Kurnoth's Heralds - Warband Review

Kurnoth's Heralds – A Warhammer Underworlds Warband Review

Kurnoth's Heralds are an elite three-fighter warband for Warhammer Underworlds, released as part of the Spitewood expansion. Representing the servants of Kurnoth, these Kurnothi Aelves combine speed, precise positioning and excellent offensive output. The first thing most players will notice, however, is their appearance. With the upper bodies of Aelves and the lower bodies of deer, they resemble woodland centaurs and are among the most distinctive miniatures currently available in Warhammer Underworlds.

On the tabletop, Kurnoth's Heralds are a highly mobile but surprisingly fragile warband. Whilst they possess excellent offensive profiles, they lack the durability to simply charge across the battlefield looking for fights. Instead, they reward careful positioning, patience and the ability to punish opponents who stray too close.

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My Heralds of Kurnoth

I should point out that this is a warband I have played against rather than played myself. However, after a number of games against them, I have a clear understanding of what makes the Heralds successful and what causes them problems. At first glance they look like a straightforward Aggro warband, but I think that misses an important aspect of how they actually function. In my experience, they play best when they tempt opponents into their territory before unleashing a devastating counter-attack.

What Does This Warband Do?

I would describe the playstyle of Kurnoth's Heralds as a Cautious Strike warband. They do not possess enough fighters to play a dedicated Hold strategy, but equally they lack the defensive profiles needed to charge recklessly across the battlefield looking for kills. Instead, they want to establish positions within their own territory, score objectives where possible and then punish opponents who move forwards.

The warband's abilities actively encourage this approach. They gain additional mobility in friendly territory, become harder to pin down and inspire more easily when attacking from their own side of the battlefield. In many ways, they feel more like hunters waiting in ambush than a traditional aggressive warband. The mistake I most often see is players trying to force the action. The Heralds are at their strongest when they remain patient and make the opponent take the first risk.

The Fighters

Ylarin – The Leader

Ylarin is, in my opinion, the most important fighter in the warband, which is unsurprising as he is the Leader.  His Range 2 melee attack immediately sets him apart from many other fighters, allowing him to threaten opponents whilst remaining relatively safe. Once inspired, he becomes exceptionally dangerous, attacking on 3 Hammers for 3 Damage (although a point of this damage comes from built-in Grievous) this gives him both the accuracy and damage output needed to reliably remove enemy fighters from the battlefield.

The downside is that Ylarin is not nearly as durable as he first appears. Five Health is standard for elite fighters, but a single Block save does not provide much protection against opponents attacking with Hammer based attacks. Once he has suffered a 3-Damage hit, things can become uncomfortable very quickly. Due to this, I think one of the key principles of using the Heralds effectively is not overcommitting Ylarin. The threat he poses is often just as important as the damage he actually inflicts. Keeping him available until later in a round will hopefully make your opponent think carefully about where they position their own fighters and can discourage them from advancing too aggressively.

Ylarin also has access to Herald's Pride, which grants Cleave and Ensnare for a single attack. Whilst this means giving up the Grievous keyword on his main weapon profile, the improved reliability can be extremely useful. If all you need is to remove a 2-Health fighter, land an attack to inspire or score an objective, then accuracy is often more valuable than additional damage.

Cullon

Cullon is the second major damage dealer in the warband. In most of the games I have played against the Heralds, he tends to be the fighter that gets everyone's attention after Ylarin. Whilst he lacks the utility of a Range 2 attack, once inspired he can reliably dish out 3 Damage and even reach 4 Damage with Grievous. That quantity of damage is genuinely frightening and allows him to remove many fighters in a single successful attack.

Unfortunately, Cullon is also extremely fragile. Having only a single Dodge save means that he relies almost entirely upon his 5 Health to survive. Losing Cullon does not automatically lose the game, but it significantly reduces the pressure the Heralds can apply. If forced to choose between preserving Ylarin or Cullon, I would usually favour Ylarin because his Range 2 attack provides more flexibility throughout the game. Regardless, Cullon remains one of the fighters your opponent cannot afford to ignore.

Lenwythe

Lenwythe has a very different role from the other two Heralds. She only deals 1 Damage with her attack, but she can do so at Range 3. This allows her to attack throughout the game whilst remaining relatively safe and gives the warband a degree of flexibility that many elite warbands simply do not possess.

