in a book: they are the inhabitants of a stronghold, the protagonists of your campaigns and the guardians of a tradition you have helped build.

The new battletome may change their place within Age of Sigmar, but we hope it does not cost them the qualities that made them a faction with an identity of their own.