Checkpoint: Stage Two Milestone Reached

Here we are at the end of week 12, which means we’ve reached the Stage Two milestone and we’re halfway through the Slow Grow challenge. Our four Team Mantic challengers have all been progressing at different speeds in the past 12 weeks, and have all had obstacles to overcome in one form or another. In today’s blog, we’ll check in and see how they’ve all done. Ideally, the goal was to have a 1000 point Kings of War Ambush army painted by this stage. How have our challengers measured up?

The Slow Grow Challenge Roadmap

Looking Ahead

It’s been amazing to see all the new Kings of War armies that are coming to life out there in the community as part of this challenge. Please keep sharing your progress with us! As a reminder, you can do that in one of the following ways:

• Creating a hobby thread on the Kings of War Forum (kowforum.com) and including “Slow Grow 2026” in the title
• Posting updates on Facebook or Instagram and using the hashtag #kowslowgrow2026
• Emailing us at kowslowgrow2026@manticgames.com
• Sharing your updates in the relevant threads on the Kings of War subreddit or the Mantic Fans Discord server

We already featured some community armies here on the blog after Stage One wrapped up (here and here), and we’ll be doing the same again in the remaining stages of the challenge.

A quick heads-up – so far, we’ve been publishing one of these Slow Grow blog articles every single week. For the second half of the challenge, we’ll be moving to a fortnightly posting schedule. So for Stage Three, you can expect to see Slow Grow blogs in weeks 14, 16, and 18.

Now, let’s take a look at Team Mantic’s progress!

Tobias – The Hobby Dynamo (Xirkaali)

TW: I’m really happy with how my army’s been progressing. I think I’ve managed to find a nice balance, in terms of having a strong colour scheme so that my army stands out on the table, but also a painting method that doesn’t take me too long. I could spend longer on each miniature and paint more of the detail – and at the start of the challenge, I was considering doing that. But fairly early on, I made a conscious choice to go for more of a “solid tabletop standard” approach, and to focus on getting my units done quickly, to a level that I’m satisfied with.

That has helped me stay on top of things – out of the four of us, I think I’m the one who’s been best able to keep up with the pace. That’s also a result of practice – I actually used to be a much slower painter, but in the past three years I’ve been working on building a regular painting habit, and improving my “hobby discipline”, if you can call it that. I feel like I’m reaping the benefit of that now.

I’ve managed to hit the 1000-point goal – in fact, I’ve got slightly more than 1000 points painted. For an Ambush game, I’ll probably run the Chakrams as regular Brotherhood of Yan, which should bring the list to just under 1000 points.

If I had any advice for people out there following along, it would very much be that “little and often” is the way to get an army done. I think I already said that before – but I’ll say it again because it’s true!

Regiment of Spearwardens

Regiment of Warriors

Regiment of Yan Chakrams

Troop of Wildfangs

Troop of Plainstalkers

Witch Cage

Witch Hunter

Tobias’s Army So Far

Ross – The Fresh Recruit (Ogres)

RC: Having had to duck out of the challenge for quite a chunk of March and early April, I’m honestly happy to just to be back, and to have some paint on my miniatures. In fact, I’ve managed to get a basecoat and wash on everything in my Arokamorra Champion’s Company box, which I’m quite proud of! Back at the start of the challenge, I said that one of my main goals was simply to take grey plastic and turn it into something that’s colourful and feels alive – and I think I’ve made big strides towards achieving that.

Obviously I’m new to this hobby, so I’m very much still learning, but I’m enjoying the process, and I think that’s really important. Having now laid down a solid base on my first set of Ogres, the next step will be adding some textured basing elements to help bring them alive even more. And I may try my hand at some highlighting!

I’m excited by the fact that I can now play Kings of War Champions with what I have – it’ll be cool to get my Ogres on the tabletop! Being realistic, I’m not sure if I’ll get a full 2000-point army done by the end of the challenge, but I’ll certainly be aiming to add a few more units at least. Onwards!