I tend to think of Lenwythe as the support fighter rather than a dedicated damage dealer. Her role is to soften up enemy fighters before Ylarin and Cullon move in, drive opponents away from Treasure tokens and continue contributing whilst occupying objectives herself. This means she is often the ideal first activation in a round, allowing you to keep the threat of Ylarin and Cullon hanging over the battlefield for longer. I would always suggest charging with her, even if it is not necessary so that the warband can achieve charged out status.

Of the three Heralds, Lenwythe is the fighter I am least concerned about losing. If she is slain, the warband still retains most of its damage output. If Ylarin or Cullon are removed, however, the Heralds can quickly find themselves struggling to finish enemy fighters.

How Does The Warband Inspire?

The inspiration condition is straightforward:

After an Action step, if a friendly fighter began that Action step in friendly territory and then made a successful Attack, Inspire that fighter.

This condition suggests how the warband should be played. The Heralds are clearly designed to operate from their own territory. Ylarin and Lenwythe can usually inspire reasonably easily thanks to the range on their attacks. In particular, Lenwythe's ability to attack from Range 3 means she can often inspire without placing herself in danger.

Cullon is the fighter who can struggle the most, because he only attacks at Range 1, he frequently needs to leave friendly territory in order to attack. If that attack misses, inspiring him later can become very difficult. Fortunately, the Endless Hunt, one of the warband's warscroll abilities help with this problem by allowing fighters to retreat back into friendly territory after attacking.

If I was playing this warband I would always be trying to inspire all three fighters as early as possible. At the same time, I would not sacrifice a fighter's position simply to inspire. The bonuses are clearly valuable, but preserving your fighters is even more important.

Kurnoth's Heralds Warscroll Abilities

Swift Sentinels

When in friendly territory, friendly fighter have Flying and cannot be Flanked. This is the ability that best defines the warband's overall playstyle. Flying improves their mobility, allowing them to ignore occupied hexes when moving, whilst protection from Flanking makes them more difficult to hit.

Importantly, both effects encourage the Heralds to remain within friendly territory. The ability reinforces the idea that this warband wants to defend its own ground before counter-attacking.

The Endless Hunt

This ability allows a fighter to push up to 2 hexes after making an attack. Whilst only usable once per game, I think it may be one of the strongest abilities on the warscroll. A two-hex push provides an incredible amount of flexibility. It can be used to retreat a fighter back to safety, reposition onto a Treasure token, move back into friendly territory for inspiration purposes or simply set up a future attack.

To put the ability into context, Sidestep has long been considered one of the best power cards in Warhammer Underworlds and it only provides a push of one hex. The Endless Hunt provides twice the push distance and, because it is a warscroll ability, you know it will always be available when you need it. You do not need to draw it, hold onto it or hope it appears at the right moment.

In many ways, that reliability is just as important as the movement itself. A well-timed two-hex reposition has the potential to completely change the flow of a game. It is also the only one-use ability on the warscroll that is available to all three fighters.

Precision Volley

Precision Volley belongs to Lenwythe and allows her to attack twice with the same ranged weapon. Importantly, this does not just apply to her fighter card attack. If Lenwythe is equipped with a ranged weapon upgrade, Precision Volley can be used with that weapon as well, significantly increasing the value of ranged upgrades within the warband.

At first glance, the obvious use for Precision Volley is spreading damage across multiple enemy fighters. This can be extremely useful for softening targets before Ylarin and Cullon move in for the kill. However, following the February 2026 FAQ, the ability has become even more flexible. Lenwythe can now focus both attacks into the same target, allowing her to either attempt to place 2 Damage onto an important fighter or make a second attempt at landing a crucial attack.

That second point is easy to overlook. Sometimes the damage itself is less important than the driveback resulting from a successful attack. If an opponent is standing on an important Treasure token, a second attempt at achieving that driveback can be game-changing. Whilst Lenwythe deals less damage than Ylarin or Cullon, Precision Volley gives her a remarkable amount of utility and tactical flexibility.

Herald's Pride

Herald's Pride grants Ylarin's attack Cleave and Ensnare. Whilst exchanging Grievous means giving up some damage potential, there are plenty of situations where simply landing the attack is more important than causing damage. Whether you need to inspire, score an objective or remove a 2-Health fighter, Herald's Pride can be invaluable.

