If you didn’t know already, Games Workshop is giving its Age of Sigmar game a thorough reworking. If you’ve not already Warhammer Age of Sigmar Army works then do so. And if you’re a fan of the rat clans that make up Warhammer’s Skaven listen up. Because they’re getting a makeover (or should that be makeunder?).

Warhammer's New Skaven
Older Clanrat (left), new Clanrat (centre), and a new Liberator.

What’s happening to the Skaven?

In short, the Skaven Clanrats have been redesigned to look even more ratty, menacing and detailed than ever before. As you can see from the image above, gone is the armourclad Skaven which offered a more soldier-like appearance. In its place is a far more rag-tag appearance, with ripped and ragged clothing now the order of the day.

The swarms of the Skaven will still feature some armoured elements such as chainmail under the clothing. However, the whole design embodies the idea that the Clanrats don’t have a formal uniform. Especially considering the frontline is usually fodder for whomever they come up against.

Why the change?

“The existing plastic Clanrats are venerable artefacts from the World-that-Was, and it’s finally time for the backbone of the Skaven military to get the update they deserve,” says Games Workshop. “They still keep their classic hunched posture and raggedy equipment, rendering the sorry state of your rank and file in better detail than they’ve ever seen before.”

When do the New Skaven Arrive?

At the moment we don’t know when these new Skaven Clanrats will be made available. Just like the rest of the Warhammer Age of Sigmar revision, new details are slowly being rolled out. From the army composition and the reworked priority roll to the new battletomes there’s a lot to digest already.

What do you think of Warhammer’s new Skaven? Let us know in the comments below!