Troop of Warriors

Troop of Boomers

Chariot

Arokamorra

Ross’s Army So Far

Dan – The Lore-Led General (Xirkaali)

DM: I’ve really enjoyed the Slow Grow so far, and the soft “deadlines” at each stage have helped me to keep me on track and get each 500-point chunk finished. The models have turned out really nicely, despite a speed-oriented paint scheme, and I think the jungle bases and colour scheme are doing some heavy lifting on selling the overall theme/story! A highlight so far was converting the Lionsnarl Cavalry and Plainstalkers, to give a unified look across all my ranged options. I may have to add Xorxoi later in the same blue cloak…and what a miniature he is!

And the faction choice? It’s been great to do something as fresh as the Xirkaali, and especially creating an original colour scheme/look for them. Yellow can be tricky, but with the Army Painter Warpaints Fanatic range it’s come out very nicely and didn’t require too many repetitive coats.

My army comes to 965 points without any magic items, so I’d say that counts as a success for the first two stages of the challenge! Next up, I’m really keen to paint the massive Gokluu dragon – so that will almost certainly form part of my next 500 points. After plenty of infantry units I’m feeling ready to tackle something bigger.

Regiment of Plainstalkers

Regiment of Lionsnarl Cavalry with Bows

Regiment of Warriors

Regiment of Wildfangs

Witch Hunter

Dan’s Army So Far

Alex – The Reformed Perfectionist (Trident Realm)

AG: As readers may remember, I moved house during Stage One of the challenge, which really threw a spanner in the works! When we hit the Stage One milestone, I didn’t have an awful lot to show for it, and I set myself the goal of catching up during Stage Two. How have I done? Well, I’m pleased to report that – after painting like a madman for the past few weeks – I’ve made some solid progress!

I’ve finished my Axel Tricklebrook Champions Company and, like Ross, I’m excited to play some Kings of War Champions in the near future. On top of that, I also managed to get two troops of Depth Horrors done, to get me closer to that 1000-point goal. In fact, if I were to run Crokker from Axel Tricklebrook’s Company as a Riverguard Dambuster Sentinel (a Champion choice in the Trident Realm army list), I’ve got a legal Ambush list that comes to 875 points. So I didn’t quite fully catch up, but I wasn’t far off!

Hobby-wise, I’m happy with how the army is shaping up. As I’ve mentioned before, I like to be quite methodical in my approach. My reasoning is that, if I put the effort in upfront to figure out the colour scheme, the techniques I’ll use, and what the step-by-step will be – plus paint a few miniatures as a trial run – then that preparation will make my life easier in the long run. I had a rocky start to the challenge, but now, halfway through, I’m beginning to see the benefit of that approach.

I’m especially happy with how the colour scheme is looking – I think the grey-ish greens go nicely with the orange as an accent colour. The Mantic studio Trident Realm army is very bright and vibrant and uses all sorts of different colours, which I love because it reflects the incredible diversity of aquatic life. When it comes to my own painting though, I tend to prefer using a narrower selection of colours, and I was curious to see how a more limited palette would look for the Trident Realm. It’s different, but I think it works quite well.

In terms of what’s next, I have the Trident Realm half of the Claws in the Sand 2-player starter set (that’s where my Depth Horrors came from), so I’ll most likely continue to work on the units from that box. I love the Placoderm miniatures, and will probably get started on those next!

Troop of Naiad Ensnarers

Troop of Riverguard

First Troop of Depth Horrors

Second Troop of Depth Horrors

Axel Tricklebrook

Crokker/Riverguard Dambuster Sentinel

Alex’s Army So Far

That’s a Wrap for Stage Two!

So there you have it, folks! Dan and Tobias have both successfully managed to get a 1000-point army done across the past 12 weeks. Ross and Alex didn’t quite make it, but perhaps that’s not surprising given the obstacles they’ve each faced. Importantly, they’ve both hit their stride in recent weeks and have ended Stage Two on a very positive note!

The Slow Grow challenge has been a lot of fun so far, and we hope that you’re enjoying following along with it! We’ll be back in a couple of weeks with another Slow Grow blog. Until then, happy painting and happy gaming!

The post Slow Grow Challenge Episode 12: We’re Halfway Through! appeared first on Mantic Games.

