Kings of War: The Next Chapter
24th Apr 2026
Alex Gordon
A New Age of War: The Story So Far
The world of Pannithor stands on the brink. As kingdoms struggle with internal conflict and magical energies from Halpi’s Rift surge across the land, a new threat has emerged from the east.
The Xirkaali Empire advances in vast, disciplined armies, offering a stark choice: submit and survive, or resist and be destroyed. Unlike the divided realms they invade, the Xirkaali bring unity, purpose, and a ruthless belief that magic itself must be controlled or eradicated.
Ogres and Salamanders clash with the Xirkaali
As the Xirkaali forces sweep across land and sea, every faction must decide how far they are willing to go to defend their way of life. But despite this assault from a common foe, Pannithor is not uniting. It’s beginning to fracture…
A World Divided: The Next Chapter
Amidst the escalating chaos, the Green Lady moves to preserve balance. She plays a delicate game in the shadows, making alliances wherever she can, and caring little for petty ideas of good and evil – only for the protection of Pannithor itself. While she forges stronger ties with the followers of Kyron, her methods are alienating some that she once called allies…
In Basilea, faith divides as much as it unites. The Shining Ones no longer speak with a single voice – some call for an end to the war against evil, others demand it be fought with greater zeal. Their followers are left to choose which vision of righteousness to follow, and moral certainty is slipping away. Against this backdrop, the Hegemony has no choice but to confront its enemies – but how? And who will come to its aid?
Many seek the support of the Ogres, but their loyalties are far from assured. Will they trust and aid the Green Lady? The last time they did so, their ancestral lands were flooded and ruined – a fact they have not forgotten.
And in the darkness, the Abyss stirs, sensing that the time for vengeance is approaching. Plans are in motion, sinister and ambitious plans that could set a great evil loose upon the world once more…
What began as a war to resist the Xirkaali is turning into something far greater – a struggle for the very soul of Pannithor.
The Forces of the Abyss stand ready to wreak havoc
Roadmap for the Months Ahead
Which side will YOU stand upon in the coming battle for Pannithor?
Today, we’re very excited to give you a first look at what’s in store for Kings of War in the coming months, as we head towards the release of the Fracture expansion book, and the next chapter in Pannithor’s unfolding narrative. We’ve got a ton of new miniatures in the pipeline - spearheaded by the new army release for Forces of Nature! Alongside the miniatures will be new stories and lore, rules updates, and plenty of ways for you to get involved. Read on for more.
We'll be revealing the new miniatures soon...but for now, here's a sneak peek at some concept art!
The Fracture releases will be coming out in three waves:
- Wave 1: Fourth edition boxed sets for Forces of the Abyss and Ogres, with one brand new hero miniature for each faction. These will go up for pre-order next week, and are scheduled to release at the end of May.
- Wave 2: The Fracture book itself and a host of new miniatures for Forces of Nature, plus some exciting new releases for Basilea too. These will be revealed and available for pre-order in mid-May, and are set to release at the end of June.
- Wave 3: Yet more new miniatures for Forces of Nature, including a brand-new Champions Company. Alongside that will be a new miniature for an iconic Basilean character, along with more fourth edition boxes for existing miniatures. These will be revealed and available for pre-order in mid-June, and are set to release at the end of July.
Our Slow Grow challenge is continuing to run in the background until the end of July, and that will lead into the big summer campaign happening in August. We’re also happy to announce that a new novel, Blades of Samarik, is on its way from author Mark Barber, which will tie into the events of both Fracture and the summer campaign.
Get your armies ready for August, because your games will help decide which way the narrative unfolds – and potentially even change the map of Pannithor permanently…
What’s Going to be in Fracture?
The Fracture expansion book will include the next chapter of the unfolding story arc of Pannithor, plus lore deep dives and new army lists for the four factions mentioned above. But that’s not all! It will also add new content for Kings of War 4th edition, including two new scenarios and two new universal command orders that are useable by any faction.
Front cover of the Fracture expansion book
Some armies will also be getting revised and/or rebalanced Command Orders based on community feedback since the 4th edition launch, and there’ll be a range of other tweaks and improvements, including new unlocking options for some armies (e.g., taking a certain hero changes a unit from one category to another). We’ll cover all of this in more detail closer to Fracture’s launch, but for now, we wanted to give you an idea of what to expect.
And don’t forget – the following expansion book, Arrogance, scheduled for later in the year, will feature a full Clash of Kings-style update, in which every army in the game will get looked at and adjusted as necessary.
Did Someone Order New Commands?
Finally, one more piece of news. We know that Command Orders are proving to be a popular new addition to the game, but we’ve also heard the feedback that, as things stand, the selection of Command Orders available for some factions is lacking compared to that of others.
We’re addressing this, and we want YOU to be involved. The design team are working on ideas for new Command Orders already, but we’ll also be accepting submissions from the Kings of War community. We’ll be playtesting the most promising suggestions, and aiming to add some of them to the game officially in the Arrogance book.
Next month, we’ll share more details on how you can participate – but for now, get your game design hats on and start thinking up some ideas!
With new miniatures being released across May, June and July, and the Fracture book set to move the story forwards while adding rules updates, list-building options and gameplay improvements, this summer is going to be an exciting time for Kings of War. We can’t wait to share more with you all in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, happy gaming!
