About time! For years, fans have been hoping that the all-new Cathay faction from Warhammer 3 would get miniatures, and now its army has been revealed for The Old World.
Since Cathay was announced as a new faction for Warhammer 3, fans of the tabletop original have been hoping for an accompanying army. After all, it was the first faction for the strategy game to be created without a real-world counterpart. Sure, Cathay was known in the background of the world, but there were no miniatures for it.
Now the time has finally come.During a Warhammer Preview Showat this year’s AdeptiCon, Games Workshop officially unveiled the new army for the fantasy remake The Old World on March 27. This is huge news, as it will be the first completely new faction for Warhammer Fantasy since the ogres were released in 2005.
This is the Great Empire of Cathay
If you have already played Warhammer 3, and as a fan of the world, this is very likely, then you already know this faction. After all, the Creative Assembly worked closely with Games Workshop on this one. Therefore, you will immediately recognize the designs of the figures, the names of important heroes, and probably some game mechanics as well.
Cathay is culturally very much influenced by China and ruled by a divine Dragon Emperor. However, most of the secular matters are handled by his children, who appear both as humans and as dragons. And by “appear”, I mean “wreak havoc on the battlefield”.
But Cathay’s army is more than just dragons. It combines disciplined foot soldiers with technological marvels. The following miniatures have been announced for Cathay:
- Jade Warriors: The empire’s classic infantry.
- Jadelance Horsemen: The typical Cathayan cavalry.
- Cathayan Great Cannon: A massive cannonball that shoots flaming balls.
- Rain of Fire Missile Battery: A rather inaccurate artillery piece, but its explosive missiles do a lot of damage when they hit.
- Shugengan Lord on Great Spirit Longma: This hero unit is descended from the dragons and rides into battle on a hybrid horse and dragon.
- Gatekeeper of the Divine Cities: Human hero units, who are among the strongest soldiers and riders in the army.
- Sky Lantern:A flying hot air balloon used primarily for scouting, but the crew also target enemies with rifles.
- Cathayan Guardian: A towering statue that is one of the most powerful Cathayan weapons due to its size and hardness alone.
- Miao Ying, the Storm Dragon: The eldest daughter of the Dragon Emperor goes into battle as a powerful leader who can also transform into a dragon.
There is currently no release date for the army book and miniatures. But we expect a release later this year.
Incidentally, Cathay was not the only new army book revealed for Warhammer – The Old War. The Wood Elves and Beastmen will also soon be reissued, bringing back a few new and many familiar miniatures of these races, like the previous armies for The Old World.