Last week, we unveiled the next chapter in the unfolding Kings of War saga – with the Fracture expansion book launching at the end of June, and new miniature releases rolling out across May, June and July. Today, a collection of pre-orders go live that begin to pave the way for the arrival of Fracture. The Ogres and Forces of the Abyss take centre stage, with each faction receiving a beautiful new hero miniature.

We’ve also got some fantastic new bundle deals in place to help you build your army ready for the summer campaign that’s coming in August – make sure you read to the end of the article for those!

In the coming weeks, we’ll have more blog posts shining a spotlight on these two popular factions, but for now, let’s take a look at the new pre-orders and bundles!

The Ogres – Built For War

The Ogres of Pannithor are wandering tribes, mercenary warbands and hard-hitting hired muscle, famed as much for their blunt practicality as their immense strength. They will fight for almost anyone with enough coin, and their captains are prized across the world for their reliability, battlefield instinct and sheer destructive power.

With the Xirkaali invasion incoming, the services of the Ogres have been in high demand – for example, at Haelthorn, where they’ve been fighting alongside the Salamanders. Now, however, they are being pulled into something bigger and more deadly than just another contract. Their ancestral lands are under pressure, old debts are resurfacing, and the Green Lady has come calling. Ogres don’t like being told what to do – but when the future of the Mammoth Steppe is at stake, even they may have to choose a side.

Ogre Sergeant

A brand-new miniature joins the Ogre ranks with the arrival of the Ogre Sergeant. Once selected at the annual ogre ‘Thing’, these warriors are honed through brutal training into disciplined, hard-hitting leaders. The strongest and most capable rise to become Sergeants, leading their fellow mercenaries into battle across Pannithor.

On the tabletop, the Ogre Sergeant is a versatile and dependable Champion choice, providing punching power and leadership in one compact package.

Ogre Heroes Pack

The Ogre Heroes set brings together four powerful leaders to command your force, including the brand-new Ogre Sergeant miniature. Ogres rise through strength and battlefield prowess, and this set reflects that with a range of roles to suit different playstyles. The Sergeant offers a versatile and dependable Champion option, the Boomer Sergeant excels at delivering devastating short-range firepower, and the Berserker Bully trades defence for a flurry of brutal attacks in combat. Leading them all is the Warlord, a formidable choice who combines strong offence, durability and commanding presence.

Goblin Battlegroup

Goblins are frequently pressed into service by Ogre Sergeants, and marked with red clothing or warpaint as a sign of ownership. These ‘Red Goblins’, as they are known, display an unusual loyalty and discipline, proudly wearing their colours and serving their hulking masters on the battlefield. An interesting change for the upcoming Ogre army list is that Red Goblin units are now a mixed arms unit similar to the Therennian Sea Guard of the Elves (a shorter, less elite version, of course!). With both the Phalanx special rule and a ranged attack, they’re able to hold a defensive position while also peppering their foes with arrows.

Forces of the Abyss – Hell Unleashed

The Abyss is the great hell-scar torn into Pannithor itself, a prison for the Wicked Ones and the source of their infernal legions. From its depths march the Forces of the Abyss: cackling demons, damned souls and monstrous fiends driven by cruelty, corruption and endless war.

Now, as Pannithor reels from invasion and divine upheaval, the Abyss surges once more. With Basilea divided by faith and the world distracted by the Xirkaali invasion, the infernal legions see their chance to bring ruin to the world above.

Teynne the Usurper

Teynne the Usurper is a brand-new character for Kings of War, arriving from the pages of the Sacred Ark series of novels with a striking new miniature and taking his place as a unique Warlord choice in the Forces of the Abyss army list. A cruel and ambitious entity who has carved a bloody path across Pannithor, Teynne brings a potent mix of manoeuvrability, melee power and spellcasting to the tabletop, making him a flexible and dangerous centrepiece for your force. We’ll be taking a closer look at Teynne in an upcoming blog, so stay tuned for more.

Forces of the Abyss Battalion

From the shattered, soot-stained reaches of the Abyss, demonic legions spill forth to bring ruin to Pannithor. These incursions are mercifully rare – but when they come, they arrive in relentless waves, leaving devastation in their wake.