How Does This Warband Score Glory?

The Glory the Heralds score comes from a combination of board positioning and carefully selected kills. They do not have enough fighters to control Treasure tokens across the board, but they are perfectly capable of holding them within their own territory whilst threatening opponents who attempt to take them.

Their ideal game has the opponent's fighters advancing into friendly territory, suffering a little ranged pressure from Lenwythe and then being punished by Ylarin and Cullon. When the Heralds are forced to chase opponents around the battlefield, things tend to become much more difficult.

Common Mistakes

• Treating the warband as a full Aggro warband.
• Overcommitting Ylarin or Cullon too early.
• Leaving friendly territory unnecessarily.
• Failing to inspire the fighters quickly.
• Expecting Lenwythe to provide significant damage output.

The biggest mistake, in my view, is impatience. The Heralds are strongest when they force the opponent to come to them. Every time they abandon that approach and rush forwards, they become far easier to deal with.

Recommended Rivals Deck Pairings

Emberstone Sentinels

This is probably my favourite pairing for the Heralds. The deck complements their desire to remain within friendly territory through objectives such as Iron Grasp and Supremacy, whilst also providing valuable defensive tools such as Agile and Sharp Reflexes. The various "Great" upgrades are also excellent additions to a warband that already possesses strong fighter profiles.

Countdown to Cataclysm

Countdown to Cataclysm complements both the Hold and Aggro elements of the warband. Overwhelming Force is particularly interesting because every fighter can potentially score it from the opening round. Counter-Charge is another standout card, allowing a fighter to reposition for an attack without needing to commit to a Charge action. The deck also provides access to the defensive upgrade, Utter Conviction.

Hunting Grounds

Hunting Grounds feels like a very natural partner for the warband and was included in the same boxed set, Spitewood. Whilst Emberstone Sentinels provides the for your opponent's fighters to enter your territory, Hunting Grounds provides further rewards when they do. Hidden Aid is particularly useful, whilst the melee weapon upgrades available within the deck can significantly improve Lenwythe's damage output.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths

• Excellent offensive output once inspired.
• Two fighters capable of reliably dealing 3 Damage.
• Strong mobility and Flying in friendly territory.
• Excellent threat projection.
• Useful ranged support.
• Strong counter-attacking playstyle.

Weaknesses

• Fragile defensive profiles.
• Low fighter count.
• Some reliance on dice for inspiration.
• Lenwythe's damage output is limited.
• Poor positioning can be heavily punished.

How Difficult Is This Warband To Play?

Despite this warband being included in the Spitewood expansion, I do not think Kurnoth's Heralds are particularly beginner friendly. The warband can be unforgiving, due to its fragility, making mistakes costly. A single fighter out of position can quickly find itself removed from the battlefield and losing either Ylarin or Cullon early dramatically reduces the warband's ability to apply pressure.

I would place them as warband for a more experienced player.

Who Will Enjoy This Warband?

Kurnoth's Heralds should appeal to players who enjoy elite warbands, careful positioning and measured aggression. If you enjoy controlling space, rewarding mistakes and punishing overextension, there is a great deal to like here. Players who prefer charging directly at the enemy may find the Heralds less forgiving than other aggressive warbands.

Final Thoughts

Kurnoth's Heralds are an interesting warband. Whilst their fighter cards suggest an aggressive playstyle, I believe they are at their best when played patiently. Their combination of mobility, ranged pressure and powerful counter-attacks means they constantly threaten opponents who stray too far forward.

The warband rewards careful positioning, thoughtful activation order and an understanding of when to commit your fighters. In many ways, that's what makes them so interesting. They are powerful, but only when played with restraint. If I were facing the Heralds across the table, my first priority would be removing Ylarin. His Range 2 attack gives him a level of flexibility that makes him the most important fighter in the warband. Once Ylarin and Cullon are removed, the Heralds can struggle to generate sufficient damage to close out games.

Overall, Kurnoth's Heralds are not the easiest warband to master, but they are undoubtedly one of the most interesting elite warbands currently available. For players who enjoy cautious aggression and precise positioning, they are well worth exploring.

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