The Forces of the Abyss Battalion lets you bring that threat to the tabletop. Including a mix of Core, Specialist and Support units, led by the brand-new Warlord, Teynne the Usurper, it provides a well-rounded force of more than 1000 points straight out of the box. The Battalion is the perfect first building block for a new Forces of the Abyss army, and also works as a great-value way to expand an existing force.

Forces of the Abyss Infernal Battlegroup

Summoned from the depths of the Abyss, the massed ranks of Lower Abyssals and the slithering Nagarri bring a terrifying mix of resilience and lethality to the battlefield. Lower Abyssals and Flamebearers form the core of the demonic legions, while the cursed Nagarri are thought to be former Archfiends that fell foul of the Wicked Ones – their snake-like form being an outward sign of their treacherous nature.

The Forces of the Abyss Infernal Battlegroup is a great way to reinforce your army, and makes the perfect next step after the Forces of the Abyss Battalion. Packed with hard plastic miniatures including the vicious Nagarri and devious Lower Abyssals/Flamebearers, this set is ready to bring some fiery fury to your tabletop.

New Ogre and Abyssal Army Deals

For the budding Abyssal Archfiends and Ogre Warlords out there, we’ve got some great new deals in place to help you get started on your journey.

Ogre Warhost Bundle

In this online-only ‘Warhost Bundle’, an Ogre Warlord and Arokamorra lead a huge mercenary army from the Mammoth Steppe into foreign lands for gold and glory! Featuring a one-click army of well over 2,000 points worth of units – including two large centrepiece models – this bundle is an instant collection, a fantastic hobby project, and an incredible way to dive into Kings of War 4th Edition.

It ALSO includes everything you need to play Arokamorra and her Company of trusted warriors in Kings of War Champions (full ruleset now on the Mantic Companion or available physically here). One bundle gets you ready for TWO fantasy wargames – one for spectacular mass battles and the other for fast, company-level, hero-led combat.

Ogre Starter Bundle

In this online-only ‘Starter Bundle’, a mighty Ogre champion leads two regiments of fierce mercenaries into battle for gold and glory! When building an Ogre army for Kings of War, you’ll always need a Commander and two Core selections to build the rest of your forces around. This bundle is the perfect starting point!

Forces of the Abyss Warhost Bundle

In this online-only ‘Warhost Bundle’, the Lord of Lies and the Bloody Cardinal lead a devastating tide of demonic creatures from the depths of the Abyss to wreak havoc on the surface.

Featuring a one-click army of well over 2,000 points worth of units – including two large centrepiece models – this bundle is an instant collection, a fantastic hobby project, and an incredible way to dive into Kings of War 4th Edition.

It ALSO includes everything you need to play The Bloody Cardinal and his Company of trusted warriors in Kings of War Champions (full ruleset now on the Mantic Companion or available physically here). One bundle gets you ready for TWO fantasy wargames – one for spectacular mass battles and the other for fast, company-level, hero-led combat.

Forces of the Abyss Starter Bundle

In this online-only ‘Starter Bundle’, a hideous Despoiler commands two regiments of abyssal demons into battle! When building a Forces of the Abyss army for Kings of War, you’ll need a Commander and two Core selections to build the rest of your forces around. This bundle is the perfect starting point!

The post Kings of War May Pre-Orders: Ogres and Forces of the Abyss appeared first on Mantic Games.

We’ve rolled out a big wave of new releases, across three of our major game systems. Whether you’re commanding Spartans in Halo: Flashpoint, leading vast sci-fi armies in the Warpath Universe, or sweeping across Pannithor with your Xirkaali legions, there’s been plenty to get your teeth into this month.

All April new releases are now available to purchase from the Mantic webstore and, with the exception of Mantic Direct and Print-On-Demand products, they should all be hitting retail stores right about now. Let’s take a look at the line-up.

Halo: Flashpoint – Noble Team Leads the Charge

Battles rage and fade. Heroes rise and fall. But legends…legends never die…

April’s Halo: Flashpoint releases are led by the arrival of the iconic Noble Team, bringing some of the most legendary Spartans in the Halo universe to the tabletop. Sculpted in high-detail MasterCraft Resin, this expansion lets you take command of Carter, Kat, Emile, Jorge, Jun and Noble Six in your games of Halo: Flashpoint.

Noble Team Expansion

But it’s not only about the characters – it also introduces Big Team Battles, opening up larger-scale games with more miniatures, more action, and more cinematic moments on the tabletop. To fight those bigger battles, you can now order the Reach Deluxe Gaming Mat from your friendly local gaming store, or back-order one from the next batch to arrive at Mantic HQ…the first run have all been snapped up and are shipping now!

Reach Deluxe Gaming Mat

As if that wasn’t enough, a bunch of other goodies for Halo: Flashpoint dropped this month, all of which are designed to take your games to the next level of immersiveness:

• The ODST Scenery Set, including the long-awaited drop pod and turret upgrades
• Fireteam Wolf, a new Special Issue box featuring four exclusive alternate poses of the starter set Spartans (Mk VII, Brawler, Zvezda and Deadeye), previously only available through Halo: Flashpoint Organised Play

Fireteam Wolf

Whether you’re expanding your collection or jumping in for the first time, this wave brings more scale, more immersion, and more ways to play Halo: Flashpoint.

Epic Warpath – The Conflict Escalates

April sees the retail release of two more factions: the Veer-myn and the Marauders. Epic Warpath now has eight factions available, giving you a full range of armies to command on the battlefield.

The two new factions each bring their own distinctive flavour and playstyle to the game.

The Veer-myn are an unstoppable infestation, bursting from beneath the surface in overwhelming numbers, using speed, ambush tactics and sheer weight of bodies to overwhelm their enemies.

Veer-myn Core Army

The Marauders are hardened mercenaries – tough, experienced fighters who combine brute force with a surprising amount of tactical acumen. These guys can take a punch or two – and they hit back HARD.

Marauder Core Army

Getting started with a new army for Epic Warpath couldn’t be simpler. Each faction has:

• A Core Army box to form the foundation of your force
• A Reinforcements pack to expand and add options
• A massive Super Heavy unit to form the centrepiece

On the webstore right now we have a Commander’s Bundle available for every faction, which gets you one of each of the above, all in one click – with a tidy saving into the bargain!

The Veer-myn Super Heavy is the Technonest – an enormous mobile war engine, cobbled together from an assortment of military and industrial hardware.

Veer-myn Technonest

The Marauders have the Wolfcrawler Mech – a towering war machine repurposed from an industrial cargo transport and rebuilt for destruction.

Marauder Wolfcrawler Mech

In case you missed it, we took a deeper look at each faction here on the Mantic blog:

• The Threat from Below: Meet the Veer-myn
• An Army for Hire: Meet the Marauders

Plus, by popular demand, we’re now also selling packs of Epic Warpath bases separately! Grab yours from the Mantic webstore here.

Kings of War – Xirkaali Heroes Unleashed

There’s been plenty happening in Pannithor this month too.

The big headline for April is that the full range of Xirkaali heroes are now available individually via the Mantic webstore, giving you more freedom than ever to tailor your army and bring your favourite characters to the battlefield.

Xirkaali Matriarch

Alongside the core hero releases, we’ve also introduced three Print-On-Demand special characters – Baidar Witch-eater, Khulan Kaiju-slayer, and Lieh Lung, the Lethal Fist. All three of these characters are featured in the Invasion expansion book, and their release means that every single option in the Xirkaali army list has a miniature available to buy.

Khulan Kaiju-slayer

And then… there are the heads!

Originally sparked by a slightly “unusual” (alternatively: “barking mad!”) idea from Ronnie, the new Xirkaali Heads let you customise your army with a range of dog-inspired options – from pugs and chihuahuas to mastiffs and wolfhounds.

Xirkaali Heads

It’s a fun, characterful way to personalise your force, whether you’re building a Xirkaali army in your own pet’s image, or just adding some visual variety to your hemicyon ranks.

That’s a Wrap for April!

From the arrival of Noble Team and Big Team Battles to Halo: Flashpoint, to two full factions joining the fray for Epic Warpath, and a very characterful wave of Xirkaali releases for Kings of War, April has been packed with new content across the Mantic range.

But don’t worry – we won’t be slowing down! Far from it. There’s plenty more on the way in the months ahead – so stay tuned.

Happy gaming everyone!

The post April New Releases Round-Up appeared first on Mantic Games.